2006 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape was the winning bottle in the July Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The family of Domaine du Pegau has roots in Châteauneuf-du-Pape dating back to the mid-17th century. The word Pegau refers to a wine jug discovered in the excavations of the 14th century Pope’s palace in Avignon. Today, the estate is run by…
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 lineup of wines at Bedrock is expanding rapidly, but I think the best of the best are the ancient vineyard Zinfandels and Field Blends, Morgan is clearly passionate about. Pagani Ranch is just…
Kreck Wines was founded in 2016 by Jeremy and Mindy Kreck. Jeremy Kreck is the winemaker and grew up farming grapes on his family’s Alexander Valley ranch. Mindy is a graphic designer and has crafted the Kreck packaging in homage to the heritage and legacy of the vineyards in which they source fruit. The focus at Kreck is old vine Zinfandel…
The July installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 2006 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. 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. I plan on opening the winning bottle this Sunday and will publish a Bottle Note shortly thereafter. Although overshadowed by 2005…
The Antinori family has been in the wine producing business for 26 generations and it now one of the most successful and respected producers in Italy. The Estate is led by Marchese Piero Antinori, who is well regarded for his passionate attention to tradition and terroir as well as his interest in innovation and new ideas. Antinori originally made its reputation by producing Chianti…
Kosta Browne was founded in the late nineties by Dan Kosta and Michael Browne. In 2009 controlling interest was sold to Vincraft for close to $40 million. In 2015 J.W. Childs Associates, a Boston-based private equity firm, bought out Vincraft. Most recently Kosta Browne was purchased by Duckhorn Wine Company. With these investments have come numerous changes including a new Winery (Gallery)…
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.…
Paolo di Marchi has run Isole e Olena since the age of 20. Paolo avoids the Cabernet Sauvignon many of his neighbors have begun to incorporate into their Chiantis, believing it overshadows the Sangiovese. The flagship wine at Isole e Olena is Cepparello, a barrique-aged Sangiovese classified as an IGT – because at the time of its creation in the…
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 July Zinfandel of the Month is the 2014 Storybook Mountain Vineyards Zinfandel Mayacamas Range. Storybook Mountain Vineyards…
The family run estate of Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier dates back to 1863. This was initially a 4-hectare Chambolle domaine but since Frédéric took back the family’s old Nuits St-Georges Monopole, Clos de la Maréchale, from Faiveley in 2004, the Domaine has increased to 13 hectares. Their are 7 wines currently being produced at Mugnier with the Bonnes Mares and Musigny being…