Sokol Blosser 'Orchard Block' Pinot Noir 2021 is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
VINTAGE HIGHLIGHTS
2021 was the 2nd warmest growing season we have ever seen since 2015. We also got to add a new term to the dictionary: "Heat Dome". Three straight days of triple digit temperatures in late June breaking heat records for the Willamette Valley. Bud break started like usual in the middle of April. We had the driest March through May that the Willamette Valley has seen through 128 years of record keeping! Bloom also appeared on time in early/mid June. While late June brought the “Heat Dome”, our grapes made it through thanks to bloom being finished at all our sites and there still being soil moisture, so they grew like crazy over those three days of hellish temperatures. While July and August turned out to be exceedingly hot and dry, September arrived with little rain which that allowed us to fully ripen the grapes. The hot and dry summer made for fruit that was extremely clean, resulting in excellent fermentations. All in all, mother nature gave us something to be grateful for on our 50th anniversary.
WINEMAKING
The grapes were carefully hand harvested from the Orchard Block (on our Estate vineyard) on September 25th. The fruit was hand sorted to remove any flawed bunches and de-stemmed, half went directly into 3-ton stainless steel fermenters and the other half went in to oak upright fermenters. Fermentation took place over 10-14 days using ambient yeast with punchdowns for cap management. After the long, cool fermentation, the wine was pressed off at dryness and then barrel aged for 16 months in 100% French oak barrels with 17% new oak.
WINE PROFILE
Our 2021 Orchard Block Estate Pinot Noir has bright notes of red cherry, red currant, and a touch of nutmeg on the nose. On the palate, the fruit continues with red cherry, raspberry, and red currants followed by a subtle hint of clove. This is a delicate Pinot Noir with bright acidity with a medium finish.
PAIRINGS
Orchard Block Pinot Noir pairs with a classic roasted turkey, creamy cacio e pepe, and the Oregon favorite, wild mushroom risotto.
Review:
Nuanced aromas of dark cherries, wild strawberries, dried tangerine peel, cloves and fresh herbs, leading to a beautifully balanced, medium-bodied palate that shows depth and persistence, with a well-defined structure. The wine glides along with remarkable elegance, showing bright, juicy fruit flavors, subtle spices and a long, mineral-driven finish. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 94 Points
Sokol Blosser Big Tree Block Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
1970 was winding down when our founders, Bill Blosser and Susan Sokol Blosser pulled their ’68 VW Camper up to an abandoned prune orchard some 30 miles southwest of Portland. These moonstruck kids had little farming experience and just a basic knowledge of winemaking. What they did have, in abundance, was a passion for growing the Pinot Noir grape and creating world-class wine. Soon after settling on this extraordinary land, they planted their first vines and cinched their place as pioneers in Oregon’s budding wine industry.
Review:
A very impressive wine for the striking sense of spice, white-pepper and briary, forest notes, across red cherries. The palate has sapid, focused style with such taut yet silky tannins holding long and true. Pure red cherries here. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 94 Points
Solomon Hills Estate Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Solomon Hills Pinot Noir is always distinctive and singular in its ability to harness the Coastal influence of Santa Maria Valley. Earth tones alongside briar bush and blueberries contrast aromas of forest floor and fired red clay. The noticeable savory elements of cracked black pepper and teriyaki beef nicely balance ripe cherries and blackberries on the palate.
Review:
I loved the bouquet of the 2021 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills, a light ruby-hued effort with perfumed darker cherry, mulberry, leafy herb, and smoked earth nuances. It's medium-bodied, has a layered, seamless texture, integrated tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It's absolutely brilliant. Enjoy bottles over the coming decade or more.
-Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points
Sonoma Bench Pinot Noir comes entirely from the heart of the Russian River Valley, and Green Valley AVA situated on Burnside Rd.
This Pinot Noir shows a deep ruby/garnet red color. The aromas are fresh with raspberry, red fruits with a soft earthy tone. There are vanilla notes from French oak barrel aging. The pallet is lush with roundness, texture, and fruit purity. Tannins are balanced and the finish is firm and refreshing. The length of the wine is elegant and shows harmony and textural balance. 2021 was an exceptionally short harvest in Russian River Valley.
