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
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.
St. Nikolaus Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese is made from 100 percent Riesling.
"Sonnenuhr" means sundial. The vineyard is facing the small town of Brauneberg formerly Dusemond. It's a steep slate slope on the Mosel, with a south-southeast exposure.
Full-bodied Riesling with typical Devonian slate qualities. Luscious fruit; nice minerality, length and acidity.
Tamarack Chardonnay is made from 100% Chardonnay.
Bright aromas of ruby red grapefruit, mango and stone fruit are found in the bouquet while on the palate, the bright acidity of this wine showcases flavors of guava, crisp Granny Smith apples and Asian pears. Combing the best of both cooperage techniques, the combination of aging in stainless steel highlights the fruit while the aging in neutral French oak provides an added complexity to the wine.
Aged 60% in neutral premier French oak and 3% in new premier French Oak 37% stainless steel.Dropped by gravity straight to the press, the juice is pumped directly to barrel or tank and chilled, inoculated with Chardonnay 3079 yeast, primary fermentation started and finished, secondary fermentation started but completed to preferred taste, typically around 50% completion. All fermentation is done in a 58 degree Fahrenheit barrel room.
Walla Walla Valley Appellation: Alderbanks Vineyard
Columbia Valley Appellation: Bacchus and Gamache Brothers Vineyards
Yakima Valley Appellation: Olsen Brothers and French Creek Vineyards
Tanzanite Brut Rose Method Cap Classique is made from 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay.
It begins with a sumptuous and luminous pink appearance. Followed by a delicacy of red fruit aromas. The nose is generous and elegant. Fresh attack followed by a harmonious sensation on the palate. Perfectly balanced in the best Tanzanite Style which combines elegance and flair.
Yearly the grapes are sourced from Robertson. Hand picking of the grapes we do in small 18kg lots and then whole bunch pressing on every 5 Ton of grapes. Yields are around 450-480 liters per ton of grapes. Juice was inoculated with Prise de Mousse yeast for primary fermentation at cool temperatures for 8-10 days. This is followed by Malolactic fermentation on all base wines. The MLF ads depth and complexity to the base wines. With maturation the wine will get soft, creamy and elegant. Secondary fermentation took place in the bottle and wines were left on the lees and tasted every few months to monitor the ageing on the lees. Minimum time spent on the lees 24 months.
It’s the only area in the Western Cape where you will find Chalk in our soil.
The wine is made from selected vineyards. Limited to 6 000 bottles annually.
Age of the vines is around 10-15 years old.
Pairs well with roasted white meat, game, tapas, ham and smoked salmon.
Review:
"Pale pink. Ripe red berries accented by Cointreau show on the nose of this very dry and crisply textured sparkling rosé. It’s mineral and subtly fruit flavored palate is superbly fresh and alluring despite an astringent touch on the finish. It’s a great sparkler for food. A 60/40 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from 10-15 year old vines in the Robertson area."
- International Wine Review (Champagnes & Sparkling Wines for the Holidays: The Best of 2018), 91 pts
Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port.
On the palate, the wine has beautifully ripe tannins, which integrate perfectly into the mid-palate, providing both structure and volume, and then break out on the finish with a firm wiry, grip. The palate closes with a powerful tide of fresh, complex fruit flowing endlessly through the finish. In the 2018, the Taylor traits of fine fruit and inner power combine seamlessly with the ripeness and depth typical of the vintage.
Nickel & Nickel Truchard Vineyard Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The 2023 Nickel & Nickel Truchard Chardonnay opens with enticing aromatics of tropical fruit, tangerine, and a hint of honeysuckle. On the palate, it presents a bright and vibrant profile, with a natural lift from its fresh fruit flavors and lively acidity. The tropical and citrus notes are complemented by a subtle brioche character, while the oak imparts a pleasant roundness, bringing balance and weight to the wine.
Review:
The freshness and pure fruit flavors of this generous wine ring clear as a bell. Crisp green apples, Bosc pears and subtle oak spices like vanilla bean and toasted almonds fill the palate. While medium-bodied, it feels full and generous and has a lingering finish. Drink now or hold.
-James Suckling 94 Points
Winemaker Joe Harden ages his Truchard Vineyard Chardonnay for 10 months in 30% new French oak, with minimal stirring and no malolactic fermentation, allowing for a slightly more pronounced oak presence. Truchard, one of Carneros' most esteemed sites, is characterised by rolling hills with ideal sun exposure and cooling breezes. Harden sources fruit from eight distinct blocks across the vineyard’s expansive 109 hectares, with harvests spanning roughly a month. Among the selections is Clone 809, a Muscat clone that adds floral aromatics and a touch of baking spice. The Truchard Chardonnay exhibits a silky texture on the palate, layered with citrus peel and tropical hints of apricot and peach. A rich spine of acidity is further heightened by vivid mineral tension, creating a wine that is both racy and rich. Elegantly balanced, it’s a delightful sipper with impressive depth and vibrancy.
-Decanter 94 Points
Boussey Monthelie Blanc is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The name Monthelie comes from Mont Lyoei, mountain of Bacchus.
The Boussey Monthelie Blanc has a nice pale yellow color with green reflections. Aromas of white flowers, fresh almonds, lemon and minerality. The finish is long with a very good balance between the acidity and the ripeness.
Goes well with poultry, fish and crab cakes.