CLEVELAND, Ohio — This month’s wine review covers eight varietals and a blend ranging from $10 to $25. Note: Our monthly reviews focus on wines $25 and under. All should be available on local store shelves. We list the flavors we detect and offer our favorites at the end.

Raeburn Pinot Noir

Raeburn Winery, California, Pinot Noir, 2019, $24.99

Lavender on the nose with dried cherry with subtle notes of coffee and light cinnamon spice. Goes well with salmon. It’s getting harder and harder to find good, cheap Pinots these days, so this price is becoming the norm. This wine comes from a kind of pinot noir capital, the Russian River Valley in California.

Citra

Citra Vini, Italy, Trebbiano, 2017, $10

Lime is dominant with lemon playing second fiddle in this extremely light wine. We found it a little jaded with a bit of gasoline in the nose. It was a little better with food. We’ve had some decent and equally inexpensive offers from Citra, but we’ll pass on this particular vintage. Ultimately, we might give a later bottle a shot at this price. This variety may seem less known; it’s often used in brandy and balsamic vinegar, says Wine Folly.

Josh North Coast Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Josh Cellars, California, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019, $21.99

Certainly red fruits, red licorice and strawberry. A little menthol stands out with a hint of spice (the cellar says blackcurrant). The grapes come from Sonoma and Lake counties. Offerings from the cellar are a common menu find.

Buttered bread

Bread and Butter Wines, Napa Valley, CA; Sauvignon Blanc, 2019 and 2020, $15-$16

We did a side-by-side tasting:

2019: Lime, saline, riper fruit, slight hint of oil, good fruit, no grass.

2020: Floral nose, lime, more acid, greener fruit, slightly grassy but not as cloying as an Australian or New Zealand Sauv Blanc.

pound for pound

Hard Working Wines, Paso Robles, CA; Zinfandel, 2020, $25

Intriguing, with a savory cacophony: Aromas of candied fruit, black cherry on the palate, no spice, and a concentrated, thick, almost Port-like mouthfeel. A rich strawberry flavor on the finish.

Mettler

Mettler Family Vineyards, Lodi, CA; Petite Sirah, 2019, $24.99

Milk chocolate, a little smoke, dark fruits and an almost port taste. Some tannins float. Great mouthfeel – not as tannic as some examples from this varietal. Incredibly smooth, tastes more expensive. One of the best examples of this varietal we have tried.

Pairing

Le Paring, California; red mix, 2017, $25 We detected smoke, tomato and chocolate. The estate says: Cassis, tobacco and chocolate. It has undergone extensive barrel aging, but the oak is subtle and well blended. It is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot.

Luke

Luke Wines, Columbia Valley, Washington; Merlot, 2018, $25

Sweet notes of black licorice and a bit of earth stand out. The winery touts it as having dark red fruit. It’s made from 96% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc for good measure.

Chardonnay from Wente Eric

Wente Vineyards, California, Chardonnay, 2014, $25

This particular vintage will be hard to find; we found it at the end of our Char shelf, where it had been sitting quietly for a while. But the winery is reliable, producing wines since the 19th century. This unoaked Chardonnay, tasted eight years after its vintage, has (unsurprisingly) flavors of baked and macerated apple. A little acid, with just a little butterscotch on the finish. Was better with food; it goes wonderfully with chicken braised in white wine and potatoes. The winery produces several Chardonnays and is always a good bet.

Favorites: Mettler Petite Sirah.

Wine reviews 2022

Wines for February: A dozen different wines from 4 countries

January wines: 9 different wines from $9 to $22

Filmed wine: The 2012 documentary “Somm” takes viewers through the process of being an aspiring sommelier. It is available for rental or purchase online.

Do you like wine? Options vary for purchasing wine. Online retailers provide the ability to choose what you want, manage cases, and find discounts. Here is a selection to consider:

brightcellars.com: The monthly club offers you wines after taking a “palate quiz”.

