VINOGRAPHY: a wine blog
Wine and food adventures in San Francisco and around the world
~ Recently in Undiscovered Wines Category ~
Garagiste Winemakers of Chile: Introducing MOVI
If I were Hugh Johnson or Jancis Robinson, I could clear my throat and begin my story with a distinguished pronouncement about how I've watched several wine regions around the globe evolve from their infancy to later stages of maturity. But I lack the perspective of someone who's been a professional observer of the industry for decades. While I may not be able to tell you how, exactly, I do know that wine regions evolve over the course of their history, and that Chile finds itself in a particular stage of evolution that most regions probably encounter after a few... continue reading 
- Posted by: Alder on January 23, 2010 11:37 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Ramblings and Rants , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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Tasting Oregon Riesling...At the International Pinot Noir Celebration?
Adulterous. Maybe a little sneaky, and a tiny bit rebellious. There I was at the International Pinot Noir Celebration in Oregon -- a whole weekend dedicated to the glory of Oregon Pinot Noir and it's Burgundy forebears -- when someone in a trench coat pulled me aside and whispered, "Hey buddy, wanna taste some Riesling?" The thought, frankly, couldn't have been the furthest thing from my mind at that point. But when the shadowy figure suggested that this was a nearly comprehensive tasting of all the Rieslings made in the state of Oregon, give or take a few, my interest... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on July 30, 2009 11:00 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Undiscovered Wines , White Wine , Wine Reviews , Wines under $20
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Fontanella Family Wines, Napa: Inaugural Releases
When it comes to family-run wineries, I always enjoy seeing how the many different roles and responsibilities involved in a full-fledged winery are divvied up among the family. Often, the winery benefits from the luck of a child that has gone into marketing as a career, or a sibling that has gone back to school to learn about enology. The combined skills, passion, and familial bond that makes such wineries tick can sometimes make for quite a powerful operation. I don't think I've ever seen quite the combination represented by Jeff and Karen Fontanella. They're just a young couple in... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 10, 2009 10:53 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2004 Erba Mountainside Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa
In Isaac Asimov's Foundation series of science fiction books, the main character has invented a science called Psychohistory for predicting the behavior of large groups of people. And by large groups, I mean the entire galaxy. Based partly in sociology, partly in history, and heavily in math, the psychohistorians have developed algorithms that can be used to figure out what big groups of people will do in any situation. I'm not so sure there isn't some sort of algorithm that we might be able to construct to figure out the kind of person (apart from trained winemakers or wine business... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 6, 2009 9:51 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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New Cabernets from Napa
When I was a kid, I wanted to be an archaeologist or an exploratory marine biologist. I had dreams of discovering lost civilizations or new species in the oceans or jungles. I never quite managed to fulfill that dream, but I have managed to channel some of that passion into the discovery of new wines. In the past few years, there has been an explosion of new wineries in Napa. Other than the market forces that made making Napa wine pretty attractive, and therefore something people wanted to try, I'm not entirely sure what might be responsible for this serious... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 2, 2009 10:42 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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Croatian Wine: Some Tasting Notes
There are a lot of wine regions I have yet to visit in the world, and with a young child I don't think I'll be getting to many in the next few years. But now that I've ticked South Africa off the list (a list that I've never really sat down to write), the region at the top may very well be Croatia. And this was before I tasted through the recent case of Croatian wines that arrived on my doorstep. Now that I've tasted them, I'm kicking myself for not dragging myself and Ruth there while we were childless.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 13, 2009 11:03 PM
- Filed under: Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews , Wines under $20
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2004 La Stoppa "Ageno" White Blend, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Most people faced a with the choice of merely a specific color of wine to drink will consider their stated preference between the options of red, white, or pink. My choice is none of the above. If I had to swear my allegiance to one color of wine, it would be orange. I have a friend who has seriously suggested that the world ought to acknowledge orange as a legitimate fourth color when it comes to wine. I don't know that I'd go that far, but I would seriously suggest that everyone drink as much of it as they can... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 4, 2008 6:13 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Undiscovered Wines , White Wine
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Cadaretta Winery, Walla Walla, WA: Current Releases
