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wineanddinosaur · 3 years

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Wine 101: The Judgment of Paris — 45th Anniversary

This episode of Wine 101 is sponsored by Pahlmeyer. For more than 30 years, Pahlmeyer has been crafting extraordinary wines from the mountain vineyards of Napa Valley. Rooted in the founder’s dream to rival the best of Bordeaux, Pahlmeyer offers an extraordinary portfolio of celebrated wines with a long pedigree, including two rare 100 point scores from the Wine Advocate. As producers of age-worthy, site-specific wines, Pahlmeyer is building a new legacy inspired by Bordeaux and rooted in Napa Valley. Come experience where tradition and ambition meet: Pahlmeyer.

In this episode of “Wine 101,” VinePair tastings director Keith Beavers discusses the Judgment of Paris, a monumental event that changed American wine culture forever. Beavers details the history of how the tasting — which compared American and French wines — led to the worldwide recognition of Napa Valley.

Listeners will learn about trailblazers who planned the tasting — including Patricia Gustad-Gallagher and Joanne Dickinson DePuy, without whom the Judgement of Paris could have never occurred. Beavers also explains how George Tabor’s Time Magazine article boosted the event’s impact by painting what was meant to be a friendly tasting as an intense wine competition.

Tune in to learn more about the Judgment of Paris.

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Or Check out the Conversation Here

Keith Beavers: My name is Keith Beavers, and you know what I love about “Star Wars”? Well, a lot of things. But No. 1, it’s an ongoing story. It’s not an adaptation.

What’s going on, wine lovers? Welcome to episode 27 of VinePair’s “Wine 101” podcast. My name is Keith Beavers. It’s Season 2. I’m the tastings director of VinePair. What are you guys doing today? What’s going on today?

OK. This one, guys? This story is awesome, complicated, and foggy. We’re going to clear it up. It’s important. Let’s do this. Judgment of Paris.

Here we are, wine lovers. We talk about the history of American wine and when I’m talking about wine regions, I often mention this moment in our history where I call it the watershed moment. The moment where we as an American wine- drinking culture started really coming back from Prohibition. Prohibition really messed us up, guys! It really messed us up. A decade, 10 years, of illegal alcohol. That is just crazy.

When it was repealed, there were still so many problems. Every state has its own liquor laws. It’s insane. For us as a drinking culture, man, it took us a while to get back to what we were doing before Prohibition. From the Gold Rush until Prohibition, we were on track to be one of the major wine-producing regions in the world. Then, we had 10 years of Prohibition that messed all that up. We had to rebuild our wine industry after that.

The people in Napa got started pretty quickly. In the 1940s, they created something called the Napa Valley Vintners Association, which is still around today. They started conceiving of a wine region that was more than just a regular wine region. It was more of a fine-wine region. We had the whole Napa episode from last season, but none of this would have been possible. I mean, I’m sure at some point it would, but it was expedited. Our clout on the world stage was expedited by one event called the Judgment of Paris in 1976. In the early days after Prohibition, between the mid- and late 1930s, there were a bunch of winemakers really trying to recreate what they had lost 10 years earlier. One of those wineries was Beaulieu Vineyards, which is down in what is today Rutherford. It was owned by Georges de Latour and his wife, Fernande. The two of them were looking to get some young, new energy into this wine region that they loved so much.

They ended up going to France and convincing a man by the name of André Tchelistcheff to leave his very important work in France and come over to the United States. He was to help consult with them and make wine in a way that the region hadn’t seen before. André Tchelistcheff went on to be the most important winemaker in Napa, in California, and probably the United States.

His story is awesome, and I can’t get into all of it here, but what’s important about him, and about what we’re talking about today, is his influence on the winemakers that were making wine in the late 1960s and early ‘70s in Napa Valley. One of the most important roles André Tchelistcheff had besides making wine and being innovative about winemaking processes, is mentoring the future of winemaking in Napa. That is what was happening in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.

Now, I’m not sure how familiar you are with this event called the Judgment of Paris. I mean, it’s an intense name for an event. It’s actually Greek mythology, but the term the Judgment of Paris was conceived by a man named George Tabor. He was a journalist for Time Magazine, and he wrote a story about an event that he witnessed in Paris. This event, which he called the Judgment of Paris, was really just an educational wine tasting with California wines and French wines as a comparative thing. That right there is what is important about what this event did.

It wasn’t so much the story in Time Magazine as it was what actually happened. What is known as the Judgment of Paris in 1976 only happened because of two figures. In the early ‘70s, a young American from Delaware by the name of Patricia Gustad-Gallagher was in Paris working for the International Herald Tribune. Obviously, she started to develop a passion for wine in Paris. I mean, that makes sense.

In 1971, she answered a classified ad for the release of the new Beaujolais Nouveau. And the way she puts it, she arrives at this place and she sees this guy unloading a ton of Beaujolais Nouveau from his station wagon. He had apparently driven from Beaujolais to Paris overnight to have it in his store. The store was called Academie du Vin, which was also a wine school, and this was the perfect opportunity. I don’t know if Patricia knew what she was getting herself into, but she and Steven Spurrier became very good friends.

She began to work at his shop and the wine school. One of the focuses of their work were the tastings they would do. I’m not sure if they were monthly or annually, but they would do these big educational tastings through the ‘70s and I’m not sure how this worked out, but Patricia did have a sister in San Diego. I’m not sure if that’s how it happened, but she started hearing rumblings of good wine being made in Northern California.

Patricia had this proud American thing going on. She really wanted to show and share American wines with the people in the Academie du Vin. Unfortunately, the wines that were provided by the embassy just weren’t wines they wanted to share with the French. Also, as an American in 1975, she saw that in 1976 the bicentennial was coming up, so she conceived this grand idea. Where were these fabled northern Californian wines?

Napa was not being imported to France at this time, so she needed to find those wines because she had this really cool idea. She was going to get all these French wine experts in a room, and she was going to do a comparative tasting with French wine and American wine. Not to show who is better than the other, but just to show that the United States is making pretty amazing wine. She was determined to make this happen, brought the idea up to Steven Spurrier, who thought it was a great idea. So what does she do about it?

She went to California to visit her sister in San Diego and tacked on a few days in Northern California to see what was going on up there. At the time, in Napa, there was a very famous wine writer by the name of Robert Finnegan. He had a newsletter called Private Wine Guide. He was basically the guy before Robert Parker. She reached out to him. He recommended a bunch of wineries. She went to taste mostly in Napa. She really liked everything she tasted mostly, but two wineries really stood out to her. It was Chateau Montelena and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. She also enjoyed wine from Freemark Abbey, a very historic winery in California.

She goes back to Paris, talks to Steve about what she experienced, and Steve gets very excited about all this. So he and his wife Bella decide that they’re going to go to California and experience it for themselves. This is in 1976, which is months before this whole event is supposed to go down.

Joanne Dickinson DePuy had lived in Napa Valley since 1949. In 1973, she was getting a divorce. Her kids were grown, and she thought, “I never really held a full-time job. I’ve only had a part-time job at a travel agency. I have to figure out my life.” She’s quoted as saying that she was going to give herself six months to figure it out. She loved two things: tennis and wine.

Then, she decided to launch two businesses, a wine tour company, and a tennis tour company. Now, I don’t know what happened to the tennis tour company, but I do know about the wine tour company, which is pretty amazing. Her idea, which I think is pretty innovative in the 1970s for what she wanted to do, was she wanted to bridge Napa to other wine regions and vice versa — meaning she wanted to take winemakers from Napa to places in other countries to see how wine is made and how their cultures are. She wanted to take people from other countries, specifically France, from their countries to Napa and show them Napa. It’s a bridge to both, which is a pretty amazing idea.

It was going pretty well. She convinced the secretary of state of California to lead a tour to China. Her clout was rising. In 1976, when Steven and Bella Spurrier wanted to come to Northern California to see what was going on, she’s the person they called. Joanne DePuy takes the couple to Chateau Montelena, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Freemark Abbey, and other places. Actually, the Spurriers declined a visit to the Mondavi Estate because they wanted to find winemakers that were still under the radar. Yeah, Chateau Montelena and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars were under the radar. Woah.

The Spurriers bought a bunch of wine — 24 bottles from different wineries — and they were going to have these wines sent over to France for this little thing they were doing. Patricia was stoked. Now, for Joanne and her company, one of the bucket-list situations she wanted was to get André Tchelistcheff, the famous winemaker who was still around mentoring everybody — the big deal — to do one of these tours. It took some doing, but she finally convinced him to do a vintners-only tour to France.