Cellierwineclub.com: Allows you to choose the number of bottles you want.

exoticwine.club.com: offers subscription wine boxes from wineries located in less accessible markets.

splashwines.com: choose a curated case or create your own.

winc.com: Four wines tailored to your tastes are shipped monthly. Has a review component.

wine.com: Large online sellers often offer discounts to new customers.

wineawesomeness.com: Organized shipments of three and six bottles.

wineenthusiast.com: Complete site for accessories – shelves, glasses, openers, storage, gifts.

wineonsale.com: Allows you to select by grape variety or by region.

zachys.com: Includes a variety of ways to search/buy, as well as auction information.

I am on cleveland.comfrom the Life and Culture team and covers topics related to food, beer, wine and sport. If you want to see my stories, here is a directory on cleveland.com. On Air: WTAM-1100’s Bill Wills and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 a.m. Thursday mornings. Twitter: @mbona30.

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“If anyone knows what California cuisine is, it’s her,” said Cindy Pawlcyn, the chef at Napa’s Mustard’s Grill, who considered Schmitt a mentor. “She was cooking when everyone was starting to put it in the food. She kept it Americana, California, local, and farm-to-table.

Former Chronicle reviewer Michael Bauer wrote that Schmitt was “a true trailblazer”, serving a daily changing five-course menu at the French Laundry, automatically adding a 15% service charge, and offering an entirely wine list. Californian. She invited diners into the kitchen after meals and started an herb garden on the property — Keller’s traditions continued when he bought the restaurant in 1994. Pawlcyn said Schmitt inspired her to become a chef at a time when there were few female chefs.

Family members described Schmitt as generous, gentle, and strong-willed. She was always busy, whether it was renovating an old building or peeling apples for chutney, and had a knack for creating beautiful spaces. She made the simplest rituals feel rich, encouraging people to bring out the beautiful plates, her daughter Kathy Hoffman said.

“She instilled in me the passion to live every day amidst the beauty that you create for yourself,” she said. “You can go on a trip, you can have a luxury car, but what’s most important is the quality of life you live on a daily basis.”

Born in Roseville, Schmitt grew up surrounded by fruit trees and chickens. Eating freshly grown food was a way of life. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in home economics, got married, and moved to Fresno, where Don worked in banking. She loved cooking and hosting dinner parties, but the idea of ​​becoming a chef never crossed her mind.

The Schmitts moved to Yountville in 1967, attracted by a redevelopment project called Vintage 1870, which is now the upscale mall known as V Marketplace. She suggested the cook at Vintage Cafe use romaine lettuce instead of iceberg lettuce and shape the burger patties by hand. He went out. It was then that Schmitt became a chef.

Three years later, she opened her first full-scale restaurant, the Chutney Kitchen, which has become a favorite with local winemakers. Frustrated with the lack of dinner options in Yountville, Schmitt began hosting Friday night dinners with a five-course menu and Napa Valley wines, which laid the foundation for French laundry.

She and Don spent four years renovating the crumbling stone building that would become the French Laundry. She advertised entrees ahead of time — Pawlcyn said she made “the best lamb shanks in the world” — but the rest of the menu was often noted just before service, Kathy Hoffman said. Schmitt was constantly tweaking and adding twists to make the dining experience fresh. The restaurant was a hit, with diners having to make reservations months in advance and big names in the restaurant business like Julia Child, Robert Mondavi and Jeremiah Tower wanting a table.

She was demanding and Kathy Hoffman said it might be hard to work for her. Schmitt even fired Kathy Hoffman’s husband, who came a few nights a week to help wash the dishes, because his washing didn’t live up to his expectations.

While on a coastal vacation, the Schmitts stumbled across the Apple Farm in the Mendocino County town of Philo and bought it on impulse. It was dilapidated, the crops heavily sprayed with chemicals, but Schmitt fell in love with its location against the Navarro River. It became the center of her life, and she and Don sold the French laundry so they could retire to the farm after 16 years.

It wasn’t exactly a retreat. She opened a bed and breakfast and offered cooking classes for 15 years alongside her daughter Karen Bates. Students came from all over the world to cook with her. Now the farm is a hub for the whole family, with several family members across generations living there.

