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Featured
Burgundian Pinot Noir From South Africa
Today’s Story: Storm Wines Storm Wines was founded in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley of South Africa by Hannes Storm, and his first vintage on his own was 2012. Hannes worked for 12 years in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay before discovering two small vineyards for sale and establishing his namesake winery. He produces… Read more
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Featured
Beautiful Paso Robles GSM
Today’s Story: Epoch Estate Wines Epoch Estate Wines, located in the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles, was established by Liz and Bill Armstrong in 2004. Liz and Bill are geologists by trade, and knowing the importance of terroir in winemaking they settled on Paso Robles for its weather, rugged terrain, breadth of soils, and… Read more
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Featured
Perhaps the Most Interesting Wine I’ve Ever Had
Today’s Story: Hiyu Wine Farm Hiyu Wine Farm, established by Nate Ready and China Tresemer, is a 30 acre working farm in the Hood River Valley of Oregon. The property consists of 14 acres of vines, 4 acres of fields and pastures, 4 acres of forest and a pond, and 0.5 acres of market garden… Read more
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Featured
Breathtaking Chassagne-Montrachet
Today’s Story: Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey To say Pierre-Yves Colin was a rising star turned legend in Chassagne-Montrachet over the last decade or so might be an understatement. Pierre-Yves started working with his father Marc Colin (the Burgundian legend in his own right) in 1994 and became winemaker until the 2005 vintage when he decided to branch… Read more
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Featured
Tasty Bordeaux Blend for Everyday Drinking
Today’s Story: The Paring The Paring is like a “little sister” to Jonata and The Hilt, both wineries I wrote about previously, and is produced from blocks that are either too young or not stylistically aligned with its big sisters. As I mentioned in previous posts, Jonata and The Hilt are sister wineries of Screaming… Read more
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Featured
One of My Favorite CdP’s
Today’s Story: Domaine du Pégau Domaine du Pégau is one of the great estates in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and though it became officially established in 1987 its roots and those of its proprietors extend significantly further back in time. Today the domaine is under guidance of Paul Féraud and his daughter Laurence, though the Féraud family can… Read more
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Featured
Excellent Value From One of the Rhône Valley’s Most Famous Domaines
Today’s Story: Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aîné Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aîné is one of the most historic wineries in all of the Rhône Valley, established in 1834 by Antoine Jaboulet in Tain l’Hermitage. Though nowadays we know Tain l’Hermitage (particularly Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage) very well, it was a quiet winegrowing region when Antoine started assembling vineyards… Read more
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Featured
Lean Chardonnay That Begins With the Farmers
Today’s Story: Matthiasson Family Vineyards Matthiasson Family Vineyards is a small winery established in 2003 by Steve and Jill Klein Matthiasson. Steve grew up passionate about farming, passing time as a gardener and cook while in college before co-writing the California manual on sustainable vineyard practices in 1999 after graduate school for horticulture. Jill is… Read more
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Featured
Rioja to Be Cherished for Decades to Come
Today’s Story: La Rioja Alta La Rioja Alta is a historic winery established in 1890 by five Riojan and Basque families in Haro’s Station Quarter. The endeavor was named Sociedad Vinícola de La Rioja Alta, and in 1904 La Rioja Alta merged with Ardanza Winery. The two years, 1890 and 1904, are important for La… Read more
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Featured
Rising Star in Cornas
Today’s Story: Domaine Vincent Paris Domaine Vincent Paris was established in 1997 with 1 hectare of inherited vines in Cornas. Vincent studied enology for four years before working alongside his uncle, famed Cornas vigneron Robert Michel, and desiring autonomy with his own wines. Vincent set about planting vines in St. Joseph and Cornas, ultimately acquiring… Read more
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Featured
Luxurious but Terroir-Driven Oregon Pinot Noir
Today’s Story: North Valley Vineyards (Soter Vineyards) North Valley Vineyards is a partnership between Tony & Michelle Soter, winemaker James Cahill, and Director of Sales & Marketing Brian Sypher. Though the wines are produced and bottled by Soter Vineyards, North Valley Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Rosé are in a sense the “regional” wines coming from… Read more
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Featured
Mouthwatering Village Level Chablis
Today’s Story: Domaine Moreau-Naudet Domaine Moreau-Naudet is a small estate located in the Chablis region of northern Burgundy. Though Moreau-Naudet has been a family-run domaine for quite some time, it was 1999 when Stéphane Moreau joined his father and drastically shifted the winemaking practices. Stéphane transitioned to fully organic viticulture alongside biodynamic practices, started harvesting… Read more
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Featured
Outstanding Value From the Tuscan New Wave
