Tag: winemakers

Hailed as "one of the country’s most sought-after names in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir" by Food & Wine and honored six times by Wine & Spirits as one of the "Top 100 Wineries in the World," Patz & Hall is most certainly a highly revered and innovative winery. Patz & Hall was one of the first wineries to recognize America’s emerging appreciation for great site-specific wines and played a pivotal role in bringing acclaimed vineyard-designate Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs to a wider audience of enthusiasts.

The story of Papapietro Perry Winery began in a garage with two friends, Ben Papapietro and Bruce Perry, who were bitten by the winemaking bug. They started making wine, as both of their grandfathers had, for the enjoyment of their families and friends. Like their grandfathers, they were good at it. So good, in fact, that by the 1990s they decided to produce their garagista wines in commercial quantities, and Papapietro Perry Winery was born.

Mike Sinor
ANCIENT PEAKS & SINOR-LAVALLEE WINES
The wineries are just five miles on average from the ocean, so the prevailing marine conditions are very pronounced, giving the fruit a lot of time to develop rich, full flavors while maintaining structure, complexity, and balance. I have a unique opportunity to work with grapes from two distinct terroirs within this region: Ancient Peaks’ Margarita Vineyard, at the northernmost border where it’s warmer, and Sinor-LaVallee’s Bassi Ranch Vineyard, just 1.2 miles from Avila Beach.

In the heart of the Mayacamas and Vaca Mountain ranges, just 20 miles north of the Napa Valley, stands a pristine wine country that has quietly been growing outstanding wine grapes for a very long time. Lake County, California rises above the rest of the world in more ways than one. It boasts the cleanest air in California, the oldest lake in the continental United States, and a variety of splendid soils whose contents range from volcanic to alluvial. On a clear day (which is most days), you can see Mount Saint Helena to the south, Pinnacle Rock to the north, and sometimes, even Mount Lassen to the east. On any day, you can see magnificent Clear Lake tucked under the watchful eye of Mount Konocti and realize that you’ve found a very extraordinary place.