The Wine Independent

08/11/2024

Continuing with excellent holiday wines, our Champagne reviewer, Sarah Mayo, has also penned a beautifully written and informative article about one of the region’s most iconic Grandes Marques houses: 🥂 Champagne Bollinger. Each year Denis Bunner, Chef de Cave at Bollinger, engages nature to capture and bottle the thousands of tiny qualitative elements available in the vintage and realize a unique Bollinger sensation.This includes a review of the just-released 2015 Bollinger La Grande Annee.

The Wine Independent

07/11/2024

Save & Impress - here are 25 great QPR/value picks for under $50 that you can stock-up on for the holidays, including 🍷reds, whites, 🍾 sparkling, and sweet wines ➡ https://bit.ly/3YV0M67
With Thanksgiving fast approaching and December right around the corner, now’s a good time to start stocking up on wines to share with friends and family. We’re all looking for the Holy Grail of wine this holiday season - value in our fancy stemware without scrimping on quality. It’s been a year of pushing back on price increases and asking, “Come on, is that really worth it?” So, what better way to see through the holiday season than sharing some bargain wine finds that overdeliver to the point that they not only satiate—they impress.

Happy bargain wine hunting & let the holidays begin!

05/11/2024

We’ve got reviews of two new Nid Tissé wines and the story behind them. Marie-Laure Ammons grew up in the rural Limousin region of France before moving to Napa Valley with her husband, Fredric Ammons (also a winemaker), to work and start a family. A few years ago, she launched her Nid Tissé label with Chardonnays from Hyde and Bacigalupi Vineyards in northern California, then added a Pinot Noir from Radian Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills. She seized the opportunity to look homeward with her latest releases of a Pouilly-Fuissé and a Pomerol.

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The Wine Independent

04/11/2024

- This area of California’s Central Coast remains a treasure trove for quality bargain hunters, especially those who love Rhône varieties. But Lisa further found wines that think outside the Rhône box, including Rococo’s collection of gorgeous Chenin Blancs reviewed with this article.

This is the first article in our series of mini-stories about different producers in Paso Robles, with coverage of some familiar labels and some new gems, following tastings a few months ago. The first article covers Caliza Winery, Willow Creek Wine Co. and Nicora Winery.

The Wine Independent

29/10/2024

Every wine lover needs an honest, salt-of-the-earth wine they can always rely on. Talley Vineyards Estate Chardonnay is one of at Lisa Perrotti-Browns. It’s a traditionally crafted Chardonnay that over-delivers for around $30-35 while going that extra mile to express a sense of place and vintage. Without knowing, you could easily think it’s double the price. Each year, Lisa expects to see the price jump, yet it has remained one of the best, most accessible bargains for classically outstanding Chardonnay.
A few weeks ago, she met Brian Talley, the second-generation owner of Talley Vineyards, to taste his entire range. Sure enough, from bottom to top, Talley’s winning combination of beautifully ripe yet distinctly cool-climate fruit, no-tricks winemaking, and very fair pricing makes his Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs well worth seeking out.

The Wine Independent

18/10/2024

This week’s feature covers three Northern California labels - Maritana Vineyards, Secret Door Winery, and Terminim Winery - made from Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Rhône varieties, respectively. They are all made by Donald Patz.
Those who drink Northern California Chardonnays and Pinots will likely know Patz & Hall—one of the area’s largest producers of high-quality wines from these varieties. More than 30 years ago, Flora Springs’ assistant winemaker, James Hall, and their VP of sales and marketing, Donald Patz, struck up a friendship while living in Napa, which soon developed into a business venture. From small-fry beginnings in the 1980s, their label grew into a widely distributed and recognized premium wine brand. In 2016, the Patz & Hall name and winery were purchased by one of the USA’s biggest wine companies, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. After Ste. Michelle Wine Estates was sold in 2021, it began shedding its California assets. Patz & Hall was bought back by James Hall in March 2024. But, by then, Donald Patz had already moved on.

The Wine Independent

16/10/2024

- We are excited to announce that we have appointed Vanessa Conlin MW
as our new reviewer for Italy.

