Wild Horse 2015 “Cheval Sauvage” Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley
Long before the movie Sideways, Santa Barbara County has been a hot spot for Pinot Noir. In particular, Sanat Maria Valley is home to some of California’s top vineyards for the …
Pinot Noir
Cambria 2014 “Benchbreak” Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley
Cambria WineryCambria has always been that tiny corner of the Kendall-Jackson empire that didn’t have that smell of overstuffed marketing. It was the family home of Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke, …
A Wrinkle in Wine: The Former Chairman Returns. Sort of.
This is an older article from the Wine School, originally publishing in May, 2018. Jonathan Newman, the former Chairman of the PLCB is selling wine to Tim Holden, the current PLCB Chairman …
King Estate 2014 Pinot Noir, Oregon
One of the great strengths of the Oregon wine scene is that its founders came from all points of the globe from all types of backgrounds.BackgroundA case in point is Ed King, …
Carneros Hills 2013 Pinot Noir, Carneros
The winery is a project of Jackson Family Wines, and this 2013 Estate Pinot Noir is its debut vintage. A very new winery, but it’s built on some seriously historical dirt.A …
Z’ivo 2012 Pinot Noir, Eola Amity Hills (Willamette Valley)
John ZelkoJohn Zelko is an interesting guy. He earned his MD from the University of Colorado Denver in 1983. He’s now a practicing surgeon at The Oregon Clinic’s Portland facility, where he’s …
Zotovich Estate 2013 Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills
A standout winery from the wine ghetto in (not so) beautiful Lompoc. While this may be the less majestic looking spot in Santa Barbara County, it’s one of the greatest spots …
Jermann 2012 “Red Angel on the Moonlight” Pinot Nero, Friuli
Pinot Nero is Italian for Pinot Noir, but the Nero is much more Italian than Pinot. Winemakers in northeastern Italy don’t typically make Pinot in the French style, as most everyone …
What are Tannins?
What are Tannins?The dictionary isn’t much help. Here is the definition:tan·ninnoun a yellowish or brownish bitter-tasting organic substance present in some galls, barks, and other plant tissues, consisting of derivatives of gallic …
Bouchaine 2009 Pinot Noir Carneros
Who are the Bouchaines? It doesn’t really matter at this point. It was the maiden name of one of the original partners in this winery.The important question is, who are the …
Saintsbury 2009 “Brown Ranch” Pinot Noir
Saintsbury WineryMost descriptions of Saintsbury Winery will include the word “pioneer” somewhere within the first paragraph. Go one and google it: you will get over 3.5 million pages describing how the …
Roth Estate 2011 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Bill FoleyEver wonder how empires start? Keep an eye on Bill Foley. Last I checked in with him, he was running Foley Estates. I was drinking with his assistant winemaker in …
Expression 44 2010 Roserock Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills
Expression Wines is a new project by William Hill, and it’s all about the Pinot. The conceit of the labeling is that each Pinot is designated by its northern latitude: Santa …
Veramonte 2009 “Primus” Cabernet Sauvignon, Rapel Valley
Veramonte is a large winery in Chile’s Casablanca Valley, clocking in at just under 500 hectares. Since its founding, it’s been a US-centric winery, with over 80% of its wines bought …
Landmark Vineyards 2011 “Grand Detour” Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
First of all, kudos to Landmark Vineyards for the awesome update to their labeling. It’s a great leap backward, and I mean that in the best way possible.This is a bittersweet …
Trisaetum 2011 “Trisae” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Oregon’s Willamette Valley produces some of the world’s best Pinot Noirs. And that is only half the reason to love their wines. The other is its grassroots vibe. Unlike so many …
