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Berne Inspiration

Chateau de Berne Inspirations's unique square bottle.
Chateau de Berne Inspirations’s unique square bottle. Click here for tasting notes.

Berne Inspiration

Château de Berne, nestled in the heart of Provence near Flayosc, boasts a rich history that spans over two millennia, evolving from a Roman-era vineyard into a modern luxury estate renowned for its wines and hospitality.​

The estate’s viticultural roots trace back to Roman times. Situated along the Via Aurelia—a Roman road connecting Italy to Spain—Château de Berne was strategically positioned for wine trade. Archaeological discoveries, including an ancient oven used for crafting amphorae, tall earthenware jars with two handles and a narrow neck for storing wine, attest to the estate’s early involvement in winemaking and commerce. ​

Amphorae. Photo: Anthromedia.com

In the 12th century, Count Raymond V of Toulouse gave the estate to Bernard of Clairvaux, the founder of the Cistercian Order. The Cistercians, known for their agricultural prowess, managed the estate until 1307, when it was confiscated by King Philip IV of France. Subsequently, the property came under the ownership of the noble Marquis de Villeneuve family, who maintained it for nearly five centuries.

 

 

 

 

The 19th century marked a renaissance for Château de Berne under Marius Estellon, a former frigate captain in the imperial army. Estellon expanded the estate, introduced new vineyards, and modernized viticultural practices. A patron of the arts, he also hosted grand events and produced on-site earthenware enhancing the estate’s cultural prominence. ​ Continue reading “Berne Inspiration”

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Charles Krug Generations 2019

Charles Krug Generations
Charles Krug Generations. Click here for tasting notes. 

Charles Krug Generations

Starting in 1861 in St. Helena, Prussian-born immigrant Charles Krug began transforming 540 acres of prime Napa Valley land that had come to him through his marriage to Carolina Balein. His efforts culminated in what is widely recognized as Napa Valley’s first commercial winery.  In 1882, he opened his tasting room, another Napa first.

Krug arrived in California during the Gold Rush era, and soon shifted his attention from prospecting to viticulture, building the stone winery that would become a cornerstone of Napa’s agricultural identity. From the beginning, Krug’s operation was notable for its ambition and for bringing structure and scale to what had been a largely experimental local industry.

The winery’s early success was influenced by both Krug’s business instincts and the valley’s growing reputation as a place where European grape varieties could thrive. But like many historic California wineries, Charles Krug faced major challenges in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including vineyard diseases (especially phylloxera) and shifting market conditions. The greatest blow to the American wine trade came with Prohibition (1920–1933), when most wineries were forced to shut down or survive by producing sacramental wine or grape products. Charles Krug endured through these years, but the broader Napa Valley wine economy stalled for decades. Continue reading “Charles Krug Generations 2019”

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Heavy Wine Bottles

Heavy Wine Bottles

In my posts, I’ve been calling out bottles that weigh more than the wine they contain, which I’ve named Bloated Bottle Syndrome. The web site of nearly every winery will usually include a mention of the operation’s dedication to “sustainability” and “stewardship.”  Unfortunately, this often seems only to extend to the property itself.  Many “premium” wines come in heavier bottles to allegedly denote higher quality. 

Inexcusably,  a recent Beau Vigne I reviewed weighed in at 1194 grams!  The average of past BBS “winners” is 857 grams, excluding the previous record holder at 1007 grams.   (As an example of a more typical bottle, Estancia Cabernet’s comes in at 494 grams.) That’s a lot of extra weight to be shipping around the country (or the world.)  For that Beau Vigne, that’s an extra 12 lbs per case, even assuming a 750-gram bottle.  Even sparkling wine bottles are less than the weight of this one, and those are made to withstand high internal pressure.  Unfortunately, this sort of “bottle-weight marketing” is becoming more common, especially at higher price points. But there are other ways to denote quality without weight: unusual label designs, foils, wax dipping, etc.

Plastic bottles have a lower environmental impact than glass, 20% to 40% less, in fact. And, bag-in-box packages are even less than plastic bottles. (Unfortunately, current bag technology will only keep unopened wine fresh for about a year, so they are only suitable for wines to be consumed upon release from the winery; that’s about 90% of all wine sold though.)