While Kathy Hoffman said every member of the family was influenced by Schmitt, it might be most evident with Perry Hoffman, who became the youngest chef to earn a Michelin star at 25 and now runs the hotel’s restaurant. Boonville. He remembers staying at the French laundry when he was 12, admiring his grandmother’s work and thinking he had to become a chef to carry on his legacy. Now he feels inspired by the timelessness of his food. Just last week, he served artichokes with aioli, a dish Schmitt made in 1978.

Several years ago, he began to reflect on another way Schmitt inspired him: her approach to work-life balance and how efficiently she handled her tasks so she could disconnect. at home.

“Life and her family were so much more important than the kitchens she worked in, as much as she loved them,” he said. “I’m constantly inspired to find more balance in my own life because she did it so well.”

For Schmitt’s 80th birthday, Kathy Hoffman collected her recipe cards that family members exchanged. She collected 400 recipes when her son, Byron, suggested she create a book. At the birthday party at Apple Farm, they asked Schmitt to work with them on a book full of recipes and stories to pass on to future generations. But as they began to tell more people about it, it was clear the book needed a wider audience, even as Schmitt resisted the spotlight.

“She was humble,” Kathy Hoffman said. “She hadn’t realized her place in the food community was as big as it was.”

Schmitt spent 10 years working on his first cookbook and memoir, “Six California Kitchens: A Collection of Recipes, Stories, and Cooking Lessons from a Pioneer of California Cuisine.” The book finally comes out on April 5.

“I’ve always cooked farm-to-table, starting long before I heard the phrase. Many people think I had a message to communicate, but in reality, my only impulse was to do what I do the best and help our family survive,” she wrote in the book.

“Overall, I really did what I loved to do, which was always just cooking good food for those I loved. That’s what counted. That’s all that mattered.

Schmitt’s family is planning a small private memorial service. She is survived by her sister Kay Stone; his five children and their partners Kathy and Bill Hoffman, Johnny and Marcus Magdaleno, Karen and Tim Bates, Eric and Melissa Schmitt, and Terry and Debey Zito; his 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

ST. HELENA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Duckhorn Portfolio, Inc. (NYSE: NAPA) (the “Company”), North America’s leading luxury wine company, today announced that Gayle Bartscherer will join the Company as its next Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and DTC and will assume the role in the coming weeks. . Bartscherer brings over 20 years of wine industry-focused experience to The Duckhorn Portfolio, having previously held key leadership positions in business development, cellar operations, brand management, marketing and marketing and international sales.

Most recently, Bartscherer spent the last few years managing a team of 60 as SVP International Sales, Marketing and Business Development at Jackson Family Wines (JFW). During her 14 years at JFW, Bartscherer held several key positions, including Chief Brand Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, and Vice President of International Marketing and Business Development. After starting out in the accounting industry, Bartscherer began her wine career at Blue Lifestyle, where she worked alongside James Beard Award-winning author, columnist and television personality Anthony Dias Blue as vice president of business development and events. Bartscherer also worked at enjoy your food Magazine and Santa Barbara-based Beckmen Vineyards in marketing and operations. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in French and Italian from the University of London.

“Gayle is an exceptional addition to our leadership team,” said Alex Ryan, the company’s president, CEO and chairman. “She is a strategic, driven and dynamic leader with a proven track record of identifying and capitalizing on market opportunities, particularly in the DTC channel. Gifted leader and responsible marketer with a deep understanding of luxury wine , she will contribute immensely to both our day-to-day operations and our broader strategic planning, while also focusing on the continued growth of our highly successful DTC program.Gayle’s early experiences as an accountant at Arthur Andersen, formerly one of the “Big Five” accounting firms, also ensures that she will bring the necessary financial rigor to her role to support our dual mission of growth and continuous quality improvement, and will be an invaluable addition to The Duckhorn portfolio.

