Review Archives - Page 2 of 22

November 28, 2024February 25, 2025

Charpentier Champagne Tradition Brut

Charpentier Champagne Tradition Brut

For one hundred and fifty years, the Charpentiers have been cultivating their vineyards in the Champagne region on the south hillsides of the Marne valley. Léonidas Charpentier ran a farm at Saulchery, a village near to Charly sur Marne. His business flourished very well, because his most important customers were the coach drivers who rowed their boats with the help of horses along the river La Marne to bring their goods to Paris. This is the reason why the carriage became the house logo. The coach is driving through the gate of Time, from the past into the future, from tradition to modernity.

Starting in 1920, the first Charpentier wines were a white and a red wine (a still wine at that time) called “fromenteau,” a wine made with Pinot Meunier, appreciated for its freshness and its fruitfulness.

In 1974, Jean Marc married Claudine, a winegrower’s daughter at Charly-Sur-Marne, a Champagne house for five generations as well.

The union of the vineyards of the two families established without doubt an extraordinary asset. The four parcels, Les Chauffours, Les Chaillots, Les Tuileries, and Les Gains are very favorably placed in the middle of their hillsides.

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November 26, 2024February 25, 2025

Padis Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Padis Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Padis Vineyards is located in the picturesque hillsides of the Oak Knoll District in the heart of Napa Valley. It was founded by jewelers Steve and Judy Padis with a single barrel in 2007 that was bottled in large format and donated to charity auctions. A year later, their first commercial vintage was released.

Both Steve and Judy hail from the East Bay. Steve’s journey into wine began in the 1970s, guided by Judy’s family, who appreciated both fine wine and cuisine. Their growing interest in wine took them from the Central Coast to the Napa Valley, where they witnessed the nascent wine industry firsthand. It was during these visits that Steve’s passion for wine deepened, eventually leading to the purchase of property in the Oak Knoll District.

Initially, the Padis’ sold their grapes to local wineries. However, today, Padis Vineyards produces approximately 2,000 cases of wine annually.

Steve Padis began his jewelry career during his senior year at UC Berkeley in the early 1974 as a street vendor, stringing together Puka shells and various beads into bracelets and other wearable items – selling these along Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley for a few dollars per item. Very hipster of him! By the time he graduated, in 1975, he had begun to deal in precious metals and diamonds. The business that evolved from those humble beginnings is a remarkable success story. Over the following fifty years, their jewelry business, Padis Gems, has grown to three stores in San Francisco and a store in downtown Napa that also doubles as the Padis tasting room. Continue reading “Padis Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2016”

November 25, 2024February 25, 2025

Lombardi Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Sonoma County 2021

Lombardi Pinot Noir Sonoma County 2021 — Lombardi Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Sonoma County 2021
Click here for tasting notes.

Lombardi Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Sonoma County 2021

Tony Lombardi was born into a family of small business owners, and grew up in Sonoma County. His first job in the wine business came in 1998 when he joined the hospitality team at Clos Du Bois Winery, located in Geyserville, California.

From 2001 to 2013, Lombardi held senior leadership positions in marketing, public relations, and sales for such companies as Allied Domecq Wines, Beam Wine Estates, J Vineyards & Winery, Ascentia Wine Estates, and Kosta Browne Winery.

In partnership with his wife Christine, Lombardi founded Lombardi Wines in 2013 with a barrel of Chardonnay and a barrel of Pinot Noir. He describes himself as a storyteller/connector at heart, and loves to tell the unique and interesting personal stories of Sonoma and Napa wineries and winemakers, and connect them and their wines to people across the country. As part of that effort, he was encouraged to take the leap of faith in creating his own label from his former employers Dan Kosta and Michael Browne. They told him, “We did it, so should you!”

Lombardi hired Cabell Coursey in 2015 to be his winemaker and viticulturist/grower relations manager after he had held those jobs for three years at Kosta Browne. Coursey also toils at his own winery, Coursey Graves. Prior to those efforts, he was the winemaker with Andy Smith at Dumol. Well traveled, he has made wines all over the world, including Burgundy, New Zealand, Oregon, and California. Continue reading “Lombardi Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Sonoma County 2021”

November 25, 2024February 25, 2025

Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Inglenook was founded in 1879 by Finnish sea captain Gustave Niebaum. By 1887, he had amassed a total of 1100 contiguous acres, marking the inception of the Inglenook legacy. After his death and during the scourge of Prohibition the winery was shuttered. After repeal, Niebaum’s widow, Suzanne, reopened Inglenook and brought in viticulturist and enologist John Daniel Jr., Niebaum’s great-nephew, to upgrade the winemaking system.