Since André Tchelistcheff was leading this, it attracted some of the most well-known winemakers in Napa at the time. Two of those people were the owners of Chateau Montelena, Jim and Laura Barrett. They were there just because of André Tchelistcheff. It was just pure coincidence that their wine was being brought to France for a tasting. Right before Joanne was about to take these vintners on a tour, she gets a call from Steven Spurrier in France saying, “Oh, no, the wines are not going to clear customs. Would it be OK if you guys could each put a bottle or two in your luggage to bring it over to help us out?” Joanne said, “Yeah, we can do that.”

Now, it was a lot more difficult than that, but she was able to wrap all these wines up in boxes and convince the people at TWA to put these on the plane and really try to get them over there safely. One bottle ended up breaking. It was a Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon, but that’s OK because that wine was still tasted in the tasting.

I wonder what was going through Jim and Laura Barrett’s minds. One of their wines is now with them going on a plane to Paris, which they will eventually go off into France and just have a tour of French vineyards, mostly in Bordeaux, and their wines are going to stay in Paris. In Paris, I’m sure that Steven and Patricia are sighing with relief. Steven Spurrier is trying to find press that would cover this thing, because it’s a big deal. It wasn’t a big deal, but it was a big deal. Patricia thought it was a big deal to her. Her family was a colonial family in the United States, so it was a big deal.

They managed to get one person to attend the event from the media, a man by the name of George Taber with Time Magazine. Now, this is where things got a little weird, mainly for Patricia. I am not really sure how Steven Spurrier took it, but the panel of wine experts that were asked to be part of this tasting were some of the most popular and well-known wine critics in France. It was one of the reasons why Steven Spurrier was trying to get media attention for it, but they weren’t judges. They were just experts. This was supposed to be just a fun, comparative tasting that was hopefully going to get some media attention and would be really cool to show how American wines were faring these days.

It was to be a blind tasting. Whites being blinded against whites. Reds are being blinded against reds from each country. Of course, the American wines were from Napa, and the French wines were from Burgundy and Bordeaux, white and red. As this tasting progressed, George Taber, the media guy, saw something. He didn’t see these wine experts as experts doing a comparative fun educational tasting. He said, “Oh, my gosh, this is a blind tasting.”.

He saw it as a competition, and he saw these wine experts as judges. This guy would go on to write an article in Time Magazine about what he witnessed and then because of the impact of this particular event in American culture, he ended up writing a book and calling it “The Judgment of Paris.”

Even though it was an educational tasting, these wine experts were taking notes. They were actually taking scores, and this is what you do in tastings. You score wines, and it’s not necessarily a competition-based idea for scoring as it is for you to understand your own preferences. What got really crazy is when people started realizing that the American wines were being scored higher than the French wines.

In Taber’s book, he describes tension in the room, a little bit of frustration, murmuring, people wondering what was going on, not understanding what was happening. On a side table, scores were being tallied up. I don’t know that these scores were meant specifically for winners and losers, but George Taber saw it like that. He was noticing something pretty fascinating. He was looking at the top 10 whites and the top 10 reds, and he was losing his mind.

The No. 1 white wine in a blind comparative tasting between French Chardonnays and American Chardonnays, the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay came in at No. 1. Chalone Vineyards 1974 Chardonnay comes in third. Spring Mountain Chardonnay 1973 comes in fourth. Freemark Abbey Chardonnay 1972 comes in sixth. Veedercrest Vineyards 1972 comes in ninth, and David Bruce Winery Chardonnay 1973 comes in 10th.

Then, over in the red, things really got crazy. The No. 1 red, according to the scores, was Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon. Number 5 was Ridge Vineyards 1971 Cabernet Sauvignon. Number 7 was Mayacamas Vineyard 1971. Number 8 is Clos du Val Winery 1972. Number 9 was Heitz Wine Cellars 1970, and Freemark Abbey 1969 was No. 10.

On the surface, wow, right? It was supposed to be just this fun, educational, momentous event with experts tasting wine from France and the United States and understanding the difference between the two to see where the United States is on the map right now. Since George Taber and Steven Spurrier were working together to make this into a media event, it started to look like a competition. To the point where one of the judges, Odette Khan, who was one of the most famous wine critics in France at the time, demanded her scores back because she was worried that this is going to be a competition and not an educated tasting. Then, she worried her results were going to be published and she was going to have to deal with the fallout of that.

According to Patricia, she was also very upset with this idea. She thought, “Wait, what’s happening?” She had conceived of this entire thing. This is her idea and it was being turned into a competition when she conceived of it as a fun, educational, comparative tasting. Alas, George Taber would write a very good piece about this event in Time Magazine, but he framed it as a competition of the Old World versus the New World. Thus, that massive statement made a huge impact on the American wine-drinking culture.

It didn’t really have a big impact on France because no one thought of it as a competition. What’s interesting is George Taber ran the call, the winemakers that had won. It just so happened that Laura and Jim Barrett, the owners of Chateau Montelena, were actually in Bordeaux at the time with André Tchelistcheff. They got a phone call at a restaurant they were at, and they thought something was wrong but turns out they found out they “won,” and they lost their minds. They thought it was really cool. I mean, you imagine being a winemaker in the United States, in Northern California. There are no wine regions, you are just making wine, and you try to make it the best you can. Then, all of a sudden there’s this event happening in Paris, and your wine is going to Paris, but you don’t really know what it means. You happen to be in France when you get a phone call saying the wine that you sent out to Paris actually became No. 1 in a comparative tasting that ended up being a competition? Yeah, I’d be pretty stoked.

What I find really wonderful about some of the “winners” of this Judgment of Paris, is those winemakers were the winemakers that were mentored by André Tchelistcheff. Full circle, people. Very cool.

That was in 1976. By 1980, Napa was the second AVA to be awarded in the United States, and that began the new era of wine in the United States, bringing us into the modern culture that we have now. Fun little side note here: Thirty years later, they opened up the same vintages again to see how they were aging. Again, the American wines came out on top.

This was a big moment for us in the history of American wine. This is huge! The fact that it happened and palates thought that these wines were superior or just beautiful in general is such a big deal. If it wasn’t for Patricia Gastaud-Gallagher and Steven Spurrier working together with this awesome idea that she conceived of, and if it wasn’t for Joanne DePuy of the international wine tours in California, this would never have happened. The wines that were on this list, that were in this tasting, are today some of the most famous wineries in the United States.

These winemakers would go on to mentor other people, and this is how we grew as an American wine culture and how we’re still growing today. The history of wine in America is such a fascinating story. This is just one little gold nugget of awesomeness that helped us on our journey.

I want to give a big shout-out to my father-in-law. He and my mother-in-law live in Petaluma, and he sends me wine information all the time that he reads in the newspapers. In 2018, he sent me an article by Esther Mobley in the San Francisco Chronicle about Patricia and Joanne. It’s because of that article that this episode happened and the way the story has been told. Thank you, Dean Dizikes. Keep sending those communiqués.

@VinePairKeith is my Insta. Rate and review this podcast wherever you get your podcast from. It really helps get the word out there. And now for some totally awesome credits.

“Wine 101” was produced, recorded, and edited by yours truly, Keith Beavers, at the VinePair headquarters in New York City. I want to give a big ol’ shout-out to co-founders Adam Teeter and Josh Malin for creating VinePair. And I mean, a big shout-out to Danielle Grinberg, the art director of VinePair, for creating the most awesome logo for this podcast. Also, Darbi Cicci for the theme song. Listen to this. And I want to thank the entire VinePair staff for helping me learn something new every day. See you next week.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article Wine 101: The Judgment of Paris — 45th Anniversary appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/wine-101-judgement-of-paris/

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johnboothus · 3 years

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Wine 101: The Judgment of Paris 45th Anniversary

Tune in to learn more about the Judgment of Paris.

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Or Check out the Conversation Here

Keith Beavers: My name is Keith Beavers, and you know what I love about “Star Wars”? Well, a lot of things. But No. 1, it’s an ongoing story. It’s not an adaptation.

OK. This one, guys? This story is awesome, complicated, and foggy. We’re going to clear it up. It’s important. Let’s do this. Judgment of Paris.