“Like many others, I have been incredibly impressed with what The Duckhorn Portfolio has achieved and what it now represents in the luxury wine industry,” said Bartscherer. “Guided by the same pioneering spirit that made Duckhorn Vineyards an icon, The Duckhorn Portfolio is redefining the modern American luxury wine industry while setting new benchmarks for quality and consumer engagement. I am thrilled to join the team and help continue the tradition of excellence.

Ryan also referred to the invaluable contributions of outgoing Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer and Director of DTC, Carol Reber. “Over the past 12 years, Carol has been instrumental in transforming The Duckhorn Portfolio into the company we are today. She was instrumental in our success in establishing The Duckhorn Portfolio as the best one-stop luxury wine store in America. I can think of no greater compliment than to say that Carol has left our company stronger, more vibrant and more ready to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead than ever before. We are deeply grateful to Carol and wish her all the best.

About The Duckhorn Portfolio, Inc.

The Duckhorn Portfolio is North America’s premier luxury wine company, with ten wineries, eight state-of-the-art winemaking facilities, seven tasting rooms and over 900 acres of coveted vineyards spanning 23 estate properties. . Established in 1976 when winemakers Dan and Margaret Duckhorn founded Napa Valley’s Duckhorn Vineyards, our portfolio today includes some of North America’s most revered wineries including Decoy, Paraduxx, Goldeneye, Migration, Canvasback, Calera, Kosta Browne, Greenwing and Postmark. Sourcing grapes from our own vineyards and fine growers in Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Anderson Valley, California’s North and Central Coasts and Washington State, we offer a comprehensive and curated portfolio of acclaimed luxury wines with prices ranging from $20 to $200 across more than 15 varietals and 25 appellations. Our wines are available throughout the United States, on five continents and in more than 50 countries around the world. To find out more, visit us at: https://www.duckhornportfolio.com/. Investors can access information on our Investor Relations website at https://ir.duckhorn.com.

Behind each sommelier presenting a table bottle is a three-tier wine distribution system that guides luxury wine from the vineyard to the table that has deeply felt the rapid change of the past two years. The backbone of the restaurant and hospitality world, every leg of this chain has faced challenges ranging from COVID-19 closures to pricing; supply chain challenges; and a consideration of the role of diversity and inclusion in a space that has historically had high barriers to entry.

Enter Demeine Estates, an innovative fine wine company that sees these changes not as obstacles, but as a roadmap for building a better wine industry; the one they intend to lead.

“Fine wines continue to thrive due to a high quality blend and strong demand,” said Scott Diaz, senior vice president of global brand strategy and marketing. “While there are supply shortages in key premium categories like Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Champagne, Burgundy and Sauvignon Blanc, Demeine Estates is well positioned to meet consumer demand with a expansion of new wine partnerships.”

Founded in October 2020 as a marketing and sales agency for some of Napa’s most historic and exclusive wines, Demeine Estates has already added wines like Champagne Legras & Haas and Domaine de Montille to its import portfolio and continues to grow rapidly. With just over a year in business, they are recognized as leaders in sustainability, quality, and inclusivity (and they love and are extremely passionate about wine!). So how do you get a foothold in a tumultuous market? Let’s look at their journey.

It all starts with the wine. The roots were planted in 2018 when Nashville-based agricultural investor Gaylon Lawrence Jr purchased the Napa Heitz Cellar legacy and appointed master sommelier Carlton McCoy Jr to run it. Since then, Lawrence has incorporated three other historic properties into what is now called Lawrence Wine Estates (LWE): Stony Hill, Burgess and Haynes Vineyard. With 185 years of operation combined, these estates are benchmarks of Napa history and quality, but needed a renewed presence in a market that is showing renewed interest in classic-style domestic wine.

Under McCoy’s leadership, LWE also created two new independent brands: Ink Grade, a range of mountain wines from steeply sloping vineyards on the other side of Howell Mountain, and Brendel, a creative outlet for estate winemakers. aimed at bringing a new generation of consumers into the fold of high-quality, sustainably produced Napa wines.

