Category Archives: Spotlight

Wine Spectrum’s 2015 Winemaker of the Year is…

A lot of things have changed in the 25 years we have been putting great wine’s on people’s tables. But one thing that hasn’t is the standard we set so long ago. We will only work with the BEST wines, and the BEST winemakers. We work with hundreds of winemakers and we taste through thousands of wines […]

Round Pond Winery

  For decades, the MacDonnell family sold off their grapes to the best wineries in Napa. Places like Duckhorn, Honig, Robert Craig, Bressler, and  Vineyard 29 purchase their grapes to make some of the best Cabernets in Napa Valley.  Round Pond Estate, owned and operated today by the second generation of the MacDonnell family, is a […]

HALL wines continue to set new heights in Napa Valley winemaking

About Hall Since first working in her family’s Mendocino vineyards, Kathryn Hall dreamed of a place to showcase fine wines alongside expressive art and masterful architecture. Now, Kathryn and Craig Hall are creating an unrivaled destination in the Napa Valley—where winemaking excellence meets contemporary design to celebrate life and inspire the senses. In 2005, Craig […]

Over 100 years of growing excellence.

The Martinelli family has been growing grapes in the Russian River Valley since the 1880’s. At the ages of 19 and 16, Giuseppe Martinelli and Luisa Vellutini eloped from their small village in the Tuscany region of Italy, making their way to California looking for land to farm and start a winery. Giuseppe had been […]

2012 Maldonado Chardonnay ‘Los Olivos Vineyard’

Forty-four years ago, Lupe Maldonado moved to California from Atacheo, a small farming community in Michoacan, Mexico. Lupe spent many years working in vineyards throughout Napa Valley. He settled down in the small town of St Helena. In 1971 Lupe was working for Sterling Vineyards when Peter Newton offered Lupe the opportunity to join him in the creation of a new winery in the Spring Mountain District of St. Helena. Lupe’s dedication and hard work were beginning […]

(VIDEO) From the President’s Cellar: 2012 La Pitchoune Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

Every few weeks we sit down with the President and Owner of Wine Spectrum, Glenn Siegel, to discuss a topic that he is really excited about. Sometimes it’s a specific wine, current or vintage, sometimes it’s a wine related topic. For this Episode, he tells us about the 2012 La Pitchoune Pinot Noir from the […]

Stolpman makes phenomenal Rhone inspired wines in Ballard Canyon.

Over 20 years ago, Founding Partner, Thomas Stolpman, discovered what they believe to be one of the greatest viticultural sites on earth. Hidden in the hills of California’s Central Coast, on a rare Limestone outcropping & unobstructed from the Pacific Ocean wind, this unique land is naturally suited to grow Syrah and Roussanne grapes. Stolpman is committed […]

Tantara, celebrating 18 years of excellence

ABOUT Since 1997, Tantara has been dedicated to producing the very finest Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah. Located in the beautiful Santa Maria Valley (Santa Barbara County), their wines are sourced from top Central Coast growers and single vineyards such as, Dierberg, Rio Vista, Bentrock,  Talley Rincon, La Colline (Laetitia), Lindsay’s,  Tondre,  Zotovich and Brosseau. Tantara’s dedication […]

Winemaker Spotlight: Thomas Rivers Brown

Turley Estate, Schrader, Maybach Cellars, Outpost, Rivers-Marie, Round Pond, ALOFT, and Kinsella. These projects and others are what prompted Food & Wine Magazine to name Thomas Rivers Brown its 2010 Winemaker of the Year. One of the most exciting young talents in Napa Valley, Thomas was born in Sumter, South Carolina. He developed an interest in wine while […]

A Vineyard Update with La Pitchoune Winemaker Andrew Berge

Winemaker Andrew Berge checks in with us after a vineyard visit that he recently made. For those not familiar with Andrew, he is a phenomenal up-and-coming winemaker. Some say he has already arrived. Andrew makes the wines at both La Pitchoune (The 2012 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir from La Pitchoune was our #5 Rated Pinot […]