Meet One Of The Napa Wine Producers With The Most 100-Point Scores For Outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon

Posted on September 1, 2026 by damewine

“Who is this dude?” reverberated in his mind as the glow from the candles highlighted the pristine, white tablecloth with stunning table settings made from fine china and polished silverware displayed in perfection on top of it. A distinguished gentleman, dressed in an elegant suit, sat at this splendid table with—no, it couldn’t be, yes it was—Katie Couric. It was too much for any young man to handle, especially one who was there to escort his girlfriend to a capital campaign kickoff formal dinner, as she had just become a Rhodes Scholar and was the keynote speaker.

Those words, “Who is this dude?” weren’t spoken by any of the other dining companions, as they were words that echoed in his own head as he felt extremely overwhelmed by the prospect of embarrassing himself in front of the president of his university, the University of Virginia, and the acclaimed journalist Katie Couric. But the night couldn’t have been more fun as it was excellent company, and the young man’s passion for wine had been taken notice of by the others. It just so happened that the woman who set up the event told this young man that she had a friend in Napa and that he should go out there since he was obviously really into wine. “Oh yeah, I’ll pack up my car and drive from Virginia to Napa,” he said to himself with a chuckle, and, to his own surprise, he was doing just that one week later.

This is how it all began with Thomas Rivers Brown, a man from Sumter, South Carolina—a place not known for its love of wine, let alone winemakers—who became one of the most decorated winemakers in the world, with 41 perfect 100-point scores. Even though he wasn’t afraid of hard work, he still couldn’t see himself as a winemaker, initially, as he thought one had to be born into a family of winemakers, or at least, be born and raised in a winemaking region.

Humility And Hard Work

Yet, in the mid-1990s, Thomas wound up at Turley, a tiny wine producer at the time, where he found only a team of three in the winery, but it had a great reputation even back then, and it would place him on the path to becoming a winemaker. The head winemaker had gone to college in Virginia, and his degree was in something other than wine, as was Thomas’s, and so, he really liked hiring someone where this was a passion, a passion so great that it overcame being raised in an area where there was little interest in wine. Looking back, he laughs at himself as he felt that, as a young man, it was taking forever for him to find his way as a winemaker in Napa. Yet, being older and wiser now, after just completing his 30th harvest, he has perspective and can’t believe how quickly things happened for him.

By 2000, he was working for Schrader Cellars and making Cabernet Sauvignon from one of the most iconic vineyards, To Kalon, and he received his first 100-point perfect score in 2002. Since Thomas had no entitled attitude about how wine should be made, as he was more about focusing on the vineyards and expressing their qualities without having to put his own personal stamp on it, he has really become the master of expressing a strong sense of place. That transparency has wowed many wine critics.

The Legend

Thomas Rivers Brown
Photo Credit: Schrader Cellars

Initially, Schrader Cellars sourced from the Beckstoffer portion of To Kalon Vineyard, with Beckstoffer being one of the most prestigious grape growers in Napa (the rest of the vineyard belonged to Robert Mondavi). Yet today, Schrader Cellars sources from various sections of Mondavi’s large plot and produces different bottlings that either focus on certain Cabernet Sauvignon clones in To Kalon or on particular plots, as there are distinct variations within the vineyard itself. This was made possible because in 2004, just four years before he passed away at the age of 94, Mondavi sold his winery and all its vineyard holdings to Constellation Brands, a large company with an impressive wine portfolio. In 2017, Fred Schrader sold Schrader Cellars, which had become a “cult” Napa Valley winery prized for its outstanding, limited-production Cabernet Sauvignon wines, to Constellation. Hence, they became part of the same family.

Robert Mondavi came from a winemaking family but because he had a strong vision that wasn’t in line with theirs, he left and went off on his own—and Napa Valley was all the better for it. So it makes sense that he understood that each of his children needed to live their own dreams, just as he did all those decades ago, and that the best way to make that happen was to sell his family winery to Constellation so that each of his kids could carve out their own legacy.

2 To Kalon Vineyard
Photo Credit: Schrader Cellars

And what a legacy it is, as Robert Mondavi had the fortitude to go around the country when Napa Valley wines were not taken seriously and state unequivocally that Napa made the greatest wines in the world. There were many jeers and snide comments; it was far from easy, and it is still remarkable to this day that it didn’t demoralize him —if anything, it strengthened his resolve, and he achieved the impossible. He was able to get from under the shadow of European countries, such as France, which had dominated the fine wine world for over a century. And not only did his eventual success of bringing prestige to Napa Valley inspire the wine producers there to put more investment into their vineyards and wineries but it became a rallying cry to the rest of the world that an area isn’t necessarily condemned to an endless sentence of being labeled as mediocre if it has the potential for greatness.

To Kalon Vineyard

To Kalon Vineyard
Photo Credit: Schrader Cellars

The To Kalon Vineyard became part of that achievement as it is now one of the most famous vineyards in the world. Today, Schrader Cellars, under the leadership of Thomas Rivers Brown, produces a range of small production bottlings from this auspicious site, such as their “TKS” bottling, which stand for To Kalon South, as it comes from the southern blocks that are known for their alluvial dominant soils which are made up of gravel, sand and silt from the Mayacamas Mountains, creating good drainage that contributes to producing elegant Cabernet Sauvignon. These portions are near another prestigious vineyard called Martha’s Vineyard.

Another bottling is the “Heritage Clone,” as it comes from strictly one type of a Cabernet Sauvignon clone (located within one block of To Kalon) that is called Clone 31, a.k.a. Heritage, a clone that Robert Mondavi isolated from one plant for its extraordinary concentration, and then Mondavi allowed this clone to be placed on the open market so anyone could use it. It has tiny berries that are a key marker of this clone and it is only for those who want to make top-quality wines as it has extremely low yields. There is the “Monastery Block” bottling, which comes from a different neighborhood than the “TKS,” which is against a hill with a different aspect. Even though the soil is an alluvial fan like the “TKS,” there is much less topsoil, so it has a more substantial influence on the vines. And that is just a couple of the bottlings that Schrader produces from this outstanding vineyard.

An exciting new development with their “Monastery Block” is that they are replanting sections, allowing Schrader Cellars to source from a couple of phenomenal blocks, elevating a wine that was already great to out-of-this-world spectacular status.

Thomas Rivers Brown & Fred Schrader Photo Credit: Schrader Cellars

Thomas’s impressive To Kalon journey started with a lunch 25 years ago, when he belonged to a tasting group, and Fred Schrader, who was just as larger-than-life as Mondavi was, said to him out of the blue, “Hey, how about lunch?” And it seemed weird to Thomas, as he was just a young man trying to make his way in the wine world, while Fred was a well-established wine producer, but he thought it would be fun and didn’t think any more about it. But when he showed up, there was Fred with this great bottle of wine on the table, the type of wine that someone pulls out when they want to impress a high-level executive, and here Fred was bringing it to impress a 20-something newbie in Napa. Fred had a vision for a more elegant, more complex Cabernet Sauvignon, and at first, he simply phrased it to Thomas as, “How about you make a little bit of Cab for me.” Thomas had never made Cab and he had no idea what he was getting himself into at that point in his life. Still, Fred had such an inspiring, vivid dream, with an anything-is-possible attitude, that it lifted a 20-something Thomas into another realm of possibilities and made him believe that he could be part of bringing Napa Cab to the next level. And here he is today, 41 perfect 100-point scores later.

Just because there is potential for greatness doesn’t mean success is guaranteed, as many other contingencies have to fall into place. One of those critical contingencies is having the right people at the right time in history, such as a Mondavi or a Schrader. If one could reenact the history of Napa Valley again without those men, it would undoubtedly be a very different place, with very different journeys for Thomas and other winemakers like him. Napa represents a dream that should never have come to fruition, because everything was against it. Yet there were people such as Mondavi and Schrader who were not afraid to stand at the edge of a precipice and not shrink back from the bottomless abyss that was trying to beat down their audacity with the fear of the unknown. That unknown was the impossible that these men made possible, and that is what one is experiencing when they drink from a glass of Schrader’s To Kalon bottlings.

Lineup of Schrader Cellars’ To Kalon wines Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

The 2023 Napa Valley vintage had as near-perfect conditions as one can hope, and it is considered an exceptional vintage, with many winemakers calling it a potential “vintage of a lifetime.”

2023 Schrader “TKS” To Kalon Vineyard, Oakville, Napa Valley, California: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Stunning inky color with an intriguing bouquet of graphite, anise seed, violets, fresh thyme and gravel, with a succulent palate of dense purple fruit such as plum tart, and a prodigious finish that is long, complex and delicious—wow!

2023 Schrader “Monastery Block” To Kalon Vineyard, Oakville, Napa Valley, California: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Vivacious nose of wildflowers, cigar box and chalky minerality with rich black cherry flavors that has an underlying note of wet river stones with juicy cassis and a nimble energy on the palate with open-knitted tannins that are expansive in the mouth; a wine that gives the drinker a feeling of electric enthusiasm with each sip!

2023 Schrader “Heritage Clone” To Kalon Vineyard, Oakville, Napa Valley, California: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, specifically Clone 31 a.k.a. Heritage Clone. Mysteriously alluring with multilayered depth and a brooding dark quality that is like the abyss that Mondavi and Schrader were not afraid to take on as there is an endless layering of blackberries, black truffles and black sesame seeds with an intense minerality suggestive of pulverized rocks with a plush body of blueberry coulis flavors balanced by savory notes of tobacco leaf with lots of finely sculpted tannins that are seamlessly integrated into the wine with a long, concentrated finish that goes on and on; a wine that places one in a grounded, meditative bliss.