Daniel was an uncompromising perfectionist. Under his stewardship from the 1930s to the early 1960s, Inglenook produced some of the most celebrated Cabernets in California. Daniel’s partnership with winemaker George Deuer resulted in wines that were rich, complex, and impeccably balanced, marking a period of extraordinary achievement for Inglenook. Despite the challenges of the era, Daniel was committed to producing only the best. He was one of the few vintners of his time willing to reject wines that did not meet his exacting standards, a rare and costly approach in an industry where every bottle counted.

The addition of the Napanook Vineyard in 1946 helped elevate the winery’s offerings even further, as Daniel blended grapes from this esteemed site into his best wines. Continue reading “Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon 2018”

November 22, 2024February 25, 2025

Bodegas Patrocinio Tempranillo Reserva Terroir de Zinio Rioja 2018

Bodegas Patrocinio Tempranillo Reserva Terroir de Zinio Rioja 2018

Located in the heart of the renowned Rioja Alta region, Bodegas Patrocinio is a cooperative winery that has been a vital part of the Spanish wine landscape since 1985. Bodegas Patrocinio crafts wines using traditional Rioja grapes like Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano, which are available under various brands: Señorío de Uñuela, Zinio, Sancho Garcés, and Lágrimas de María.

Bodegas Patrocinio began as a group of 200 grape growers in Uruñuela, a small town in Rioja Alta. The ethos of Bodegas Patrocinio is a commitment to collective effort over individual interests, ensuring consistent quality across all their wines. The first harvest was in 1986 and first bottling in 1993.

Under the leadership of María Martínez, who joined as Head Winemaker in 2004, Bodegas Patrocinio has continually embraced cutting-edge research and development, including soil mapping, pest control, vine vigor control. and micro-oxygenation.

Bodegas Patrocinio is located in the Najerilla Valley, one of the most prestigious subzones of Rioja. Surrounded by mountains and rivers, the vineyards benefit from a climate that is a perfect mix of Mediterranean warmth and Atlantic coolness. The region experiences warm days and cool nights in the lead-up to harvest, which helps the grapes mature evenly.

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November 14, 2024February 25, 2025

Lombardi Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2021

Lombardi Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2021

October 3, 2024February 27, 2025

Anchored Roots Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Anchored Roots Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Eric and Amy Gale are the owners and sole full-time employees of Anchored Roots, Door County, Wisconsin’s newest winery, founded in 2020.

The couple make an ideal front-of-house/back-of-house duo. Amy grew up in Milwaukee, with hospitality at the forefront of her career path. Her initial focus was event planning, from non-profit fundraisers and catering, to corporate events and weddings. This was followed by experience in tasting room management at Airfield Estates in Prosser, Washington.

Eric was born and raised in Luxemburg, Wisconsin. Perhaps predictably, while he was growing up he worked summers at a neighbor’s 60-head dairy farm. However, his academic bent led him to a Bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry. He then pursued a Masters in Viticulture at Washington State University. After graduation, he landed a job at Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington state’s oldest winery. His primary responsibility was overseeing the Cold Creek vineyard, Ste. Michelle’s first, originally planted in 1972.

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October 1, 2024

Anchored Roots Ledge Blanc 2023

Eric and Amy Gale are the owners and sole full-time employees of Anchored Roots, Door County, Wisconsin’s newest winery, founded in 2020.

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September 26, 2024November 26, 2024

Austin Hope Santa Barbara County Grenache 2021

Austin Hope Grenache 2021 — Austin Hope Santa Barbara County Grenache 2021
Click here for tasting notes.

Chuck Hope and his wife Marlyn came to Paso Robles in California’s Central Coast in 1978 to farm, and eventually to start what would become Hope Family Wines. This early arrival put them on the forefront of the Central Coast becoming a world-class viticultural region. Initially, the Hopes planted apples and grapes in this then sparsely-populated area. Seeing the property’s potential for grape growing, Hope eventually replanted the apple orchards with grapes.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Hope family grew grapes for various wine producers. In the 1980s, the Wagner family, owners of Napa Valley’s Caymus Vineyards, turned to the Hope family to source Cabernet Sauvignon grapes for their Liberty School label. Thus began a long-lasting partnership between the two families.

Since that beginning, in Paso Robles specifically and throughout the region generally, Hope Family Wines has built long-standing relationships with over 50 growers. They coordinate with farmers to carefully limit crop yields to ensure concentrated flavors.

In 1996,the Hopes acquired Liberty School from the Wagners. Also in 1996, they launched Treana Winery with Chris Phelps serving as winemaker. Continue reading “Austin Hope Santa Barbara County Grenache 2021”

August 23, 2024August 29, 2024

H by Hine VSOP Cognac

H by Hine is a selection from Hine Cognac, a distinguished brand with a rich history which traces its origins back to the 18th century. Thomas Hine, a young Englishman from Dorset, traveled to France to learn French and the art of making cognac. He settled in the town of Jarnac, in the heart of the Cognac region, where he fell in love with and subsequently married Françoise Elisabeth Delamain, the daughter of a famous cognac négociant (a person or firm that sells or ships wine as a wholesaler).