Vanessa began her wine career in New York City as a wine buyer for two retailers and the Wine Director for a Manhattan wine bar. Drawn to the vineyards, she relocated to Napa Valley in 2010, where she held leadership roles as Director of Sales and Marketing for prestigious wineries, including Arietta Wines and Dana Estates. Vanessa later transitioned into the online space as Chief Wine Officer at Wine Access for six years. Following that, she served as the Global Head of Wine Retail for Sotheby’s, where she remains a consultant. In Napa Valley, she is the Director of Growth and Partnerships for Simon Family Estate and serves on the Board of Jameson Humane, a local non-profit, and has chaired its annual charity wine auction ten times. In 2024, she hosted Auction Napa Valley, supporting youth mental health initiatives in the region.

Vanessa will travel to Tuscany next month to cover the new releases from Brunello as well as produce feature articles about wineries with compelling stories to tell. She will be accompanied by one of our professional photographers, proving emotive images to enhance your reading experience.

14/10/2024

This week a collection of Napa Valley producers will release wines from the 2014 vintage as part of the initiative with Napa Valley Vintners. Lisa Perrotti-Brown took the opportunity last month to head over to NVV’s office in St. Helena to taste 47 of the wines being offered, which allowed valuable insight into how the vintage is tracking. From inception, the relative greatness of Napa’s 2014s has been a little difficult to read. This is partly because 2014 emerged from the shadow of the critically acclaimed 2013 vintage, a year resulting in dense, rich Cabernets with formidable structures. The 2014 Cabs were comparatively so forward, fruity, and delicious from the get-go that it was challenging to gauge the structure, age-ability, and underlying gravitas of even the top players.
For those wondering what they can expect from their 2014s or what to stock up on, read on!

The Wine Independent

04/10/2024

Planted in the 1940s, Stony Hill is one of Napa Valley’s oldest remaining wineries from a bygone era of trailblazers. The 160-acre parcel on Spring Mountain was purchased in 1943 by Fred and Eleanor McCrea, originally to be used as a summer home. After the war, Fred wanted to find a use for the land and decided to plant grapes. Said to be the first post-Prohibition development in Napa, the McCreas planted Chardonnay in 1948 with cuttings from Wente Winery in Livermore, along with Riesling (originating from Inglenook), a little Gewurztraminer, and a few other white grapes. Even then, it was uncommon to devote an entire vineyard to white varieties, but from the outset, it was clear that Stony Hill would march to a different drummer.

The Wine Independent

20/09/2024

One of the modern-day legends of California’s Rhône Rangers, Saxum’s founder, Justin Smith, has revolutionized the quality and expression of Paso Robles wines. In launching the Saxum Vineyards label over twenty years ago, he lifted the reputation of Central Coast wines overall. In 2015, a new, state-of-the-art winery/cellar was carved into one of the vineyard’s steep hillsides, allowing for a seriously cool (in both senses of the word) atmosphere for Justin to forge his creative expressions based around the rock-solid, calcareous soils of his family vineyard and other sites he selects for his labels. Recent developments include two new wines in the Saxum portfolio and the Smith family’s new vineyard purchases. Read on to discover more about the new wines and vineyard purchases.

The Wine Independent

16/09/2024

These last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of Napa 2022 tastings for our reveiewer Lisa. One of her first tastings was with Scott Becker and Benoit Touquette at Realm, mainly because they’ve pushed their 2022 releases out early but also because she usually finds their range to be a telling litmus test of what can be expected of the vintage. Realm was one of the few wineries that chose not to release anything from the smoke-taint blighted 2020 vintage and the aftermath of such a substantial financial hit was that they had to bring forward their 2022 release dates. Coming on the heels of an impressive but small 2021 crop, 2022 was tracking to be a relatively effortless vintage for Napa Valley until Mother Nature decided to throw growers a heatwave curve ball during the first week of September. Read on to discover how Realm tackled the challenging 2022 vintage and for a preview of what’s in the pipeline for Napa lovers looking to make buying decisions on the new releases.

The Wine Independent

13/09/2024

“Philipponnat wines drink with charming precision,” Sarah finds. “Like vinous scrimshaw carved in Champagne chalk, the House that is mostly known for the Clos des Goisses cuvée produces an impressive range of Pinot Noir-dominant Champagnes that brim with filigree acid/fruit balance and delightful energy. “Winemaker Charles Philipponnat is not looking to create the avant-garde; he is about classic Champagnes with finesse. And he hits his mark.” In today’s article ‘ Champagne Scrimshaw’ our Champagne reviewer, Sarah Mayo, reveals the story behind Champagne Philipponnat. From blending to dosage, Charles discusses his stylish approach to winemaking and why Clos de Goisses is such a special vineyard. Beyond the Clos, Philipponnat also produces standout single-plot cuvées and non-vintage blends, maintaining a focus on sustainable viticulture. Read more and find out how this champagne house is faring following the challenging growing conditions in 2023 and 2024. ⬇️