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Award-Winning Rising Wine Star Making Spectacular Wines Using Ancient Ways

Posted on August 25, 2026 by damewine
Elena Casadei pouring sample Photo Credit: Famiglia Casadei

The blast of music vibrating across her back was like a sudden electric pulse, forcing her to turn around to see a boxy corporate building flashing white and purple stripes of lights, seemingly talking to her with its blinking lights and sounds. And then other sounds demanded her attention on the other side, where there was stillness just moments before, as a diversity of shapes lit the dark sky with the outline of the elegantly sculptured buildings, which were towering figures during the day, having all their edges fade into the night giving the impression that the singing lights painted the sky forming one big, colorful symphony.

Hong Kong at night is something to behold as not only does this light show take one to an otherworldly realm, the intoxicating smells of the flavorful foods from the street vendors also prance along the air making one feel as if she is floating along a sea of heavenly delights that bring their magic to three of the senses making the other two, touch and taste, envious with its strong desire to devour the fantastic food that lives up to the atmosphere.

For an 18-year-old Italian woman, this was an extraordinary experience, but even more remarkable was that the young lady came from a small town in Tuscany called Santa Brigida, with a population of less than 1,000, and was the daughter of very protective parents. And on top of everything else, this young woman was expected to start working immediately in the family wine business, having been raised at their flagship estate, Castello del Trebbio, in that tiny town.

But she needed to find her own sense of self, so she told her parents she wouldn’t be joining the family wine business and that she would travel far and wide, including to London as well as Hong Kong. Yet she would end up coming back after living in some very exciting places, and she found her way back to wine, but she didn’t want to ride on her parents’ coattails. She tried to find her own way, to carve out a path, and the idea of starting a very different, challenging project filled her with an electric energy.

Elena Casadei 

Elena Casadei
Photo Credit: Famiglia Casadei

Even though this young woman, Elena Casadei, found a job opportunity in Hong Kong, her mother would call her back home to try a stint at their home winery estate. Elena knew working at her family’s winery would be a temporary job until she found the career ideally suited to her; she would spend one vintage working on the estate. Although she grew up in the ancient castle Castello del Trebbio, she insisted on living 20 minutes away in Florence so she could have some independence. However, she says her parents can still keep tabs on her through their networks of friends and family.

But then, she saw a side of wine that she had never imagined as she had thought wine was an old, traditional passion for those in stuffy rooms, which had nothing to do with her generation. During harvest time, she was among other young people who had signed up to work the harvest, driven by a personal passion for wine. The work was challenging yet really rewarding as it bonded her with other people her age who showed her the youthful, vibrant side of the wine world.

Elena became fascinated by wine, and that fierce determination, which gave her the courage and drive to travel around the world, found a new focus: to make her own wines.

Le Anfore

She wanted to prove to her parents that she wasn’t a “silly girl,” so she didn’t want to just work at their winery; she wanted to devote herself, day and night, for many years to a new project that would unlock another dimension of the expressions of her family’s vineyards. But she didn’t know where to start, so she humbly went to her father for some guidance. He told her that if she really wanted to immerse herself in winemaking, he recommended working with the amphorae, terracotta vessels that he had brought in from the country of Georgia, which has been making wine in amphorae for at least 8,000 years.

And so, Elena was going to commit to many years of working with amphorae vessels by fermenting grapes from various vineyards sourced from her family’s estates: Castello del Trebbio, Terre di Romena, Casadei and Olianas. All of these estates are part of her family’s umbrella company, Famiglia Casadei. Three of the estates are in Tuscany with Castello del Trebbio being their flagship estate and the personal home of the family; located in Chianti Rufina, their estate Terre di Romena is established in a cooler climate area of Tuscany; the Casadei estate is in Suvereto which has become an up-and-coming very high quality area for Bordeaux blends with Sangiovese and even holds the highest quality designation for these type of wines – a much more affordable option to Bolgheri, and finally, their last estate is in the southern section of the Italian island of Sardinia, named Olianas.

Amphorae at the Olianas estate
Photo Credit: Famiglia Casadei

Elena wanted to really get to know wine by focusing on how amphorae could bring out the sense of place and the purity of the variety, as she had no interest in using the technique to make a highly extracted, funky wine. So she decided to spend many years learning by doing her own experiments with various grape varieties from her estate, across different plots, first deciding which varieties/plots had their pure essences enhanced and eventually narrowing down the grapes she would continue fermenting in amphorae. Also, she had no desire to add a flavor component or an odd aroma from the amphorae as she was using them as a tool for greater transparency. So, over the years, she noted that each terracotta vessel differed in how much it oxygenated the wine, as the pore sizes varied. Each is a handcrafted work of art, and part of the beauty of that is that each is unique.

Elena could never imagine how much time and energy she would devote to winemaking, as she had no interest in it as a child; it just seemed like she would be mindlessly following her parents. Yet this amphora project she was taking on was entirely hers; she would decide everything and find her own way to express these wines, and to her parents’ credit, they were completely supportive and thrilled that she found her own passion project.

It took many years before Elena felt her amphora wines were ready for the market, as she wanted them to reach a high enough standard to be presented to the world rather than relying on her family’s reputation. And just a few years ago, she started releasing them under her label, Le Anfore, and today she has 12 years of experience with these wines, although her father has told her she needs at least 20 before she becomes an expert. All four Famiglia Casadei estates have anywhere from 20 to 30 amphorae, and despite the first few coming from the country of Georgia, all the rest were bought from Impruneta, Tuscany, a place famous for high-quality terracotta amphorae.

Initially, Elena seemed to be on a path of just globe-hopping from place to place, avoiding responsibility, and she was well aware of that being her image of how she was viewed in her small town. But what can seem like an aimless journey with no goal to others is time well spent experiencing other ways of life and connecting with different people to gain a better handle on major life choices at such a young age.

Elena wasn’t a young woman avoiding work; she was searching for a stronger purpose in her life —a purpose that would feed her passion, a mission she would devote herself to day and night. And despite her needing eight more years to reach that 20 year expert milestone, to her surprise, she has already won awards for her wines, such as the Platinum medal at the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards for her 2022 Cannonau di Sardegna as well as one of the top Cannonau wines from Sardinia with the “Tre Bicchieri” award from the prestigious Gambero Rosso. It just goes to show that sometimes a restlessness that is created by a frustration with a cushy job can be rooted in a need to be challenged, to give one a sense of a meaningful life, and someone like that, once she finds her outlet, will offer something inspiring to the world, such as the wines of Le Anfore.

Lineup of Anfore wines
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

When it came to tasting the wines of Le Anfore, Elena suggested tasting the reds first before the whites, as the whites have a small amount of skin contact. She does not like to call her white wines “orange” because, according to her, there is a stigma attached to such wines, which often have atypical notes and a tannic structure that emphasize the winemaking technique rather than the purity of the grape variety and sense of place. These were some of the purest amphora wines I have ever tasted, and I would never have known they were fermented in amphora if I hadn’t been told beforehand, as they come across as wines with incredible transparency that heighten the delicious experience of fruit intermixed with the elegant aromas of the soil.

Le Anfore wines

2022 Le Anfore, Cannonau, Cannonau di Sardegna DOC, Sardinia, Italy: 100% Cannonau biodynamically farmed. Sourced from their Olianas estate in the southern section of Sardinia, which is a lot less populated and escapes the tourist onslaught that inflicts the northern section, so it is more rugged and untouched and Olianas is near an ancient site called Su Nuraxi; Elena noted that her parents have been going to Sardinia for over 25 years, and they fell in love with it, and although the Sardinian people typically don’t like it when outsiders buy land, they made an exception in this case since Elena’s parents became part of the community. This award-winning Cannonau is outstanding for its purity and sumptuousness, and it is one of those wines that can be given to anyone and wow them on the first taste. Aromas of pristine red fruits that are multidimensional in their characteristics and hints of spices with bright acidity and just the right amount of plush fruit on the mid-palate with incredibly silky tannins completely integrated; a show stopper of a wine that will always wow a crowd. Only 6,000 bottles were made.

2021 Le Anfore, Sangiovese, Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy: 100% Sangiovese organically farmed. This is from their Castello del Trebbio estate in the heart of Chianti and is for those who like the more finesse-driven Sangiovese that shows off its raw beauty when untouched by oak—lifted aromas of rose oil and fresh truffles with rich black cherry flavors enhanced by an underlying note of forest floor framed by very fine tannins. Only 5,000 bottles made.

2023 Le Anfore, Trebbiano, Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy: 100% Trebbiano organically farmed, also from their Castello del Trebbio estate. Elena is conscientious not to leave her amphora white wines on the skins for too long as she always wants her wines to be delicious first and foremost and doesn’t want to extract uncommon aromas or textures. It has taken her many years of experimenting to figure out which varieties worked best and how to handle varying vintages – if a wine doesn’t reach a high standard, she will not bottle it. The only thing atypical about this white wine is its gold color, which is quite enticing in its gorgeous hue. The aromas and flavors certainly do justice to a premium Trebbiano grape grown with care, but the characteristics are more pronounced and deliver so much more pleasure. Orange peel and crushed limestone on the nose, with flavors of peach pie and marmalade, and baking spices that are decadent yet vibrant, with mouthwatering acidity. Only 4,000 bottles made.

