Wine Recommendations

One of the beautiful things about Pinot Noir is that with so many different clones that can go into making it, Pinot provides diverse expressions. In the case of The Famous Gate, a wine Domaine Carneros has made for 25 years, the composition is 87% Swan, 9% Dijon 115 and 4% Pommard UCD-5.

Albarino is one of Spain and Portugal’s signature grapes, but Albarino from California is another matter altogether. Typically forgettable when grown in California, Gallica has found the secret to Albariño’s success by finding the correct vineyard - this one from Calaveras County - a plot at 2,100 feet elevation, and treating it with enough love that, though it stylistically differs from its Spanish brethren, it is successful in its own right.

The Chilean wine industry dates back to the mid 1500s with the arrival of the Spanish missionaries who brought grapevine cuttings with them to plant for sacramental wine. 500 years later and Chilean wine is booming with quality wines ranging from inexpensive to high-end.

Cabernet Franc is not a calling card for Napa Valley. The cousin to Cabernet Sauvignon, Franc is often used as a blending partner, and occasionally as a stand-alone wine. But at Ehlers Estate in St. Helena, Cabernet Franc has always been part of the portfolio and was planted prior to the Ehlers securing the property.

P ét-nat’s have become something of a fad lately and many of them, though meant to be lighter in style, are merely a flash in the palate. Pétillant Naturel, known more commonly as pét-nat is, in essence, wine that hasn’t finished fermenting before it’s bottled.

Zinfandel is one of the oldest continuously planted grapes in California, arriving with the influx of immigrants during the California Gold Rush. The Zinfandel vines used in the Tizona stretch back nearly as far, 99 year-old vines to be precise, and like many truly “old vines” in Lodi are own rooted and dry farmed.

Paraduxx started in 2004 with an express purpose to achieve uniform and consistent success with blended wines over stand-alone wines, all made from Napa Valley fruit. Comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Zinfandel, this is that rare two-grape blend that allows both grapes to shine in equal measure.

Zinfandel is considered “America’s grape” because it was widely planted when the California wine industry began to grow in the mid to late 1850s, but it is not, however, a truly American grape; it’s an immigrant – it originally came from Europe.

Chardonnay is often seen as a dime a dozen, but when you find an iteration so compelling and complex it can stop you on a dime. Made of 100% Chardonnay from Pahlmeyer’s own Atlas Peak vineyard, the 2014 benefitted from consistent weather throughout the growing season. Using native fermentation in...

It’s that time of year again. Girl Scout cookie time. Of course, for some people, that is a chance to avoid making eye contact with the Moms and Dads who are co-workers of yours. For others, it’s a chance to meet the neighbors as their girls’ tour door to door peddling the sugary wares. And for even others, it’s a chance to go off their diets in the interest of supporting the greater good.