Demeine Estates is responsible for spreading the word (and wine) of “New Napa” to the most important distributors in the country and to supplement the portfolio with import properties of equal prestige. The New Napa focuses on sustainability and the next generation of winemakers, hospitality experts and consumers, with a specific focus on quality and education. McCoy is the managing partner, and to lead the charge he has picked industrial might Philana Bouvier.

When Bouvier accepted the role of president, she became the first non-family female manager of a wine importer. When McCoy accepted the position of CEO of Heitz, he became Napa Valley’s first black cellar CEO. For McCoy and Bouvier, the most important thing about being the “first” is to ensure that it is followed by “many”.

Bouvier aimed to build a team based on talent, experience, aptitude and ambition. The resulting group is one of the most diverse (and female-led) in a pocket of the industry with many barriers to upward mobility. While other companies strive to retroactively increase diversity, Demeine Estates builds on it.

“Diversity is our DNA here at Demeine Estates. People come first in our organization, not company policy, and we’ve seen the results,” says Bouvier.

“Our sales and marketing teams are the best there are, not only because of their passion for winning, but also their ultimate respect for diverse perspectives. We believe in our employees and our partners, and we aim to ensure that our wine industry always accepts differences and celebrates culture from all walks of life.

The resulting team takes a fresh approach to a traditional space. Senior Vice President of Sales, Leila Pearson, leads a team of 10 across the country to land wines on the highest visibility lists through unparalleled distribution relationships. The measured size of the Demeine Estates portfolio allows full attention to be given to each brand, a rarity in a wine world that is gradually consolidating into fewer distributors and larger supplier portfolios.

Senior Vice President of Global Brand Strategy and Marketing Scott Diaz leads a three-person team responsible for accessing and creating new luxury wine consumers for “New Napa.” Alexa D’Acquisto, Senior Brand Manager, is an expert in brand creation and repositioning, and Shannon Pestoni, Brand Manager, co-founded, developed and sold Napa’s Jelly Jar Wines before joining the team. Audrey, Digital Marketing Specialist

Marek leverages social media and digital tools to create an unrivaled online footprint in a segment that often overlooks the power of virtual space.

The team is also keenly aware of its role in the wider wine industry, and that leadership cannot exist in a vacuum. In January 2022, they announced their Dream it, live it initiative, which serves to provide professional development opportunities specifically for women and people of color in the wine and hospitality industries that focus on entrepreneurship.

The goal is to create long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with program partners and foster a more inclusive wine and hospitality industry for all by providing access to growing businesses.

“Our progressive leadership builds trust and invites people, employees and partners, into the winery space who may not have felt like they belonged before,” says D’Acquisto. “In a relationship-based industry like ours, the results are valuable, meaningful connections that drive business while celebrating diverse backgrounds and unique perspectives.”

Their first partnership with Tish Wiggins of “Tish Around Town” resulted in the Celebration of Women in Wine trip, which takes place in Napa Valley from March 29 to April 2. With sponsorship from Demeine Estates, Tish, a wine educator, event curator, speaker and wine writer with a strong online and social media presence, will bring a group of 20 attendees to taste and learn with Heitz Cellar Director of Winemaking Brittany Sherwood, Burgess Winemaker Meghan Zobeck, Stony Hill Winemaker Jaimee Motley and Hospitality Manager Brendel Candace Keeton.

The Women in Wine Tour celebration will also highlight the new Heitz Cellars Tasting Lounge, a modern design and French laundry-inspired experience. Employing many hospitality professionals with Michelin star backgrounds, the space elevates the wine tasting and pairing experience beyond the vineyard while taking a root-to-glass approach. The tour’s emphasis on hospitality and luxury emphasizes the intertwined nature of good food, good wine and high quality.

“Attendees will enjoy a 3-course meal featuring the cuisine of award-winning chef Cindy Pawlcyn at the iconic Mustards Grill,” said Wiggins, who is a hospitality veteran and catering enthusiast.