2022 Le Anfore, Migiu, Semidano Isola dei Nuraghi IGT, Sardinia, Italy: 100% Semidano organically farmed from their Olianas estate. Semidano is an ancient indigenous white variety of Sardinia, and since Semidano is also the name of the area, Elena was not allowed to use it on the label as the grape, so she used the very old name of the grape, Migiu. A stunning copper color with an irresistible nose of candied violets, jasmine tea and sea shells with flavors of mandarin preserves that has a saline minerality intertwined with a mouth coating texture that is out of this world, especially balanced by the marked acidity, as Elena says there is an oily quality that comes from the skins of the Semidano grapes. Only 3,000 bottles made.

An interesting side note about the Le Anfore wines made at the Olianas estate in Sardinia is the way Elena tastes the final wines to make sure they are up to the high standard she sets for them. She will first taste the wines at the Sardinia estate, but then she will bring the samples back to Tuscany to retaste the wines, as she finds Sardinia such an enchanting dream with its natural beauty that she is not sure if she is loving the wines because of what is in the glass or because of where she is drinking them. Hence, she will return to Tuscany to make sure the magic is truly in the glass.

Lineup of Olianas, Castello del Trebbio and Casadei wines
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

The wines below are her family’s wines from their various estates:

2024 Olianas, Vermentino, Vermentino di Sardegna DOC, Sardinia, Italy: 100% Vermentino biodynamically farmed. Prancing notes of lemon blossom and sea spray with lemon curd flavors and a full body with crisp acidity and a lingering finish.

2020 Castello del Trebbio, Chianti Rufina Riserva DOCG, Tuscany, Italy: 90% Sangiovese and the rest Merlot and Syrah, organically farmed. A lovely Sangiovese, done in a very elegant style, with an impressive, vivid quality to the red cherry fruit, a hint of spice, notes of wild thyme, and overall freshness, with silky tannins that give this wine an overall finesse.

2022 Casadei “Sogno Mediterraneo” Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy: 75% Syrah and the remainder made up of Grenache and Mourvèdre biodynamically farmed. This is from the area of Suvereto, which is becoming a rising star in its own right for Bordeaux blends with Sangiovese, but it also makes great Rhône blends. Aromas unfurl with a basket of brambly fruit and wildflowers with a hint of rosemary and a juicy palate framed by soft tannins with an expansive finish that goes on and on.

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The Italian Red Wine That Is Capable Of Making Various Great Styles

Posted on August 17, 2026 by damewine

It was an idyllic life for these vibrant, healthy women and men, whose golden skin radiated from being kissed by the Southern Italian sun as they sat on their gorgeous stone porches, highlighted by the sunrise, which added an extra glow to their off-white-colored homes. The cool breeze from the Ionian Sea carried with it the delightful aromas of saltiness and notes of clementines from the blossoming citrus trees that surrounded the vineyards, creating a wonderful atmosphere for the weekday morning view of the parade – the parade of children. No one had to worry about the youngest children finding a bit of independence by taking themselves to school. The tiny community of this country village, seemingly out of a fairytale, had many adults in the close-knit community keeping an eye on them. But it wasn’t only about overseeing the children; it was also a fantastic show, and some of the kids would put on a comedy act as they pranced by, competing for attention and trying to get the loudest roar of laughter from the crowd.

Yet one day, the impossible happened: a six-year-old boy wasn’t in his classroom, and the school called the parents, which then quickly turned into much of the town taking to the streets to find little Cosimo, as well as Cosimo’s best friend, who was also missing. As they searched all the places where the kids like to play, with neither in sight, the hearts of his parents and many of the others close to the family started to race as images of the boys being injured by falling down rugged cliffs started to flood their minds, maybe they were bleeding or bones were broken; time was of the essence as they yelled his name with an increased intensity as the minutes, which seemed like years, ticked by.

Finally, someone found him and his friend and yelled out to the others. It turned out that little Cosimo was on a road far away from any desirable place. So they asked him if he was planning to run away with his friend, and why he would do such a thing. By this time, his eyes were as big as saucers, as he hadn’t thought he would cause such a commotion, and he just froze while being interrogated by the town. So his parents knelt down and softly asked if anything was bothering him that made him want to leave home, and no matter what it was, he could tell them.

At that moment, little Cosimo looked up at his parents’ worried faces and said that he would never want to leave home, as no other place could be as wonderful, mainly for the reason that they made wine. All he wanted to do was spend time in the cellar watching the winemaking process, because it was the most fascinating place in the world. So, he wanted to bring his best friend to show him the incredible cellar he had always talked about, but he got lost along the way.

That young child would go on to make a wide range of styles of the most important native grape variety from his precious homeland: Primitivo.

Varvaglione 1921

Varvaglione estate
Photo Credit: Varvaglione 1921

Almost 70 years later, that little boy, Cosimo Varvaglione, along with his wife and three adult children, is the owner and winemaker of his family’s century-old winery, named Varvaglione 1921, which commemorates the year it was established. According to his oldest daughter, Marzia, he remains as passionate about wine as he was when he was a child, and he has instilled that love in all of his children.

The winery is situated in the southern Italian region of Puglia, known as “the heel of the boot” due to Italy’s shape on a map, in the tiny town of Leporano, located in the wine sub-region of Salento. They were the first to have a wine cellar in Leporano, as in the past it was common for vineyard owners to sell their grapes to larger companies to produce inexpensive table wine. However, the Varvaglione family was very quality-minded from the start with the notion that they could make fantastic wines that reflected the stunning beauty of their area, rather than taking the easier route of becoming one of the many grape suppliers to giant corporations. So, they committed their resources to making their own wines and established a business and marketing plan to promote their premium wines, despite the fact that there was no previous Puglia family winery that had found such success when they first started.

Yet today they are one of the most well-established 100% privately owned wineries in Southern Italy, and as Marzia has noted, she and her siblings are just as passionate as their father, as they grew up seeing how much joy making wine brought him, as it is not just a job, it is a way of life. Her sister has even gotten bitten by the winemaking bug and works side by side with their father in the cellar.

Primitivo 

Cosimo Varvaglione
Photo Credit: Varvaglione 1921

Primitivo is a red grape variety native to the wine region of Puglia, with a history dating back to at least the 1800s. It has a wide range, producing either big, rich wines with an explosion of fruit and spice or more medium-bodied wines with layers of savory notes and fresher fruit. Well, the Varvaglione family doesn’t believe in extremes. They craft their top-tier Primitivo wines with an ideal balance of fresh acidity, plenty of juicy fruit, a blend of spices and a sense of place. Since their vineyards are situated right by the sea in the South West section of Puglia, all of their wines have a distinctive salinity.

The Varvaglione Primitivo wine range is impressive with its high quality and varying expressions from their award-winning flagship wine “Papale” that comes from a plot of old vines, the “Cosimo” named after the head of the family and head winemaker that is a top selection from different plots of old vines and an innovative Primitivo light red wine that is called “12 e Mezzo” and it is only 12.5% alcohol, one of their many research projects with the University of Udine and the University of Rome Tor Vergata. The 12.5% alcohol version, “12 e Mezzo,” does not employ any techniques to remove alcohol, as some other lower-alcohol wines may do. Instead, it uses temperature-controlled fermentation, which allows for the retention of all flavors without the higher alcohol levels, a process that their research has refined. The results are fantastic with a wine that has a pristine purity.

Marzia on the left and her two siblings
Photo Credit: Varvaglione 1921

Recently, Marzia Varvaglione visited New York City while promoting her family’s wines, and she stopped into a Nike store to buy something for her young daughter who was traveling with her at the time. As a tall, strong woman with the gait of a champion, Marzia always makes an incredible impression. When she went up to the register, the young man ringing her up asked if she was a professional athlete. She guessed that he thought she was a tennis player, as the U.S. Open was taking place during that time. She was a professional athlete, but not a tennis player; she was a pro basketball player back in Italy. So, when she told the young man at the register about her athletic past, he was overwhelmed with enthusiasm and wanted her autograph and a photo with her. It was quite a fantastic scene for her four-year-old daughter to witness her mother being treated like a superstar, an incredible memory she will always cherish.

Although with all the past glory of being a basketball player, the memory that stands out the most to Marzia is when she returned to work at the winery in 2013 and became her father’s shadow, never leaving his side; she was then able to appreciate his brilliance in a different light. At the time, her father was experimenting with a blend sourced from some of their old vines. Once she tasted how it was on another level of excellence, she told him he had to bottle it separately under a label that bore his name as well as his signature – that became the “Cosimo Varvaglione” Primitivo. And so, as much as any mother would love her daughter to see someone treat her like a celebrity, Marzia knows the best memory will be when her daughter, one day in the future, becomes her shadow as an adult and they create a new special bottling together.

Varvaglione 1921 Papale Linea Oro flagship wine Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

A few of their Primitivo wines:

Varvaglione 1921 12 e Mezzo wines
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2023 Varvaglione 1921 “12 e Mezzo” Organic Primitivo, Puglia, Italy: 100% Primitivo from 100% certified organic grapes. Marzia noted that, although they only have two certified organic wines, 90% of their fruit comes from organically managed vineyards, which comprise 40% of their own vineyards and 60% of other growers with whom her family has had a long-standing relationship. Yet, it is too challenging to be completely organic every year in Puglia, which is why they can only certify a limited number of plots. The name “12 e Mezzo” indicates that this wine is only 12.5% abv. A lovely light red wine that is ideally served cooler than room temperature, with 10 to 15 minutes in the refrigerator doing the trick. The nose has nuances of the violets, salted crushed red cherries and a touch of black tea leaves and black pepper in the background with flavors of black cherries and a soft texture with refreshing acidity.

