Alberto Rafanelli, an Italian immigrant, first founded A. Rafanelli Winery in the early 1900’s. It wasn’t until the early 70’s that Alberto’s son, Americo, came out with the present day label and started selling the wine commercially. David and Patty Rafanelli now run the winery and a 4th generation Rafanelli, their daughter Shelly, is the winemaker. The winery is perhaps…
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…
Elvio Cogno first came up with the idea to produce wine at the Ristorante dell’Angelo in La Morra. Elvio Cogno’s family had been growing grapes for generations, but no one had thought of turning that work into a job. It was so successful that by the late 1950s, with the support of a business partner and the growing prestige of…
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! Vault 29 writes Wonderment Wines: Living the Dream. Peg Melnik reviews the 2014 Carol Shelton Wild Thing Old Vine Zinfandel. Randy Caparoso writes America’s 30 Largest Wine…
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 the Paul Ferraud and his daughter Laurence. Light red in color. 13.5% ABV. Soaring nose of red and…
Chateau Quinault L’Enclos, located in Saint Emilion, is situated in the city of Libourne. However, the estate was not always considered a part of the Saint Emilion appellation. Prior to 1973, Quinault L’Enclos was actually part of the satellite appellation of Sables St. Emilion. The winery was renovated and some of the vineyards were replanted by Alain Raynaud who acquired…
Dehlinger Winery is located in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County and was founded in 1975 by Tom and Carole Dehlinger. Eva Dehlinger took over winemaking duties in 2007. Known for their Pinot Noir, Dehlinger also makes Chardonnay, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. The grapes for Dehlinger Wines are largely grown on the Estate Vineyard in the Russian…
Marcel Lapierre took over the family domaine from his father in 1973. The winery dates back to the early 1900’s. In 1981 Marcel met Jules Chauvet. A winemaker, researcher and chemist, Chavet preached for natural wines and the traditional methods of Beaujolais. Joined by local vignerons Guy Breton, Jean-Paul Thévenet, and Jean Foillard, Marcel led a group that soon went to the…
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! The Nittany Epicurean reviews the 2014 The Federalist Dueling Pistols. Pedroncelli Wine Blog writes Cellar View: Barrel Stats. Hogshead A Wine Blog writes A Generous Bottle of…
I’ve been buying wine for 25+ years now. I don’t recall Mystery Wines being a thing decades ago but they have clearly risen to prominence in the last few years. From what I gather a Mystery Wine is typically a wine that has been deeply discounted by either the winery or the distributor. They turn to a retailer (more often…