Walt 2012 La Brisa Sonoma Pinot Noir WALT Wines, owned by Vintners Kathryn Walt Hall and Craig Hall, produces premier Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Pacific Coast’s most distinctive vineyard sites, spanning nearly 1000 miles and including Sta. Rita Hills, Sonoma County, Anderson Valley, and the Willamette Valley. Kathryn’s parents, Bob & Dolores Walt, were dedicated winegrowers who loved the land and each other. Her family produced six different varietals that was sold to several great wineries. For Kathryn’s parents, growing grapes was a shared family vision. In 2009, Hall partnered with Roger and Richard Roessler, brothers who sought the finest vineyard sources along the Pacific Coast to make…
-
-
Frog’s Leap 2013 Napa Chardonnay The first Frog’s Leap wine was released in 1982, a 1981 Sauvignon Blanc, featuring designer Chuck House’s award-winning label, with grapes purchased from Spottswoode. Later, Spottswoode, replanted the Zinfandel to Cabernet Sauvignon, thus eliminating the winery’s source for Zinfandel. With no source for Zin, John Williams makes Cabernet and tries his hand at Chardonnay, and by 1985 is devoting full time efforts to Frog’s Leap, releasing his first Cabernet in 1987. In 1989, Frog’s Leap receives California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) status. In 2005, Chardonnay moves to a single vineyard program, with fruit from Tony Truchard in Carneros. Opening a bottle, the color is light straw…
-
David Bruce 2012 Sonoma County Pinot Noir The David Bruce Winery was founded in the remote Santa Cruz Mountains in the early 1960’s and was one of the first of a new generation of wineries that would lead a modern resurgence of premium winemaking in the region. David Bruce Winery has earned an international reputation throughout its nearly four decades for its dedication to producing the greatest pinot noir in the world. In pursuit of his goal, the winery has adhered to traditional European winemaking practices that trace their lineage back to the early pioneers of winemaking in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Clara Valley. David Bruce Winery has…
-
Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 Whitehall Lane was founded in 1979 but the history of the soil cultivation dates back two centuries. In the mid 1800’s, Napa Valley settlers were drawn to the deep, loamy soils and ideal climate, planting high quality grape vines at the Whitehall Lane Winery site. A barn constructed in the early 1900’s for equipment storage is still used today. In 1979, two brothers started the winery and directed their winemaking efforts successfully to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. They named the winery after the road that runs along the south border of the property, Whitehall Lane. In 1993, the Leonardini Family of San Francisco took control…
-
Trefethen 2013 Chardonnay Constructed in 1886 by a Scottish sea captain, Hamden McIntyre, the winery was originally known as Eshcol. McIntyre designed it as a gravity-flow system: a horse-drawn winch brought grapes to the third floor of the three-story structure for crushing; gravity carried the juice to the second floor for fermenting; and, eventually, the wine descended to the first floor for aging. Eshcol was among a number of wineries McIntyre designed during this period; the others were Greystone (now The Culinary Institute of America), Far Niente and Inglenook. During the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Napa Valley was a thriving viticultural community with nearly 140 wineries. However, in…
-
Bohigas Brut Reserva Cava – Special Magnum Fermí Bohigas is a family-owned winery that has roots dating back to the 13th century. The estate is located in the town of Òdena in the River Anoia valley, about 45 minutes west of Barcelona. The current family and their ancestors have been growing grapes and making wines at this location consecutively since 1290. Their first bottling took place in 1870. They first used the name “Bohigas” on a wine label in 1978. Today, the family’s estate encompasses 300 hectares of which 110 are split between two separate vineyard properties, named “Can Maciá” and “Can Batllevell”, both of which have their own cellars.…
-
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 In 1972, Tom and Sally Jordan, a young couple from Colorado who shared a passion for French food and wine, followed their hearts to California’s wine country. When the two married in 1959, they dreamed of being vintners together. They drank virtually only French wines, enjoyed French food that Sally diligently learned to cook, and traveled throughout France, wining and dining their way through every region. In the 1950s there weren’t any restaurants of note in their home town of Denver, so the Jordans either traveled abroad or entertained at home for culinary experiences. The two knew a winery would one day be in their future,…
-
Champagne Billecart-Salmon Extra Brut N.V. Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois N.V. This is the second in a four-part tasting series from a private Billecart-Salmon Champagne event led by Billecart-Salmon Brand Ambassador, Clement Calleja. Today I am commenting on two Champagnes; Billecart-Salmon Extra Brut N.V. & Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois N.V. The family motto: “Give priority to quality, strive for excellence”. This motto is evident at the family garden, which was redesigned in 1926 in a French style under the guidance of Charles Roland-Billecart. The idea of his project was to create a garden at the heart of the village, enclosed by walls surrounded by lime trees primed in to a…
-
Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve N.V. I recently went to a private Billecart-Salmon Champagne tasting hosted by my favorite wine shop, Stew Leonard’s Wines. Billecart-Salmon Brand Ambassador, Clement Calleja (photo below), was leading the tasting and provided excellent insights into six of the Billecart-Salmon Champagnes we tasted. Over the next several postings, I will comment on all six Champagnes I tried, just in time to provide some insights should you want to stock up before the holidays. Stay tuned for the remaining 5 reviews in coming posts! Billecart-Salmon is a medium-sized champagne house in Mareuil-sur-Ay, France, near Epernay. Founded in 1818 with the marriage of Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon, it…
-
Sequoia Grove 2012 Chardonnay Who would have guessed Napa Valley, a small pioneer community established during the gold rush days would flourish into one of the most prestigious wine growing regions in the world today? Surrounded by its purple hued mountains, Sequoia Grove Winery sits on 22 acres right in the heart of the valley floor in a region referred to as the “Rutherford Bench”. Here the alluvial soil, rich in minerals, combined with the fog from the bay, mingling with the warm inland temperatures create the ideal location to produce fine wine. Michael Trujillo, the Director of Winemaking and President, has been with Sequoia Grove since its beginnings joining…