Hine was made a partner in his father-in-law’s business, and developed a reputation for seeking out only the finest cognac. He expanded what was to become the traditional business of the Hine company: making bespoke cognacs for English wine merchants. In 1817, Thomas Hine officially took over the family business, renaming it Thomas Hine & Co. Continue reading “H by Hine VSOP Cognac”

August 2, 2024February 27, 2025

Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

It all began on a modest orchard in upstate New York. Paul Hobbs, one of eleven children, was raised on a family-run farm where the rhythm of planting, harvesting, and selling crops at farmers markets before school was the norm. These early experiences not only instilled in him the discipline required for farming, but also introduced him to the concept of terroir—a philosophy that would later become the cornerstone of his winemaking career.

Hobb’s first encounter with terroir happened in the most unexpected of ways—through apples. As he tasted the same apple variety grown in different orchards, he noticed a diversity of flavors and textures. This profound realization left an indelible mark on him, inspiring a vineyard-specific approach to winemaking that would shape his future endeavors.

“The true character of a site is only revealed through the work and determination of tending each vineyard with meticulous care and vinifying with minimalist winemaking techniques that fully express the terroir,” said Hobbs.

Though Paul’s father always encouraged him to pursue winemaking, another family influence tugged at his heartstrings—his great-grandfather, Edward James, a doctor. Following in his great-grandfather’s footsteps, Paul enrolled at Notre Dame University with the intent of pursuing a career in medicine. However, after graduating with a degree in chemistry, his father’s persuasion led him to UC Davis, where he earned a Master’s degree in Viticulture and Enology. This pivotal decision would eventually change the trajectory of Paul’s life.

Paul Hobbs is at upper right in the Mondavi lab. Helen Turley, another legendary winemaker, is in front behind the glass tube.

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July 11, 2024August 25, 2024

Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Disclaimer: I’ve been a member of the Clos Pegase wine club for years, so this post is hardly impartial.

Clos Pegase was founded by Jan Shrem in 1983 on a 50-acre vineyard near Calistoga in Napa Valley. He was born in Colombia in 1930 to Jewish-Lebanese parents, and spent his childhood in Jerusalem and his early adolescence back in Colombia. After he arrived in the United States at age 16, he attended the University of Utah and UCLA. While in college, he sold encyclopedias.

A romance with a Japanese woman named Mitsuko led him to Japan, where they were married in 1960. They stayed 13 years, and during that time Shrem established a book distribution company that sold English-language encyclopedias, and books on engineering and art. His company also published translations of books into Japanese. By the time Shrem sold this operation, it had 50 offices and 2,000 salespeople.

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June 28, 2024October 1, 2024

Anchored Roots “The Summit” Red Blend 2018

Eric and Amy Gale are the owners and sole full-time employees of Anchored Roots, Door County, Wisconsin’s newest winery, founded in 2020.

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June 24, 2024

Raymond District Collection Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville 2019

The Raymond name has been associated with Napa valley since the year Prohibition ended. The Raymond family arrived in Napa Valley in 1933. Roy Raymond married into the Beringer family in 1936. He worked as winemaker for Beringer from 1933 to 1970. The following year, he and his two sons Walter and Roy Jr set out on their own with a 90-acre estate property in Rutherford. They released their first commercial wine under the Raymond Vineyards label in 1974. The estate now comprises 300 acres in Rutherford, St. Helena, and Jameson Canyon. All are are certified organic and biodynamic. The winery is also operated on 100% solar power.

In 1989, Kirin Holdings purchased the winery, with the Raymond family still managing the property and production.

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May 30, 2024

Casa Castillo Las Gravas 2020

The Jumilla DO [Denomination of Origin] is located in the Levante region of eastern Spain, about 60 miles west of the coastal town of Alicante. With over 100,00 vineyard acres, the area has long been associated with big, high alcohol red wines. The sun-baked landscape sees 300 days of sunshine per year and a low amount of rainfall. But the soils are very good: deep, not very compact, and with great water retention potential.

Since 1991 José María Vicente has been the third-generation owner and operator of the Casa Castillo winery. When his grandfather bought the estate in 1941, situated on the slopes of the Sierra del Molar, the property had an existing winery, a cellar built by Frenchmen fleeing the phylloxera plague in 1870, and a few scattered vineyards.

Originally Casa Castillo was a farm growing wild rosemary, and became an estate producing rather ordinary grapes for local wineries. On his first visit to France, including the whole area of the southern Rhone, Vicente was surprised to see that Monastrell, called Mourvedre there, was considered a very noble variety with great aging potential. This led him to reconsider the supposed “improving varieties” that he was planning on planting to help give a supposed complexity to the Monastrell at Casa Castillo, and instead focus entirely on the study and development of that varietal as the true protagonist of his wines. Continue reading “Casa Castillo Las Gravas 2020”