The carbon footprint of global winemaking and global wine consumption is nothing to scoff at, amounting to hundreds of thousands of tons per year. The latter, which requires cases of wine be shipped around the world, imprints a deep carbon footprint. Because wine is so region-specific, and only so many regions can create drinkable bottles, ground and air transportation is responsible for nearly all of the wine industry’s greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Sustainable Wine Roundtable, a group of wineries, retailers, and other companies connected to the wine industry, one-third to one-half of that total is due to the glass bottles themselves. 

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Salami Pizza

This pizza features three salamis, mushrooms, and olives.
This pizza features three salamis, mushrooms, and olives.

Salami Pizza

I had olives and  sliced meats left over from a charcuterie board, so I came up with a pizza recipe to use them.

THE DOUGH

This is a Neapolitan-style crust, which is relatively thin and crisp.

Start dough at 3:30p for dinner between 7p and 8p
1 -1/2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees F.) [330 grams]
1 tsp instant-rise yeast
1 cup 00 pizza flour or cake flour [145 grams]
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour [360 grams]
2 tsp salt

Combine ingredients and knead by hand for 10 minutes or machine
for five minutes. Coat dough ball in a thin film of olive oil or cooking spray, cover in plastic wrap, and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about two hours. Continue reading “Salami Pizza”

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Catena Alta Historic Rows Malbec 2021

Catena Alta Historic Rows Malbec 2021
Catena Alta Historic Rows Malbec. Click here for tasting notes.

Catena Alta Malbec 

When collectors speak of Argentine Malbec at its most refined, and age-worthy, one name inevitably rises to the surface: Catena Alta. The brand represents a philosophy—one rooted in history, sharpened by science, and expressed through some of the highest and most carefully studied vineyard rows in Mendoza.

Catena Alta is not a separate winery, but rather the top-tier label within Bodega Catena Zapata, the estate that redefined Argentina’s place in the fine-wine world.

The Catena story began in 1902, when Italian immigrant Nicola Catena planted Malbec vines in Mendoza. At the time, Argentina’s wine culture was local and utilitarian—focused on volume rather than terroir or longevity. Malbec thrived in Mendoza’s sun-drenched climate, but its deeper potential remained unrealized.

For much of the 20th century, Catena vineyards followed the prevailing Argentine model: generous yields, warm low-altitude sites, and wines meant for immediate consumption. Quality was respectable, but ambition was limited.

Continue reading “Catena Alta Historic Rows Malbec 2021”

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John Duval Wines Entity Shiraz 2022

John Duval Entity Shiraz 2022.
John Duval Entity Shiraz 2022. Click here for tasting notes.

Duval Entity

John Duval Wines is a prestigious family-run winery based in the Barossa Valley, South Australia, founded by renowned winemaker John Duval in 2003.

Duval comes from a long lineage of grape growers. The Duval family supplied grapes to top South Australian producers for over 100 years.

After studying winemaking at the University of Adelaide’s Roseworthy College, Duval began his career at Penfolds in 1974, eventually serving as Chief Winemaker from 1986 to 2002.

Through the 1990s he played a leading role in experimenting with the maturation of old vine Barossa Shiraz in new French oak, contrary to the established winery convention of blending Shiraz from multiple regions and maturation in American oak.

At Penfolds he was instrumental in crafting the legendary Penfolds Grange and other major wines before leaving to create his own label rooted in the Barossa and Eden Valley’s old-vined vineyards.

The style tends toward elegance, structure, and layered complexity, showcasing varietal character rather than heavy oak or hyper-extraction.

Duval’s son, Tim Duval, joined the family business in 2016, ushering in a new generation focused on heritage and innovation. Continue reading “John Duval Wines Entity Shiraz 2022”

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Schramsberg Brut Rosé 2021

Schramsberg Brut Rosé 2021. Click here for tasting notes.

Schramsberg Rosé

Jacob Schram
Jacob Schram

Jacob Schram, a German immigrant, bought 200 acres on Mt. Diamond in Napa valley in 1862 and planted 30,000 vines. He had Chinese laborers dig Napa’s first hillside caves for wine aging and storage.  His winery, Schramsberg, gained fame after the author Robert Louis Stevenson wrote about it in his 1883 book, The Silverado Squatters. The wine became so popular that the 23rd President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison,  served it in the White House at official functions.

