(Originally published June 2006) Willamette Valley Vineyards is located, not surprisingly, in Oregon’s Willamette Valley – one of the premiere wine growing regions in the country. Prized for its Burgundy-ish climate and soil, the cool weather, long growing season and rolling hill vineyards produce some of the best Pinot Noir on this side of the [...]
Read more →(Originally published December 2005) When asked about our favorite California Pinot Noir makers, the answer is a pretty short list. Too often, it seems, California Pinot Noir is overly ripe and heavy – lacking in the nuances and delicate complexities that are present in great Pinots. There are, however, a few producers that manage to [...]
Read more →(Originally published October 2005) Petite Sirah is still a bit of a mystery to most people, and it’s no wonder. After years of experts claiming that the Petite Sirah grape had no relationship to the Syrah grape, scientists have now issued an about-face and connected the grape DNA dots. Beyond this, there just isn’t much [...]
Read more →(Originally published February 2003) Paul Hobb’s established his eponymous winery in 1991 and has been putting out small production, vineyard designated wines that have garnered consistent accolades from the press and wine-buying public alike. Hobbs’ winemaking background includes stints as Head Enologist for Opus One in the early 80s and as Assistant Winemaker for Sonoma’s [...]
Read more →(Originally published June 2008) A late night steakhouse meal after a baseball game featured a bottle of Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No. 1 Yarra Valley. This is a Cabernet Sauvignon blend out of Australia’s Yarra Valley region and one of the country’s most revered and pioneering winemakers, Dr. Bailey Carrodus. (When I visited the [...]
Read more →(Originally published June 2008) Heading out to meet with Mezzacorona winemaker Lucio Matricardi, I resolved to be in and out of there in about 30 minutes. There was no meal involved, I was leaving town the next morning, and it was Valentine’s Day – evening plans needed attention. Two hours later, I reluctantly pulled myself [...]
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