Sandlands is the personal project of Tegan and Olivia Passalacqua. Tegan is the Winemaker and Vineyard Manager at Turley. The line-up encompasses some of the forgotten classic California varieties, primarily grown in decomposed granite from regions and vineyards that have been farmed for many generations but have remained the outliers of California viticulture. The wines made at Sandlands include Syrah,…
Category: Bottle Notes
2013 Kanzler Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast – Bottle Notes
Kanzler Vineyards, located in California near Sebasopol, was founded in 1996 by Stephen and Lynda Kanzler. Planted in 1996 in a former apple orchard, the vineyard quickly developed a reputation for producing world class Pinot Noir grapes featured in award winning wines from some of the finest wineries in Northern California, including Kosta Browne, A.P. Vin and Rivers-Marie. In 2004,…
Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot #68 – Bottle Notes
The history of Marietta Cellars goes back almost 40 years. It is a true American success story that merits the attention of every red wine drinker who wants to drink exceptional wines at fair prices. Marietta Cellars was founded by Chris Bilbro in 1978. In recent years Chris’s son, Scot, has taken over most of the responsibilities. Scot’s brother Jake is…
2013 Outpost Grenache – Bottle Notes
Outpost Wines was established in 1998 and sits on a pristine piece of land atop Howell Mountain 2200 feet above Napa Valley. Thomas Rivers-Brown has been the winemaker from the start and has gained further acclaim making highly sought after wines for Schrader, Rivers-Marie and many others. Outpost produces Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and a Right Bank inspired blend called Immigrant.…
2016 Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
Thomas Rivers Brown and his wife Genevieve Marie Walsh have quickly made Rivers-Marie one of California’s most sought after Pinot Noir labels. The winery was founded in 2002 and the first release was the Rivers-Marie Summa Vineyard Pinot Noir. In addition to the line up of Single Vineyard Pinot Noirs, Rivers-Marie also makes a few single vineyard Cabernets and Chardonnay.…
2015 Result of a Crush Red Wine
Result of a Crush was started by Amanda Reynvaan and Angela Reynvaan Garratt in 2011, along with their brother Matt as consulting winemaker. From the beginning the objectives were high value/lower cost Rhone style wines that can be enjoyed every day and to produce that wine at a quality level equal to wines that sell for latest twice as much.…
2003 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon – Bottle Notes
Dalla Valle Vineyards was founded in 1986 by Gustav and Naoko Dalla Valle, who purchased 21 acres on the east side of Silverado Trail on Oakville Hill. They planted the vineyards to Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and had their first crush in 1986. Dalla Valle produces a Cabernet Sauvignon and a very limited amount of a proprietary red named…
2010 Turley Zinfandel Dragon Vineyard – Bottle Notes
Turley Wine Cellars was founded in 1993 by Larry Turley and specializes in small lots of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah from some of California’s most historic and treasured vineyards. Turley now makes right around 50 separate wines from 47 different vineyards, some with vines that date back to the late 1800’s. Tegan Passalacqua is the Director of Winemaking at Turley and…
2011 Carlisle Syrah Papa’s Block – 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 . Expect to see a Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Montecillo Vinyard and a Russian River…
Zinfandel of the Month – 2016 Hartford Family Winery Zinfandel Russian River Valley Old Vine
Zinfandel of the Month is a regular feature on Zinfandel Chronicles. Keep in mind that although the Zinfandel of the Month might be an older bottle, the current vintage will be one you can find at retail or via the mailing list. The January Zinfandel of the Month is the 2016 Hartford Family Winery Zinfandel Russian River Valley Old Vine.…