After Schram died in 1905 the property languished until Jack and Jamie Davies purchased it in 1965. They decided to focus on making sparkling wine in the Champagne style using the traditional “méthode champenoise,” (aka “méthode traditionnelle”) to great success.

Their 1965 Blanc de Blancs would be the first commercial use of Chardonnay in American sparkling wine.

Reviving the Harrison tradition, every President since Richard Nixon has featured the company’s sparkling wine at the White House or some official celebration.

For example, in 1972 their sparkling “Blanc de Blancs” wine was served as part of the “Toast to Peace” during the visit by then-President Richard Nixon to China — a symbolic and historic diplomatic moment.

The winery preserves a large portion of forested land on the estate, and from the beginning of the Davies’ ownership they adopted sustainable and preservation-oriented practices — both for the land and the winemaking legacy. Continue reading “Schramsberg Brut Rosé 2021”

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Prazo de Roriz Douro DOC 2008

Portugese Red Table WinePrazo de Roriz

In the 1970s, Portugese rosés such as Lancers and Mateus were the height of sophistication to many young wine drinkers: “It’s imported, and comes in a fun bottle!” With age comes wisdom, and these wines were eventually abandoned for the justifiably famous fortified wines of Portugal, Port and Madeira, produced by many ancient and famous houses.

Much less well-known is Portugal’s status as a producer of both red and white table wine, ranking in the world’s top ten in production.  With a population of just 10 million, but top five in per capita consumption, much of that wine is sipped by the thirsty Portuguese.

Continue reading “Prazo de Roriz Douro DOC 2008”

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Post Scriptum de Chryseia Douro DOC 2007

Portugese Red Table WinePost Scriptum de Chryseia 

In the 1970s, Portugese rosés such as Lancers and Mateus were the height of sophistication to many young wine drinkers: “It’s imported, and comes in a fun bottle!” With age comes wisdom, and these wines were eventually abandoned for the justifiably famous fortified wines of Portugal, Port and Madeira, produced by many ancient and famous houses.

Much less well-known is Portugal’s status as a producer of both red and white table wine, ranking in the world’s top ten in production.  With a population of just 10 million, but top five in per capita consumption, much of that wine is sipped by the thirsty Portuguese.

Continue reading “Post Scriptum de Chryseia Douro DOC 2007”

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Chryseia Douro DOC 2007

Chryseia Douro DOC 2007
Chryseia Douro DOC 2007

Chryseia Douro

In the 1970s, Portugese rosés such as Lancers and Mateus were the height of sophistication to many young wine drinkers: “It’s imported, and comes in a fun bottle!” With age comes wisdom, and these wines were eventually abandoned for the justifiably famous fortified wines of Portugal, Port and Madeira, produced by many ancient and famous houses.

Much less well-known is Portugal’s status as a producer of both red and white table wine, ranking in the world’s top ten in production.  With a population of just 10 million, but top five in per capita consumption, much of that wine is sipped by the thirsty Portuguese.

Continue reading “Chryseia Douro DOC 2007”

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Pizza Giambotta

This pizza features Italian sausage , sweet peppers, and onions.
This pizza features Italian sausage , sweet peppers, and onions.

Giambotta Pizza

THE DOUGH

Start dough at 4p for dinner between 7p and 8p
1 cup warm water (90 to 110 degrees F.)
2 tsp instant-rise yeast
3-1/4 cup bread flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil (extra virgin not necessary)
Combine ingredients and knead by hand for 10 minutes or machine
for two to five minutes. Coat dough ball in a thin film of olive oil or cooking spray, cover in plastic wrap, and let rise in warm place until doubled in size.

Continue reading “Pizza Giambotta”

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Turkey, Green Olive, and Sun-dried Tomato Pizza

Turkey, Green Olive, and Sun-dried Tomato Pizza
This pizza features leftover Turkey, Green Olives, and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Turkey, Olive, and Tomato Pizza

I had plenty of turkey left over from Thanksgiving and a big jar of green olives from Costco, so I came up with a recipe to use them.