Enjoy now or cellar for 3-5 years,
SonVida Malbec is made from 95% Malbec and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
SonVida Malbec is a single vineyard wine, the supreme expression of the award-winning zone of Altamira, in Argentina's Uco Valley. Altamira's smooth tannins shine through, and the combination of acidity and minerality lead the wine to a long, integrated finish.
"The wine is proud to be ripe and generous. Aromas dominated by smokey mulberry and blueberry. It's plush and coats the palate with bramble, blueberry and liquorice and the scent of vanilla. Immediately muscular and broad-shouldered in the glass, with a savory note, perhaps tapenade, running through the dense palate with mint and dried herbs on the finish. The oak will integrate over time, mixing its spice with the warm spice of fruit. - Joe Fattorini - The Wine Show"
Sunny Summer with moderate nighttime temperatures, followed by an early Fall.
Grapes come from the Mendoza region, in the Paraje Altamira area.
YIELD: 35 Hl/HA
MACERATION: Total 25 days, first cold-soaked 5 days, 14 days fermentation at 24° C, plus 7 additional days. No filtration.
SonVida Malbec can be enjoyed on its own, and matches perfectly with meats, chicken, turkey and hard cheeses. It is enjoyed best in good company. ‘Would you like another glass?’ The answer, almost always, is ‘yes’.
La Spinona Barbaresco Secondine is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.
This single-vineyard Barbaresco comes from his 3.5 hectares on the cru of Secondine. It is the commune of Barbaresco below the zone of Rabaja Basa and Paje and is where Gaja’s San Lorenzo is located. It is 230 meters above sea level with a southern exposure.
Excellent with game, red meats, truffle dishes and aged cheeses.
Color: Deep ruby red with a hint of garnet in the reflections.
Bouquet: Bright bouquet full of cherries, raspberries, licorice and floral notes.
Taste: Elegant and refined with delicate, soft tannins. It is fresh, velvety and extremely well balanced.
Review:
-James Suckling 94 Points
Spinona Bricco Faset Barbaresco is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.
This single-vineyard Barbaresco comes from Pietro Berutti's 8 hectares of coveted vineyards on the top of the historic hill, Faset. It is 270 meters above sea level with a south, south-east exposure. The vines are an average of 35 years old. Only organic farming practices are used. The natural fertilizer comes from the 100 head of cattle that they have and no herbicides or pesticides are used.
Barbaresco shows a deep ruby red color with garnet reflections. An intense bouquet with hints of ripe cherries, wild berries and spice. White pepper, licorice and mint blend with enticing floral notes. Mouth-filling and well-structured with a full, velvety body and an austere and long finish.
HARVEST: late October. The grapes are harvested by hand in perforated baskets to allow air to pass through the bunches. The pressing is soft. Cold maceration for 24 hours at 12°C (for certain years).
WINEMAKING: Soft pressing with an initial cold maceration on the skins for 24 hours at 12C. Specially selected yeasts are used. Fermentation takes place for 12 to 14 days in stainless steel at 28-29 °C under temperature controlled conditions. There is a pumping over on the skins. After malolactic fermentation, the wine is racked and goes through a delicate pressing to obtain only the best wine.
AGING : 12-15 months in large 25 hectolitre wooden barrels of Allier and Slavonian oak.
REFINING: in the bottle for 12-15 months in a temperature-controlled environment.
Excellent with game, red meats, truffle dishes and aged cheeses.
This single-vineyard Barbaresco comes from Pietro Berutti's 8 hectares of coveted vineyards on the top of the historic hill, Faset. It is 270 meters above sea level with a south, south-east exposure. The vines are an average of 35 years old. Only organic farming practices are used. The natural fertilizer comes from the 100 head of cattle that they have and no herbicides or pesticides are used.
Barbaresco shows a deep ruby red color with garnet reflections. An intense bouquet with hints of ripe cherries, wild berries and spice. White pepper, licorice and mint blend with enticing floral notes. Mouth-filling and well-structured with a full, velvety body and an austere and long finish.
Review:
La Spinona Cru Bergera Barolo is made from 100 percent 100% Nebbiolo Lampia
The Beruttis bought 4 hectares in 1994 in the then relatively unknown zone of Novello which lies on the confines of Monforte and Barolo. A Sorì is an entirely south-facing vineyard. This Sori lies at 230 meters. It is named for the great grandfather that started the Barbaresco vineyards. The vines are an average of 40 years old. Bergera comes from the mid part of the vineyard and is dedicated to Pietro's grandfather who started the estate.
