A Thursday Wine Article, California, Napa Valley, Sonoma

Nearly a year ago, Ravenswood’s winemaker Gary Sitton appeared in Manhattan with an armful of his 2015 zinfandels. It was his inaugural vintage, after the retirement of Joel Peterson, Ravenswood’s legendary founder and winemaker. I thought Sitton had a successful debut (see The Maven of Zinfa...

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It has always struck me that Thanksgiving is the only American holiday devoted to gluttony. Plates and platters of food fill the dinner table—and sometimes side tables— with an abundance that is intended to carry over to the next day or through the weekend. It’s not only the traditional tu...

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July 4 fireworks on the Hudson River between New Jersey and Manhattan Just as no Independence Day is complete without watching the fireworks, I’d say no party celebrating this holiday is complete without a selection of light and refreshing, American wines. Drink them with grilled meats, fish and...

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The winery named for Geyser Peak may have been born in 1880, but its modern-day story began only in the 1970s, making this great-granddaddy of a winery more of a GenXer. George Vare, a serial entrepreneur who was president of the winery in the 1970s remade the estate, located on a hillside acros...

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Maven derives from the Yiddish word, meyvn, meaning one who understands … a connoisseur, if you will. In the wine world, there are many such folk, often specializing in a region or a grape variety. In the 20th century, for zinfandel, that teacher has been Joel Peterson. The son of two chemists,...

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Ross Cobb at Gramercy Tavern The son of a globe-trotting naval officer, David Cobb was neither a winemaker nor one of the billionaires that plunked down millions of dollars to own an eponymous California winery: He was just passionate about pinot noir with a well-developed intellect. The same disc...

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Holiday dinners are the time to bring to the table outstanding wines like the 2007 Silver Oak Alexander Valley cabernet sauvignon. In 1972, Denver oilman Raymond Duncan and Napa Valley winemaker Justin Meyer founded Silver Oak Cellars. From the outset, they had the unconventional idea of creating t...

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One of my most astonishing moments in the wine world was the recent tasting of J Vineyards wines, including the 2006 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. It wasn’t astonishing because the pinot noir came from Russian River Valley; I’ve enjoyed many pinot noirs from this excellent appellatio...

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Chenin blanc is a grape that rises to a refined pleasure when made like the 2007 Dry Creek Vineyard Clarksburg Chenin Blanc. In 1970, David Stare packed up his young family, put aside his Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineering degree, and began studying enology at the University of Calif...

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Delightful and reasonably priced pinot noir is found in a glass of the 2006 Clos du Bois Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Founded in 1974 by Frank Wood, Clos du Bois has grown from a small family winery to one of California’s larger operations, now owned by Constellation Brands, the world’s lar...

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Older Posts

Category: Sonoma

The rewarding range of Ravenswood’s single-vineyard Zinfandels

Your wine doesn’t have to be a turkey, too

American wines for your July 4 party

Geyser Peak is still gushing good value.

The maven of Zinfandel leaves Ravenswood in good hands

Cobb Vineyards Pinot Noirs shine in the cool Sonoma Coast

2007 Silver Oak Alexander Valley cabernet sauvignon.

Change of scenery benefits winemaker

Indulge in white delight from Dry Creek

Pinot noir awakens with ginger, berry notes