THE DOUGH

Start dough at 4p for dinner between 7p and 8p
1 cup warm water (90 to 110 degrees F.) [280 grams]
2 tsp instant-rise yeast
3-1/4 cup bread flour [415 grams]
1 tsp salt
6 Tbls olive oil (extra virgin not necessary)
Combine ingredients and knead by hand for 10 minutes or machine
for two to five minutes. Coat dough ball in a thin film of olive oil or cooking spray, cover in plastic wrap, and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about two hours. Continue reading “Turkey, Green Olive, and Sun-dried Tomato Pizza”

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Castello di Ama San Lorenzo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2021

Castello di Ama Chianti Classico. Click here for tasting notes.

Castello di Ama Chianti Classico

Castello di Ama is located in the small historic village of Ama, in the municipality of Gaiole in Chianti, between Florence and Siena in Tuscany.

The settlement of Ama dates back to Etruscan times, and is first mentioned in medieval documents.  Over the centuries it evolved from a fortified “casale” to a proper castle.

By the 1970s the estate had fallen into disuse. In 1976 four Roman families (Sebasti, Tradico, Carini and Cavanna) bought the property to revive and restore the vineyards and winery.

In 1982, a young agronomist named Marco Pallanti became the enologist/winemaker, marking a turning point. His vision, plus that of  current CEO Lorenza Sebasti (daughter of one of the founding families) shaped Castello di Ama’s modern identity

Over the decades, the estate expanded: from the original  approximately 136 acres [55 hectares]. Today there are about 185 acres [75 hectares] of vineyards, plus olive groves and estate buildings. Continue reading “Castello di Ama San Lorenzo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2021”

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Sanford Winery Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2017

Sanford Winery Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2017
Sanford Winery Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2017. Click here for tasting notes.

Sanford Chardonnay 

Sanford Winery, the first such operation in Santa Barbara wine country, was established when the Sanford & Benedict vineyard was planted in 1971. Botanist Michael Benedict and his friend Richard Sanford were committed to finding a cool-climate location with just enough heat accumulation to ripen, but not over ripen, wine grapes. A place where they could plant and grow grapes and craft wines, where they hoped the quality might equal the best of Europe.

Benedict began researching and touring the cool coastal regions of California in search of a site that would suit this mission. His pursuit took him to a unique part of the Santa Ynez Valley, to the property that would ultimately become the Sanford & Benedict vineyard. The area owes its magic to an unusual east-west mountain valley that runs from the vineyards to the Pacific Ocean. This passage allows a meteorological ebb-and-flow of air temperature between the mountains and the sea that is ideal for cool-climate varietals.( It was also this vineyard that supplied the cuttings for many of the surrounding vineyards that sprang up in the wake of its success.)

Continue reading “Sanford Winery Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2017”

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Sanford Winery Sta. Rita Hills Rosé of Pinot Noir 2018

Sanford Winery Sta. Rita Hills Rosé of Pinot Noir 2018
Sanford Winery Sta. Rita Hills Rosé of Pinot Noir 2018. Click here for tasting notes.

Sanford Rosé

Sanford Winery, the first such operation in Santa Barbara wine country, was established when the Sanford & Benedict vineyard was planted in 1971. Botanist Michael Benedict and his friend Richard Sanford were committed to finding a cool-climate location with just enough heat accumulation to ripen, but not over ripen, wine grapes. A place where they could plant and grow grapes and craft wines, where they hoped the quality might equal the best of Europe.

Benedict began researching and touring the cool coastal regions of California in search of a site that would suit this mission. His pursuit took him to a unique part of the Santa Ynez Valley, to the property that would ultimately become the Sanford & Benedict vineyard. The area owes its magic to an unusual east-west mountain valley that runs from the vineyards to the Pacific Ocean. This passage allows a meteorological ebb-and-flow of air temperature between the mountains and the sea that is ideal for cool-climate varietals.( It was also this vineyard that supplied the cuttings for many of the surrounding vineyards that sprang up in the wake of its success.)

Continue reading “Sanford Winery Sta. Rita Hills Rosé of Pinot Noir 2018”