varietal character index

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Feature In

Lehigh Valley
New AVA calls to Manhattanites for a Day in the Wine Country By Clark Smith

A taste of Livermore Valley

Livermore Valley
The New Old Livermore Valley By Laura Ness

J Vineyards and Winery

Russian River Valley
THE ABCS of J By Rosina T. Wilson

Green Valley of Russian River Valley
Iron Horse: Everything Old is New Again.

Really. By Dan Berger

Nicholson Ranch in Sonoma Valley

Sonoma Valley
Nicholson Ranch: A Marriage of Three Sonoma Appellations By Rosina T. Wilson

Littorai Wines' Ted Lemon

Sonoma Coast
Burgundy And Biodynamics:
Ted Lemon Of Littorai Wines By Rosina T. Wilson

Pinot Noir's Regional Pedigree

California
Pinot Noir's Regional Pedigree By Dan Berger

Mendocino Ridge
Mendocino Ridge AVA is Zinfandel Heaven By Rhoda Stewart

Freestone Vineyards by Joseph Phelps

Sonoma County
A Napa Valley Winery Puts a Sonoma County Winery on the Map By Dan Berger

Gainey Vineyard

Santa Ynez Valley
Gainey Vineyard
Runs Hot and Cold* By Dennis Schaefer

Round Barn Winery in Michigan

Lake Michigan Shore
Round Barn Winery’s
World is Not Flat By Eleanor & Ray Heald

Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Paradise

Santa Cruz Mountains
The Renaissance Grape:
Pinot Noir Raises the Stature of the Santa Cruz Mountains By Laura Ness

Obsidian Ridge in Red Hills of Lake County

Red Hills Lake County
Obsidian Ridge’s
Rocky Mountain High By Alan Goldfarb

Gallo of Sonoma wants to expand the Russian River Valley AVA

Russian River Valley
Gallo Wants a Russian River
Valley AVA Expansion By Dan Berger

Monterey
Monterey Hones Its Identity By Laurie Daniel

Santa Lucia Highlands
Santa Lucia Highlands Vintners Carve Out Artisan Niche In Monterey By Laurie Daniel

Carmody-McKnight Pinot Terroir

Paso Robles
Carmody-McKnight: Digging Deep into Terroir for a New Motif By Laura Ness

Willamette Valley Pinots Come of Age

Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley
Pinot Noir Story By Alan Goldfarb

Prince Edward County Wineries Achieve Finesse and Flavor with Low Alcohol Wines

Prince Edward County
Prince Edward County Wineries Achieve Finesse and Flavor
with Low Alcohol Wines By Craig Pinhey

America
The Third Wave By Dan Berger

Josh Jensen's Calera Wine Company

Mount Harlan
A Conversation With Josh Jensen:
The Original ‘Soilest’ By Alan Goldfarb

Muccigrosso Vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains

Santa Cruz Mountains
Muccigrosso Vineyards: Tiny Winery, Big Personalities By Laura Ness

Sweet Cheeks Winery

Willamette Valley
Hitting the Sweet Spot
at Sweet Cheeks Winery By Gregory McCluney

Mountains of Difference

Napa Valley
Napa Valley High:
Mountains of Difference By Roger Dial

August Briggs wines

St. Helena ~ Napa Valley
August Briggs: It’s both the winemaker and the vineyard By Alan Goldfarb

Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

Russian River Valley
Russian River Valley
Pinot Noir Gets Its Dew By Dan Berger

Cherry Creek Cellars

Michigan
Cherry Creek Cellars Sees
Green in Its Red Wines By Eleanor & Ray Heald

Benjamin Bridge in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia
A Bridge Not Too Far By Craig Pinhey

Wente Vineyards' Karl Wente

Livermore Valley
Taking Wente Vineyards to the Nth Degree By Laura Ness

Pennsylvania
Ring Around the Rosés:
Blush Wines are Coloring
Eastern Wine Production By David Falchek