I make it my habit to pay attention to new, small wineries. Generally that means seeking them out at public tastings, perking up my ears when I hear the names of wineries I don't know, and approaching each box of unknown wine I get on my doorstep as the potential to be something new and exciting. Generally, whatever you might like to call these efforts of mine, if they can be described as efforts, tend to be focused on California. This probably comes as no surprise to most, but that has nothing to do with my preferences, so much as... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 24, 2008 10:42 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2003 Meyer Family Cellars "Bonny's Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville
Heritage plays out in many ways in the Napa Valley. There are only a few remaining families that have been farming in the valley since Prohibition, and even those that have tenures lasting more than three decades are increasingly being supplanted by new blood or corporate interests. Some of those families that have left the valley after decades often move on to other enterprises after cashing out on their vineyard investments. However, it's tough to abandon Napa Valley once you've lived and loved there for so long. Winemaker Justin Meyer moved his family to the Anderson Valley in 1999 after... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 14, 2008 11:18 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2005 Hughes-Wellman Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, Napa Valley
Good wine is rarely made by accident. So much can go wrong in the winemaking process that to get something that isn't complete dreck is a triumph, and those who are capable of creating fantastic wines are, despite their modesty and common protestations of "just letting nature take her course," truly talented artisans. While wines, and great wines in particular, are made with incredible forethought and planning, sometimes wine labels can spring up overnight as the result of an opportune conversation or new friendship. Such is the case with this wine, which may be the first and only vintage under... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 2, 2008 10:57 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2005 Star Lane Vineyards "Astral" Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Ynez Valley
There are those in the wine world who seek out (and often pay for) the best possible advice they can get. Winemaking and winegrowing are sciences as much as they are arts, and these days, there are plenty of experts to be had in both arenas. And then there are those in the wine world that no matter what the scientists, experts, and even their friends say, choose to follow their instincts. Call them pig-headed, call them eccentric, call them iconoclasts, there are certain people that will always walk their own paths when it comes to wine. Jim Dierberg seems... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 22, 2008 10:17 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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Meteor Vineyard, Napa: Debut Releases
Barry Schuler may know a thing or two about running multi-billion dollar technology companies, but what he really wants to talk about, given the chance, is food and wine. The former CEO of AOL, Schuler often gets credited along with Steve Case (who preceded Schuler as CEO) for the company's success in the late Nineties. But while his colleagues and most of America's top technology executives were returning home at the end of their long days to comfortable suburbs near major metropolitan areas, at the end of the week Schuler was making his way back to Napa, California. Schuler may... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 11, 2008 7:24 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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Cooper-Garrod Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains: Current Releases
One of the greatest joys in my life remains the feeling I get when stumbling upon a small winery whose name rings no bells, but who produces excellent wines. I don't know why this is, exactly, but it has replaced the childish joy I used to experience as a young boy when finding a small crystal on a hike, or setting a new personal record for stone skipping on a pond. Little wineries with high quality wines are like buried treasure, I guess, but these days my goal is not to hoard but to share as widely as possible. Which... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 15, 2008 7:15 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2003 Meyer Family Cellars Syrah, Mendocino
There are some California appellations that need no introduction, others that will ring a bell for experienced wine lovers, and only a select few that nine out of ten people will likely never have heard of. Up until a few years ago, the Yorkville Highlands was one such appellation. These days, it's hard to tell whether it still languishes in obscurity or is gradually making its name known to lovers of California wine. Every time I meet a winemaker or winery marketing person from the area, however, after telling me where their grapes are grown, they always briefly pause,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 3, 2007 5:39 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2005 Kindred Wines "Amber Ridge Vineyard" Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