@VinePairKeith is my Insta. Rate and review this podcast wherever you get your podcast from. It really helps get the word out there. And now for some totally awesome credits.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article Wine 101: The Judgment of Paris — 45th Anniversary appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/wine-101-judgement-of-paris/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/wine-101-the-judgment-of-paris-45th-anniversary

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delfinamaggiousa · 4 years

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How Napa Valley Became the Country’s Second (Not First) AVA

When Augusta, Mo., was named the first American Viticultural Area in June 1980, it surprised many that it beat Napa Valley to the designation by just eight months. But Missouri winemaker Lucien Dressel predicted a much tougher road for his California counterparts, whose stature was skyrocketing in the global wine industry following the 1976 Judgment of Paris. “Nobody knows where the Napa Valley begins or ends,” Dressel told reporters. “That will be a real battle.”

That issue — what defines Napa Valley and the wines it produces — was indeed the crux of a cumbersome, sometimes contentious saga of meetings, petitions, and hearings leading up to the creation of the Napa Valley AVA, which became official on Feb. 27, 1981. In 1978, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (now known as the TTB) established criteria for defining an AVA and, as such, the appellation of origin on a bottle. But a major sticking point that emerged among vintners and grape growers across Napa County was how one of those factors — the geographic boundary — would be determined.

There were two opposing viewpoints, one maintained by the prominent Napa Valley Grape Growers Association, led by Andy Beckstoffer, who remains one of the most powerful names in Napa, and the 35-member Napa Valley Vintners. Both groups agreed that the watershed of the Napa River should set the boundaries of the AVA, and in 1978, they jointly commissioned an engineering firm to draw a map showing those boundaries based on U.S. Geological Surveys.

On the other side were growers from eastern Napa County, including prominent names like Inglewood Winery and Domaine Chandon. Calling itself the Eastern Valley Growers, the group asserted that grapes grown throughout the county, not just in the watershed area, had long been associated with the Napa Valley, and that their contributions had helped its rapidly rising stature. That contingent ponied up to hire an attorney, Washington D.C.-based William Demarest, who also noted that using the more limited watershed designation would mean fewer grapes, less wine, and higher prices for consumers.

The years-long debate culminated in a two-day hearing in late April 1980, at a Holiday Inn in Napa, where a five-member BATF panel from Washington, D.C., heard testimony from dozens of witnesses about soils, climate, and geography (in other words, excellent reading for wine geeks). The statement from Bill Jager, a partner in Freemark Abbey and Rutherford Hill wineries (who didn’t attend but had his commentary read aloud), was especially direct (if not a bit dramatic): “If BATF fails to recognize the universal notoriety that Napa Valley wines have achieved … our government will be brought under worldwide ridicule and the full brunt of that fiasco will fall upon the Bureau.”

In the end, the Eastern Valley Growers prevailed, and the BATF allowed the inclusion of Pope, Wooden, and Gordon valleys, among others, into the newly formed Napa Valley AVA when the bureau’s labeling regulations went into effect on Jan. 1, 1983. And even though the watershed recommendation failed, Beckstoffer credits the AVA’s creation for setting a new standard for savvy consumers who want to know exactly where their wine is coming from.

“Since that time, all the sub-appellations — Rutherford, Oakville, St. Helena — have been developed,” Beckstoffer told VinePair. “Now people are looking for vineyard designate, so you peel that onion all the way down to that. That’s the evolution that helps define the Napa Valley and its quality.”

Not to mention set an ever-higher price tag for some of the world’s most coveted bottles. “This changed the world of California wine forever,” says George Webber, staff historian for the Boisset Collection and an expert on Northern California wine history. “If it wasn’t for the Judgment of Paris, we wouldn’t have the AVA, and then we wouldn’t have $1,500 bottles of Screaming Eagle, which almost defies human understanding.”

The article How Napa Valley Became the Country’s Second (Not First) AVA appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/how-napa-valley-became-the-countrys-second-not-first-ava/

source https://vinology1.wordpress.com/2020/03/04/how-napa-valley-became-the-countrys-second-not-first-ava/

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wine-porn · 4 years

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Thick ruby--almost blueish purple--with a sliver of a pink rim. Nice calm fruit, predictably glycerin, blackberry and waffles and warm cat fur, generous vegetal spice amidst the buttery baked goods--a sharp welcome that has blueberry bubbling directly behind and inside, forcing it to bend to the fruit. Gobs of dank weedy peat, blessed by the mint-god and baptized in a long--but not pornographic--oak program. Not even sure when the last time I had a 14. I'll have to look. You DO know on the blog with cab and merlot or BDX blends from Napa and Sonoma ONLY, I include the vintage in the tags. So you can search vintages and read everything I've written about a particular year for these categories. I'm not really much of a vintage wonk... I can't rattle off the highs and lows and weather and yields and shit like a lot of people because I frankly Just. Don't. Care. Until I start noticing a pattern. Then I start paying attention. And when people get all hung up on "bad vintages" in California, I kinda roll my eyes. Remember: The WORST vintage in California is still better than the BEST vintage in Bordeaux. The fruit only has a second to speak to the tongue before structure struts in, shakin its butt around and pushing people aside. Literally: a concentrated--but momentary--firm cherry does a little dance with wet bark on entry and IMMEDIATELY the baby-baby firmness of the tail-end clamps down on all frivolity. Demerits for giggling. And boisterous activity will get you points off. Tannin is a massive pillar of spicy power, a little bit smoky, all stern and steely, acids curling around the classroom, cuffing fruity stragglers. This is absolutely TEXTBOOK old-skool Napa cab. NOTHING is over-the-top or slutty, but it isn't thin and unstuffed. Oh, the bling-bros will definitely think it unstuffed, but hey: you can't tell them anything--they just want their pancake syrups. Flat-out gorgeous. And I NAILED it at 14-2 2014 @FREEMARKABBEY #CabernetSauvignon #NapaValley 14.2 #sophienwaldglass (at Freemark Abbey Winery) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8sM_DznYfB/?igshid=132uc5b6x1sx6

#cabernetsauvignon #napavalley #sophienwaldglass

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retireearlyandtravel · 4 years

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This was taken at Freemark Abbey Winery in St Helena, CA. Freemark Abbey was a winery and cellar as far back as 1886 when a Victorian widow became the first female winemaker on record in Napa Valley. Fast forward to 1976, Freemark Abbey was one of twelve U.S. wineries chosen to compete in “The Judgment of Paris” blind tasting and the only one with both a red and a white wine entry. We all know that California wines won in every category, propelling Napa Valley onto the world stage for wine. @visitnapavalley @freemarkabbey @freemark.abbey.winery #napavalleywine #wineries #winetravel #sthelena #californiaroadtrip #usaroadtrip #roadtripping #roadtrippin #retireearlyandtravel #travelmore #travelnow #traveladdicts #couplestravel #travelwithus #travelenthusiast #traveltheworld #travelholic #ilovecalifornia #winetastings #lovetheview #retireearly #earlyretirement #experiences #privatetour #wineexperience #winehistory #travelcouple #couplestyle (at Freemark Abbey Winery) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8oUFyrgL0I/?igshid=10y92rydesjo4

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hillarybradfield · 7 years

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Getting some wine to celebrate! #napahalfmarathon (at Freemark Abbey Winery)

#napahalfmarathon

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r-berumen28 · 5 years

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Jackson Family Wines Releases a Cookbook

New Article Posted on the Blog.

First Paragraph:

(Santa Rosa, CA) Jackson Family Wines is affectionately a California wine experience. Well, a California U.S.A. wine maker, to be more exact about the previously said. Irregardless of which and when it comes to making wine, Jackson Family Wines also has a global reach. The global reach is best characterized by wineries in the Country of Australia, and, the Country of France. For the United States of America, Jackson Family Wines owns and makes the following wines; Cardinale, Freemark Abbey, Mt. Brave, Kendall-Jackson, Arrowood, Maggy Hawk and Carmel Road. The aforementioned, was just a small list. The actual list is much longer. Recently, Jackson Family Wines announced that, it has released a cookbook. The cookbook is entitled, Season: A Year of Wine Country Food, Farming, Family and Friends. Additionally, Season: A Year of Wine Country Food, Farming, Family and Friends, is the first cookbook from Jackson Family Wines. For this effort, a culinary team was assembled.

