Vintner Barry Waitte founded Tamber Bey Vineyards in 1999, when he purchased a 60-acre vineyard in the Yountville Appellation and an 11-acre property in the renowned Oakville Appellation. This marked Waitte’s entry into the wine business as a grower. He immediately hired vineyard manager Josh Clark to plant and farm the properties with the goal […]
The pursuit of fine wine requires an understanding of the vineyards from which grapes are sourced, a respect for the hand that nature deals each vintage, and an understanding of how best to highlight natural terroir through minimal handling and other fermentation techniques in the cellar. At Peter Paul, California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is […]
There are some weeks, and some tastings, that make you realize how lucky we truly are to work in the wine industry. I know that the preceding statement will make a lot of people in the wine industry angry, but sometimes you just need to give thanks. We have amazing connections amongst wineries, suppliers, distributors, […]
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about this weeks of tastings is YIPPEE! This was another week full of outstanding producers from all over the world. The world’s best wines from the world’s best winemakers. 2012 Gandona Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley Wine Spectrum 97, Robert Parker 96: Living up to the potential predicted […]
Araujo has always been considered one of elite estates in the Napa Valley, and the flagship ‘Eisele’ Cabernet always scores in the top tier with all the critics. The estate is located east of Calistoga and is centered around the historic ‘Eisele’ vineyard which was first planted over 125 years ago. The unique terroir of this […]
The week started great and just continued to get better and better. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday all saw amazing wine roll through our offices. Here is a brief sample of some of our favorites. You will see a more indepth highlight of our Remoissenet tasting later in the month. Is there a better job […]
THE HARBISON STORY Joe and Pat Harbison’s entry into the wine business was anything but typical. Known for his legendary wine cellar, they was often called on by various charities to create auction lots of rare and exquisite wines. Culling the best from his cellar, their generosity helped raise much needed funds for over three […]
Philippe Melka: I spent much of my youth in Bordeaux, France, earning my geology degree from the University of Bordeaux. On a whim, I took a wine course in my final year of study – a decision that changed my life. My journey started at Chateau Haut Brion (where my passion for cabernet-based blends and […]
Does Cabernet get any better than this? It’s not completely over the top or overly extracted; it is one of the most purest, precision, and detailed Cabernets I tasted all of last year. This wine is like a transformer, constantly evolving, changing by the minute, bursting out layers and layers of complexion. The 2012 To […]
This week in our Staff Tastings we saw some winemaking Royalty. Jeff Gaffner of Saxon Brown was here on Tuesday. You may know him from places like Chateau St.-Jean (Cinq Cepages), Xtant and Stephanie where he was known for making critically acclaimed Bordeaux reds for years. Wednesday saw the a brand new wine from the Angelina Mondavi […]