The Northern California wine scene is like a giant spreading metropolis. I think I read a few days ago that a building over 20 stories is completed in Shanghai every 12 days or something crazy like that. Northern California wine country is experiencing its own boom of expansion, and wineries big and small are popping up all over. One of my greatest joys is looking through the nooks, crannies, and back-alleyways of this boomtown for brand new wines that have a great future ahead of them. While the search is fun, finding them can be exhilarating -- an adjective that... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 5, 2007 10:50 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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The Best of Brazilian Wine: My First Taste and Impressions
Call me curious, or just call me a big geek, but I get really excited when I get the opportunity to taste the wines from somewhere I've never tasted before. So when the invitation came in to attend an event focused on the wines of Brazil, I jiggled some appointments around and snuck out of work for an hour last week and spent some time on my "other job" -- the intrepid global wine explorer. My experience with and knowledge of Brazilian wine before this tasting amounted to a big fat zilch -- never tasted it, never talked about it,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 22, 2007 7:51 PM
- Filed under: Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2005 Toucan Wines Zinfandel, Arroyo Grande, California
I find out about the wines I review here on Vinography in a lot of different ways. Most common are the large tastings that I attend regularly. I also try to go tasting in wine country whenever I can, making special efforts to stop by new wineries or those to which I've never been. Of course, I also get sent a lot of wine in the mail, from people known and unknown, and I do my share of reading wine magazines. This particular wine, however, I discovered long before it was even harvested and bottled for the first time.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 14, 2007 1:16 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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Farella Vineyards: Current Releases
To say there are "undiscovered" areas of Napa Valley may be overstating the case a bit, but there are certainly a few areas of California's most famous wine valley that most wine lovers have never heard of, let alone visited, no matter how many times they've been to Napa. The small, shallow valley of Coombsville is one such place. Literally off the beaten path, this area of Napa Valley that lies east of the city of Napa cannot be found by traversing Highway 29 or the Silverado Trail, the two main arteries of Napa. Instead one must strike out east... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 7, 2007 5:29 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2005 Baker Lane "Hurst Vineyard" Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
Some people seem to get into the wine business through sheer determination. After years of saving, scraping, dreaming and planning, vineyard or winery ownership is the fulfillment of many people's long held (if not hard earned) fantasies. And then there are those people who somehow seem destined for it -- people whose stories you hear and you think, how on Earth did you manage not to do this earlier? If Stephen Singer was going to fall into one of these categories it would most certainly be the latter. In 2003 he became the proprietor of a small winery called Baker... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 4, 2007 8:41 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2005 Segue Cellars "Segue" Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, Sonoma
People have asked me many times if I ever think about making wine. Its something that I would love to do eventually, if only for the opportunity to learn a lot of things about wine that just can't be learned from books or purchased bottles. I'm sure I'd also appreciate good wine even more after struggling to make something passably mediocre in my first attempt. Eventually I know I will need to make wine because, honestly, how can I sit here and criticize the efforts of winemakers without knowing what they go through? This lack of hands-on knowledge must... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 16, 2007 10:35 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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Cameron Hughes Wines, San Francisco: Current Releases
The continued evolution of the global wine marketplace has made many things possible for many people. Small regional wineries that couldn't survive, let alone exist twenty years ago are now thriving because there are folks out there like me and you that are looking for just the type of wines they are producing. Likewise, the proliferation of estateless wineries (bonded, licensed wineries that own no land and may even rent their winemaking facilities) has exploded in California in particular. Finally, a relatively recent phenomenon for California and the US (though old news to the negociants in France) has surfaced in... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on July 30, 2006 5:36 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews , Wines under $20
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2004 Arista Winery "Harper's Rest" Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, CA
I first learned about Arista Winery late last year when I had the opportunity to taste what the winery called it's "first commercial release." They had made some wines before, under different ownership and with different fruit, but the winery had recently been revamped, and its owners were aiming for a fresh start. And quite a start they got. Their initial wines were excellent across the board, and their new tasting room, set back among the oaks and rock outcroppings in the rolling hills near Healdsburg, was stunning. The winery has just released its "second" vintage under the new ownership... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on July 16, 2006 9:28 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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Rivers-Marie Winery, Sonoma: Current Releases