The Wine Independent

09/09/2024

PasttoPresent - Tasting the new releases of Sine Qua Non, The Third Twin, and Next of Kyn with owners Elaine and Manfred Krankl and checking in on some of the older Sine Qua Non vintages from the early 2000s to see how they have developed. The Krankls arranged a tasting of twelve wines from 2000 to 2008, including some of their most collectible labels to date. The fruit sources, winemaking facilities, and techniques have changed over the last quarter of a century, yet Manfred Krankl’s creative blending and pedal-to-the-metal style remains at the core of each singular wine from past to present. Sine Qua Non lovers know that most of the releases are out-of-the-gate decadently delicious, but is it worth cellaring these densely layered, hedonic creations, or is it better to drink them on the young side? Find out in today’s article ‘ The Aging Conundrum’.

The Wine Independent

06/09/2024

🍷🇦🇷With the 2021 Cheval des Andes being released this week, Lisa recently spoke with dedicated winemaker Gérald Gabillet and the managing director of Château Cheval Blanc, Pierre-Olivier Clouet. For the last eight years, they have been aiming to give their Argentine estate in Mendoza a new identity, edging it closer to the family values and expression of its Bordeaux namesake. “It was Pierre-Olivier’s idea to apply some Cheval Blanc ideas to what we do,” said Gérald Gabillet. “So, we tried to go back to the roots of this project. Ultimately, we want to let the natural balance of the grapes come through in the wines.” This 2021 is an impressive step in that direction.

The Wine Independent

03/09/2024

Unless you live up there, getting anywhere on Howell Mountain is a journey. Remote though it may be, seeing the Howard Backen designed Outpost Estate Wines is worth the trek. And the mountain-top vineyard, well, that’s a Cabernet fanatic’s wish come true. Today’s article is about Frank Dotzler’s wine journey from Chicago to Howell Mountain in the late 1990s and early 2000s which has resulted in one of Napa Valley’s most exciting vineyard revivals in recent years: Outpost. Frank and his wife Kathy bought Outpost from the Pringles in the early 2000s, and they set about building a new winery. A little more than a decade later, in 2018, AXA Millésimes, made the Dotzlers an offer they couldn’t refuse. “When I first met Christian Seely (Managing Director of AXA Millésimes), he said that AXA wanted to make Outpost a part of the group but also leave us to work autonomously,” Frank tells me. “Christian hoped to find a property that complemented what they were doing in Bordeaux—making a world-class Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine from a great terroir. This is what he saw in Outpost.”

The Wine Independent

30/08/2024

6 top gin picks for wine lovers! We’ve just published our first article about gin, just in time for Labor Day Weekend in the USA. Our critic, Lisa, likes to think of gin as the white spirit designed for wine lovers. Each uniquely blended, aromatic concoction of fragrant botanicals is akin to discovering a new singular wine expression. What’s more, many of the international style craft/artisanal gins emerging from around the world today go a step further and use locally grown or foraged ingredients that, similar to wine, can transmit a sense of place and transport you. Apart from their quality, these story-telling gins are the types Lisa believes could be most interesting to wine lovers, which is why she’s chosen to highlight them, KI NO BI The Kyoto Distillery, Silk Road Gin, JCB Collection, Gray Whale Gin, Tin City Distillery.
Happy Gin Hunting!

The Wine Independent

23/08/2024

“At first, I wasn’t convinced about Coombsville Pinot,” laughs Nico when I ask what lured him from Sonoma to the dark side. “But then I saw this place.” "The soils here are some of the most extraordinary soils I’ve encountered." Haynes Vineyard was among the first commercial vineyards in one of the valley’s coolest sub-regions: Coombsville. The fruit from this site was sold to local wineries for nearly fifty years. And so, until recently, it never had a chance to reveal its voice. However this has changed. In 2019 Gaylon Lawrence purchased the site and Carlton McCoy, MS, CEO and managing partner of Lawrence Family Wines, coaxed Kosta Browne’s Nico Cueva over as winemaker to help this singular site find its own voice. Haynes has been producing its own label since the 2020 vintage and we tasted the current releases, including their three 2021 Chardonnays and the 2022 Pinot Noir and Syrah.

The Wine Independent