Mustards Grill has been a Napa Valley staple for over 37 years, serving chef/owner Cindy Pawlcyn’s blend of regional American dishes fused with global influences. Favorites include the famous Mongolian pork chop with sweet and sour red cabbage; and house-herb marinated rabbit with Brussels sprout leaves, thyme-roasted parsnips and white-wine currants.

“We have strategically secured a boutique hotel in downtown Napa so attendees have access to some of the best dining and dining experiences Napa has to offer,” Wiggins continues. “Some of my favorites are Oentori and Charlie Palmer Steak, and I always like to end my evening at Cadet Wine + Beer Bar for drinks and late night bites.”

“I have a passion for creating fun and interactive ‘Sip, Socialize & Learn’ experiences. As a wine educator, my tours are different because each experience embodies my desire to create a fun experience that is also informative. and educational.”

So with all this momentum, what’s next for Demeine Estates? Grow their import portfolio through strong relationships with wineries that share their values ​​of sustainability, history and quality. Diaz, who served as senior vice president of marketing at a prestigious importer with a large portfolio for twelve years before joining Demeine Estates, aims to exploit the many historic vineyards, particularly in France and Italy, which are under- represented in the US market. . Once he gets the appointment, he says, it’s all up to Bouvier.

“You get Philana at the door, she makes the deal happen,” Diaz says.

From the start, Demeine Estates was built by agents of change; and therefore, they are uniquely able to adapt and influence an industry that continues to evolve. So if you’re wondering where good wine will be in 5 years, look no further than Demeine Estates.

ST. HELENA, California – February 17, 2022 – Chappellet vineyard announced today that Oscar Riveiro Woolsey has been named the winery’s new Director of Client Services. In this role, Riveiro Woolsey will lead Chappellet’s 15-person hospitality team and report directly to General Manager David Francke. As Director of Guest Services, Riveiro Woolsey will oversee all guest services at Chappellet, including its wine club, events program, concierge services and the winery’s famous tasting room on Pritchard. Hill.

Riveiro Woolsey, who was born in Spain, holds a degree in modern languages ​​from the University of Roehampton, London, and is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese, with conversation skills in French and in Italian. He also holds an associate’s degree in wine marketing and sales from Napa Valley College. He began his career as a section manager for the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey group in London, England, before becoming general manager of the Villa Virginia hotel in the Maipo Valley of Chile, where he developed a program of very successful strategic alliance with Concha. y Toro, and has organized luxury wine and food tours in the region. Following his passion for wine, Riveiro Woolsey moved to Napa Valley in 2007, where he brought his experience in luxury goods and hospitality to the wine industry as a hospitality manager for Ehlers Estate, Retail Sales Manager for Luna Vineyard and most recently as Direct to Consumer Manager for all PlumpJack Group wine operations.

In discussing his new role at Chappellet, Riveiro Woolsey cites his belief in the importance of building long-term relationships and developing unforgettable wine experiences that create a deeper connection to the heritage of over 50 years. from Chappellet on Pritchard Hill. “Chappellet is an institution,” said Riveiro Woolsey. “As a multi-generational family winery, Chappellet embodies everything I love about wine. The family is passionately committed to the environment and cares deeply about the land they have stewarded for over half a century. Because the land defines the greatest wines, it is their intimate connection with their famous Pritchard Hill vineyard that has established the wines of Chappellet as world references.

“The future of Chappellet, and wineries like ours, depends on building meaningful and lasting relationships with our customers,” said Managing Director David Francke. “It requires having a customer-centric culture that cultivates and values ​​those relationships. As with our viticulture and winemaking programs, we are always striving to evolve, improve and raise the bar to new heights. Oscar is an accomplished leader, strategic thinker and ambassador, with a wealth of experience in luxury goods, hospitality, events and fine wines. When I think of what Oscar will bring to our customer service program, I remember a quote from Vince Lombardi that Donn Chappellet loved. “Perfection is not attainable, but if we pursue perfection, we can catch excellence.”

