Bottle Notes, Zinfandel

2013 Bedrock Wine Co. Heritage Wine Pagani Ranch

The 2013 Bedrock Wine Co. Heritage Wine Pagani Ranch was the winning bottle in the February Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was not decanted and was enjoyed over several hours. Bedrock Wine Co. was founded by Morgan Twain-Peterson in 2007 and focuses on small production wines from many of California’ s most treasured and historic vineyards. The…

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Bottle Notes, Red Blend

2014 Betz Family Bésoleil – Bottle Notes

Betz Family Winery was founded in 1997 by Bob & Cathy Betz. Critical acclaim from local and national wine publications has put Betz Family Winery at the forefront of Washington wines alongside Cayuse, Leonetti and Quilceda Creek. The winery was sold to Steve and Bridget Griessel five years ago. Louis Skinner, a longtime assistant of Bob’s, is now the full…

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Cellar Management

Pick My Next Bottle – 2013 Old Vine Zinfandel

The February installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on Old Vine Zinfandel from the the 2013 vintage. As I mentioned in the first installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. The winning bottle will be opened on Saturday and a Bottle Note will be published…

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Bottle Notes, Zinfandel

2008 Carlisle Zinfandel Montafi Vineyard – Bottle Notes

Carlisle Winery & Vineyards was founded in 1998 by Mike and Kendall Officer. Their passion is clear: Small lots of Zinfandel and Syrah from exceptional, historic vineyards. Many of these vineyards are heritage sites planted by Italian immigrants and date back to the late 1800s . They have also recently added their first whites, two blends from historic, old-vine vineyards plus Sonoma…

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Random Musings

The Week in Zinfandel (2/13/17)

Welcome to the latest installment of The Week in Zinfandel. If I missed your post or story please send me a link and I will be sure to include it next week. Cheers! Cliff’s Wine Picks reviews the 2012 Ridge Zinfandel Dusi Ranch. Vinodiversity writes What is so Special About Zinfandel? The Back Label writes Tracing the Origin of Zinfandel.…

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Bottle Notes

New Releases from Wayfarer Vineyard

Wayfarer Vineyard, located on the remote Sonoma Coast, was planted by David Abreu in 2002. In 2005, Jayson Pahlymeyer started blending Wayfarer Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with fruit from Russian River Vineyards and bottling it under the Pahlmeyer label. By 2012, the vineyard’s exceptional fruit presented an irrefutable case for a namesake label. Jayson’s daughter, Cleo Pahlmeyer, runs the estate…

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Random Musings

The Week in Zinfandel (2/6/17)

Welcome to the latest installment of The Week in Zinfandel. If I missed your post or story please send me a link and I will be sure to include it next week. Cheers! Wine Folly writes What Wines to Pair with Chocolate. Tim Fish writes New Adventures in  Oregon and Washington. Isaac Baker writes Wine Reviews: Crocker & Starr. Rockin…

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Bottle Notes, Merlot

2007 Force Majeure Collaboration Series IV – Bottle Notes

Force Majeure was founded in 2004 by Paul McBride and made its name pairing some of Washington’s highly acclaimed winemakers with fruit from one of Washington’s highly acclaimed vineyards, Ciel du Cheval.  The winery recently transitioned from Collaboration wines to Estate wines. Todd Alexander, formerly of Bryant Family Vineyards, is the winemaker for the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. There is also…

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