The creation of a new winery is always an exciting thing, especially when it is founded with the goal of being small, conscientious, and expressive of a particular place and grape. By exciting, I mean especially exciting to me. Like turning the corner in a new neighborhood and discovering a tiny shop that sells exquisite crafts, or finding a hole in the wall restaurant that serves the perfect version of a favorite dish, tasting a great wine from a recently begun boutique winery is one of my favorite experiences in the world. We hear a lot (and I certainly write... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 27, 2006 10:22 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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Harrington Wines, San Francisco: Current Releases
Our mental images of the single-minded winemaker who long ago forsook all but one grape in the pursuit of something nearly spiritual in wine, tend to be sepia colored and involve the backdrops of small villages in the European countryside. These men (and women) who work, often alone, in both the vineyards and the cellar to master the equation of one grape + one barrel + one vineyard on a personal level seem decidedly Old World. Over time, I have found a few new world examples of such winemakers, holed up in small towns or in the far reaches of... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 25, 2006 9:29 PM
- Filed under: Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2003 Puccioni "Old Vine" Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma
On our recent trip to Mendoza, Argentina, we visited and tasted wines at a number of wineries that the locals referred to as "renovated." I've forgotten the specific term in Spanish, but they were referring to the increasingly common practice of new owners re-opening long shuttered wineries in the area. New owners (occasionally descendents of the original founders) were reviving old vineyards, remodeling or rebuilding old winery facilities, and generally building on the shoulders of a huge, vibrant wine industry that dried up around the same time that Prohibition was putting the final nail in the coffin of a similarly... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 21, 2006 5:20 PM
- Filed under: Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2002 Holdredge Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, CA
There is a whole class of wines in Napa and Sonoma that represent dreams in the process of being realized. These small efforts are usually what I like to call "estateless" wineries. Such wineries are the work usually of one or two individuals (surprisingly often a husband and wife team) who have made tentative but substantial steps towards a goal of becoming winemakers. Often, these people are doing this work in addition to their day jobs -- sourcing fruit after hours and on the weekends, taking classes in winemaking in the evenings, requesting a couple of extra days off work... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 14, 2006 7:50 PM
- Filed under: Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2003 Parallel Wines Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa
Even though it's the middle of January, and the rest of the country, and much of the Northern Hemisphere is still coated with snow (the ski season is probably at its peak right now) it is Spring in Northern California. The hills are greening, some species of Magnolia are blossoming, and mushrooms are popping up on the forest floors as the rains become more intermittent and we start to get days of sunshine. Mushrooms aren't the only things popping up, seemingly out of nowhere. So are new wine labels. Many are new ventures by new people, but occasionally a label... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 18, 2006 5:23 PM
- Filed under: Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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Arista Winery, Healdsburg, CA: Current Releases
It's always exciting for me to try new wines from brand new wineries, and its doubly exciting when the wines are actually good. Lots of people spend an awful lot of time and money creating wineries in Napa or Sonoma and end up with wines that are barely noticeable in the sea of average wines available from the region. If the inaugural release of wines from Arista Winery weren't noticed, it certainly wasn't because they were average. I guarantee that while you might not have heard of this Sonoma winery, if you enjoy Pinot Noir you will hear about them... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 11, 2006 9:59 PM
- Filed under: Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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Cameron Hughes Wines, San Francisco: Current Releases
The continued evolution of the global wine marketplace has made many things possible for many people. Small regional wineries that couldn't survive, let alone exist twenty years ago are now thriving because there are folks out there like me and you that are looking for just the type of wines they are producing. Likewise, the proliferation of estateless wineries (bonded, licensed wineries that own no land and may even rent their winemaking facilities) has exploded in California in particular. Finally, a relatively recent phenomenon for California and the US (though old news to the negociants in France) has surfaced in... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 28, 2005 10:11 PM
- Filed under: Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews , Wines under $20
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2002 Match Vineyards "Butterdragon Hill" Cabernet, St. Helena, Napa