Welcom to Umpqua Valley

Umpqua Valley
Go Ahead, Say It: Umpqua
Better You Should Taste It By Dan Berger

New Mexico wineries

New Mexico
Bringing the people to the wine:
How New Mexico connects wines, tourism and its unique cuisine By Eleanor & Ray Heald

Santa Cruz Mountains
Meet Rachel Ormes
Earth Mother of the Vines By Laura Ness

Thomas Fogarty Winery

Santa Cruz Mountains
Winemaker Michael Martella:
The Soul of Thomas Fogarty Winery By Laura Ness

Syrah symposium

Santa Ynez Valley
The Syrah Conundrum:
When Will it Get Respect? By Dennis Schaefer

Sanford and Benedict Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills AVA

Sta. Rita Hills
The Pursuit of Perfection:
The Evolution of
Sanford and Benedict Vineyard By Dennis Schaefer

Calera Wine Company

Mount Harlan
The Limestone Chronicles:
How Josh Jensen Mines
His Coveted Pinot Noir By Laurie Daniel

Inniskillin Ice Wine

Ontario
Kings of the "Ice":
Donald Ziraldo and Karl Kaiser By Tony Aspler

Global Climate Change

America
As the Climate Changes
So Does Our Wine By Dan Berger

Cambria Winery and Vineyards

Santa Maria Valley
Cambria Winery – It All Comes
Back to Terroir By Michael Lasky

Old Mission Peninsula
Bowers Harbor: The Focused Evolution of a Michigan Vineyard By Eleanor & Ray Heald

Arista Winery in Healdsburg, CA

Russian River Valley
Arista Winery is Pinot Noir
Ground Zero By Michael Lasky

Golden Mile Winery

Okanagan Valley
Michael Bartier is
The Okanagan Mixmaster By John Schreiner

Zaca Mesa Winery and Vineyards

Santa Ynez Valley
Clay Brock is on Top of the World...
er, the Mesa By Dennis Schaefer

Wild Horse Valley is in Napa Valley...sort of

Wild Horse Valley ~ Napa Valley
The Siberia of the Napa Valley
Has Wild Horse Valley’s Time Come? By Alan Goldfarb

Carneros is the sweet spot for Pinot and Chardonnay.

Carneros ~ Los Carneros
Carneros AVA -- The Sweet Spot
for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay By Alan Goldfarb

Welcome to Napa Valley

Napa Valley
Pop Quiz: Do appellation differences exist in the Napa Valley? By Alan Goldfarb

Damiani Wine Cellars has some serious red wines.

Finger Lakes
Damiani Wine Cellars Forges Red Wine
Reputation in The Finger Lakes By Craig Pinhey

Welcome to Shady Lane Cellars.

Leelanau Peninsula
Unique Terroir Dynamics Define
Shady Lane Cellars Wine By Eleanor & Ray Heald

The caves at Del Dotto Vineyards & Winery

St. Helena ~ Napa Valley
Gerard Zanzonico’s Winemaking Adventures in Xanadu By Alan Goldfarb

Gray Monk Cellars' business continues to grow and so must its buildings.

Okanagan Valley
Gray Monk Estate –
Winery as Terroir By John Schreiner

The Renaissance (Winery) in North Yuba AVA

North Yuba
The "Renaissance" of the
Sierra Foothills’ North Yuba AVA By Jean Deitz Sexton

Prudy Fox is the Goddess of the vineyard.

Santa Cruz Mountains
Have Clippers, Will Travel:
Prudy Foxx Prunes Vineyards
to New Levels of Perfection By Laura Ness

Tony Craig of Sonnet Cellars.

Santa Cruz Mountains
Shadowing the Master:
Uncovering Tony Craig’s Cellar Secrets By Laura Ness

Christian Roguenant

Edna Valley
The Master of Edna Valley
An Interview with Christian Roguenant By Laurie Daniel

Pinot Noir is a richly coveted grape.

Russian River Valley
Is Red Burgundy Dead?
The Rise of Non-French Pinot Noir By Dan Berger

York Mountain AVA is a small AVA to the west of Paso Robles.

