Category Archives: Great Winemakers

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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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Alvaro Castro: Outstanding Selections from the Dão

Posted on July 31, 2020 by don

Alvaro Castro is one of the most accomplished winemakers in Portugal.  Since 1980 he has served as winemaker for his family’s properties at Quinta da Pellada and Quinta de Saes. Alvaro crafts elegant wines sourced from traditional varieties with minimal intervention … Continue reading →

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Hors Catégorie: A Bit of Northern Rhone in Northern Oregon

Posted on April 9, 2019 by don

Christophe Baron, most famous for his vineyards in The Rocks, has a new discovery, a very steeply sloped basalt hillside vineyard called Hors Catégorie located on the north fork of the Walla Walla River near the Oregon border with Washington … Continue reading →

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Graham Beck: Exclusive Focus on Premium Sparkling

Posted on February 18, 2019 by don

Industrialist Graham Beck founded his eponymous vineyard and winery in Robertson in 1983.  A few years later Pieter Ferreira joined Graham Beck, making his first sparkling wine  (called MCC or Methode Cap Classique in South Africa) in 1991. We visited … Continue reading →

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Richard Kershaw Lifts Elgin to New Heights

Posted on February 11, 2019 by don

Richard Kershaw, South Africa’s first MW (Master of Wine), worked at wineries around the world (including Simi in California) before becoming winemaker at Mulderbosch  and then, in 2012, starting his own eponymous winery in Elgin, South Africa’s coolest growing area. … Continue reading →

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Hermann J. Wiemer of the Finger Lakes: A Great American Winery

Posted on February 4, 2019 by don

Hermann J. Wiemer is one of the pioneers of viticulture and winemaking in the Finger Lakes. A native of Bernkastel, Germany, he studied at the world famous Neustadt Viticultural Research Institute, took a winemaking job in the Finger Lakes, and … Continue reading →

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Austria’s Talented New Winemakers

Posted on January 11, 2019 by don

While traveling around Austria meeting winemakers and tasting wine for our recently published report Austrian Wine: Diverse Terroir, Exceptional Quality, we met the new generation that has entered Austria’s wine industry in recent years. They work in various capacities, although most … Continue reading →

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French-Trained Chilean Winemakers: New Releases from Antiyal, Apaltagua, Domus Aurea, Maquis

Posted on April 8, 2016 by don

No country in the Americas has been so strongly influenced by French winemaking as Chile. Aspiring Chilean winemakers go to France to study enology or work the harvests. And French winemakers and winemaking consultants go to Chile to make wine. … Continue reading →

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