About Chappellet

In 1967, on the advice of legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff, the Chappellet family moved to the steep slopes of Pritchard Hill© and founded Chappellet, becoming Napa Valley’s second post-prohibition winery. As pioneers in planting vineyards at high altitudes, Chappellet has been recognized for crafting benchmark wines with an emphasis on mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, while establishing Pritchard Hill as one of the great wine regions of the world. In 2017, Chappellet celebrated its 50^and birthday as

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Iconic images of cool-climate Monterey County reflected in new versions of J. Lohr Bay Mist White Riesling and J. Lohr Wildflower Valdiguié

San Jose, California – (February 15, 2022) – J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines is proud to unveil J. Lohr Monterey Roots, a new line of wines highlighting J. Lohr’s history of excellence in viticulture and winemaking in Monterey County. Setting the new standard, award-winning J. Lohr Bay Mist White Riesling and J. Lohr Wildflower Valdiguié migrated from the J. Lohr Estates wine portfolio to J. Lohr Monterey Roots.

The packaging of the 2021 J. Lohr Monterey Roots vintage releases reflects iconic images of cool-climate Monterey County. The White Riesling label offers an artistic interpretation of Monterey’s spectacular coastline, and the Wildflower Valdiguié label features a multicolored painting of the region’s native wildflowers. Both wines carry the Certified California Sustainable seal on their back labels. This distinction means that at least 85% of a given wine was made with grapes from certified sustainable vineyards, that the wine was made in a certified sustainable winery, and that 100% of the grapes come from California vineyards. Wines began shipping to US markets in early February.

“As a child, I remember coming to Monterey with my father, Jerry Lohr, in 1972 when we started planting our first vineyards, which included our original plantings of Riesling and Valdiguié,” says Steve, CEO and second generation co-owner. Lohr. “Today we cultivate over 1,400 acres of vineyards in Monterey. We have always been very proud of our Monterey roots and champion what makes this area so special. Our Riesling and Valdiguié are the quintessence of Monterey wines. They are also two of the hidden gems in our portfolio. Presenting them in their own level will give them the spotlight they deserve.

Bay Mist White Riesling and Wildflower Valdiguié are made from grapes grown on J. Lohr’s estate in the Arroyo Seco region of Monterey. To ensure beautiful aromas and vibrant fruit, the wines are fermented and aged without the use of oak and are bottled with convenient Stelvin screw caps. The J. Lohr Bay Mist White Riesling offers mouth-watering layers of honeysuckle, ripe pear, Meyer lemon and lychee and contains less than 90 calories per 4 oz serving. One of the most unique red grapes grown in California, J. Lohr’s Wildflower Valdiguié is a bright, juicy red with enticing flavors of fresh berries. Like Riesling, it has less than 90 calories per serving and is best served chilled.

“As the former Executive Director of the Monterey County Vintners and Producers Association, I know firsthand what a pivotal role J. Lohr played in shaping Monterey’s reputation as a renowned wine region. world,” says Rhonda Motil, vice president of marketing for J. Lohr. “Our Monterey wines always highlight the influences of the cool-climate region. With J. Lohr Monterey Roots, we’re engaging the next generation of wine drinkers by focusing on the fun, adventurous, attitude-free spirit of these wines. The fact that these wines are certified sustainable and contain less than 90 calories per glass appeals to both the values ​​and lifestyle choices that many new consumers are seeking and embracing.

About J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines

Founded forty-eight years ago by Jerry Lohr and still family owned and operated today, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines grows, produces and bottles a full line of internationally recognized wines from its more than 4,000 acres. from certified sustainable California vineyards in Monterey County. Arroyo Seco and Santa Lucia Highlands, Paso Robles and St. Helena appellations in Napa Valley. Offering an expressive range of styles that showcase the fruit of its estate, J. Lohr crafts eight levels of award-winning wines: J. Lohr Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, J. Lohr Cuvée Series, J. Lohr Vineyard Series, J. Lohr Gesture, Exclusive J. Lohr Pure Paso red wine, J. Lohr Estates, J. Lohr Monterey Roots and ARIEL Vineyards. The company’s online home is jlohr.com.