The more young winery owners I meet, the more I keep hearing the line "If you had asked me six years ago if I were going to be making wine right now, I would have laughed in your face." It's amazing how many people seem to accidentally fall into making wine. And I say that without any trace of sarcasm. I really do keep meeting people who tell me stories that make it clear that they've just sort of found their way there. The journeys that they relay seem to to have an aspect in common, that I have a... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 17, 2005 7:32 PM
- Filed under: Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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Halleck Vineyards, Sonoma: Current Releases
One of the things that I love about Sonoma County and its wines are the little nooks and crannies that seem to exist, more so, I think, than in its more famous neighbor to the east. While there are small bits of Napa Valley that play host to little vineyards, most of the real estate, at least the vineyard covered real estate, is well known. In Sonoma County and its appellations on the other hand, there exists much more of a patchwork of wine growing, with little hidden vineyards here and there, and new ones sprouting up all the time,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 5, 2005 7:35 PM
- Filed under: Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2003 Baldassari Family Winery Syrah, Bennett Valley, Sonoma
I've said more than once how energized I am by the new wineries that seem to be popping up every month or so throughout the state. Like mushrooms on the forest floor after a nice rain, they seem to appear out of nowhere. Many of them are small family operations or even estateless wineries, but regardless of the form, they are usually the result of someone's dream, and so I'm always excited to hear about them. It's hard to get any more brand new than Baldassari Family Vineyards and this Syrah. They are a brand new winery, this is their... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 2, 2005 11:17 PM
- Filed under: Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2004 Quinta do Alqueve Fernão Pires, Ribetejano, Portugal
Perhaps we can make this week be about fantastic wine bargains. Earlier in the week I blogged about a great New Zealand Pinot Noir for about twelve bucks, now I'm telling about what might just be the best white wine I've ever had at the $11 price range. Let's start off by asking the most obvious question: Who was Fernão Pires anyway, and why is there an obscure Mediterranean Grape named after him? Well the first answer is that Fernao Pires is the same grape as one called Maria Gomes elsewhere in Portugal, which is where this grape makes its... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 7, 2005 5:29 PM
- Filed under: Undiscovered Wines , White Wine , Wine Reviews , Wines under $20
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1999 Királyudvar "Lapis" Late Harvest Tokaji Furmint, Tokaj, Hungary
Let me get down on my knees and pray to the gods of wine drinking. "Please, oh gods who bestow blessings upon those who call themselves wine drinkers, let me continue to be surprised and delighted by random wines that I stumble across in my life. I don't need to taste the vintage of the century, and I probably can't afford it, but I really want to still be finding out about wines like this when I'm eighty-five." Of course, this is where the fantasy of being a sommelier comes along. Imagine spending your days actually hunting down these wines.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 14, 2005 7:54 PM
- Filed under: Undiscovered Wines , White Wine , Wines under $20
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2003 CrauforD "The Highlander" Sauvignon Blanc, Napa
The CrauforD Wine Company began as a conversation over dinner. Marilyn "Mama" Crawford Anderson sat at the dinner table and looked around at her daughter, a working winemaker, and her daughter-in-law, an accomplished viticultralist and vineyard manager. "There's just too much talent at this table for us girls not to be making our own wines," she said. She would know -- she and her husband were the founder and owners of Monticello Vineyards for years. Apparently a little encouragement and support from Mama Crawford was hard to ignore, especially when it came with a bit of start-up financing. So by... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 3, 2005 8:04 AM
- Filed under: Undiscovered Wines , White Wine , Wine Reviews , Wines under $20
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2002 Nicolette Christopher "Daniela" Pinot Noir, Carneros, CA
Hand-crafted is a term that has been abused by wine marketers and copywriters for a long time, but it still means something, and there are still winemakers who live up to its humble promise. There are a lot of small wineries that could qualify for the use of this descriptor, all at varying sizes, but you don't get much closer to hand crafted than a man, his wife, a friend, 5 barrels and 2186 pounds of Pinot Noir. Nicolette Christopher is a tiny winery started in 2001 by Chris and Nicolette Demetre. Like many small wineries, it represents the realization... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 12, 2005 11:14 AM
- Filed under: Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews , Wines under $20
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2001 Strata Vineyards Estate Merlot, Oak Knoll District, Napa