Brilliant deep ruby red with garnet reflections. Rich fruity bouquet with hints of cherries, violets liquorice and mint. Good structure with full, cherry-ripe flavors. The tannins are gentle and the spice subtle. It is an elegant wine of great finesse and drinkability. Excellent with wild game, roast, braised or stewed red meats, truffle dishes and aged cheeses.
Young and present, this is an energetic and bold expression of violets, lavender, and cassis mixed with dark chocolate, cherry, plum, and graphite. A wine happy to be tucked away in the cellar, and it’s also expressing itself beautifully now.
Review:
Lovely fragrant blackberry and black cherry fruit, cassis, and rich tobacco spices with lovely fresh earth notes and a sweet kiss of new wood cedar. Incredibly concentrated dark berry fruit with fabulously angular tannins with smooth long beams with crisp edges. Purple florals, dried sagebrush, and chocolate shavings with lids of graphite and deep iron-like mineral character. And a finish of dark saturated fruit that goes and goes for days. There are purple floras too. Polished and bright, with vivacious acidity and freshness evident from the sip to the finish. Wow, this wine.
-Decanter 98-100 Points
Made from blueberries
10.5% Alcohol by Volume
10.6% Residual Sugar
Fresh from the field Blueberry aromas and flavors. Excellent served chilled with your favorite dessert, or in a creative cocktail as a mixer with sparkling water and a mint garnish.
Select Wine Competition Awards:
2013 SILVER San Francisco Chronicle
2013 SILVER New World International
2013 SILVER Dallas Morning News
2013 SILVER International Eastern
2012 GOLD Indy International
2012 SILVER International Eastern
2012 SILVER Lone Star International
2012 SILVER Los Angeles International
2012 SILVER Long Beach Grand Cru
St. James Winery Blackberry - NV is made from blackberries
10.4% Alcohol by Volume
12.7% Residual Sugar
Is it fresh picked blackberries in a bottle or St. James Winery Blackberry wine? Tough call.
Sweet and delicious served chilled with your favorite dessert or for no reason at all, except to enjoy.
Select Wine Competition Awards:
2011 GOLD San Francisco Chronicle
2010 SILVER San Francisco Chronicle
This Blueberry Lemon fruit wine is sweet and tart with bright, festive Blueberry & Lemon aromas and flavors.
Made from cherries
10.4% Alcohol by Volume
13.5% Residual Sugar
Sweet and tart, St. James Winery’s Cherry Wine is better than rip cherries fresh from the tree. Tastes great with grilled pork or, for dessert, with milk chocolate.
Select Wine Competition Awards:
2012 GOLD Los Angeles International (92 points)
2012 GOLD Taster’s Guild
2012 SILVER Dallas Morning News / TexSom International
2013 SILVER San Francisco Chronicle
2012 SILVER Long Beach Grand Cru
2012 SILVER Indy International
2012 SILVER San Diego International
2012 SILVER New World
2012 SILVER Pacific Rim
2012 SILVER Riverside
2012 SILVER Houston Rodeo
2012 BRONZE International Women’s
2012 BRONZE NextGen
2012 BRONZE San Francisco International
2012 BRONZE Lone Star International
2012 BRONZE International Eastern
2012 BRONZE Florida State Fair International
Sweet and tart with bright, festive cranberry colors, aromas and flavors, with an added sparkle. St. James Winery’s Sparkling Cranberry Wine offers refreshing, fresh cranberry acidity with a nice, long cranberry finish.
Made from peaches
9.5% Alcohol by Volume
13% Residual Sugar
Our Peach wine brings fresh from the orchard peach flavors and aromas to your glass. It’s the next best thing to biting into a perfectly ripe peach.
Serve chilled with spicy cheeses or your favorite dessert.
Select Wine Competition Awards:
2011 SILVER San Francisco Chronicle
2011 GOLD Florida State Fair International
2010 BRONZE Indiana
2010 SILVER Tasters Guild International
2010 BRONZE San Francisco Chronicle
Juicy raspberry flavor upfront, balanced by crisp lime acidity.