Click on the Link or Image to Read it on the Blog:

https://www.rb28s-articles-from-press-releases.net/2019/05/jackson-family-wines-releases-cookbook.html

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rabbitcruiser · 22 days

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Benches/Chairs (No. 6)

Turnbull Wine Cellars, CA (six pics)

Freemark Abbey Winery, CA

Louis M. Martini Winery, CA

Domaine Carneros, CA (two pics)

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jaredwong · 7 years

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2013 Merlot Bosche ———————————————————————— #merlot #bosche #oak #freemark #abbey #wine #winery #sthelena #mainstreet #napavalley #napa #california #winetasting #classictasting #vacation (at Freemark Abbey Winery)

#napa #winery #california #winetasting #wine #oak #vacation #merlot #napavalley #bosche #classictasting #mainstreet #abbey #freemark #sthelena

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resolutewritersplace · 3 years

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freemark abbey winery

I need some assistance with these assignment. critical evaluation of freemark abbey winery Thank you in advance for the help! The vinification process is affected by different types of decisions that the winemaker makes in terms of choosing the type of wine-making barrel it uses and the stage to which the grapes have ripened at the time of harvest action. The best quality wine is produced only…

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wineanddinosaur · 3 years

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Wine 101: Napa Valley

Inspired by one of VinePair’s most popular site sections, the Wine 101 Podcast takes an educational, easy-to-digest look into the world of wine. This episode of Wine 101 is sponsored by Louis M. Martini Winery. For more than 85 years Louis M. Martini Winery has crafted world-class Cabernet Sauvignon from exceptional vineyards of Napa and Sonoma Counties. Our founder believed in a simple, honest premise: The best grapes make the best wine. This guy was one of the OGs, guys. Today, the legacy of ingenuity, endurance, and passion continue at the historic winery in Napa Valley, with an acclaimed collection of unforgettable Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Louis M. Martini. Craft your legacy.

Welcome back to Wine 101. In this week’s episode, VinePair tastings director Keith Beavers takes listeners all across the Napa Valley and the 16 additional American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) that are responsible for some of the United States’s finest wines.

The area first gained international fame in the 1976 Judgement of Paris, when an American wine won big in a blind tasting. Since then, Napa Valley’s wines have grown to even greater heights and secured a place for decades in the White House. Beavers takes listeners back to the beginning and traces the links between California missions and the first vineyards. This history is loaded with a surprising amount of fur trapping and mountain men, and somehow gave way to the creation of the Valencia orange.

While many producers had to concede to the frustrations of Prohibition, a few of the Napa vintners who survived continue to grow today. By breaking down each region into its most famous producers, and the ties between different climates and grapes, this episode truly celebrates Napa Valley and all it has to offer.

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My name is Keith Beavers, and do we all like soup? I mean, it feels like there’s a real rift between people who do and don’t like soup.

What’s going on wine lovers? Welcome to Episode 24 of VinePair’s Wine 101 podcast. My name is Keith Beavers. I’m the tastings director of VinePair. Howdy.

Napa Valley, I mean, we all know “we know” Napa Valley, right? But there’s so much going on in that valley that we may not know about. It can be a little confusing, so let’s just break the Napa Valley down so we completely understand it.

When we talk about American wine, I mean Napa Valley is the first that comes to mind, right? It’s our big deal. It’s the wine region that put us on the map as a wine-producing country. In 1976, the Judgment of Paris, which I’ve talked about in previous episodes. There is so much to talk about with the Napa Valley, like how it began, how it got to where it is today. It’s a fascinating story.

So I’m going to riff a little bit on history, but I really want to give you a sense of the geography and what the Napa Valley is, so that when you’re in a wine shop, you look at a shelf and you’re like, “Okay, I understand all this Napa Valley right here. I got all this.”

Wine in California really started down in San Diego, which is kind of crazy with the Franciscan monks that were building missions all the way up through California. And they had this grape they used, there’s actually a native Spanish grape, but we ended up calling it the Mission grape, because it was planted at the missions. And this grape was planted in every mission the monks built from San Diego all the way north to Sonoma, which is the last mission built by them. And we’re going to get to Sonoma in another episode, which is actually a neighboring region of Napa, but this was the grape everybody used. Actually, in the early to mid-19th century, there were vineyards in Los Angeles. There was a Frenchman whose name, this is amazing, his name was Jean-Louis Vignes, which means John Lewis Vines. I call him Johnny Vines. He had a winery and vineyards in downtown Los Angeles. He planted the Mission grape, but he also brought in varieties from Bordeaux. And his story is really cool. I wish I could tell the whole thing, but he built a French community in downtown Los Angeles.

It was really thriving for a long time, and really awesome. And actually, if you’ve ever driven down Vine Street In Los Angeles, that is named after him. It’s so cool. This was also the era of “The Mountain Man.” There’s all these dudes just running around the hills of California, trapping animals, selling them, selling their furs, and their skins, and making tons of money doing it. Two prominent names, and they were actually friends, were William Wolfskill. I know, you can’t make that stuff up. It’s such a cool name. And a dude named George C. Yount. They were trappers and mountain men, and they had had some fun over on the coast. They were over there like trapping sea otters for a while.

And after they made a bunch of money, they came back into Los Angeles and the two of them parted ways. William Wolfskill wanted to stay in Los Angeles. He saw the wine thing happening. So he ended up starting his own wine company in Los Angeles, downtown Los Angeles, very close to Johnny Vines, actually, which is really wild.

And actually William Wolfskill also got into the citrus business and he was the one who developed the Valencia orange, The Valencia orange, how Los Angeles is that? It’s pretty crazy. George C. Yount ended up going with this really famous mountain man trailblazer dude, named Jedediah Smith. And he ended up north of San Francisco Bay in a place called the Napa Valley. Now George C. Yount wasn’t really a wine guy, per se. He was more about money and when the Gold Rush hit, he was living up here in Napa Valley. He was supplying supplies to the people during the Gold Rush. At some point, he acquires a large swath of land by a native of this area who was a vine grower.

And at some point, George plants vines on his property, but he didn’t really manage it. He actually hired a kid named Charles Krug to do that stuff. And Charles Krug eventually becomes the guy who really helps out a lot of people in this area to get the wine thing started. I’m really generalizing here, because there’s a lot of details, and I wish I could go into all of it, but I can’t.

But what this did was this began the first generation of winemakers in the Napa Valley. And from the late 1800s to 1919, this area — and Sonoma — was seen as a premier wine region. And there were people outside of the United States that had their eye on this area. And in 1919, when the Volstead Act was ratified, man, that messed everything up.

There was a hope in the beginning that wine and beer would be saved from this act, but it didn’t. The amount of alcohol was low enough that wine, beer, and spirits were all illegal. And that decade was a tough decade. A lot of vineyards closed in California and Napa and Sonoma, but through legal loopholes, some winemakers survived this crazy time.

And in 1933, when the Volstead Act was basically repealed, there were some winemakers left that really wanted to get this thing going again. They were ready. And by 1940, there are six winemakers: Beaulieu Vineyards, Beringer, the Christian Brothers, Inglenook Vineyards, Charles Krug, and Louis M. Martini, that formed what was called the Napa Valley Vintners, or Napa Valley Vintners Association.

And this is really cool. Their goal was, well, during Prohibition, bulk wine was sort of the thing that was part of the loopholes and everything. Their goal was to bring fine wine back to this area. And it began to work. And by the late 1960s, mid-to-late 1960s, America was getting really, the drinking culture was getting back into dry red wine because during Prohibition, it was all sweet red wine. That sweet tooth never really went away. But winemakers like Robert Mondavi, wineries like Trefethen, Freemark Abbey, Chateau Montelena, Sterling Vineyard, Stag’s Leap Cellars, Mayacamas, Stony Hill were showing that this area could make fine wine again. Actually, Robert Mondavi was the first, he was the guy that started doing the tasting rooms. The tasting rooms basically began with him.

And all this led up to 1976 with the Judgment of Paris, when American wine in a blind tasting won out over French wine. And these wines came from the Napa Valley. That kind of excitement led the United States to start creating and forming our own appellation system called the American Viticultural Areas. This is in 1978, and in 1980, the first AVA was awarded — not to Napa Valley, but to a wine region in Missouri called Augusta. So the Augusta AVA is awarded in 1980. Then eight months later in 1981, Napa Valley is the first AVA to be awarded to California. And this is where things go crazy. From the late ’70s until the 1980s, the wineries went from around 20 to about 200 or more.

And every year, a new AVA was being awarded in the Napa Valley. So Napa was the larger AVA, but all these smaller AVAs in the Napa Valley were also being awarded, to the point that in 1990, there was a petition to create a Bordeaux commune-style segmentation of Napa Valley. This never really came to total fruition, but it’s basically like that because the rules state that no matter what AVA you have in Napa Valley, you need to say “Napa Valley” and then the AVA that you’re in. So it’s almost like a village or something like that. So what does Napa Valley look like today? And how can we understand it?