While it's rare to find a winery dedicated to producing wines from a single varietal, it's even more rare to find one that produces a single varietal that ISN'T Pinot Noir. For some reason that grape seems to inspire the cultish, obsessive compulsive instinct in winemakers like none other. How refreshing, then, to encounter the little known wines of Strata Vineyards. Strata is one of those small projects that is becoming more and more common in the Napa valley: a labor of love by highly experienced, talented wine professionals who decided that retirement was boring and there's nothing better... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 14, 2005 5:23 PM
- Filed under: Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2001 Piña Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain, Napa
If one were to speculate on the wine market as a savvy investor might in the small-cap stock market, the game would be the same: follow people you know with good track records. In the wine world, we'd also have to include a corollary about betting on great vineyard sites, but that's beside my point. What I'm getting at is that good wines don't happen by accident. They're made by talented people, great vineyards sites or a combination of both. So my theory is that most of the time it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to stumble across... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 2, 2005 3:06 PM
- Filed under: Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2003 Olson & Ogden "Sonoma Valley" Syrah, Sonoma
As regular readers know, I am very interested in small, family-run wineries. These come in several flavors in the industry, and one of the most interesting to me is the estate-less label -- those wineries who have no permanent physical presence. These types of operations have no vineyards, own no buildings, and sometimes don't even own any equipment. Such wineries are most often the result of someone taking small steps towards their personal dream of being in the wine business, and are often sources for great wines at reasonable prices. Olson & Ogden winery is a perfect example of such... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 21, 2005 10:24 PM
- Filed under: Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews , Wines under $20
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Kingston Vineyards, Casablanca Chile: Current Releases
Courtney Kingston's American grandfather sailed to Chile on a quest to find copper and gold. He found a lot of the former, and very little of the latter, but stuck around nonetheless, and became a beef and dairy rancher in his later life, farming the very land parcels that he once prospected. Three generations later the family is still on the farm, and instead of cattle, the family now grows grapes in what, over the years, has been established as the westernmost part of the Casablanca Valley appellation of Chile. The switch from ranching to winemaking wasn't an easy nor... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 11, 2005 8:37 PM
- Filed under: Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2000 Peacock Family Cabernet, Spring Mountain District, Napa
I have a hard spot in my heart for peacocks. Spending summers with my father in Sonoma County as a kid, we had a neighbor with a bunch of peacocks that would wander over towards our house and hang out in the trees nearby. Beautiful birds? Yes. But they also have an incredibly loud, piercing call that at 5:00 AM makes you wonder what peacock stew tastes like. I recently learned what Peacock wine, er, rather Peacock Family wine tastes like, and we won't hold the bird's reputation against Christopher and Betsy Peacock, because the wine they're making from their... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 17, 2005 7:41 AM
- Filed under: Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (1) - Permalink
2002 PhillipsHill Estates "Oppenlander Vineyard" Pinot Noir, Mendocino, California
Sometimes I hesitate to write about wines that are so small in production that they are virtually impossible to get. In this case, however, it is possible to purchase the wine online, so I'm going to go ahead. A mere 100 cases of this wine is extracted from 18 acres of prime Pinot Noir vineyard located at the mouth of the Anderson valley as it opens up to the Mendocino Coast. Known as the Oppenlander Vineyard, it is named after homesteaders with the name Oppenlander, who eked out a living on this property in the 1860's and were so isolated... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 14, 2005 10:48 PM
- Filed under: Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
- Comments (5) - TrackBacks (1) - Permalink
2002 Darcie Kent "Crown Block" Merlot, Livermore Valley, California
California's Livermore valley was once the state's largest single wine region. What? You don't remember that time? Well it's hardly your fault that you weren't around in the 1880's. But back then it was a happening place, with wineries springing up everywhere. Some of those wineries (or at least their vineyards) are still around, but most have been demolished to make way for high-tech manufacturing companies, office parks, and the now infamous Lawrence Livermore Labs. Amidst all that buildup, and the suburban sprawl that has grown up around it, however, over the last couple of decades winemakers have been rediscovering... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 21, 2005 9:22 AM
- Filed under: Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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2002 Saxum Vineyards "Broken Stones" Syrah, Paso Robles, California
Since the age of 10, Justin Smith has been growing grapes in the same place in Paso Robles. At that tender young age he was planting grapes on the hillsides and ridges that his family still farms today. He has lived his life on this hard calcerous soil, kicking his feet in the dry dust, and unearthing his share of ancient petrified whale bones from the cement, hard ground, sometimes with the aid of a jackhammer. Wine was in his blood, you might say. Justin, still very young by nearly anyone's standards, started Linne Calodo Cellars in 1997 with a... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 13, 2005 11:03 PM
