Category Archives: California

Failla Spring Releases: 2016 Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah

Posted on March 30, 2018 by mike

These 2016 spring releases are a welcome collection of new California and Oregon bottlings from the talented winemaker Ehren Jordan and wife Anne-Marie Failla.  The 2016 vintage in California was a welcome relief from drought with a mild spring followed … Continue reading →

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Smith-Madrone: Superb New Releases from Napa Valley

Posted on March 16, 2018 by mike

Smith-Madrone is a small family-owned and operated  artisanal winery in St. Helena.  It was founded in 1971 by Stuart Smith on a 200-acre ranch, partly planted as a vineyard over a century ago.  The Smith-Madrone estate vineyards sit on Spring … Continue reading →

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Dutton-Goldfield Chardonnay and Pinot Noir: 2015-16 Releases from Russian River’s Cool Green Valley

Posted on March 14, 2018 by don

 Steve Dutton and Dan Goldfield have collaborated in making some of the Russian River’s finest wines since 1998. Steve does the farming, and today he manages over 1100 acres of vines spread over 80 vineyards , mostly in Green Valley … Continue reading →

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Napa’s August Briggs Wines: New Releases 2014

Posted on March 6, 2018 by mike

   Located in downtown Calistoga, Napa Valley, August Briggs Winery produces small quantities of handcrafted premium wines.  Founded in 1995 by August “Joe”  Briggs,  a consulting winemaker, and wife Sally, the winery is managed today by their nephew Jess Inman … Continue reading →

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Sonoma’s Spann Vineyards: New Releases from the 2013-14 Vintages

Posted on March 2, 2018 by mike

Spann Vineyards is a small artisanal winery owned and operated by Peter and Betsy Spann.  Their vineyards are located in the Mayacamas Mountains on a steeply terraced mountainside in Glen Ellen. They dry farm their vineyards and strive for low … Continue reading →

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Carol Shelton Zinfandels from the Queen of Zin

Posted on January 26, 2018 by don

Carol Shelton is a pioneer in the wine industry and considered by many to be the Queen of Zin, a title she has earned by producing some of California’s finest Zinfandels. In this article we review her current Zinfandel releases, … Continue reading →

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The Farm Winery: 2014 New Releases from Paso Robles

Posted on December 16, 2017 by mike

The Farm Winery is one of a growing number of  new boutique wineries  in the Paso Robles AVA  that are producing limited quantities of outstanding handcrafted wines.  The winery is owned and operated by old friends and Stanford Business School … Continue reading →

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New Releases from Francis Coppola, Bee’s Box and Virginia Dare

Posted on November 30, 2017 by mike

We have been reviewing Francis Coppola’s wines for several years now and are pleased to report steady improvements in the quality of winemaking under Corey Beck.  The improvements have been the result of better sourcing of grapes from Russian River … Continue reading →

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Gary Farrell: More New Releases 2015 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir From Russian River Valley

Posted on November 2, 2017 by mike

Here are more new releases from the Gary Farrell Winery from the 2015 vintage, another great year for the winery and Russian River Valley. As we noted in our earlier reviews, the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir crops were small to … Continue reading →

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Testarossa Pinot Noirs From the 2015 Vintage

Posted on October 22, 2017 by mike

This is the second part of our review of Testarossa’s Chardonnay and Pinot Noir  releases from the 2015 vintage.  The first part focused on the estate’s excellent Chardonnays; this one focuses exclusively on Pinot Noir and one Meritage.   The Pinot … Continue reading →

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