Today’s Story: Montepeloso Montepeloso is a small, 15 acre estate located in the Tuscan comune of Suvereto. Current owner and winemaker Fabio Chiarelotto purchased the estate in 1998, though Montepeloso was already producing world class wines under original owners Willi and Doris Neukom. When Fabio took the helm, he undertook an immense overhaul of the… Read more
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Featured
Chacra’s Experimental Pinot Noir
Today’s Story: Bodega Chacra I was so thoroughly impressed with the 2018 Chacra Mainqué Chardonnay that I reviewed almost two weeks ago (Beautiful Union of Burgundy and Patagonia) that I decided to try another wine from them today. To review, Bodega Chacra is a small winery established in the Río Negro region of Patagonia in 2004… Read more
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Featured
Gorgeous Amarone With Great QPR
Today’s Story: Tenuta Santa Maria Tenuta Santa Maria was established by the Bertani Family, a family with deep roots in the Valpolicella region of Veneto. Documents place the family in Valpolicella as early as the mid-1500s, though it was brothers Gaetano and Giovan Battista Bertani during the mid to late 1800s who ventured to create… Read more
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Featured
Stunning California Chardonnay – for Half the Price it Should Be
Today’s Story: Chanin Wine Co. I recently wrote about Chanin when I reviewed the 2014 Duvarita Vineyard Pinot Noir in Elegant Pinot Noir From Santa Barbara County, though if you missed it I recreated the winery’s background below. Chanin Wine Co. was established in 2007 by winemaker Gavin Chanin, and his goal is to produce single… Read more
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Featured
One of My Favorite Rioja Producers Does It Again
Today’s Story: R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia López de Heredia Viña Tondonia is a family-run winery established in 1877 by Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta after he fell in love with the Rioja Alta region, particularly the area of its capital Haro. Don Rafael began designing and constructing his winery in 1877,… Read more
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Featured
Incredibly Versatile Trousseau Gris
Today’s Story: Jolie-Laide Jolie-Laide is a small, boutique winery established by Scott Schultz in Forestville, California, though he sources his fruit from various California winegrowing regions and appellations. I previously wrote about Jolie-Laide’s history and reviewed their 2016 Provisor Vineyard Grenache in A Journey for the Mind and Palate, and I highly encourage you to read… Read more
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Featured
A Fun, Nearly Extinct Abouriou
Today’s Story: Absentee Winery Absentee Winery is a boutique winery established in 2016 by Avi Deixler in Point Reyes, California and is situated in a barn of a working dairy farm. Avi had to fight tooth and nail with the Marin County Planning Commission to establish his winery, but ultimately he prevailed and is the… Read more
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Featured
Unbelievably Youthful Bordeaux From the 1966 Vintage
Today’s Story: Chateau Pichon Lalande Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a historic estate that traces its routes to the late 1600s and ranks as a Second Growth (Deuxième Cru) based on the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. I previously wrote about Pichon Lalande when reviewing their 1986 vintage in Bordeaux Battle and… Read more
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Featured
Beautiful Union of Burgundy and Patagonia
Today’s Story: Bodega Chacra Bodega Chacra was established in the Río Negro region of Patagonia in 2004 by Piero Incisa della Rocchetta. Piero is the grandson of Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta who created Tenuta San Guido (Sassicaia) and fostered the foundation of his understanding of wine. At Chacra, Piero’s goal is to create transparent,… Read more
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Featured
Tasty Tannat From Uruguay
Today’s Story: Bodega Bouza Bodega Bouza is a family-run winery located in Montevideo, Uruguay and everything they do is centered around their large family and teamwork. The family owns 4 vineyards named Melilla (10.4 ha), Las Violetas (15.4 ha), Pan de Azúcar (7.44 ha), and Las Espinas (1.64 ha) planted to a combination of Albariño,… Read more
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Featured
People-Pleaser From Cornas
Today’s Story: Domaine Courbis Domaine Courbis dates back to the 16th century, with the estate today under watchful guidance of brothers Laurent and Dominique Courbis. Laurent and Dominique took over from their father Maurice in the early 1990s, and though they maintain traditional practices such as hand harvesting and rigorous sorting the brothers greatly modernized… Read more
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Featured
Incredible Complexity From the Northern Slopes of Mount Etna
Today’s Story: Pietradolce Pietradolce was established in 2005 on the northern slopes of Mt. Etna in Solicchiata and consists of 11 hectares of vines situated between 600 and 900 meters above sea level. The vineyards are divided into three sections, with two in Rampante and one in Zottorinoto, but overall the soil is dominated by… Read more
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Featured
Chuggable Rhône Blend
Today’s Story: Ad Vinum Ad Vinum is a small natural wine producer established in 2016 by Sébastien Chatillon, a former sommelier at Le Chateaubriand in Paris. Sébastien was not always interested in wine, however, and after dropping out of college he worked as a candy salesman, stablehand, and rock band member amongst other odd jobs.… Read more