- Filed under: Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
- Comments (7) - TrackBacks (1) - Permalink
2002 Spann Vineyards "Mo Jo" Red Blend, Sonoma
Everyone comes to the wine business from different places and for different reasons. Peter and Betsy Spann describe their entry into the wine business as "a combination of stupidity and bad real estate decisions." Peter had worked in the wine business for years - in retail, wholesale, marketing, you name it - when he and his wine decided to move to the Bay Area for work during the height of the dot.com boom. They couldn't afford to buy a house anywhere near San Francisco and so started looking farther and farther north until they found themselves visiting properties that came... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 12, 2005 8:16 PM
- Filed under: Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews , Wines under $20
- Comments (8) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Spencer Roloson Winery: Current Releases
I first encountered the wines of Spencer Roloson at the Rhone Rangers tasting last March. At the time, I had their 2002 Viognier and thought it was one of the better interpretations of that varietal amidst a mostly lackluster showing. Their brightly colored labels with sans-serif type caught my eye at the time, and I recognized them at the Family winemakers tasting this fall, and spent some time tasting through their lineup and chatting with winemaker and co-owner Sam Spencer. Sam is one half of the ownership team of Spencer Roloson and the other half is Wendy Roloson. Sam brings... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 29, 2004 10:37 PM
- Filed under: Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews , Wines under $20
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (1) - Permalink
California's Best Boutique Wines: A Report From Family Winemakers 2004
To those whose idea of serious wine tasting involves hitting seven or eight wineries in a day trip to Napa instead four or five, it may come as a surprise to hear wine tasting described as exhausting. Yet that's just the right way to describe any serious attempt to sample the offering at an event like Family Winemakers. One of the largest (and in my opinion, the best) tasting events in California, this marathon tasting makes available wines from over 400 different wineries, each of whom belong to the Family Winemakers Association. With so many wineries, and each pouring between... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 9, 2004 6:31 PM
- Filed under: Undiscovered Wines , Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (5) - TrackBacks (1) - Permalink
Jim Neal Wines: Current Releases
I'm particularly excited to be able to introduce you to Jim Neal, a winemaker you probably have never heard of. As you know, one of my goals here at Vinography is to "discover" great new wines that we all want to drink. I use quotes around that word because I don't pretend to be the first person that has ever heard of these winemakers, some of whom have been making wine for years, but many are extremely small and below the radar of most wine consumers. Some, like Jim are even struggling to get their wines into retail shops and... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 2, 2004 11:11 PM
- Filed under: Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews , Wines under $20
- Comments (24) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
2001 Acorn Winery "Axiom" Syrah, Sonoma
When I get a chance to write about wines like this, I feel like I am really succeeding in what I wanted to do when I set out on the journey to create Vinography. While I had no (and still don't have) official mission statement detailing what I wanted this site to be, one of my definite goals is to find great wines that aren't well known, that are made by good people, and that won't break the bank. This lovely little Syrah made by the folks at Acorn Winery in Healdsburg is a perfect example of such a wine.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 21, 2004 4:45 PM
- Filed under: Red Wine , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
- Comments (4) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
But Wait, There's More!
This page only has the last sixty entries in this category. If you're interested in digging farther into my archives, you'll want to use the complete list of archives to access my articles by month.
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February 2010
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Garagiste Winemakers of Chile: Introducing MOVI Tasting Oregon Riesling...At the International Pinot Noir Celebration? Fontanella Family Wines, Napa: Inaugural Releases 2004 Erba Mountainside Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa New Cabernets from Napa Croatian Wine: Some Tasting Notes 2004 La Stoppa "Ageno" White Blend, Emilia-Romagna, Italy Cadaretta Winery, Walla Walla, WA: Current Releases 2003 Meyer Family Cellars "Bonny's Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville 2005 Hughes-Wellman Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, Napa Valley
Favorite Posts From the Archives
Masuizumi Junmai Daiginjo, Toyama Prefecture Wine.Com Gives Retailers (and Consumers) the Finger 1961 Hospices de Beaune Emile Chandesais, Burgundy Wine Over Time The Better Half of My Palate 1999 Királyudvar "Lapis" Tokaji Furmint, Hungary What's Allowed in Your Wine and Winemaking Why Community Tasting Notes Sites Will Fail Appreciating Wine in Context The Soul vs. The Market 1989 Fiorano Botte 48 Semillion,Italy
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