Since 1981, it’s been awarded 16 more AVAs. So it’s really 17. You have the Napa Valley and you have 16 smaller AVAs within the valley and the surrounding mountains, which we’ll get into in a second. And it’s not the largest AVA out there. I mean, it is only about almost 40 miles north to south. And between the two mountain ranges, the valley itself, the widest it gets is about five miles, and the narrowest it gets is about one mile. So it’s not huge. It’s about one-eighth the size of Bordeaux. Speaking of Bordeaux, to understand Napa, really, because of me talking about the 1940s and the Napa Valley Vintners Association, this is a fine wine region.

I mean, there is affordable wine being made in Napa. Absolutely. But it is focused on refinement. There was a reason why they’re trying to make it into communes at one point. To give you a sense of this, Napa Valley only produces 4 percent of California’s annual wine production. So that’s pretty small. Eighty percent of the wineries make less than 10,000 cases a year. So it makes sense. Right?

And the magic of this place is you have these two mountain ranges on each side that were part of the formation of the San Andreas Fault. So, what we have here is we have San Francisco to the south. Then we have San Francisco Bay, north of San Francisco Bay is called San Pablo Bay. Just north of San Pablo Bay we go into a valley that is bordered on the east and the west by two mountain ranges. East side of the valley you have the Vaca mountain range, and that protects the valley from the heat of the Central Valley on the other side. On the west side of the Valley, you have the Mayacamas mountain range, which protects the valley from the coastal influence coming from the ocean.

So what you have here is you have a valley with a bunch of different kinds of soil compositions because of that San Andreas Fault craziness that helped develop these mountain ranges. And it’s protected from heat on one side and cool on the other side. So what you have is the breeze that comes from the San Francisco and San Pablo Bay rushes up through the valley all the way to the northern part of the valley.

And this is not a hard-and-fast rule because there’s a lot of factors involved, but generally, if you want to look at it this way, the AVAs in the southern part of the Napa Valley tend to be cooler, because they have more of an influence from the San Francisco and San Pablo Bay. As we get to the northern part of Napa Valley, that area has less of an influence from the bay, and it’s warmer in that area. But there’s a lot of factors involved, and at night it can get cool in all different parts, whether it’s north or south. So with all this elevation from the mountain ranges and with all of the different soils and with the breeze coming in and the cool nights and the warm days, it’s a perfect place to grow vines. And of course we know Napa Valley because of Cabernet Sauvignon, and we know Cabernet Sauvignon because of Napa Valley … and Chardonnay. But also Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah, Malbec, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot are all grown here as well.

And they’re mostly, a lot of those reds are made for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon, but you can do basically whatever you want in Napa Valley, but certain AVAs are just better for certain vines than other AVAs. To help wrap your mind around all this, you can think about it like this: The valley floor between the two mountain ranges going south to north, there are nine individual AVAs. On the bordering mountain ranges, there are six AVAs. And then there’s one AVA all the way out to the west. It’s almost partially in Napa, which we’ll get to last. And when it comes to the valley floor, we can actually group some AVAs into the heavy influence of San Pablo Bay.

So in the very Southern part of the Napa Valley, we have an AVA called Carneros. It’s the one of the coolest regions in Napa Valley. And it’s known for Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, but it’s also known for really good Pinot Noir because of that coolness. Just north of that, northwest is Coombsville. Coombsville is another one of those cooler regions. They make amazing Merlot, as far as I’m concerned. North of Carneros and northeast of Coombsville, on the northern border of the City of Napa, is Oak Knoll District, also known as a cool region. This is a great area for Zinfandel and Merlot. North of Oak Knoll is Yountville. And this AVA is, well, they make all kinds of wine there, but they’re really also known for their sparkling wine. And then east of that is the famous Stag’s Leap district. It’s famous because this is where Stag’s Leap Cellars is. This is the winery that won in the Judgment of Paris in 1976. It butts right up against the Vaca Mountain Range, and it has just an amazing climate for Cab and Merlot. It’s basically all they do. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and they make beautiful blends there. North of Yountville and Stag’s leap is Oakville. This is a pretty well-known area. This AVA, Oakville, is where a lot of the very well-known wineries are that we see on shelves. Screaming Eagle is from here, Harlan is from here, Far Niente, Opus One is from here. It’s kind of like in between. It’s right where the warmth and the cool kind of come together.

North of Oakville is Rutherford. This AVA is known for amazing Cabernet Sauvignon. This is actually the home of two pretty historic wineries: Inglenook and Beaulieu they’re part of that old-school, old-timer time before, you know, everything got better after Prohibition. And there are some pretty amazing patches of vineyards in here that make great and expensive Cabernet Sauvignon.

North of Rutherford, the mountain ranges kind of come close together. This is where the valley gets a little bit narrow. We get into the St. Helena AVA, and this is well known because this is where the famous Charles Krug, he was one of the most well-known wine consultants and winemakers in Napa Valley This is where he opened his winery in 1861.

North of St. Helena, now we’re up here, we’re away from the influence of San Pablo Bay. And this is where the Calistoga AVA is. And it’s one of the oldest areas in Napa for winemaking, but also, the AVA was only created in 2009, but here is the home of Chateau Montelena.

This is the winery that made the white wine that won the Judgment of Paris in 1976. It was a Chardonnay. So you have a Cabernet Sauvignon being made in the cooler region that won. And then you have a Chardonnay made in a warmer region that won. But the thing about Calistoga is it can be 95 degrees during the day, but at night because of a nearby valley, you can get down to 50 degrees. So it’s a perfect place for Chardonnay, and man, it’s a beautiful Chardonnay. And those are the nine AVAs that live on the valley floor. Now up in the mountains in the two ranges bordering the valley, there are six AVAs over on the eastern range, the Vaca Mountain Range, just east of that Stags Leap district up in the mountains is an AVA called Atlas Peak. It’s known for pretty amazing Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. You’re up there. It’s got a good elevation, got great acidity and these wines are beautiful, elegant, structured wines. At one time, an Italian winemaker tried to grow Sangiovese here and it didn’t really work, but they realized Chardonnay and Cab did, so of course, this is Napa, they work. They’re beautiful. Just northeast of that in this mountain range is the Chiles Valley, it’s a small AVA. It’s about 1,200 feet above sea level. And this is again mountains. Great Zinfandel comes from here, great Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc.

Just north of that is Howell Mountain. This is a really well-known AVA and it is about 1,400 feet above sea level. And it is very celebrated for their Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s very rugged. It’s a great place for Cabernet Sauvignon, with the sun and the elevation. It was actually once known more for Zinfandel, but because of the popularity of Cabernet Sauvignon, it just kind of overtook the Zinfandel. I haven’t had Zinfandel from Howell Mountain. I’m hoping somebody does make it, because I mean, it looks like it’d be an amazing place for that. Great. And on the western border of the valley, you have the Mayacamas Mountains and down in the southern part where Los Carneros is, so just north of Los Carneros and west of the Oak Knoll District, up in the mountains is the AVA called Mount Veeder. Just like Howell mountain, this place is really, really well known for its Cabernet Sauvignon. And of course, Chardonnay, and they’re playing with Malbec. North of that is the Spring Mountain District AVA. And of course they do Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, but again. it’s mountain fruit. So it’s this beautiful, structured, good acidity. And the thing about this is, on the other side of the Mayacamas Mountains is Sonoma. And that has the influence of the ocean. The Mayacamas Mountains actually are a source of cool air for the northern AVAs in the valley that don’t get the influence of the San Pablo Bay.

Then North of that, all the way up just south of the Calistoga AVA, up in the Mayacamas Mountains is the Diamond Mountain District. It’s known for extremely grippy, tannic Cabernet Sauvignon. But also this is the home of Schramsberg, which is one of Napa Valley’s premier sparkling wines. It’s a sparkling wine that was in the White House for a very long time.

If you have anybody coming from overseas to visit the White House, this is the sparkling wine that they offer. It’s almost like this is our Champagne, but it’s not Champagne.

Oh, and that is Napa Valley. So you have 16 AVAs, you have nine on the valley floor, you have six up in the mountains, and you had the larger area around it just called the Napa Valley AVA. And when you look at a label, you’ll see a winemaker’s name, you’ll see Napa Valley, and then you’ll see the AVA. Where the wine came from. If the wine just says Napa Valley, it can come from anywhere in the Napa Valley. That was a straight-up crash course, but I hope it gives you a little bit of a perspective on one of our most famous wine regions in the United States. So next time you’re at a wine shop and you see the Napa Valley section or the Napa section or the California section, you know what you’re looking at.

