2018 HILLSIDE HOUSE SUNSET SOIRÉE WITH JIM CLENDENEN OF AU BON CLIMAT The annual Hillside House Sunset Soirée fundraising dinner was held June 9, 2018 at the historic El Mirador Estate in Montecito, CA (to read an article about the event click here ). It was a great success in all respects. The fundraiser was […]
Click here to read entire article »Mind Behind Recently I visited Jim Clendenen, the founder and owner of Au Bon Climat aka “Mind Behind,” and his crew at Au Bon Climat & Qupé winery which is also affectionately referred to as “The Shed.” Accompanying me was Craig Olson, the President and CEO of Hillside House. Founded in 1945, Hillside House is a […]
Click here to read entire article »Beginning in 2005 the Miller family, owners of Bien Nacido Vineyard and Solomon Hills Vineyard, began to make a small amount of wine under their label. Owners of Bien Nacido Vineyards since 1969, this vineyard has been the source of many great wines made by early wineries like Au Bon Climat, Qupé, and Bonny […]
Click here to read entire article »My history with Calera goes back some 35 years when I first visited the new winery and tasted the first wines from the 1978 vintage. Since then I have followed their remarkable progress (to read my latest article based on my August 2015 visit including new and old wines and links to earlier articles click […]
Click here to read entire article »Recently, I paid a visit to Tyler Winery in Lompoc, CA to taste the 2014 Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs with Justin Willet, the owner and winemaker. Some of the wines were released for sale in March and the rest will be released for sale in September. If you love Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the […]
Click here to read entire article »Below are notes on distinctive new wines from 2 of the best California Central Coast producers (to read an article on Central Coast producers click here) CALERA The 2012 Pinot Noirs from Calera were very impressive when I tasted them just after bottling last year (to read my article click here). Here is […]
Click here to read entire article »SOME STUNNING NEW WINES THAT YOU SHOULD NOT MISS! I recently visited Jeff Emery again at his winery in Santa Cruz where he makes Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Petite Sirah, and Durif under the Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard label. Under the Quinta Cruz label he also makes Spanish and Portuguese varieties – […]
Click here to read entire article »Two Outstanding Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Producers For the past several years I have written about these two relatively new wineries that are driven by young men, Justin Willett and Gavin Chanin, who have a passion to make wines that are balanced and made in a very natural way. These are wines that show beautifully […]
Click here to read entire article »For the Holidays how about some new wines? Some are Under The Radar, some are from small producers and many are great values. Take a look. There is something here for everyone and don’t forget the gift of wine. RED WINES Austria Zweigelt is a grape that was created in Austria in 1922 by Fritz […]
Click here to read entire article »Earlier this year I attended a wine and food dinner featuring old Santa Cruz Mountain wines from two of the early pioneers, Hallcrest and Martin Ray. There was also an old BV Pinot Noir from Napa Valley, a very old Madeira, and a very rare Cabernet Sauvignon from Hanzell.
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