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Featured
Exploring a Red From a Legendary Producer of White Burgundy
Today’s Story: Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Domaine Ramonet was established in Chassagne-Montrachet in the late 1920s by Pierre Ramonet, and quickly became one of the preeminent producers of white Burgundy. The 1934 Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Ruchottes, for instance, was the first estate-bottled white Burgundy imported in the US and catapulted the domaine to international fame… Read more
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Featured
Beautifully Refreshing Bourgogne Blanc
Today’s Story: Domaine Pierre Boisson Domaine Pierre Boisson is one of three family domaines who all work together and make their wines in the same cellar located in Meursault. Pierre, alongside his father Bernard (Domaine Boisson-Vadot) and sister Anne (Domaine Anne Boisson) watches over the family domaine which encompasses 8.5 hectares primarily situated in Meursault… Read more
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Featured
Textbook Aged Barolo From a Monumental Vintage
Today’s Story: Piero Testore Unfortunately, today’s producer is another that, no matter how hard I try, does not appear to have a searchable history. I once again found accords of a select few enjoying the wines of Piero Testore, which according to CellarTracker consist of 1967 and 1974 vintages of Barolo. I’m sure there is… Read more
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Featured
A Journey for the Mind and Palate
Today’s Story: Jolie-Laide Established by Scott Schultz, Jolie-Laide is a small, boutique winery crafting wines in Forestville, California. Jolie-Laide is a French term of endearment for something unconventionally beautiful that translates to “pretty-ugly,” and Scott decided to use it in naming his winery following experiences in the restaurant business. When he worked at Bouchon in… Read more
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Featured
Elegant Pinot Noir From Santa Barbara County
Today’s Story: Chanin Wine Co. Chanin Wine Co. was established in 2007 by winemaker Gavin Chanin, and his goal is to produce single vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Santa Barbara County. Gavin selected the vineyards to source his fruit based on their organic (or at minimum sustainable) farming practices while also seeking older vines.… Read more
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Featured
Natural Valdiguié That Nearly Left Me Speechless
Today’s Story: Broc Cellars Broc Cellars, located in Berkeley, California, is a boutique winery established by winemaker and owner Chris Brockway. Though Chris purchases the fruit for his wines, he ensures that all of it comes from sustainably or organically farmed vineyards (often managed by him) where the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or… Read more
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Featured
Perplexing and Fun California White Blend
Today’s Story: Dirty & Rowdy Family Winery I previously wrote about Dirty & Rowdy when reviewing their 2018 Familiar Mourvèdre in Wildly Fun California Mourvèdre, but I will recreate their story below. Dirty & Rowdy is a small, family-operated winery founded in 2010 by couples Hardy & Kate and Matt & Amy with the goal of… Read more
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Featured
Elegant Bottling From a Historical Spring Mountain Estate
Today’s Story: Spring Mountain Vineyard Spring Mountain Vineyard is a large estate and winery comprised of what used to be three unique properties, each with their own vineyards and wineries. Spring Mountain Vineyards (Miravalle) consisted of 257 acres, Chateau Chevalier (Chevalier) of 120 acres, and Draper Vineyards (La Perla) of 435 acres before being combined.… Read more
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Featured
Beautiful Expression of Priorat
Today’s Story: Terroir al Límit Terroir al Límit was established in 2001 by Dominik Huber and Eben Sadie when the duo purchased fruit from the Perez family of the Mas Martinet winery and vinified their first Dits del Terra. In 2003, they acquired their own wine cellar in the village of Torroja del Priorat and… Read more
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Featured
Elegant New Zealand Pinot Noir
Today’s Story: Te Whare Ra Te Whare Ra is a small family-owned winery established in 1979 but under the guide of winemakers Anna and Jason Flowerday since 2003. TWR’s vineyard is one of the oldest in Marlborough and consists of 11 hectares planted to Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah.… Read more
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Featured
Mouthwatering California Sauvignon Blanc
Today’s Story: Spottswoode Spottswoode traces its roots to 1882 when a German immigrant by the name of George Schonewald and his wife Catherine purchased 31 acres at the foot of the Mayacamas Mountains with the intention of using it for a summer home. The Spottswoode name, however, did not come around until 1910 when Susan… Read more
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Featured
Boutique Syrah for the Explorer
Today’s Story: Arnot-Roberts Arnot-Roberts is a boutique winery established in 2001 by Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts, two childhood friends who grew up together in Napa Valley. After college, Nathan started working with his father as a cooper of oak wine barrels while Duncan pursued winemaking throughout Napa and Sonoma counties. Arnot-Roberts began with… Read more
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Featured
From Tuscany to Sicily