If you’re digging what I’m doing, picking up what I’m putting down, go ahead and give me a rating on iTunes or tell your friends to subscribe. You can subscribe. If you like to type, go ahead and send a review or something like that, but let’s get this wine podcast out so that everybody can learn about wine.

Check me out on Instagram. It’s @vinepairkeith. I do all my stuff in stories. And also, you got to follow VinePair on Instagram, which is @vinepair. And don’t forget to listen to the VinePair Podcast, which is hosted by Erica, Adam, and Zach. It’s a great deep dive into drinks culture every week.

Now, for some credits. How about that? Wine 101 is recorded and produced by yours truly, Keith Beavers, at the VinePair headquarters in New York City. I want to give a big shout-out to co-founders Adam Teeter and Josh Malin. I also want to thank Danielle Grinberg for making the most legit Wine 101 logo.

And I got to thank Darby Cicci for making this amazing song: Listen to this epic stuff. And finally, I want to thank the VinePair staff for helping me learn more every day. Thanks for listening. I’ll see you next week.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article Wine 101: Napa Valley appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/wine-101-napa-valley/

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johnboothus · 3 years

Text

Wine 101: Napa Valley

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Follow Keith Beavers on Instagram

Or Check Out the Conversation Here

My name is Keith Beavers, and do we all like soup? I mean, it feels like there’s a real rift between people who do and don’t like soup.

What’s going on wine lovers? Welcome to Episode 24 of VinePair’s Wine 101 podcast. My name is Keith Beavers. I’m the tastings director of VinePair. Howdy.

If you have anybody coming from overseas to visit the White House, this is the sparkling wine that they offer. It’s almost like this is our Champagne, but it’s not Champagne.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article Wine 101: Napa Valley appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/wine-101-napa-valley/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/wine-101-napa-valley

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delfinamaggiousa · 4 years

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The 50 Best Wines of 2019

It’s been another wine-filled year at the VinePair HQ, and while the months passed by in a blur, 50 bottles stood out above the rest and etched a place in our memories. To help readers enter the new year (and decade!) with a list of wonderful experiences to discover with a glass in hand, we’re sharing our top 50 wines of 2019.

As in previous years, this annual ranking tells a story in 50 bottles. These labels are not only the wines we enjoyed the most over the past 12 months; they’re what we consider to represent the most important trends in wine right now.

Leading the conversation is the class and quality offered by American Chardonnay. The days of “anything but Chardonnay” became a distant memory when we tasted the bottles of several domestic producers, who are highlighting the wonders and nuance of the world’s most popular white variety.

As the months went on, we became increasingly excited about Spanish wines, especially those from less explored regions, grapes, and producers. Our staff, panelists, and wine director agree Spain is currently offering some of the best value for money, and most exciting drinking experiences right now.

It’s also been a year of triumphant comebacks from grapes that, but for the noble work of a few producers, could have become extinct. Italy more than any other nation proved notably nostalgic in this respect.

All wines in this ranking were first sampled and reviewed by VinePair’s tasting department. We then compiled a “short list” of bottles that received an A+ or A rating, and whittled that list down to 50 wines using multiple criteria.

All bottles must be readily available in the U.S., offer great value for money, and be drinking well right now. None of the wines from last year’s list could be considered for inclusion, and we placed a limit of one bottle per winery.

The VinePair staff then debated, and debated again where each bottle should place. We finally tasted the potential top 10 multiple times to cement our final ranking.

Here are VinePair’s top 50 wines of 2019, tasted and ranked.

50. Trivento Amado Sur 2016 ($14)

Malbec lends a medium-bodied, dark-fruit core to this affordable Argentine blend. Bonarda lifts the wine, adding juicy strawberry notes, while a splash of Syrah finishes things off with peppery, herbaceous vibes. This wine is fun and lively, and we believe everyone will love it.

49. Château Rieussec R de Rieussec Blanc Sec 2018 ($25)

Bordeaux might be best-known for its red blends, but the region also makes awesome whites like this zippy Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blend. It is simultaneously salty and sweet, yet racy acidity and tart green apple notes are present to balance it out.

48. Peter Zemmer ‘Rollhutt’ Pinot Noir 2017 ($19)

From Alto Adige in northeastern Italy comes this soft and elegant Pinot Noir. Dark cherry and redcurrant flavors give the wine a fruity flavor, while notes of crunchy leaves and freshly turned soil add nuance. A bonafide bargain at less than $20.

47. LAN Gran Reserva Rioja 2010 ($23)

A regional stalwart, LAN’s three-letter name is shorthand for wines of quality, balance, and exceptional value. Its 2010 Gran Reserva, the current release, is rich in tart red-fruit character, sweet and spicy oak notes, and the leathery, tobacco-leaf hallmarks of age.

46. Felsina Berardenga Chianti Classico DOCG 2016 ($24)

This soulful Chianti Classico stays true to the traditional style, with aromas and flavors of ripe cherries and forest floor. Some swirling and a little patience coax out vibrant blackberry notes and a crack of black pepper. Did someone say pasta dinner?

45. Domaine Bousquet Brut Rosé NV ($10)

Made from organic, hand-picked Pinot Noir grapes in Argentina’s Uco Valley, we can’t figure out exactly how this wine is so cheap. But affordability is by no means its only attribute. This South American sparkler is concentrated, fruity, and refreshing, and begs to be bought by the case-load.

44. Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 ($44)

This structured Cabernet Sauvignon is beautifully balanced, offering nuanced notes of blackberry, cherry, fresh tobacco leaf, and leather. While $44 is no paltry sum, in the realm of Napa Cab, and from a noteworthy, historic producer, this is as close as you will find to a bargain bottle in the category.

43. Sokol Blosser Evolution White Blend NV ($15)

An outlier in every sense, this multi-vintage white blend contains a total of nine different grape varieties, including Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, and Semillon. Intensely aromatic, it is the perfect answer to that trickiest of wine pairing conundrums: What pairs well with spicy, fusion-style cuisine?

42. Gustave Lorentz Crémant d’Alsace Brut NV ($24)

Outside of Champagne, Crémant d’Alsace is France’s leading sparkling wine appellation. This 100 percent Pinot Noir rosé is a great example of why the category deserves international attention. Grapefruit brûlée leaps out on the nose, while the palate is a soft and silky mix of wild strawberries and cherry coulis.

41. Cantina Tramin Kellerei ‘Stoan’ 2017 ($33)

This aromatic white wine contains a non-traditional mix of Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon Blanc, and Gewürztraminer grapes. Each variety is individually fermented in large oak barrels before the wines are blended and left to age for several months in bottles. The end result is an impeccably balanced wine with intense fruity aromas and flavors, and a lasting, creamy finish.

40. Niner Wine Estates Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 ($35)

A sprawling wine region on California’s Central Coast, Paso Robles highlights the softer side of Cabernet Sauvignon. This bright and juicy red has a velvety palate that’s rich in black-fruit flavors. The variety’s signature tannins are present but seamlessly integrated, while refreshing acidity keeps things lively.

39. Bodegas Nekeas ‘El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa’ Old Vine Garnacha 2018 ($26)

Made from grapes grown on 70- to 100-year-old vines in Spain’s Navarra wine region, there’s a lot going on in this wine. Red fruit aromas are seasoned with hints of clove, mint, eucalyptus, and cracked pepper. The palate is lean, fruity, and structured. For just $14, this is outstanding winemaking.

38. Jean Reverdy et Fils Sancerre ‘La Reine Blanche’ 2018 ($21)

Displaying all the hallmarks of classic Sancerre, this wine has a citrus and green fruit core, topped off with subtle bell pepper and a flinty finish. Lively acidity calls out for some creamy goat cheese or a light seafood dish.

37. Markham Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot 2014 ($21)

One of Napa Valley’s oldest wineries, Markham Vineyards offers this stunning Merlot for just over $20. Off the bat, it’s a little reserved, but soon serves fruity cherry and plum flavors, textured by black pepper and earthy cassis. Grab a decanter, fire up Netflix, and your Saturday night is sorted.

36. Domaine Matrot Meursault 2017 ($99)

This Meursault is exactly the style of Chardonnay many New World producers dream of emulating. It is the definition of balance and delicate oak influence, with vanilla and baking spice aromas mingling with pear and green apple. The palate is rich and luxurious, and goes a long way to justifying the wine’s lofty price tag.