Varvaglione 1921 Papale Linea Oro flagship wine Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2021 Varvaglione 1921 “Papale Linea Oro” Primitivo di Manduria, Puglia, Italy: 100% Primitivo from a vineyard named Papale Linea Oro, meaning the property of the Pope, in the designated DOC high-quality wine area of Primitivo di Manduria that is known for top Primitivo wines. Back in the 1700s, a Pope from Puglia was in office, and as a result, the best vineyards of the time were named after him. The label on this wine is a copy of a Naples newspaper article published in 1724, which stated that it was impossible to distinguish between day and night in Puglia for a time, as there were so many fireworks going off to celebrate the Pope. Sourced from old vines ranging between 40 to 90 years old, and only the best vintages are released. The nose of this wine is remarkably complex, featuring notes of cocoa nibs, forest floor, cherry compote and black truffles, all woven together with fine tannins and a long, flavorful finish.

2021 Varvaglione 1921, Collezione Privata Cosimo Varvaglione wines
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2021 Varvaglione 1921, Collezione Privata “Cosimo Varvaglione” Primitivo di Manduria, Puglia, Italy: 100% Primitivo from a strict selection of old vines that average around 70 years old. Captivating bouquet with smoldering earth, cinnamon and hints of espresso, featuring multifaceted fruit characteristics of richer plum tart flavors intermixed with fresh raspberries, accompanied by bright acidity and an elegant structure, with intense concentration and a superb length of flavor.

A couple of other wines in the Varvaglione 1921 lineup that are not Primitivo:

2021 Varvaglione 1921 Collezione Privata “Cosimo Varvaglione” Negroamaro Salento, Puglia, Italy: 100% Negroamaro from old vines. Negroamaro is a bigger, more structured wine than Primitivo and finds its home in the Salento area of Puglia. Aromas of fresh herbs are balanced by generous blackberry compote flavors, with enticing notes of black cardamom and cloves. The wine has a big structure with lots of tannins, yet it has a lovely quality that supports the fruit without overly dominating the wine. This wine will make great old bones.

2024 Varvaglione 1921 “12 e Mezzo” Organic Chardonnay, Puglia, Italy: The name “12 e Mezzo” indicates that this wine is only 12.5% abv. Majority Chardonnay with a small amount of Verdeca, a native grape of Puglia that is soft, elegant, with nice acidity, Malvasia with its beautiful aromatics and Fiano del Salento, which is different from Fiano di Avellino found in the Campania region, as it is very salty with a big body. This wine is made with certified organic grapes, and blending the Chardonnay with other grape varieties not only adds additional dimensions but also ensures the consistent use of organic grapes year after year. The nose has a saline minerality with bright notes of lemon drops, accented by pretty floral notes. It has vibrant acidity on the palate, with flavors of juicy peach highlighted by seashells.

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Tuscan Estate Produces Fresh, Elegant Wines Due To Proximity To The Sea

Posted on August 10, 2026 by damewine

The constant electricity pulsing within the darkness, living among the shadows, heightened by flashes of colorful lights that sporadically lit corners of the hedonistic den, contrasted with the trance music that seemed to make the bodies in the room feel loose and relaxed, conversely, the electricity jolted a spark in each of these dancers. A lifetime was lived within one night, and as such, nights became more frequent, more lives were lived to their fullest, pushed to the limits to get as many potent doses of decadence that immediately satisfied. Yet such a way to live is depleting, as the highs may be intense, but they are short-lived, and as the euphoric feeling quickly bottoms out, there is only the feeling of the deep, dark blues. But one finds themselves in situations like she always has, with that one friend who brings her on an unforgettable rave experience. However, that once-in-a-lifetime experience can quickly become a hundred, as such nights seem to blend into one another, offering only slight variations of their predecessors, with different tones and an alternate soundtrack in the background.

That friend is like a rich, plush wine that gives the drinker an extravagant experience in every aspect. Just as big, bold wines can be overwhelming, that good-time friend can become tiring as one ages. She wants to spend less and less time with that friend.

Then there is the friend who nourishes, brings out the best, and always knows the ideal ways to recharge and inspire. Over time, that friend becomes a constant, trusted advisor, the person many center themselves around to feel balanced, and who is always greatly missed, as she is someone who lifts people up. And like a wine that is refreshing and bright yet still has a concentrated core that is powerful in an elegant way, that friend becomes a vital part of someone’s tribe.

In the land of “Super Tuscans,” there are both versions of the above styles of wine and each style has their own legion of fans, but one particular wine estate, which is only 1.5 miles from the Tyrrhenian Sea, and to place that in context the most famous “Super Tuscan” is six miles from the sea, is making exquisite wines with overall finesse and vitality, like the friend that one can never get enough of.

Tenuta Argentiera Estate

Argentiera estate
Photo Credit: Tenuta Argentiera

The Argentiera wine estate is located in the southern area of the Bolgheri delineated official wine zone, the area known for the legendary “Super Tuscan” wines. It’s located in an amphitheater overlooking the nearby sea, giving the wines a distinctive salinity with high acidity while still enjoying the benefits of ideal ripeness levels from the Tuscan sun. Big, ancient oak trees guard over these vineyards as if they are cognizant of the remarkable qualities of this estate.

Nicolò Carrara
Photo Credit: Tenuta Argentiera

Niccolò Carrara is the winemaker at the Argentiera and he has worked at top wine estates around Italy, Australia and Bordeaux and has settled in Bolgheri as that is where he was raised – returning to one of the best wine regions in the world after earning enough experience to work at an outstanding estate, and being born there may give some opportunity within the wine world but only a globally tested winemaker can handle the highest levels of quality winemaking in Bolgheri. Niccolò is a devotee of the terroir, the sense of place of the vineyards, and so he respects the unpredictability of nature and he does not dare to think that he can beat Mother Earth; if anything, he is humble before her. So, he makes sure that he knows every section of their plots which are key to their wines, as there are varying soil composites, such as majority clay with limestone giving wines more depth, the sandy sections adding a light, fruit purity and other plots with a multitude of minerals and rocks that provide that multifaceted minerality to the wines. And that intense minerality with the salty quality coming from their proximity to the sea is an awe-inspiring combination that makes the Argentiera wines stand out.

A Place For Both

Poggio ai Ginepri vineyard near the sea
Photo Credit: Tenuta Argentiera

There is a place for both types of friends, as a person has different facets to her personality that need to be fulfilled, so it doesn’t have to be an either/or. But eventually, there is a tendency to lean towards one rather than the other as that friend who parties, especially past a certain age, starts to become a heavy burden where one has to come up with good excuses of why she can’t go out; skipping the long nights out to spend more time with that other friend who nourishes and uplifts and makes everyone feel more energized and better about themselves. It can be that way with wines, and ultimately, the wines that always leave the drinker wanting more are the ones that become a favorite.

But there is no regret of having all those long, crazy nights out, as one has to experience such things to an intense degree to truly be able to appreciate what waits for them on the other side: refreshing elegance.

2023 Argentiera, Scenario
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2023 Argentiera, Scenario, Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy: 100% Vermentino. Nose filled with honeysuckle, lemon tart and salinity with lemon confit and juicy nectarine on the palate with a strong backbone of minerality with crisp acidity balanced by a good amount of texture and body.  

Argentiera, Villa Donoratico & Poggio ai Ginepri Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2022 Argentiera, Poggio ai Ginepri, Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy: 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot. Seductive aromas make this wine irresistible on the first sniff, featuring notes of cocoa powder, crushed blueberries and baking spices, complemented by delectable dark cherry flavors and stony minerality, all supported by round tannins. 

2022 Argentiera, Villa Donoratico, Bolgheri DOC, Tuscany, Italy: 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot. More linear and focused-driven than the Poggio ai Ginepri on the nose with delineated aromas of graphite, fresh tobacco and sandalwood that has a deep concentration of blackberry fruit in the core of the palate with hints of smoky black tea adding to the complexity of this powerfully precise beauty that has a long finish with artfully structured tannins.

2021 and 2022 Argentiera, Bolgheri Superiore Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2022 Argentiera, Bolgheri Superiore DOC, Tuscany, Italy: 46% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc. Marked acidity and intense minerality elevate the richness of this wine, which is a bit lush due to the hot 2022 vintage. Yet, Argentiera proves that they can make refreshing wines even in hot vintages that has pristine black fruit interwoven with raspberry coulis and a touch of rose oil in the background that is enhanced by Mediterranean scrub and hints of rosemary that has elegantly etched tannins that give a regal structure and lift to this impressive bottling. 

2021 Argentiera, Bolgheri Superiore DOC, Tuscany, Italy: 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. Violets and warm raspberries dance around in one’s head when first tasting this 2021 Bolgheri Superiore, and it gives a vibrant youthfulness that is wonderful, yet it becomes complex and intriguing with tar and wild mushrooms, with blackcurrant and a big, bold body and broad tannins that indicate a wine that will cellar for decades. 

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Exciting Wine Made From Some Of The Oldest Carménère Vines In Chile

Posted on August 3, 2026 by damewine

Initially, it was observed that the shoot tips of the young leaves were atypical, being too orange. Then the shape of the leaves was utterly wrong, leading him to announce to his former student that the new plot of the Merlot grape variety that the wine producer who employed the former student had planted wasn’t actually Merlot as they had intended. But knowing that it wasn’t Merlot was the easy part of this equation; the real challenge was to find out what grape variety it was. Since it was the flowering phase of the growing season, he examined the flowers closely and found the answer. The stamens were twisted, unlike most other varieties, which were straight. This realization hit him like a ton of bricks: it was Carménère.