Today’s Story: Pietro Caciorgna Pietro Caciorgna is a very small family-owned and operated farm and winery based in Casole d ‘Elsa of the Siena province of Tuscany. Giovanni and Fulvia Caciorgna moved to this countryside location in 1953 with their seven children and set about farming cereals, corn, sunflower, and cattle fodder. Fortunately for us,… Read more
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Featured
The Proof Is in the Berry
Describing Jayson Woodbridge requires a thesaurus. Passionate is a good word, along with driven, charismatic and hedonistic. You could add exacting, arrogant and volatile. Woodbridge is happy to paint a target on his chest and dare you to shoot if he’s trying to make a point. And he’s always trying to make a point. Tim… Read more
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Featured
Remarkable Quality (and Value) From Lebanon
Today’s Story: Chateau Musar Chateau Musar was established in 1930 in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon by Gaston Hochar when he was 20 years old. Inspired by his travels throughout Bordeaux and the 6,000-year-old winemaking history of Lebanon, Gaston set about producing wines with a non-interventionist philosophy and planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, and Cinsault for… Read more
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Featured
A Refreshing Sancerre
Today’s Story: Guilbaud Frères Guilbaud Frères is a family-owned winery and wine merchant established in 1927 by Edouard and Marcel Guilbaud in the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine appellation of the Loire Valley. Edouard and Marcel came from a long family history of winegrowers and took their culminated knowledge of the land, quality producers, and attention… Read more
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Featured
Chianti Classico Built for the Long Haul
Today’s Story: Fontodi Fontodi is a historical wine estate located in Panzano in the heart of Chianti Classico. Though vines have been cultivated there dating to the Roman Empire and vinification history at the estate traces its roots to at least the 16th century, the Manetti family who currently operates the estate acquired it more… Read more
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Featured
Perfectly Aged Barbaresco
Today’s Story: Cav. L. Brero & C. I could not, for the life of me, find any information about Brero. I could, however, find accounts of others enjoying their wines; but no family/winery history or if they are still producing wine (I would put my money on “no”). If you can tell me anything about… Read more
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Featured
Remarkable Quality From Barbaresco That Won’t Break the Bank
Today’s Story: Produttori del Barbaresco Produttori del Barbaresco was established in 1958 when, during widespread poverty of the 1950s, a priest in the village of Barbaresco gathered 19 small Nebbiolo growers to pool their resources/fruit and produce wine together to survive. For the first three vintages, the group made their wine in the church basement… Read more
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Featured
Highly Allocated Rhône Syrah
Today’s Story: Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet (Hervé Souhaut) Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet is a small wine estate established by Hervé Souhaut in 1993 in the Saint-Joseph AOC of northern Rhône. Souhaut farms roughly 5 hectares of vineyards with vines aged 50-100 years old and crafts his small batch wines in the cellars of his in-laws’ converted hunting lodge. In… Read more
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Featured
Exquisite Chardonnay From a Violent Terroir
Today’s Story: The Hilt The Hilt is a small, relatively young winery located in the rough, rugged, and windswept Santa Rita Hills AVA about 13 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The Hilt is a sister winery to Jonata, whose wines I reviewed three times prior, and falls under support of Stan Kroenke who owns the… Read more
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Featured
Ancient Bordeaux Estate
Today’s Story: Château-Figeac Château-Figeac is an ancient Bordeaux wine estate located in Saint-Émilion that traces its roots to the 2nd century and the Gallo-Roman period. The estate is named for Figeacus who built a villa on the property, and with such excellent terroir it is one of the few wine properties to see continuous use… Read more
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Featured
Refreshing Arneis From an Italian Legend
Today’s Story: Bruno Giacosa Bruno Giacosa was one of the most respected and legendary winemakers not only in Piedmont, Italy where he crafted some of the most highly regarded and traditionally made Barolo and Barbaresco, but throughout Italy and the world. At age 13, Bruno helped his father and grandfather in the cellar of their… Read more
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Featured
Napa Second Holding Up Quite Well
Today’s Story: Sloan Estate Sloan Estate was founded in 1997 by Stuart Sloan, a former Seattle-based owner and executive of the Quality Food Centers supermarket chain. After he purchased 40 acres on the eastern hills of Rutherford between 875-990 feet in elevation, Sloan assembled a team of wine rockstars including vineyard manager David Abreu, winemaker… Read more
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Featured
Bourgogne at Village Quality
Today’s Story: Domaine Bachelet Domaine Bachelet is a small wine estate located in Gevrey-Chambertin consisting of just over 4 hectares of vineyards. The domaine is run by Denis Bachelet who, since 1983, almost single-handedly works tirelessly to produce elegant and honest wines. Denis was born in Belgium, and though his family is drenched in winemaking… Read more
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