Bright, refreshing, and lightly tart with a touch of natural sweetness that keeps it lively and approachable.
Seasonal flavor, fruit wine.
St. James Winery Strawberry is made from blackberries
11.4% Alcohol by Volume
13.4% Residual Sugar
Fresh picked strawberries never tasted this good. Our Strawberry wine, made from sweet vine ripened strawberries, is excellent served cold especially for dessert with pound cake or milk chocolate.
Select Wine Competition Awards:
2012 GOLD San Francisco Chronicle
2011 BEST OF SHOW San Diego
2011 BEST OF CLASS Pacific Rim
2011 GOLD Dallas Morning News
2011 GOLD Grand Harvest
2011 GOLD Winemaker Challenge International
2011 SILVER Monterey
2011 SILVER Florida State Fair International
2011 SILVER Los Angeles International
2011 SILVER Riverside
This Concord sweet red wine is a tribute to the Concord grapes grown in the Ozark Highlands along Missouri’s Historic Route 66 for over 115 years.
When Italian immigrants settled in the St. James area, they planted vineyards. By the 1930s, over 1,000 acres of grapes dotted the landscape. When Prohibition started, grape vines across the state were ripped from the ground. The Italians in the Ozark Highlands region approached the situation differently and were key to keeping Missouri’s wine industry alive.
“Instead of destroying their vineyards during Prohibition like others in Missouri, the farmers formed a fruit grower’s association in order to keep growing and selling grapes, along with other fruit, to stores in St. Louis,” said Peter Hofherr, St. James Winery chairman and CEO. “During WWII, a long-term contract with a prestigious juice, jam and jelly company helped make the local Concord grapes famous. The farmers even negotiated to be allowed to sell small quantities or quarts of fruit to individuals. They set up grape stands and sold grapes to those traveling along the highways.”
Every year during harvest, Italian descendants from the St. James area still carry on this tradition by setting up Concord grape stands along Historic Route 66 to sell their fruit to travelers.
The Concord wine is juicy and sweet, with an intense grape jam flavor and light finish. Serve it at refrigerator temperature, over ice or mixed with a club soda to create a light, grape spritzer
Pair with peanut butter cookies, soft cheeses, or roasted pork chops.
This sweet white wine starts with Welch’s 100% USA grown grapes that go from vine to press within 8 hours. Through the hard work of their 700 growers, St. James Winery is able to craft this sweet and bright white wine with a beautifully smooth finish. Sure to delight whether with friends and family, no matter the occasion.
St. James Winery Velvet Red - NV is made from 100% Concord grapes from Ozark Highlands AVA.
10.5% Alcohol by Volume
12.1% Residual Sugar
Tastes and smells like ripe, just picked grapes.
Velvet Red is fruity and mouth-filling and best served chilled.
Select Wine Competition Awards:
2011 GOLD Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America
2011 SILVER San Francisco Chronicle
2011 SILVER Pacific Rim
2011 SILVER Finger Lakes International
2011 SILVER Grand Harvest
2011 SILVER Los Angeles International
2011 SILVER Critics Challenge
2011 BRONZE Florida State Fair International
2011 BRONZE New World International
2011 BRONZE Dallas Morning News
Made from Niagara and Chardonel grapes.
10.8% Alcohol by Volume
7% Residual Sugar
Delicate and sweet with intense fruity aromas and flavors. A blend of America’s best American and hybrid grapes.
Velvet White is superb served chilled by itself, with mild cheeses, or dessert.
Select Wine Competition Awards:
2011 GOLD Pacific Rim
2011 GOLD Critics Challenge
2011 SILVER Grand Harvest
2011 SILVER Florida State Fair International
2011 SILVER Winemakers Challenge International
2011 SILVER San Francisco Chronicle
2011 SILVER San Diego International
2011 SILVER Monterey
2011 SILVER Los Angeles International
2011 SILVER Tasters Guild
2011 SILVER Riverside
2011 BRONZE Finger Lakes International
2011 BRONZE Dallas Morning News
Boroli Cerequio is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.
The Boroli family is a family of entrepreneurs, with roots in Piedmont dating back to 1831. The family started their winemaking business in1997, when Silvano and Elena Boroli felt an ardent desire to step away from the pressures of their publishing business and reconnect to nature. Silvano and Elena grew the company until their son, Achille, stepped in to run the wine-growing and production business in 2012.