Santa Rita Estate
Photo Credit: Viña Santa Rita

Despite this accidental discovery happening to the exceptionally well-respected agronomist and enologist Dr. Jean-Michel Boursiquot, who collaborated with U.C. Davis by studying the origins of several French grapes, he was not well-known to much of the wine industry. But on that day in 1994, he unintentionally carved his name into wine history by discovering that most of the Merlot that was seemingly brought over to Chile from Bordeaux, France in the 19th century was actually Carménère, a grape that virtually disappeared once the Bordeaux region started replanting after the devastating effects of phylloxera. He was in Chile for other reasons, leading a conference, and decided to visit Viña Carmen, the oldest winery in Chile, because he had a former student who worked there. Unbeknownst to him, this casual side trip had a profound impact on Chile as an emerging wine country.

Today, only a handful of producers in Bordeaux have replanted Carménère and incorporate a small amount into their wines. Chile has made Carménère its signature grape, and there is a range of styles and terroirs from where it is sourced. There is one area that has some of the oldest Carménère vines in the world and happens to be located in Apalta, the “grand cru” of the highly esteemed Colchagua region, and the second oldest wine producer in Chile, which also owns Carmen today, stands out with two different single vineyard bottlings of Carménère from old vines: Viña Santa Rita.

The Underappreciated Grape Variety

Sebastián Labbé
Photo Credit: Viña Santa Rita

Carménère was the underappreciated grape among its Bordeaux siblings, as it is an even later ripener than Cabernet Sauvignon, and so it needs a growing season that stays warm for an extended period. It was an obvious choice to avoid replanting it after the devastation of phylloxera, and then it ended up in bundles of Merlot vines when brought to Chile in the mid-1800s. Although such a massive mistake with thousands of Carménère vines unintentionally planted across the wine regions of Chile seems like an infuriating tragedy, especially for an initially struggling wine country trying to gain respect from the rest of the world, it has become an exciting signature grape for the country, which has adopted it as one of its local grapes.

Old vines of Carménère
Photo Credit:
Viña Santa Rita

But since its discovery in 1994, the journey to earning the recognition it deserved was a very bumpy one. It became known as a wine that was too herbaceous when picked early to retain freshness or too heavy and lackluster when picked later to avoid the intense herbaceous quality. Viña Santa Rita winemaker Sebastián Labbé said that he has been obsessed with finding that ideal balance with Carménère. His obsession lies in the vineyards, where he spends most of his time. He was able to showcase the beautiful fruit character while also illustrating a strong sense of place from a single vineyard. Sebastián was born in Chile but received his education in New Zealand, where he worked at top wineries, and later in Australia. He started working at Viña Carmen in 2005 as head winemaker until 2017, and then he was brought to Viña Santa Rita, where he is a winemaker for their ultra-premium wines.

Landscape of Santa Rita
Photo Credit: Viña Santa Rita

Upon arriving at Viña Santa Rita, one of his objectives was to preserve the purity and freshness of their Carménère wines, while discovering the perfect level of ripeness that yields an irresistible, vibrant juiciness in their single-vineyard wines, which feature 90-year-old vines. Sebastián may be fiercely vigilant about being hands-on in the vineyards, but he is extremely hands-off in the winery, and his vigilance with the vines makes that possible.

A Real Home

Now the biggest challenge for Sebastián is to keep his two old vine, single vineyard Carménère wines from selling out too fast, “Floresta” and “Pewën de Apalta,” as one was ranked 35th in the prestigious Wine Enthusiast’s ‘The Best Wines of 2024’ list and the other was named the Best in Chile and Best Apalta in the esteemed Descorchados South American wine guides in 2023, respectively.

Today, Carménère is considered a local grape of Chile even though it is not indigenous, yet there is a case to be made that Chile is its true home. While it’s generally better to seek out the birthplace of something and try it there, there are always exceptions, just as a person who doesn’t fit into his birthplace must flee to a distant location to thrive, be appreciated and form a mutually beneficial relationship with their new home. The same is true for Carménère, as it requires a longer, warmer growing season than Bordeaux has historically provided, and it does well in hot, dry conditions. Perhaps it is best to try something in a place where it shows its best attributes, which is why Carménère will always be considered a wine that expresses the soul of Chile.

Santa Rita Floresta lineup of wines
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

The two Carménère wines below are both from the “grand cru” area of Apalta, they are both dry-farmed single vineyards, and they are both 100% Carménère. Yet the “Floresta” is a fresher style ultra-premium wine, as opposed to the richer yet still fresh “Pewën de Apalta,” the top-of-the-line Carménère from Santa Rita.

2022 Santa Rita “Floresta” Carménère, Apalta, Chile: 100% Carménère from a single vineyard with 90-year-old vines that are dry-farmed. Charming supple tannins with an overall vibrancy, with raspberry tart flavors intermixed with black tea and dried flowers, that is filled with juicy fruit and a strong backbone of minerality. Simply irresistible.

Santa Rita Pewën de Apalta Carménère
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2022 Santa Rita “Pewën de Apalta” Carménère, Apalta, Chile: 100% Carménère from a single vineyard with vines planted in 1938 in the Apalta foothills with weathered granite soils. A deeper, more concentrated and fuller-bodied wine than their Floresta bottling and Pewën de Apalta is their top-of-the-line Carménère. Multilayered nose of cigar box, red cherries, pulverized granite and cinnamon stick with velvety texture and blackberry liqueur flavors intertwined with espresso and black truffle with lots of fresh acidity along the luxuriously textured finish that is lively as well as rich. Both Carménère wines are 100% varietal, which is not typical, as many winemakers blend other varieties to achieve balance. Yet Sebastián Labbé can find the balance in the vineyard.

The Floresta range from Santa Rita has a greater emphasis on the brightness and clarity of the grape variety, with a focus on complete transparency.

Santa Rita Floresta Chardonnay
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2022 Santa Rita “Floresta” Chardonnay, Limarí Valley, Chile: 100% Chardonnay from a single vineyard. Limarí is a special place in Chile with a desert climate influenced by maritime factors, with calcium carbonate deposits on clay topsoil for this Chardonnay. A wine that evokes the ocean with aromas of sea spray and oyster shells, with crisp acidity, ripe peaches balanced by marked acidity and lots of tension in the wine.

2021 Santa Rita “Floresta” Cabernet Franc, Alto Jahuel, Maipo Valley, Chile: 100% Cabernet Franc from a single vineyard. Alto Jahuel is located in the upper part of the Maipo Valley, along the edge of the Andes Mountains, and benefits from a cooler climate at higher altitudes. However, some sections are cooler than others. This Cabernet Franc has an outstanding balance between the right amount of delectable fruit, with a remarkable vitality, a thrilling nose of violets, warm raspberries and tree bark with a chalky minerality, and a hint of forest floor that is all wrapped together with fine tannins.

Santa Rita Triple C Estate
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2022 Santa Rita “Floresta” Cabernet Sauvignon, Alto Jahuel, Maipo, Chile: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a single vineyard. Maipo first found its fame with great Cabernet Sauvignon, powerful wines, yet this Floresta illustrates the fresher style with finesse. The aromas of this wine dance and prance with agility and grace, reminiscent of a flower bouquet. The blackcurrant sorbet, with star anise crumbled on top, has an elegant texture to the tannins, with a slight structure that gives shape and lift.

2021 Santa Rita “Triple C” Estate Bottling, Maipo Valley, Chile: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Cabernet Franc and 8% Carménère. This wine blends the three Cs from two different vineyards, where Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are planted together. Deeply concentrated wine that is lush yet nimble, offering the deliciousness of decadent fruit such as cassis and black cherry cobbler, complemented by round tannins and a long finish that leaves aromas of crushed rocks and pressed lilacs lingering in the head.

Santa Rita Casa Real
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2021 Santa Rita “Casa Real” Alto Jahuel, Maipo, Chile: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the legendary Carneros Viejo Vineyard. Santa Rita’s Casa Real was the first iconic wine of Alto Jahuel in Maipo. A real sophistication to the structure of this wine that has big, broad shoulders that are finely chiseled and seamlessly integrated into the wine with tobacco leaf and black raspberry liqueur, with added complex notes of graphite and smoldering earth, with an extraordinarily long finish that is flavorful, multifaceted and driven with precision. 

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Top California Winery Releases Cool Climate Chardonnay And Pinot Noir Wines

Posted on July 28, 2026 by damewine

As the sun glistened off the crystalline, turquoise-colored water, it consumed the young man with its sheer exquisite transparency, knocking the wind out of him as he couldn’t fully imagine its effect on him, as the pictures couldn’t do it justice. Then, a quick, deep breath filled his lungs with the unadulterated air, which gave his weary bones, subjected to too many harsh winters, a jolt of renewed life that was much needed.

Jeff Crawford, when recently graduated from high school in Minnesota, sought a different type of life experience and ended up living in Hawaii, working for an artisanal oyster mushroom farmer. Although he initially thought it would be an ideal way to briefly recharge after the intense pressures of having to map out his future, he ended up staying a lot longer than he intended.

It turned out that the man who ran the mushroom farm had once been a winemaker in Sonoma and introduced Jeff to many of California’s great wines. The aromas, flavors and textures blew his mind, and it opened his eyes to the transcendent experience these wines can have on the drinker. Wine quickly became a passion of his, especially since his boss, also a man he calls his mentor, would occasionally return to Sonoma to make wine as a hobby at one of his friend’s places. At a certain point, Jeff moved from Hawaii to Sonoma, where he assisted his mentor with winemaking to learn as much as possible. He became fascinated by every nuance involved in vineyards and wineries.

