Category Archives: California

Paradise Springs: Premium Wines from Coast to Coast*

Posted on February 27, 2019 by don

Paradise Springs is a family owned winery with operations in Virginia and Santa Barbara. It is owned and operated by Kirk Wilde and his mother Jane Kinchiloe along with local partners.  In Santa Barbara it shares  winemaking space in Buelton … Continue reading →

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Pence Winery’s Outrageously Good Wines from the Sta Rita Hills*

Posted on February 22, 2019 by don

The Pence Winery is set on 200 acres in the Santa Rita Hills. A tiny artisanal winery, it is part of a working ranch and farm owned and operated by Blair Pence, a California realtor with a passion for wine stemming … Continue reading →

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Margerum: New Releases from Santa Barbara*

Posted on February 20, 2019 by don

Margerum Wine Company is owned and operated by Doug Margerum, one of Santa Barbara’s leading winemaking entrepreneurs. It produces small quantities of premium wines made from estate-grown and purchased grapes from top neighboring vineyards.  We recently visited Doug at the … Continue reading →

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Spear Vineyards and Winery: A New Promising Farm Winery in the Sta. Rita Hills

Posted on February 14, 2019 by don

Spear is a tiny and relatively new, family-owned Santa Barbara winery that shows great promise.  Its estate vineyard nestled in the Sta Rita Hills is certified organic and sustainable.  It was first planted in 2013  on 33 acres, and its first … Continue reading →

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Kunin Wines: 2016 Releases from Santa Barbara*

Posted on February 13, 2019 by don

Seth Kunin founded his eponymous winery Kunin Wines in 1998 with the aim of producing small production Rhone varietal wines. Until his untimely passing in 2017 at the age of 50 years, he was a highly respected member of the … Continue reading →

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New Releases of 2016 Sonoma County Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs from Tongue Dancer Wines

Posted on January 1, 2019 by mike

Tongue Dancer Wines is a small project started with the 2013 vintage by James and Kerry MacPhail, past owners of MacPhail Family Wines in Healdsburg, CA. The Mac Phails are passionate about Pinot Noir and this project continues their fascination … Continue reading →

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Champagnes & Sparkling Wines for the Holidays: The Best of 2018

Posted on December 18, 2018 by don

Champagne and sparkling wines are especially popular during the Holidays. Families and friends toast their friendship and welcome the new year with the bubbles that convey a sense of celebration and joy.  To help guide your purchases of Champagne and … Continue reading →

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Testarossa Winery New Releases of 2016 Pinot Noir

Posted on December 5, 2018 by mike

This is second part of our reviews of the 2016 Testarossa releases of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. In this article we focus on Testarossa’s Pinot Noirs which like the Chardonnays are handcrafted in small lots of mostly vineyard designated wines … Continue reading →

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Napa Valley Boutique Wine Discoveries: Lewelling and Hayfork

Posted on December 1, 2018 by don

When it comes to Cabernet Sauvignon, the Napa Valley is home to several of the world’s most iconic wineries.  The sheer number of ultra premium Cabernet wineries makes it difficult for small, lesser known producers to gain visibility. Always on … Continue reading →

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Testarossa Winery New Releases of 2016 Chardonnay

Posted on November 18, 2018 by don

Testarossa Winery is among the finest producers of premium Chardonnay in California, and 2016 was an exceptionally good vintage throughout California. As a result, we are enthusiastic about the 2016 Testarossa Chardonnays. Testarossa handcrafts small lots of mostly vineyard designated … Continue reading →

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