With the 2012 grape harvest Achille decided to radically change the methods used in vineyards and wineries, aiming for the highest quality in Barolo and its crus. He cut production levels, updated the winemaking technology, and focused on low intervention methods to raise the quality of the Boroli wines be on par with the finest Barolo wines.
About the Vineyard
The Cerequio cru lies just across the valley from the Boroli winery in the commune of La Morra and is considered one of the most prestigious sites in the Barolo DOCG zone. It is known to produce Nebbiolo wine of enormous elegance and finesse.
Wine Production
Cerequio is distinguished by a careful selection of grapes, precise destemming, and a long maceration with submerged cap.
Tasting Notes
A clear bright ruby color with very light garnet red reflections; intense and persistent aroma of red fruit with notes of plum and cherry. A pleasant aroma of wood is noticeable after the fruity aroma, anticipating the full taste of a great wine suitable for long lasting life. A succulent, rich, full-bodied and pleasant taste emerges after the woody one, with the presence of slightly ripe red fruit.
Food Pairing
Thanks to its viscosity and body, Barolo is the ideal wine to pair with elaborate dishes and dishes like truffle dishes, meat dishes, pasta with porcini mushrooms, game, and aged cheeses. Cerequio is also perfect with dry pastries or chocolate.
Review:
Precise and essential, it displays notes of lavender, hibiscus, violet, white pepper, lime, jasmine flowers, and elderberry. Medium body, perfectly ripe, fine-grained tannins, and a juicy finish that displays smoothness and relaxation. Beautiful right away, it will only improve from 2024 onwards. One of the best Barolos tasted in the 2019 vintage.
-WineCritics.com 96 Points
'Belle Côte', French for “Beautiful Slope”, was named by Sir Peter after the famous ski run in Courchevel, France. The oldest of the four Knights Valley Estate Chardonnay vineyards, ‘Belle Côte’ consistently exemplifies the potential of crafting exceptionally high-quality Chardonnay from our mountain vineyards. Planted at 1,700 to 1,800 feet (518 to 549 meters), Belle Côte has a southeastern exposure and a western border of native trees, which shelter the vines from the hot afternoon sun. These unique attributes create a naturally cool microclimate that provides an extended growing period and slow-ripening fruit, resulting in a later picking schedule that often continues into October (two to three weeks longer than most Chardonnay vineyards in Napa and Sonoma Counties).
The combination of a wet winter with significant rains in December through March and cool weather delayed budbreak nearly a month. Flowering and fruit set were also pushed back and the weather during the later flowering was favorable resulting in decent fruit set and slightly above average yields for the Chardonnay vineyards—a marked improvement over the record-low yielding 2022 vintage. The growing season was temperate without major heat spikes allowing the berries to hold onto their acidity which carried through into the wines. Harvest was almost a month later than normal with the last Belle Côte block coming in on November 2nd.
As the oldest of the four Peter Michael Winery estate Chardonnay blocks, 'Belle Côte' exemplifies the consistent quality of Chardonnay these mountain vineyards produce. Due to the naturally cool climate of the site’s high elevation, and mitigated exposure to the hot afternoon sun by its southeastern exposure and a stand of trees on its western border, the vines are allowed to slowly ripen. The growing season for Belle Côte typically extends into October, two to three weeks longer than most Chardonnay vineyards in Napa and Sonoma Counties.
With highly expressive aromatics of orange blossom, jasmine, candied orange peel, and rose petal, the 2023 'Belle Côte' showcases its unique terroir and thirty-three-year-old vines with a rich, creamy entry, dense, broad, juicy mid-palate and a lengthy, refined finish. There is a seamless quality to this wine that matches power, gras, and intensity with structure and weightlessness. The 2023 'Belle Côte' can be enjoyed in its youth or after many years of cellaring.
Review:
This extraordinary estate-grown wine from a great vintage is super vibrant, energized and tangy, with vital acidity supporting luscious ripe pear and apple flavors on a silky texture. Can't think of anything it lacks. Seamless, layered, yet structured and fresh, boding well for longer-term aging. It has a melts-in-the-mouth quality and an extra long finish. Drinkable now and best from 2030.
-James Suckling 100 Points