Annabells Wine

The Chappellet Wines

Chappellet wines are crafted to embody the terroir and the intensity of fruit that have made Pritchard Hill famous. Recognized for their signature mix of grandeur, power and purity, these coveted bottlings are the result of a winemaking process that begins in the vineyard, and champions its diversity.

In the winery, renowned winemaker Phillip Corallo-Titus—who has been guiding Chappellet’s winemaking program since 1990—individually ferments and ages lots from numerous vineyard blocks to maintain their distinctive character. These lots benefit from an array of maceration and fermentation practices. Adding even more depth and complexity, Phillip has established a barrel program utilizing the finest barrels from elite coopers and forests.

With roots deep in the land, and a belief in constantly working to enhance the quality and character of Pritchard Hill’s fruit, Chappellet has earned acclaim for making California’s finest hillside Cabernet Sauvignons. The Chappellet portfolio also includes exceptional Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and the highly regarded Mountain Cuvée blend.

Read Further: http://www.chappellet.com/Winemaking

A Roundup Of Three Pinot Noirs from Garnet Vineyards

If you know me, then you know I like good value Pinot Noir; it’s hard to come by though, and I’m often left dissapointed. So at a recent Twitter/Wine event put on by “WineTwits” I got to try some of the Garnet brand offerings. Soon after, I picked up a few bottles of the Carneros as well, and most recently I got my hands on the Rogers Creek single vineyard one they just released. So I thought I might compile a brief review of all three.
2010 Rogers Creek Pinot Noir
Unlike the other wines they produce, this special one has a fairly limited production of just over four hundred cases. It’s sourced from a single vineyard in Sonoma – Rogers Creek, and brings a tightly woven mashup of flavors – black cherry and plum mix with dark earth/dust and small hints of oak. This vineyard is used by other reknowned producers like Siduri, Kosta-Browne, and Sojourn. While this wine could age another year or two easily, and will no doubt become better with a little time, it’s perfectly drinkable now. The alcohol comes in at a somewhat restrained 14.5%, so for all those high-alcohol nuts out there, don’t fret; it’s nowhere near as big as the 15.8% one from Trahan that I recently had.
But it is a big bodied, full flavor Pinot for sure, with a very smooth, round, and expansive flavor on the palate with a medium finish, and medium acidity It also lacked the barnyard/hay smell that I associate with a lot of PN, and don’t like. Not quite as food friendly as their Carneros version, but delicious nonetheless, and worth every penny – especially considering a Sojourn RC wine would cost almost double. It’s also much smaller production than their others, at only 436 cases I think. The cost: $29.99
2010 Carneros Pinot Noir
The Carneros Pinot opens with big ripe strawberry and raspberry, with a bit of that distinct “funk” on the nose, and mild earthy/dust/chalk tones and something that reminds me of apple rinds. The flavor is balanced throughout the palate, and lingers for a relatively long time afterwards. It’s not as big on the ripe flavors as it’s RC cousin, but I feel it might be more balanced overall. A very food-friendly wine for sure. This is one that Huffington Post wine reviewer Richard Jennings gave 92 points on Cellartracker (http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1182073)
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You just can’t go wrong with a Garnet Pinot. It’s rare to find a good Sonoma Pinot for less than $20, let alone one that you might qualify as “great”. It’s big on flavor and finish, but doesn’t have 15%+ alcohol that some Pinots (central coast especially) have, which I think tends to stray from the way this wine should be made. Alison Crowe, the winemaker, has done a great job with this one.
Have I had better Pinots? Yes, I have – but not for the price.
2010 Monterey Pinot Noir
Well, for $14.99, you can’t go wrong, but you could go a lot more right if you spend the extra $5 for the Carneros one. This Pinot is pretty average, and doesn’t have the balance that the Carneros one has or the powerful flavor of the Rogers Creek. It’s a bit more fruit-forward, with less acidity, and not as complex flavors.

Lawer Family Wine gifts

Well it’s almost that time of year again, when the Holiday season springs upon us and we’re faced with lots of decisions about what to buy for friends and family. Today, we’ll look at some wine-related gifts and see how they crossover into other lifestyles. In particular, these gifts will appeal to your friends who enjoy a nice glass of wine.

Winemakers like to have fun with their labels, and often name them after certain things – from the “Prisoner” to “OMG” I have seen quite a few memorable ones. But I recently came across one brand that had several interesting labels, each with a story behind it and a relation to something totally separate from wine. The brand was Lawer Family Wines, and they are a small producer out of Calistoga CA. They make a limited production of their wines, and have won plenty of awards and medals for most of them. So you know they’re putting out some quality juice.

The three wine labels represent the family’s history on a number of levels. As they state on their site, “Our three limited production wines, Three Coins, Hooker and Duck Shack, were each inspired by generations of family pursuits in gold mining, rugby and spirited fun at the duck shack during hunting season.”

If you know a duck hunter, or a hunter in general, then consider this offering from Lawer Family Wines. The “Duck Shack” line of wine they have is named after the family hunting outpost that, as legend has it, exploded mysteriously at one point. But really, it’s a wine that celebrates friends and family coming together to honor a tradition like duck hunting. They also have a group of “Hooker wines“; and no, they aren’t named after some lady in Las Vegas. A “hooker” is a player on a rugby team, and pays tribute to the marriage between Betsy Lawer and her husband, a former rugby player. Thus, they named one of their wines after this favorite sport of theirs. Lastly, they offer a “Three coins” wine, perfect for all those coin collectors you know.

Curious about what their wines were like, I sourced a bottle of their 2010 Hooker Cabernet. It was an all-around great wine, and I found out later that it won some recent Gold medals at California wine competitions. A bit big on alcohol, coming in around mid 15%, although it wasn’t very “hot” in the mouth. The flavor was big and rich, with a good texture and fairly soft tannins that didn’t leave the mouth feeling parched.

So next time you’re in the market for a unique gift for a rugby player, a duck hunter, or an avid coin/gold collector, consider these offerings from Lawer Family Wines.