Jeff ended up working at a top winery in Napa Valley, Merryvale Vineyards, and through time worked himself up to the head winemaker position. One of the projects he is currently overseeing is relocating their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay production from Carneros to the Sonoma Coast, making a stronger commitment to Merryvale’s goal of crafting refreshing wines in a European style.

Merryvale Vineyards

Merryvale
Photo Credit: Merryvale Vineyards

Merryvale Vineyards has a long history dating back to 1933 when it was established in St. Helena, Napa, under the name of Sunnyhill Winery, and a handful of wine legends made wine there. Its modern history began in 1983 when a small group of partners purchased the property, renaming it Merryvale. In 1991, Swiss-born Jack Schlatter joined that partnership, bringing his son, René, on board a few years later. The Schlatter family eventually became the sole owners of Merryvale, and put an intense focus on elegance-driven wines that possessed an overall European finesse.

Jeff Crawford
Photo Credits: Merryvale Vineyards

As one would expect, Jeff Crawford ended up at such a leading Napa producer after attending one of the best universities for winemaking, U.C. Davis. However, what was unexpected was that he pursued a degree in economics, as wine had become such a wonderful passion in his life that he didn’t want to lose that passion by turning it into a career. But going to Davis allowed him to take a few viticulture and winemaking classes. As time went on, he started spending more time thinking about winemaking than he did economics. One day, he noticed an announcement for a job fair for viticulture and winemaking, and since they weren’t checking one’s degree at the door, he walked in and started talking to a bunch of different producers, telling them his story. He ended up getting hired by Merryvale for their sister winery, Starmont, which makes varietal wines from the cooler Napa sub-region of Carneros at an affordable price. First, he worked in their lab, making several small-batch fermentations and finding all the subtle adjustments that ideally conveyed the character of that particular grape from that area. Jeff has always been a detail-oriented person, which helped him in his degree in economics, but it gave him an incredible talent for zeroing in to the most minute qualities and having the passion to never stop trying to bring a precision, for example, such as learning to blend different plots by truly knowing the plots in a given vintage.

Sheep in their vineyards
Photo Credit: Merryvale Vineyards

Jeff was quickly promoted to cellar master of Starmont, and then, through time, he became the assistant winemaker and, finally, the winemaker. Early last year, he was promoted to the head winemaker position at Merryvale, as well as Starmont. In total, he has been working for Merryvale for 18 years, which is highly uncommon nowadays as the California wine industry typically experiences a lot of movement. But Jeff couldn’t be happier working for the Schlatter family as they are just as detail-oriented, and Jeff also shares their mission to express the most elegant aspects of Napa and Sonoma wines.

Previously, Merryvale made their ultra-premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines from their Carneros vineyards, but they are now ready, with Jeff at the helm, to move closer to creating the epitome of elegance with these wines by relocating the production to the much cooler Sonoma Coast. They have released the inaugural vintage of their Sonoma Coast wines, 2022, and Burgundian techniques are employed in the winery, including the use of native yeasts for both wines and sur lie aging for ten months for the Chardonnay, as well as hand punch-downs for the Pinot Noir.

A Resume Only Says So Much

Schlatter Family
Photo Credit: Merryvale Vineyards

Every employer wants to find ideal employees, especially if they are eyeing a person who could fill one of the most critical roles in the future. Although there are obvious markers on one’s resume to look for, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be a good long-term fit. The Schlatter family has, in the past, walked an unconventional path, as when they took over Merryvale in the early ’90s Napa was still young and the consensus among many other producers was to make big, bold wines. But Schlatter believed in Napa’s elegant beauty and stayed true to their values, and they were willing to invest more time and resources into seeking and preserving those graceful qualities.

Profile Estate Vineyard
Photo Credit: Merryvale Vineyards

Perhaps they saw that passion in Jeff, not only a passion for drinking wine, but also for going beyond what is expected to achieve finding an ideal balance. This balance should have plenty of concentration yet harmony and nuanced complexity and texture, bringing an overall refined quality to the wines. Perhaps they saw someone who loved the details so much that he would be meticulous at every step of the way and thrived from such conscientious work that it filled him with enthusiasm. As Jeff explained perfectly, “There is a reason I have been here so long,” as he beamed with a genuine smile that showed a man who was right where he wanted to be.

It is interesting to think back to Jeff’s early life, the beginning of his journey into the world, and how afraid he was to lose his passion for wine if he made it his career. While he noted that U.C. Davis has a great economics program, there are many other universities he could have attended, and he chose the one with the prestigious winemaking program as well. But he could have never guessed that his own tendency to want to delve into every facet would significantly increase his love for wine as a winemaker rather than destroy it.

Sometimes, looking beyond the resume and getting to know the person can be extremely beneficial to a business, especially one that is near and dear to family owners, such as the Schlatters. And sometimes, it is the right step to take that leap when one is young so there are no regrets down the line. What destroyed others’ love for wine once they became a winemaker might be the very things that intensify that love for others.

Merryvale, Sonoma Coast, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2022 Merryvale, Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, California: 100% Chardonnay from the Keller Estate Vineyard, Taylor’s Crown Vineyard, Sunchase Vineyard and Stanly Ranch Vineyard. A multifaceted Chardonnay with wet river stones and lemon curd with a hint of spice that has lots of finesse on the palate with pristine nectarine fruit and lots of vitality with marked acidity that has a long, expressive mineral finish.

2022 Merryvale, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California: 100% Pinot Noir from the Sunchase Vineyard and Durell Vineyard. A strong sense of place from this Pinot Noir with broken earth and dry bark mingled with a juicy core of wild blackberries that is framed by fine tannins and finishes with delightful notes of grated nutmeg and sandalwood along the long length of flavor.

Merryvale, Sauvignon Blanc
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2023 Merryvale, Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley, California: 100% Sauvignon Blanc from Whisky River Ranch Vineyard, Grigsby Vineyard and Fritz Vineyard. An overall harmonious quality to this Sauvignon Blanc, such as mouthwatering acidity with lots of fleshy fruit of peach cobbler flavors and honeycomb with a floral lift and exotic note of lychee syrup that brings another dimension.

2018 Merryvale, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec from the Profile Estate Vineyard, Stagecoach Vineyard, Hardman Vineyard, Stanton Vineyard, Sugarloaf Vineyard, Skellenger Vineyard and Amoenus Vineyard. A seamless balance and a truly class act with this meticulous, expressive Cab with blackcurrant fruit infused with tobacco and violets that becomes expansive on the palate with manicured tannins.

Merryvale, Cabernet Sauvignon
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2018 Merryvale, Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, Napa Valley, California: 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot. Sourced from Merryvale’s renowned hillside Profile Estate Vineyard, located at 800 feet in elevation, which solely sources their flagship wine ‘Profile.’ The grapes from this prestigious plot that make wine for long-term aging go into their top wine ‘Profile’ while the grapes that are more accessible in their youth will go into this St. Helena Napa Cab. Intriguing aromas of smoldering earth, cassis and graphite with a muscular, broad-shouldered structure balanced by mouthfilling fleshy fruit layered with olive leaves and slate with a prolonged length of flavor on the finish.

Starmont wines are single-varietal wines made in a fresh, classic style from cool climate regions in the North and Central Coast regions of California.

Starmont, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2023 Starmont, Sauvignon Blanc, North Coast, California: 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Even though this wine retails around only $20, it is impressive and shows Jeff’s attention to detail when blending as it has the brightness and zesty lift, the ideal amount of fruit and a touch of structure, giving it drive with lemon confit, apricot skin and kaffir lime leaf flavors, and it is simply just really delicious.

2022 Starmont Chardonnay, Tri-County, California: 100% Chardonnay. Priced similarly to the Sauvignon Blanc – another impressive bottling for the price point as it has a touch of complexity with chalky minerality, almonds and mandarin oil aromas merging with a hint of spice and lemon confit.

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An Elegant Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Wine With Finesse-Driven Power

Posted on July 28, 2026 by damewine
Gallica Cabernet Sauvignon
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

Each piece of cypress wood was precious as they came from a Japanese forest that was most prized for its timber, every piece aged for over 20 years, increasing their structural durability. The construction workers were not typical in the sense of hammering nails, gluing or using metal in the structure; no, it was as if they were artisans who had treated each segment of lumber with reverence as if they were lost artifacts. Yet, unlike an artifact, they use their extremely sharp tools to cut out shapes with precision, creating an ideal joint between two pieces of wood – no nails needed. But if just one of these joints is a little off, then it may be detrimental for the traditional Japanese home being built; in rare circumstances, a structure can last 1,000 years if enough excruciating care and detail are taken with each section, such as one of the oldest wooden structures in the world, the Hōryū-ji Temple in Nara, Japan.

Rosemary Cakebread, winemaker and proprietor of Gallica Wine located in St. Helena, Napa Valley in California, is rooted in the best aspects of Japanese and California culture, and the results are some of the most aromatic, elegant Napa Cabernet Sauvignon wines with breathtaking purity at their core.

Intertwining Roads

Rosemary traveled a lot as a kid as her father’s work had taken them around the U.S. and, eventually, to Japan. Her family lived there for four years when she was an adolescent, and it opened her eyes to a whole new world. Over time, she became inspired by Japanese ceramics and art, evident in her wine labels. Much of Japanese aesthetic philosophy lies in accepting what nature gives and avoiding adulterating that at all costs, as once it is altered to fit a mold that it was not meant to fit, it loses its profound authenticity. This concept is expressed in art and plays a significant role in dealing with nature.