York Mountain
What’s Up on York Mountain? By Laurie Daniel

Blue Mountain Vineyard is radically altering their vineyard plantings.

Okanagan Valley
Blue Mountain Vineyard Packs ‘Em In By John Schreiner

Santa Lucia Highlands
The Pinot Noir Lowdown on
the Santa Lucia Highlands By Laurie Daniel

Trademarking a vineyard to protect its name and reputation.

Carneros ~ Los Carneros
Trademarked Vineyards
A hedge against the devaluation
of “Vineyard Designates” By Alan Goldfarb

An interview with Doug Meador, Meador Estate winery

Arroyo Seco
Doug Meador is convinced:
Monterey is one of the world’s great wine areas. By Laurie Daniel

An interview with Ray Signorello Jr. of Signorello Vineyards

Napa Valley
Signorello Vineyards: No Sub-AVA, No Problem By Alan Goldfarb

Mac McDonald of Vision Cellars - an interview

Sonoma County
Seeing in Color:
Mac McDonald of Vision Cellars By Laura Ness

Highland Estates wines are KJ's AVA designated wines.

California
KJ Takes the "High" Road:
Consumers' Terroir Education with Highland Estates Wines By Alan Goldfarb

Sonoma Mountain and Bennett Valley in Sonoma Valley AVA

Sonoma Valley
Two Little Known Sub-Appellations
Reveal the Diversity of Sonoma Valley By Dan Berger

The story of a one of a kind vineyard and its success.

Santa Maria Valley
My, has the Bien Nacido Vineyard come a long way in three decades. By Dan Berger

Bien Nacido Vineyard's custom farming is like white glove service.

Santa Maria Valley
Bien Nacido: The Vineyard is the Brand By Dennis Schaefer

The Chalone AVA's terroir lends itself to age worthy wines.

Chalone
Chaloneage: Monterey County’s Chalone AVA shows a propensity for longevity By Laurie Daniel

Come to Pinot Paradise

Santa Cruz Mountains
See You In Paradise! By Laura Ness

Esterlina Vineyards in the Cole Ranch AVA

Cole Ranch
The Tiniest Appellation in the US:
Diversity in the Cole Ranch AVA By Laura Ness

Bryon Winery has had numerous owners but the wine quality remained strong.

Santa Maria Valley
Byron Vineyard and Winery:
Perseverance Pays Off By Dennis Schaefer

Interview with Jason Melvin, vineyard manager for Estancia

Monterey
Estancia: The “Pinnacles” of Success By Laurie Daniel

Remi Cohen is the vineyard manager for Merryvale Vineyards.

Napa Valley
Merryvale’s Vineyard Guru Remi Cohen – She’s Young and Good* By Alan Goldfarb

Bodegas Aguirre's rightly coveted Petite Sirah

Livermore Valley
The Doctor is In...and So is Petite Sirah By Laura Ness

The shaly loam beneath Lockwood Vineyard defines it.

San Lucas
Lockwood Vineyard – Wine on the Rocks By Laurie Daniel

The harsh winds of Arroyo Seco.

Arroyo Seco
Three decades defining the Arroyo Seco appellation: An interview with Jerry Lohr By Laurie Daniel

Peter Luthi precise knowledge of terroir of Trefethen

Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley
A Precise and Intimate Knowledge of the Oak Knoll District: An interview with Peter Luthi By Alan Goldfarb

Oregon's Wine Culture

Oregon
Oregon Wines: Exploring Terroir of the Land and the Mind By Cole Danehower

Dutton-Goldfield winemaker, Dan Goldfield

Russian River Valley
Discovering Russian River Pinot with Dan Goldfield By Dan Berger

Featured Pinot Noir

Harrington Winery 2006 Pinot Noir (San Francisco Bay)
A powerful nose of dried cranb

buy wine

$40.00

Morgan Winery 2006 Pinot Noir, Double L Vineyard Estate (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Santa Lucia Highlands' only Certified Organic vineyard, Double L Vineyard represents the purest expression of S-L-H terroir.

buy wine

$62.00

Latest Pinot Noir Recommendations (Reviews)

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