35. Torbreck Barossa Valley Woodcutter’s Shiraz 2017 ($23)

Sure, the bottle label reads 15 percent ABV, but your palate will say otherwise when sipping this graceful Shiraz. You’ll focus on its punchy sour cherry fruit notes, soft tannins, and long, earthy finish. It’s full-bodied, but in a comforting way, like your favorite below-40 winter jacket.

34. Viña Garces Silva Amayna Sauvignon Blanc 2018 ($25)

Character-wise, Chilean Sauvignon Blanc falls midway between the in-your-face nature of New Zealand “Savvy B” and the elegantly restrained wines of Sancerre. Viña Garces creates an excellent example of this with notes of gooseberries, white peaches, and basil. Its acidity is less intense than other wines made from the variety, providing a slightly heavier texture, which we love.

33. Remhoogte Reserve ‘Honeybunch’ Chenin Blanc 2017 ($25)

Earthy aromas of a bruised apple, lime, and honeysuckle leap out of this South African Chenin Blanc, and are soon followed by notes of quince paste, jasmine, and a waft of ginger. The depth of descriptors continues onto the palate, which has a soft, creamy texture and zesty finish.

32. Domaine Le Tour Vieille Banyuls Reserva NV ($24)

Sweet, fortified Banyuls wines are made in a similar manner to Port but feature the native grapes of France’s Roussillon region (namely Grenache and Carignan). As with all great dessert wines, the most attractive aspect of this Banyuls is its refreshing acidity, which holds together sweet dried apricot and caramel notes. A lengthy, nutty finish means you won’t forget about it in a hurry.

31. Marco Felluga Molamatta Collio Bianco 2015 ($24)

From Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, this wine is full-bodied and structured, but refreshing at the same time. It pairs with almost all foods, though jibes best with poultry and seafood. Best of all, it will comfortably age for a few years in your cellar (read: wine rack inside your closet).

30. Bodegas Agro de Bazán Granbazán Etiqueta Verde 2018 ($19)

When Albariño is “done” right, the wine’s intense acidity is matched by concentrated fruit flavors. This bottle is one such success story, with mouthwatering acidity that seems to magnify flavors of lemon, ginger, dried apricots, and wet stones. It is an ideal pre-dinner bottle, pairing well with Spanish cheeses, almonds, and salty olives.

29. Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 2015 ($65)

The nose on this wine is alive with aromas of savory baking spices, caramelized plums, and cracked black pepper. It’s full-bodied and vibrant on the palate, with added notes of dark cherry and espresso. Neither its profile nor its price tag make this an “everyday” wine, but this is Amarone at its harmonious best, and a bottle fit for special occasions.

28. Craggy Range Winery Te Muna Road Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016 ($27)

If your prior experiences with New Zealand only include Sauvignon Blanc and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, it’s time you discovered the nation’s expressive Pinot Noir wines. This one has a fruit-forward character with notes of seasoned dried herbs, truffle, and pipe tobacco. Oak aging gives further aromas, including desiccated coconut, and adds playful tannins to the palate.

27. Inama Vigneti di Foscarino Soave Classico 2017 ($24)

Soave means “smooth” in Italian, and that’s the perfect descriptor for this wine. It has a rich nose that opens with intense aromas of pears and wet rocks. With a swirl, sweet jasmine petals float with the scent of tart white peaches. The palate is rich and weighty, but kept in check by medium acidity.

26. Domaine Karydas Naoussa Xinomavro 2015 ($30)

The translucent cherry hue of this Xinomavro belies its powerful character. Reminiscent of the Nebbiolo wines of Barolo and Barbaresco, this complex red has striking aromas of cherries and potting soil that continue onto the palate. They’re met there by intense tannins and bracing acidity, which eventually give way to the graceful perfume of violet petals.

25. Rusack Vineyards Santa Barbara County Chardonnay 2017 ($29)

From the moment this Chardonnay hits your palate, it doesn’t let go. Prepare to be tongue-struck with green apples, lemon zest, and chalk dust (sounds strange, tastes delicious). There’s oak influence too, but the typical descriptors (vanilla, toast, and butter) are subtle.

24. Nalle Winery Dry Creek Valley Estate Old Vine Zinfandel 2015 ($45)

In an ideal world, all old vine Zinfandels would follow this wine’s lead: relatively low alcohol content (13.8 percent ABV), refreshing acidity, and concentrated fruit flavors that include earth, dark berries, and pepper, rather than just jammy dark fruit. It’s only available from the winery’s website, and will set you back almost $50, but this wine is worth it.

23. Domaine Matrot Auxey-Duresses Côte de Beaune 2016 ($40)

This a relatively affordable introduction to the red wines of Burgundy. It’s heavy on the nose but treads lightly on the palate, with baking spice aromas and dark cherry notes traveling to the supple, velvety palate. You could stash it away for a few years, but this wine is drinking more than fine right now.

22. Tenute Cisa Asinari Marchesi di Gresy Martinenga ‘La Serra’ Moscato d’Asti NV ($18)

This is the best Moscato d’Asti on the market right now. This low-ABV sparkling wine will brighten up any brunch or aperitivo hour with its gentle bubbles, orange blossom, sage, honeysuckle, and lavender notes.

21. Gruet Blanc de Noirs NV ($16)

Made using the “traditional method,” where secondary fermentation takes place in-bottle, this majority-Pinot-Noir Blanc de Noirs spends a minimum of 24 months aging on lees. The result is a complex, layered sparkling wine, with notes of baked apples, vanilla, and toasted brioche on both the nose and palate. The wine retails for a barely believable $16, and can be found pretty much everywhere, making it a staple on our wine shelf.

20. Familia Zuccardi ‘Aluvional’ Paraje Altamira 2014 ($89)

When you first inhale this wine’s aromas, for a brief millisecond it feels like you’re about to taste the type of jammy, approachable Malbec that won over American palates in the early aughts. Then, from nowhere, complex notes of herbs, flinty minerals, and dried earth take center stage. From this point onward, it’s overwhelmingly apparent that this is an outstanding bottle and the future of fine wine in Argentina.

19. Domaine Sigalas Santorini Assyrtiko 2018 ($32)

If you like zesty, mineral-rich whites, or have a big ol’ fillet of fish waiting to hit the plancha, this is the wine for you. The very same lemon zest you’ll season your fish with is present on the wine’s nose, as are wet rocks, pepper, and crisp white pears. Its palate is lively, with vibrant acidity and a concentrated green-fruit flavors.

18. Château Batailley Grand Cru Classé 2015 ($81)

One of the oldest estates in the Médoc, Château Batailley is a fifth-growth producer located in Pauillac. Within the appellation, its wines have a longstanding reputation for great value (relatively speaking), and the 2015 vintage is no exception. It has concentrated black currant, leather, tobacco, and white pepper aromas. On the palate, it is simply luxurious. If you want to splurge on Bordeaux, look no further.

17. Bodegas Avancia ‘Cuvee de O’ Mencia 2017 ($16)

While Mencía is best associated with Spain’s Bierzo D.O., when grown in the neighboring Valdeorras D.O., the wines take on a slightly lighter profile and offer more complexity. This bottle is a stunning example of that and shows further nuance from oak aging. Its aromas include wild berries, cracked pepper, and dried herbs. Blackberries and a savory vegetal note arrive on the palate, along with grippy tannins and a persisting finish.

16. Angela Estate ‘Abbott Claim’ Pinot Noir 2015 ($57)

Hailing from a tiny subregion within the Willamette Valley AVA, the Yamhill-Carlton District, this Pinot Noir is decidedly Old World in character. It is complex and nuanced with an attractive bouquet that includes topsoil, green leaves, and tart red cherries. Red-fruit flavors continue on the palate, which has well-integrated tannins and textured minerality.

15. Clos Du Val Three Graces 2016 ($180)

From a famed wine estate in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District, Three Graces is a Cabernet-Sauvignon-driven blend that also includes Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It is fruity, structured, and layered, with well-incorporated tannins providing the finesse its name suggests. This wine is drinking remarkably well right now, despite its young age. It promises to get even better with time.

14. Ravines Wine Cellars Cabernet Franc 2017 ($21)

This wine is a great example of why Cabernet Franc is fast becoming the Finger Lakes’ signature red variety. Its aromas transport you to an afternoon walk through an autumnal forest, with brambly black fruit backed up by fallen leaves and damp stones. The palate has a subtle grip and generous acidity, and its 12.9 percent ABV allows a lengthy drinking experience.

