As we move into the darker, colder days of fall, the leaves start falling from the trees, and the last of the grapes have long been harvested. We begin to think about Halloween, and what better way to get into the spirit of the season than to pour…
Haunted Wineries
CA Wine: The Earliest Days
California wine is well-known globally. A long, rich history is the backbone of the operation. Although much of the global stance got it’s footing post-prohibition, European immigrants long before modern winemakers saw gold in the soils and climate of modern-day CA. Although the official birthdate of California wine…
Transportation & Enjoyment (Musings on Bottle Shock & Travel Conditions)
To understand the ideas behind travel & bottle shock (bottle sickness, travel shock, shipping shock), we must first understand that wine is a living, breathing organism. This is from the same understanding that is the basis of aging wines. We’d always prefer a cool, dark cellar with stable…
Decoded: Oregon Chardonnay
While Chardonnay takes a distant third place in plantings in Oregon (behind Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris), more interest, investment and development has continued to be behind growth and plantings of the grape to develop its market presence and the potential diversity of its stylings. Oregon Chardonnay runs…
Decoded: Eola-Amity Hills
While we’ve dedicated most of the month to decorating the Pinots from Oregon, Chardonnay is the third most grown grape in the Willamette Valley, and routinely compared to the Chardonnays of Burgundy – which can be credited to Robert Drouhin who “discovered” the potential of Oregon soil in…
Decoded: Chehalem Mountains
Last month saw the release of our Lot 627 Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir, a sub appellation of the Willamette Valley in the northwestern reaches of the region. As always, Cam’s notes will speak well towards the wine, but let’s look deeper into the region itself. While Papa Pinot…
Decoded: Dundee Hills
In March of this year we released our Lot 586 Pinot Noir from the Dundee Hills sub-appellation of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. While Cam’s video can tell you about the wine itself, let’s look at the AVA that pretty much started it all in Oregon. As stated…
Big Boys in Bordeaux
by: Cameron, staff From Cameron’s recollections of his European trip in 1993: I’ll never forget being in Bordeaux with my friend who is Julio Gallo’s grandson and we went to the top Chateau there and flashed his father’s card from E & J Gallo as a president of…