She finished high school in Sonoma, California, as her family wanted to make sure they relocated again so she could have an American education. But it took a little while for her to find her place in the small town of Petaluma, in Sonoma County, after living in a huge city like Tokyo. Just like how a mound of clay will inform the artist of how to shape it, bringing out its natural qualities and essence, it seems that Rosemary’s inner clay was destined to become a winemaker as she got a summer job on the bottling line at the historic Sebastiani winery. She was utterly overwhelmed with the legacy of the place – the founder came to Sonoma in the late 1800s as a stonemason and mined the Sonoma hills for cobblestones that were used to establish San Francisco’s streets, and after a time, he saved enough money to start his own winery. It was the type of story that seemed like an impossible fairytale, but there she was, in one of those dreams that seemed to come to fruition that was so particular to California.  

Those two periods in her life, happening at an age when one is open to major growth and evolution, intertwined into building the foundation for Rosemary’s wine career.

Gallica Wine

Rosemary Cakebread
Photo Credit: Gallica Wine

After graduating from U.C. Davis’s Viticulture and Enology program, she worked at a few different wineries, with Spottswoode located in St. Helena, Napa Valley, notably being one of them. Their vineyard was certified organic, so Rosemary received a lot of hands-on experience working with organic vineyards at a very early stage of her career, and today, with her Gallica wines, she only works with organically farmed grapes. Despite loving the places she worked, she wanted to make her own wines where every choice represented her mission to find the finesse within powerful wines, such as those Cabernet Sauvignon wines produced in Oakville, Napa Valley.

Rosemary’s Napa Cabernets have garnered a small, strong following since she has quietly made them without needing to promote them on a grand scale as she only produces around 1,000 cases per year. She makes other wines, such as an Albariño white wine from Lodi and a Grenache from Sonoma, all from organically certified vineyards. Yet, she is always grateful for those who appreciate her wines enough to become part of her mailing list membership, as those are the devoted customers that drive her to keep delivering that beautiful purity that she has become known for over the years. She will also keep her cellar stocked with past vintages, holding back more of the best years to release them to Gallica Wine members once she feels that they have evolved to express other fascinating facets of that vintage.

Trusting What Nature Gives

Oakville Ranch Vineyard
Photo Credit: Gallica Wine

“I try to build elegance at every stage,” noted Rosemary, from the vineyards through all the different stages in the winery. But now she is taking it a step further, a big step further, as she and her husband are replanting their estate vineyard in St. Helena, Napa Valley. They pulled out the vines on their two-acre property after the 2024 harvest, then prepared the ground – the previous vineyard was certified organic, and the future one will be as well. A cover crop was planted on their low-fertility Cortina soils, and she will plant Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 4, which produces low yields with small berries that will be head-trained as bush vines, and she intends to dry farm. Hence, much care is being taken to set up the vineyard so that irrigation will not be needed. Since there are only two acres, it will be a tiny production, but it will bring Rosemary closer to her mission of building elegance at every stage.

Rosemary knows the idea of looking for elegance in Cabernet Sauvignon is counterintuitive as it is known as a big, structured wine that can age for decades, and she is replanting a vineyard that will seemingly produce very concentrated fruit. Yet true elegance comes from allowing nature to create its own sense of balance, understanding that one’s main job is to protect that essence, which is more profound than any highly manipulated process could achieve. Rosemary noted that she is always looking to keep those beautiful aromatics, finesse in the mouthfeel and potential for extended aging, but if she can get that with a wine that is also a showstopper that, in her mind, is when it becomes amazing. She feels that she has found that with the 2023 vintage, which is thrilling to note considering her ability to make uniquely exquisite wines even in less celebrated vintages, so one can only imagine what she can achieve in an exceptional year.

Just like in the Japanese culture, she will always respect what nature will give, just like an artist needs to respect the essence of that piece of wood or mound of clay. So she embraces the generosity of the California sun that allows for ripe fruit and tannins by not adding too much in the vineyards or the winery which would take away from the pure expression of what nature is giving in a particular moment, and like the traditional Japanese home, going beyond what is necessary to skillfully and patiently carve out those pieces that form structurally sound joints so nails are not needed – allowing for the beauty of the wood pieces to speak for themselves.

Gallica Cabernet Sauvignon
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2022 Gallica, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville Ranch Vineyard, Napa Valley, California: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Cabernet Franc from the Oakville Ranch Vineyard located between 900-1,200 feet in elevation that is California Certified Organic Farming. The 2022 vintage received plenty of water during the winter, fortifying the soil well for the vines to successfully handle the warm, dry season with a heat wave during Labor Day weekend; those who picked before the heat wave, like this vineyard, did very well. Lifted aromatics immediately enchant with multilayered notes of pressed rose petals, forest floor and bright red cherry fruit with a touch of plushness on the palate and fine textured tannins with lots of brambly fruit that has a lot of drive on the expressive finish.

Gallica Cabernet Sauvignon wines
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2016 Gallica, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville Ranch Vineyard, Napa Valley, California: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Cabernet Franc. Rosemary noted that this was a “modern yet cooler growing season.” An inviting wine with notes of blueberry cobbler intermixed with engaging layers of fresh thyme and tar with flavors of red cherry coulis and tobacco leaf with a background aroma of graphite that has silky tannins and a linear finish that concentrates the flavors into a powerful articulation of its core notes.

2015 Gallica, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville Ranch Vineyard, Napa Valley, California: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc. The fourth year in a row of drought and cold weather during flowering led to a lower crop yield, and many excellent wines have been made, yet it is not as consistent across the board as the 2016 and 2013 vintages. Intriguing nose of smoldering earth that is balanced by perfumed notes of violets and warm raspberries with juicy cassis flavors with a firmer structure than 2016 yet there is a graceful quality to the texture with a fierce minerality underneath the delectable fruit.

2013 Gallica, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville Ranch Vineyard, Napa Valley, California: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc. Rosemary noted that the 2013 was “a classic vintage for the Napa Valley.” A potent terroir-driven nose with gravelly rocks, Mediterranean brush and crushed stones with dark fruit flavors slightly enhanced by a note of Black Forest cake and scents of Earl Grey tea and every nuance of this wine is interwoven with a delineated minerality that is all wrapped up in etched tannins that form an intricate lace-like structure.

2011 Gallica, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California: 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. A “cold 2011 predicted for doom aging into greatness,” as she illustrates with this lovely 2011, after 14 years of aging, that has over-delivered by evolving into a deliciously complex wine. A multidimensional bouquet with an impressive complexity of strawberry compote sprinkled with ribbons of basil with a hint of black pepper intermixed with tree bark and cigar box with well-integrated tannins that has a satin finish.

Below is the Albariño white wine and Grenache red wine that Rosemary produces:

Gallica Albariño
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2023 Gallica, Albariño, Terra Alta Vineyard, Clements Hills, Lodi, California: 100% Albariño from the Terra Alta Vineyard, which the Bokisch family organically farms on gravelly clay loam with vines sourced by massal selection (using the cuttings of old vines to propagate new ones) from the homeland of Albariño located in Rías Baixas, Spain. A tantalizing nose with lemon confit and oyster shell and a touch of white pepper with white peach and lemon curd on the palate with a saline minerality and crisp acidity.

Galiica Grenache
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2021 Gallica, Grenache, Rossi Ranch, Sonoma Valley, California: 100% Grenache from the Rossi Ranch (California Certified Organic Farming) owned by Sandy Otellini and farmed by Phil Coturri’s team that has soils of fine clay loam with some light volcanic ash. Rosemary produces this in a Burgundian style by using some whole grape bunches during fermentation. Bursting with impressions of mingled bright cherries and mulberries with candied lilacs and vibrant notes of orange zest with an incredible juiciness with black raspberry liqueur and a round texture that caresses the palate, finishing with a mineral-infused flavorful finish.

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The Luxury Champagne Sparkling Wine That Expresses Intense Sense Of Place

Posted on July 28, 2026 by damewine

The cold air brought a serene silence that washed out all the angst-filled thoughts that constantly plagued her mind. Among the snow-covered landscape, there seemed to be little, bare bonsai trees without their foliage that whimsically curved to the side with such grace, adding to the otherworldliness of this place. These plants are dormant during their winter rest, yet it is a perfect opportunity to truly view their diminutive stature without their canopies giving the false impression of heft. Although this place, happily, didn’t resemble anything in the daily grind of the woman experiencing this much-needed escape, it was indeed very real; so real that the expression of this land in a glass of Champagne was so distinctive that the drinker was taken aback of how much the sense of chalk within the soil dominated every nuance of this libation.

These were the exceptional vineyards of Champagne Cristal, where the nutrient-poor, chalk dominant soils caused the grape vines to struggle so much that they seemed more like tiny bonsai than the typical big, broad vines that are more prevalent worldwide. That is why the chef de caves of Cristal, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, nicknamed these particular vines “bonsai” because they were rare, even compared to the other vines in his beloved wine region of Champagne, France.

Champagne Cristal

Louis Roederer Tombstone
Photo Credit: Champagne Louis Roederer

In a world where many of the top luxury wines are being bought out by corporate entities, the Louis Roederer Champagne house has remained an independent, family-owned company with seventh-generation Frédéric Rouzaud currently leading the way. In 1876, they selected their best vineyards to craft one of the most distinguished Champagnes ever, Champagne Cristal, and part of their success has been rooted in the family’s knowing from very early on that the greatness of Champagne laid in the vineyards that would express the depth of terroir a.k.a. sense of place.   