13. Elvio Cogno ‘Anas-Cetta’ Langhe Nascetta di Novello 2016 ($30)

Elvio Cogno was one of a handful of producers that saved Nacsetta, Langhe’s only indigenous white variety, from extinction in the early ‘90s. This wine proves what a loss that would have been. It’s highly aromatic, with citrus and tropical fruit notes, plus a whiff of cannabis. Savory flavor kicks in on the palate, with hints of sage and rosemary.

12. Copain ‘Les Voisins’ Syrah Yorkville Highlands 2015 ($34)

Restrained and balanced, this is California Syrah at its finest. Made using grapes from three different vineyards in Mendocino County’s Yorkville Highlands, this wine has scents of bold blackberries, tart plums, and just a sprinkling of baking spices. The aromas carry through to the palate, which is medium-bodied with firm, well-rounded tannins. Pair with lamb or any other grilled red meat.

11. Laurent-Perrier ‘Grand Siècle’ No. 24 ($140)

Laurent-Perrier makes its prestige cuvée, Grand Siècle, using a blend of three wines produced exclusively from grand cru vineyards in vintage-quality years. Each release comprises a different blend, distinguished by an “Iteration” number displayed on the bottle’s label. Number 24, the current release, has a lively, complex bouquet of green apples, dried white flowers, orange zest, and flint. Its palate is concentrated and vibrant, with a strong fruit core. This is an expressive, age-worthy Champagne and offers great value compared to the prices of other prestige cuvées.

10. Jermann Pinot Grigio Venezia Giulia IGT 2017 ($23)

Seldom do we think of Pinot Grigio as a variety that can offer depth and character, but Jermann proves this is absolutely the case. From Friuli-Venezia Giulia in northeastern Italy, this wine is aromatic, elegant, and texturally intriguing. It starts with aromas of flowers and citrus fruit, before stone fruit and mineral notes emerge. The wine has a broad mouthfeel that’s lifted by energetic acidity and textured by chalky minerality. While it’s more expensive than many wines made using this variety, this is absolutely not your average Pinot Grigio.

9. Long Meadow Ranch Napa Valley Merlot 2014 ($36)

Long Meadow Ranch farms 90 acres of organic vineyards in the heart of Napa Valley. Though better known for its Cabernet Sauvignon wines, the estate’s 2014 Merlot was the bottle that really grabbed our attention. From one of the warmest and driest vintages on record, this Merlot is big, bold, and balanced with acidity and tannins for long-term aging. At present, it has pronounced cherry tree aromas (fruit, leaf, and bark) and hints of vanilla and plums that continue onto its silky palate. The definition of a fine wine, this bottle promises to get better still with age.

8. Graci Etna Rosato 2018 ($21)

This Sicilian rosato (in French, rosé) is made from Nerello Mascalese, a dark-skinned red variety commonly grown in the volcanic soils of Mount Etna. Graci transforms those grapes into an attractive copper-colored rosé via gentle pressing, avoiding maceration. It then ferments the must in large concrete tanks. What emerges is a perfectly balanced rosé that serves equal parts fruit character, acid, and tannins. The concentration of flavors and aromas is intense, while the wine’s mouthfeel is soft, smooth, and even slightly creamy. Forget Provence, Etna rosé is where it’s at.

7. Château Fonplégade Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé 2012 ($46)

Founded in 1852, Château Fonplégade is located on Bordeaux’s Right Bank, on the southern hillside of Saint-Émilion. The property’s name translates to “fountain of plenty” and derives from a 13th-century stone fountain situated on one of the estate’s vineyards. Grand Cru Classé, the property’s flagship wine, is a soulful Merlot-dominant blend that also contains a seasoning of Cabernet Franc. Prior to bottling, the wine spends 20 months aging, with 85 percent of the blend resting in new French oak, and 15 percent in concrete eggs. Pouring an intense dark ruby, the wine’s aromas are reminiscent of cranberry sauce and cherry compote, while bottle age has added earthy notes of leather and tobacco leaf. It’s plush and velvety on the palate, and serves a long-lasting finish.

6. Ridgeview Cavendish Brut NV ($43)

While winemakers around the world strain to adapt to warming climes, a handful of regions are currently reaping its benefits. Among the most notable is southern England, whose high-quality sparkling wine industry continues to garner international attention. Ridegview, one of the frontrunners of the movement, founded in 1995, has spent the last two decades producing sparkling wines using the same grapes and techniques as Champagne. Pinot Noir drives the estate’s Cavendish blend, which whiffs of cherries and sweet pastry and lands a structured, mineral-rich mousse on the palate. Perfect for parties and food pairings, next time you’re in the mood for bubbles or life calls for celebrations, take this bottle over your go-to Champagne.

5. G.D. Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo 2017 ($22)

Piedmont is the home of the Nebbiolo grape, which famously stars in the fabled wines of Barolo and Barbaresco. For much more affordable expressions of the variety, and wines that are approachable in their youth (read: ready to drink ASAP), drinkers should look to the Langhe hills and bottles such as this from G.D. Vajra. This wine serves a fruit-forward expression of Nebbiolo, with concentrated sour cherry notes that are pleasurably disrupted by a vibrant acidity on the palate. The acidity stops the wine’s heavy fruit character from overwhelming the palate, while a rigid but approachable tannic structure holds everything together. The beauty of this wine is its youth, and for this price, you can afford to serve it on the midweek dinner table.

4. Barboursville Vineyards Reserve Viognier 2017 ($22)

If you have yet to try Viognier or are looking to take a dive into the wines of Virginia, start here. Founded by Virginia Governor James Barbour in 1814, and purchased by Italy’s Zonin family (of Prosecco fame) in 1976, Barboursville Vineyards provides compelling evidence of Virginia’s potential as a world-class winemaking region. With this release, the estate also cements the notion that Viognier should be Virginia’s signature white variety. This wine is an excellent example of its aromatic grace and the balance Viognier can display. Its nose is rich in mineral notes, apricot, and orange blossom, while the low-alcohol palate shows great acidity and luxurious viscosity.

3. Mastroberardino ‘Radici’ Taurasi DOCG 2014 ($54)

The Mastroberardino family’s contribution to preserving the legacy of quality winemaking in Italy’s Campania region cannot be overstated. With local vineyards ravaged by phylloxera and World War II, many farmers understandably decided to rip out indigenous vines and replace them with higher-yielding varieties. Not the Mastroberardinos, who stayed true to the region and, in turn, saved such native varieties as Greco, Fiano, and Aglianico from almost certain extinction. The latter of the three is showcased in the Radici Taurasi DOCG, Mastroberardino’s flagship wine. Hugely age-worthy, and released following already-considerable periods in oak and bottle, this wine is the standard-bearer for Aglianico. It’s one of the finest examples of balance you will come across and sets the bar for both the variety and region.

2. Comando G ‘La Bruja de Rozas’ Sierra de Gredos 2017 ($25)

Made from Garnacha grapes grown on high-altitude old vines in Spain’s Sierra de Gredos region, this wine’s aromas include dark cherries, cranberries, earth, pepper, raw meat, and star anise — to name just a few. The palate starts light, before the grape’s intense fruit character kicks in. And it’s not over there. Mouthwatering acidity and grippy, complex tannins quickly present themselves, prolonging the fiesta taking place in your mouth. If there’s a better wine being made at this price point in Spain or anywhere else in the world right now, we’ll be damned. La Bruja de Rozas will grab your senses with its depth of aromas and flavors and never let go, then leave you dazed knowing that you have tasted something truly special.

1. Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay 2016 ($50)

Though its history stretches back to the late 19th century, Chateau Montelena is best known for the success of its Napa Valley Chardonnay during the now-legendary 1976 Judgement of Paris blind tasting. Deemed by a group of (mainly) French judges to be the best Chardonnay of 10 bottles from California and Burgundy, the victory signified a coming-of-age for America’s wine industry, helping place Napa Valley on the map of the world’s finest wine regions. Produced on the 40th anniversary of that historic event, Chateau Montelena’s 2016 Napa Valley Chardonnay shows that the estate is continuing to operate at the highest level. It offers a blueprint for what oaked American Chardonnay should taste like — beyond butter. Instead, elegance and power shine through in the grape’s mineral-driven flavors of fresh melon, apple, and honeysuckle. Meanwhile, careful and considered oak aging provides nutmeg notes and a soft, creamy texture. Buy this wine and raise a glass to the past, present, and future of Napa winemaking.

The article The 50 Best Wines of 2019 appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/best-wines-2019/

source https://vinology1.wordpress.com/2019/12/11/the-50-best-wines-of-2019/

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