I love to learn new stories in the wine world, especially when those stories sprout from within the web of the older, already established ones. Priest Ranch, set in the eastern Vaca Range, is an example, as the historical property dates back to the 1860s.
And, while this is incredibly cool on its own, what is truly outstanding about the Priest Ranch wines is their sky-high value:quality ratio in a region that favors painfully expensive price points.
Read MoreLast year, the impressive Maggie Kruse became the second head winemaker at Jordan Winery. She had honed her senses for the Jordan style for 13 years alongside the winery's iconic Rob Davis, Jordan's winemaker since the inaugural 1976 vintage. Moreover, she had onboarded just after John Jordan received the reins from his father after the 2005 harvest.
Read MoreRuss Langord reached out to me toward the beginning of the COVID19 shut-down in the US. I loved the idea of his - and his wife Sharon's - winery's message. What a good time - as is any, really - to talk about the principles on which they founded their venture: "lovemore dreammore sharemore"?
Read MoreDAOU 2019 Rosé Paso Robles: First, this wine gets top scores for its beautiful bottle. Second, it smells and tastes great, too. With its plentiful peach, nectarine and apricot pits, it's summer in a glass!
Read MoreCliff Lede 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Dancing Heart Stags Leap District: This is a Rock Block Series wine, which bears a label that looks nothing like the other Cliff Lede labels. This series began when David Abreu was hired to manage the vineyards. Cliff began naming the micro-blocks after rock songs and albums, and every vintage features a specially-named "mash up" of two or more of these blocks.
Read MoreLast spring I tasted the first vintage of Laura Díaz Muñoz's Sauvignon Blanc from Ehlers Estate. She joined Ehlers just before harvest in 2018, so I was very curious as to how a vintage fully under her watch might turn out. As I predicted, it's incredibly tasty!
Read MoreGamble Family Vineyards 2019 Rosé Napa Valley: Composed of 51% Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon with 43% Napa Valley Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot, all aged 5 months in stainless steel, this wine is ready to be enjoyed. Only 575 cases were made this year, so make haste to pick up some soon!
Read MoreWe're connecting digitally more and more these days, and now we're often doing so over a glass of wine. Bubbly lifts the spirit, making this post on a wide array of sparkling wine styles rather timely. Here's to you and yours!
Read MoreIn my experience, the FEL wines are made to emphasize freshness and varietal expression. The 2018 Chardonnay continues this theme. Blended from picking dates ranging just over a month from several vineyards planted with a wide variety of Heritage clones and Dijon selections, the wine is whole cluster pressed, fermented in neutral French oak barrels, limited in malolactic fermentation and aged on lies with no stirring for ten months.
Read MoreWinemaker Todd Graff has been making the wines at Frank Family Vineyards since 2003. The family calls him "our magician", which is a pretty endearing - as well as appropriate - term for a someone who orchestrates the production of about twenty very different wines every vintage. Not only does Todd utilize a wide array of varieties, he makes four sparkling wines, a port and a late harvest wine in addition to all of the still wines!
Read MoreJustin Vineyards & Winery - a pioneer in the Santa Lucia Mountains well before the Paso Robles AVA was even thought of - is known for its charasmatic, gusto-filled wines. Nearing its 40th anniversary celebration, the Justification and Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles, especially, show the gravitas of their legacy.
Read MoreMi Sueño Winery 2016 Syrah Napa Valley: This full-bodied, opaque wine carries its weight with style. This is hardly surprising for a Mi Sueño wine; they typically show very good balance. This Syrah is a textbook example of its Napa origin as well as its single grape variety.
Read MoreI recently tasted through several higher-end duos of varietal Paso comparisons. Between the different soils, climates, elevations, grapes and winemaking techniques, I couldn't come to conclusions on terroir distinctions via the selection below. However, I certainly can say that the wines are dependably good - as evidenced by the scores - and that there is a style for just about everyone.
Read MoreFEL 2017 Chardonnay Savoy Vineyard Anderson Valley: Scrumptious and demonstrative, this texturally fueled, gastro tasting experience is as dynamic as ever.
Read MoreThe environment friendly pedigree of the Cline Family Cellars wines definitely feels good. Their back labels lay out their vision: Sonoma County Sustainable, Vegan and Gluten Free (note: all wine is gluten free) with nods to "renew and reuse".
Read MoreI was intrigued to taste this wine when I read on the back label, "Hand-crafting fine wines since 1972." I'd never heard of Sullivan. However, it certainly doesn't lack pedigree: this 26- acre Rutherford estate was planted by James O'Neil Sullivan at the urging of Napa legend-by-way-of-Moscow André Tchelistcheff.
Read MoreFrank Family Vineyards 2016 Zinfandel Napa Valley: Boisterous and youthful, this über everything save heavy. It's the kind of Zinfandel that makes me wish more of us drank more Zin more often. It's tasty and pleasure-giving.
Read MoreFEL 2018 Pinot Gris Anderson Valley: This is robust and vigorous with crunchy and broad tannins, a bit unusual for Pinot Noir. Black plums and açai make for an interesting palate combo, accented by a dusting of cinnamon. Full-bodied with slightly chunky glycerol and well-integrated acidity, this drinks nicely now.
Read MoreThough hailing from a chilly, rugged stretch of the Sonoma Coastline, it tastes definitively like a David Ramey Chardonnay to me. By that I mean that it avoids tasting lean and meager, like so many of the wines made from neighboring vines. David's Chardonnays always show balance and finesse, with a seamlessness and ease that only a master can consistently harness.
Read MoreGamble Family Vineyard 2018 Sauvignon Blanc: An impressively tropical and pristine clean expression leaps out of this glass of Gamble Family Sauvignon Blanc. Looking at the winemaking technique here, there seemingly is no stone left unturned. In 2018, there were seven different picks within ten days. The native yeast ferments were multiplied in their potential outcomes by three-quarters going into barrels and the rest lodging in stainless steel tank….
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