Category Archives: California

Flowers Winery: New Releases from the Exquisite Terroir of the West Sonoma Coast

Posted on May 3, 2021 by don

Walt and Joan Flowers are among the pioneers of the West Sonoma Coast.  In 1990 when they planted their first vineyard, most winemakers regarded their location near the Pacific as too cold for growing grapes. Time has shown the Flowers … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Chardonnay, Countries and Regions, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Rosé, Uncategorized, White Wine, Wine Type | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Latest Releases from The Farm Winery in Paso Robles

Posted on April 21, 2021 by don

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

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Countries and Regions, Red Wine, Uncategorized, Wine Type | Tagged | Leave a comment

DAOU Vineyards: The Pursuit of Excellence

Posted on March 26, 2021 by don

Daniel Daou and family have created one of California’s leading wineries for the production of Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends.  The story is by now well known—born in Lebanon, raised in France, educated at UC San Diego, founded a highly … Continue reading →

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Countries and Regions, Great Winemakers, Red Wine, Rosé, Uncategorized, Wine Articles, Wine Type | Tagged | Comments Off on DAOU Vineyards: The Pursuit of Excellence

Dutton Goldfield Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Excellent 2018 Vintage

Posted on February 12, 2021 by don

Northern California’s 2018 vintage was typical of vintages two decades ago. Summer temperatures were moderate, and harvest was 2-3 weeks later than recent years with long, slow maturation.  As a result, the 2018 vintage wines are phenolically ripe and superbly … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Chardonnay, Countries and Regions, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Uncategorized, White Wine, Wine Type | Tagged | Comments Off on Dutton Goldfield Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Excellent 2018 Vintage

Paul Lato Wines: Artisanal Winemaking at its Best

Posted on February 3, 2021 by don

Paul Lato is one of Santa Barbara’s finest artisanal winemakers.  Since 2002, he has been crafting outstanding wines from grapes sourced from some of the finest vineyards in Santa Barbara County.  To his good fortune, Paul was discovered early in … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Chardonnay, Countries and Regions, Great Winemakers, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Uncategorized, White Wine, Wine Articles, Wine Type | Tagged | Comments Off on Paul Lato Wines: Artisanal Winemaking at its Best

The Organic Wines of BARRA of Mendocino

Posted on February 3, 2021 by don

The son of grape growing, Italian immigrants from the Piedmont, Charlie Barra purchased 175 acres of vineyard land in Redwood Valley at the headwaters of the Russian River in the rolling foothills of Mendocino County [see map below] in 1955.  … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Countries and Regions, Petite Sirah, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Uncategorized, White Wine, Wine Type | Tagged | Comments Off on The Organic Wines of BARRA of Mendocino

Gary Farrell Vineyard: Outstanding New Releases from Winemaker Theresa Heredia

Posted on January 24, 2021 by don

We’ve been tasting and reviewing Gary Farrell Vineyard wines since before Theresa Heredia joined as winemaker in 2012, and we’ve been tasting Theresa’s wines since her time at Joseph Phelps’ Freestone Vineyards on the Sonoma Coast.  We’ve consistently admired Theresa’s … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Chardonnay, Countries and Regions, Great Winemakers, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Uncategorized, White Wine, Wine Articles, Wine Type | Comments Off on Gary Farrell Vineyard: Outstanding New Releases from Winemaker Theresa Heredia

Drew Winery:  Brilliant Winemaking in the Mendocino Ridge and Anderson Valley

Posted on January 12, 2021 by mike

Drew Winery is the leading producer of Pinot Noir in the Mendocino Ridge AVA, a unique elevation-based coastal growing area in California’s far northern coast.  The winery is owned and operated by Jason and Molly Drew who founded their winery … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Drew Winery:  Brilliant Winemaking in the Mendocino Ridge and Anderson Valley

The Farm Winery: 2016 Releases from Paso Robles

Posted on December 18, 2020 by mike

The Farm Winery is one of our favorite wineries in the Paso Robles AVA.   It’s owned and operated by old friends and Stanford Business School alumni Jim Madsen and veteran Argentine winemaker, Santiago Achaval.  Launched in 2009,  it produces … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Red Wine, Uncategorized | Tagged | Comments Off on The Farm Winery: 2016 Releases from Paso Robles

Beau Marchais: New Expressions of California Pinot Noir

Posted on December 12, 2020 by don

We recently had the opportunity to taste three outstanding Pinot Noirs released by Beau Marchais, a new project launched in 2019 by two seasoned winemakers, Adam Lee of California and Philippe Cambie of France.  Their joint venture brought together the … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Countries and Regions, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Uncategorized, Wine Type | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Beau Marchais: New Expressions of California Pinot Noir