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If you like to enjoy a glass of sparkling champagne or a lush cabernet in an intimate setting, this spot in Grosse Pointe Park is perfect for you. Cellar 313 is a wine bar that offers an extensive wine list from around the world, in a romantic setting that exudes a big city vibe. Owner Charlie Brown said he and his best friend and longtime business partner felt the area lacked a place where people could just sit and indulge in a glass of fine wine. Since Brown and his partner both have a background in wine, with Brown working in the retail wine business for many years, he and his partner decided to pop the cork and opened Cellar 313 in 2017. .

Cellar 313 offers wines from the Napa Valley to Lebanon, but focuses primarily on French wines. In addition to wines, there’s a full bar stacked with international spirits. The bar also has a menu that features craft cocktails like the Black Manhattan, Megan’s Cosmo, and Bramble. The bar offers small plates that pair well with whatever you choose to have in your cup, including a bespoke charcuterie platter, lobster rolls, and flatbread pizzas.

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To learn more about Cellar 313, watch the video above.

Classics California Zinfandel, USA 2020 (£8, Marks & Spencer) A fun California wine fact for your next quiz night: If the region were a country (as a small, somewhat ambitious independence movement in the state would have it), it would be the world’s fourth largest producer of wine after the big three d Italy, France and Spain. It is therefore by far the largest non-European wine “country” and alone is responsible for 81% of the United States’ total wine production and a considerably higher proportion of its exports. And yet, for all its breadth, I’ve never really felt that its wines are treated with the same respect and affection given to wines from Australia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and the United States. Africa – not to mention the ones shown to big Europeans – on this side of the pond. Much of the problem is due to the quality and style of the big brands that are cheaper, sugary and artificial in state taste. Indeed, pleasure under £10 is very thin on the ground, with M&S’s juicy zinfandel of bramble jam and tea from M&S a rare exception.

Le P’tit Paysan P’tit Pape, Central Coast, CA, USA 2018 (£30.82, nekterwines.com) If the starting point, in terms of price, for good California wine is higher than any other wine country, it is at least a little lower than it was before – and the level of wines once you get to that point is very on par with the best in the rest of the world. Tasting a range of around 70 California wines available from independent UK wine shops recently, I was struck by the quality – and diversity – of California wines in the £20-30 bracket. It’s nobody’s idea of ​​cheap, I realize, but then Alma’s luminous complexity of Cattleya Chardonnay, 2019 Sonoma County (£27.95, jeroboams.co.uk); the fragrant ripe red fruit of Varner Foxglove Pinot Noir, Central Coast 2017 (£19.25, bowlandforestvintners.co.uk); the spicy berry succulence of Qupé Syrah, Central Coast 2018 (£22, thewinesociety.com); and the meaty, peppery flavor of P’tit Paysan P’tit Pape are all at least as good if not better than comparably priced wines made from the same varietals in Burgundy or the Rhone Valley.

Montelena Calistoga Zinfandel Castle, Napa Valley, USA 2016 (£42, Grapesmith.co.uk) The other problem with California in the UK is that we tend to treat it (as I have here so far) as a wine monolith, whereas, as you would expect from a State of this scale, there are at least as many geological elements and climatic variations as there are from one region to another in France or Spain. Officially, there are now 142 American Wine Zones (the slightly less proscriptive American equivalent of French Appellations d’Origine Contrôlées), in California, covering approximately 800 miles from the deep southern San Pasqual Valley near San Diego to Willow Creek in far northern Humboldt County. Increasingly, over the past decade, some of my favorite California wines have come from Pacific coastal and/or high-altitude sites between those poles (see above). But my recent tastings have shown that there’s still a lot of interest in California’s classic and best-known region, the Napa Valley, where among some of the world’s most ridiculous over-the-top lifestyle products are distinctive, complex and convivial wines such as Le Zinfandel à l’Italienne from Château Montelena.

Follow David Williams on Twitter @Daveydaibach