Cayuse was founded in 1997 by Christophe Baron, a native of France who grew up in family of winemakers in Champagne. Baron studied viticulture in Burgundy and Champagne, and had ambitions to make Pinot Noir in Oregon. However, on a visit to Walla Walla he found property that he believed would be perfect for growing grapes and decided to purchase…
The 1995 Grand Puy-Lacoste was the winning bottle in the December Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for 1 hour and served with Christmas dinner. The history of Grand-Puy-Lacoste is fascinating and dates back to the 16th century. The name Grand-Puy comes from the ancient term “puy” which means “hillock, small height”. The vineyard sits on…
Ridge Vineyards was founded in 1959 when three Stanford Research Institute engineers bought an abandoned winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The vineyards had been planted in the late 19th century by a San Francisco physician who produced his first vintage in the original winery, called Monte Bello, in 1892. The first Ridge vintage was in 1962. John Olney is…
Chateau Montelena dates back to 1882 when Albert Tubbs bought 254 acres of property just north of Calistoga. Tubbs planted vines and by 1896 Montelena was the 7th largest winery in California. Winemaking came to an end with the onset of Prohibition. The current iteration of Montelena can be traced to 1968, when Jim Barrett was brought on as a…
Chateau Bellefont Belcier dates back to the seventeenth century as an estate. The vineyard was founded in the middle of the eighteenth century. The vineyard is planted to 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2017, Peter Kwok the owner of Chateau Tour Saint Christophe and many other Right Bank properties, purchased Bellefont-Belcier. The blend for both…
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.…
The 20 hectare St. Emilion vineyard of Chateau Tour Saint Christophe is planted to 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The property was purchased by Peter Kwok in 2012. Kwok also owns Bellefont-Belcier and Haut-Brisson. The winery sent me samples of their most recent releases. Both wines were decanted for 90 minutes. 2016 Chateau Tour Saint Christophe – Purple in color. 15% ABV.…
Brady Vineyard is located in Paso Robles, California. Don Brady is the owner and winemaker. The 24 acre vineyard was planted in 2001 overlooking the Estrella River. The winery produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. I had never heard of the winery before but was intrigued when the 2018 Zinfandel was one of the top 20 wines of the…
Chateau Haut-Brisson is located in Saint Emilion, not far from Chateau Monbousquet. The estate was bought in 1997 by Peter Kwok. The 18 hectare vineyard of Haut-Brisson are planted to 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The vines are close to 30 years of age. The winery recently sent me samples of two of their more acclaimed vintages. 2005 Chateau Haut-Brisson –…
La Rata was founded by Elizabeth Bourcier in 2012. Bourcier, Cayuse’s assistant Vigneron, was inspired by Clos Erasmus of the Priorat region of Spain and crafted this blend. The wine was originally a blend of Grenache from Armada Vineyard and Cabernet from En Cerise Vineyard. Syrah from La Paciencia Vineyard was added after the first vintage. The unique blend was…