Sky Vineyards, situated on Mt. Veeder, was founded in 1973 by Lore Olds. Lore purchased the property in 1972 and planted the Zinfandel shortly thereafter. The vineyard is dry farmed and for that reason the winery holds the wine back 2-4 years prior to release. Sky also produces a Syrah, Riesling and Rosé. I have heard of Sky Vineyards over…
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…
Rochioli is one of the true pioneers in Russian River Valley, with a winemaking history dating back to the the late 1950′s. In 1987 Rochioli released their first estate wine, the 1985 Rochioli Pinot Noir. Although best known for their world class Pinot Noir, Rochioli also produces remarkable Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The winery has published a detailed map of…
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, Morgan is clearly passionate about. Papera Vineyard is situated in the Russian…
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. Randy Caparoso writes A History of Lodi Winegrowing, Part 6 — Lodi Begets Seven Nested AVAs. ZAP Wine Blog writes ZAP Grieves the Passing of Our Treasurer, Bruce…
Reynvaan Family Vineyards is a small family owned winery started by Mike and Gale Reynvaan in May of 2004 in Walla Walla, Washington. They initially purchased a 37 acre parcel of land on Cottonwood Road at the base of the Blue Mountains. Their son Matt is the winemaker and Christophe Baron of Cayuse has served as a consultant. Reynvaan Family…
John Grochau was first introduced to wine and the winemaking landscape in his early 20’s, while racing bicycles for a French team in the Loire Valley. After more than decade selling wine in some of Portland’s finest restaurants Grochau plunged into winemaking. He spent a year in Sonoma before returning to Oregon to work at Erath Winery, and then worked…
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 and a Right Bank inspired blend called Immigrant. In…
Domaine Saint Prefert dates back almost 100 years, to the early 1920’s, when Fernand Serre purchased an 80 hectare parcel of land. He founded Domaine Saint Prefert in 1930. The winery quickly earned a reputation for making high quality Chateauneuf du Pape and Domaine Saint Prefert became one of the first wines exported from the Southern Rhone to the United…
Joe Martin established St. Francis Vineyard in 1971, planting 22 acres of Chardonnay and the first 60 acres of Merlot in Sonoma Valley. After achieving great success as a grower, Joe opened his own St. Francis Winery in 1979 with his business partner Lloyd Canton. Katie Madigan is the winemaker who oversees the Zinfandel program. Purple in color. 15.2% ABV.…