In 1816, a man named André Jullien published a seminal book called Topography of All Known Vineyards (Topographie de tous les vignobles connus) that included a classification of vineyards in the Champagne region. Louis Roederer inherited the Champagne House in 1833 and just a little over a decade later, followed André Jullien’s classification and started to make a significant investment in buying stellar vineyards.

Louis Roederer vineyards
Photo Credit: Champagne Louis Roederer

Today, many of the best vineyards in Champagne are the ones that Jullien chose over a century ago, and the easiest way to take a tour of some of Jullien’s noted top sites is to visit the vineyards that go into making Champagne Cristal.

Whether it is the Basses Coutures vineyard in the Champagne village of Verzenay, where there is silt and chalk in the soil, or the biodynamic Bonnotte-Pierre-Robert vineyard with its limestone bedrock in the Aÿ village, all of the plots blended into Cristal express a multifaceted picture of the most outstanding aspects of the Champagne region. Even the various chalky soils that differ in form will make different qualities within the wines – as chef de caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon says, the Verzernay vineyard is like the Burgundy Grand Cru vineyard of Chambertin, with its “power and strength,” and the Aÿ vineyard is like the Grand Cru Musigny in Burgundy so it has a lovely “perfume and softness.”

But Louis Roederer is not resting on their laurels as they have implemented many programs to explore ways to find an ideal balance within the vines and protecting their longevity to encourage long life. They also use modern scientific disciplines to identify the broad diversity of clones within their vineyards that have thrived through massal selection (using the cuttings of exceptional, old vines to propagate new ones).

Champagne Louis Roederer uses horses to plow the vineyards so the roots aren’t damaged
Photo Credit: Champagne Louis Roederer

In 2002, they started a project called In Vinifera Aeternitas, gathering experts such as Lilian Bérillon, a nursery owner specializing in massal selection of the best estates all over the world, and Professor Jean-Michel Boursiquot, one of the most talented ampelographers (a person who identifies and classifies grapevines) to help accomplish their goals. One of the things they have achieved is employing pruning techniques of the vines that “respect the sap flow” to ensure a longer life while also implementing a permaculture philosophy that centers around creating sustainable and resilient systems that mimic natural ecosystems, which goes hand in hand with their organic and biodynamic practices.

When it comes to their organic and biodynamic practices, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon said that he has noticed that the pH of their wines is lower than before they converted to organic, increasing their acidity.

Finding Terroir In Champagne

The wine region of Champagne is a worldwide marketing success story as many houses have created brands that dominate the luxury wine market with incredible packaging, lavish events and placement in some of the top high-end clubs around the world, yet many of those luxury brands are owned by big corporations. Although that success has hurt the family-owned houses that avoid such marketing blitzes as they don’t want such a frenzy to overshadow the soul of their Champagnes, expressing some of the best vineyards.

There has been a backlash against these famous brands with a revolution of grower Champagnes, where growers make tiny quantities of Champagne wines, many who used to sell their grapes to large brands, and many times their bottlings are single vineyard wines. Despite many of these Champagnes being excellent examples of an expression of a particular plot, it is wrong to think these bottlings are the only true expression of place coming out of the region. Historically, Champagne is a blended wine, and yes, in many cases, it is for this reason that it can develop a consistency of style, even to a certain degree with the vintage bottlings. Yet the vintage Champagne Cristal wines take it to another level when creating an intricately layered experience of those soils that initially made this region legendary.

That is part of the reason why Cristal can shock the first-time drinker who is used to drinking a wide variety of top Champagnes, as it can come across as not being big enough or bold enough to knock one’s socks off at the first sip. But it is intense and concentrated in ways like no other Champagne on this level, as its power is not in the fruit but in the intensity of terroir expression. Once a drinker surrenders to the unknown, a type of depth they have not experienced, they understand why some connoisseurs consider this Champagne to be in its own category. When it comes to a multidimensional expression of the sense of place from those extraordinary vineyards classified over 100 years ago, there is a strong argument that no other luxury Champagne can live up to Cristal. 

Bottles of Cristal
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2002 Champagne Cristal, Champagne, France: 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay. Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon became the chef de cave in 1999, so he considers 2002 his “Welcome to the Roederer family gift” as the vintage had almost perfect growing conditions. A gorgeous evolution that happened to this beauty over two decades with peach cobbler and lemon meringue flavors with a broad body and a creamy texture with crisp acidity highlighted by mineral aromas and a long finish with notes of hazelnut.

2012 Champagne Cristal, Champagne, France: 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. This is from a warmer vintage, yet one could not tell at this stage as Jean-Baptiste said that he thought that, through time, it would become bigger and richer, as that is what tends to happen with Cristal. Still, this vintage is returning to the heart of their vineyards with oyster shells and wet stones dominating with a touch of honeysuckle in the background and a mouthwatering acidity with a weighty yet linear-driven palate.

2008 Champagne Cristal, Champagne, France: 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. Jean-Baptiste compared 2008 to the iconic 1996 vintage. However, ’96 is a controversial vintage – some note it is one of Champagne’s best in modern history while others feel the wines were too austere with sky-rocketing acidity. But learning from the ’96s, Jean-Baptiste decided to wait a week longer than 1996 to harvest this 2008. An addictive, fierce acidity with that Cristal minerality that intertwines itself in every aspect of the wine with a very lifted floral note and plenty of nectarine fleshy fruit to balance out the acidity that gives thrilling electricity to this vintage.

2016 Champagne Cristal, Champagne, France: 58% Pinot Noir and 42% Chardonnay. This vintage was challenging and broke many growers’ backs as they battled a wet spring with mildew. Surprisingly, especially considering that all of the vineyards used for this vintage were farmed organically, it is an outstanding showing. There is a breathtaking purity; I would have never guessed this was from a vintage that battled mildew. The 2015 vintage received more fanfare as it was a riper vintage with few problems. Jean-Baptiste said that some challenging vintages, such as this 2016, get unfairly judged with a sweeping statement that all the Champagnes are lesser quality, but for those who dare, who are extremely vigilant with their practices in the vineyards, like Roederer, something special can be produced. And the results are indeed impressive. A nose of lemon blossom, white peaches and crumbled chalk with a marked acidity laced with a saline quality and a salivating finish.

2013 Champagne Cristal Rosé, Champagne, France: 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay. This makes my list for one of the greatest Champagnes I have ever had… not just the greatest rosé but one of the greatest, period. I was not expecting such an experience since the 2013s were typically noted to be lovely in their youth yet subtle and not worth blockbuster status. But this 2013 evolved into such an exquisite example of what makes Cristal in a class of its own as the terroir is so defined and powerful with the right amount of fruit and acidity. Jean-Baptiste noted that making rosé for them is about adding another layer of terroir expression to the wine. Starting in 2008, with their new experimental winery, they began experimenting with a gentle “infusion” technique for the Pinot Noir grapes before the fermentation, allowing for more sense of place extraction from the skins without the astringency. Alluring bouquet of a labyrinth of aromas with cherry blossoms, wild strawberries, saline minerality and hint of marzipan dance and prance along the enthralling maze of flavors and textures that are lifted by an exhilarating acidity, which gives the wine a fierce tension and a very fine structure with bubbles that are so tiny that they caress like satin while still tantalizing with their hundreds of micro bursts along an extremely prolonged finish that keeps those delightful aromatics in one’s head for several minutes.

2014 Champagne Cristal Rosé, Champagne, France: 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay. A gorgeous nose with pear drop, peach tart and singed orange peel, and is open in its relative youth according to Cristal standards, yet the minerality of crushed rocks and pulverized chalk still dominates despite having a generous fruit flavor with a round body that has a long, flavorful finish, but the minerality is what stays with the taster the longest.

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Superb Napa Valley Cabernet Wine Made By Famous Winemaker Is A Hidden Gem

Posted on July 28, 2026 by damewine

When pieced together, fragments of the beginning of a life give a picture of where one’s place is in the world when there is a pattern of what brings joy. The tapestry of smells from walking the streets of Chinatown, startled halfway down the basement stairs by the popping of corks ejecting from grandpa’s homemade wine, excitement flooding the brain after tasting a top Bordeaux wine for the first time, being surrounded by the surreal enchantment of the Loire Valley, in France, by driving around the historic towns on a moped, taking in the most exquisite châteaux on the planet….

Such a life of snippets from childhood to young adulthood shows the initial foundation of a journey driven by great wine and fantastic food, shared in an atmosphere of generosity and wonderment. Yet this is not just one life but two, a married couple lucky enough to meet early in life, merging their paths in the mid-1980s with a combined mission to devote their lives to bringing such moments that were pivotal to them in their youth to the wider world.

Larry and MaryAnn Tsai
Photo Credit: Moone Tsai Wines

Today, this husband and wife, Larry and MaryAnn Tsai, are making a stunning Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon as a wine producer under the name Moone Tsai Wines. One of the most acclaimed wine consultants worldwide, Philippe Melka, is making their wines. Since they produce a tiny amount and have a great relationship with Philippe, he is able to be their full-time winemaker, which is unheard of as Philippe typically works in an advising capacity for most wineries. Yes, it is incredible that MaryAnn and Larry have a winemaker who has won several 100-point scores, worked for some of the most famous producers in the world and is truly a master blender of various vineyards when it comes to creating a harmonious wine, but he is a also a wonderful person who has become a good friend which is just as important to them.

Learning, Growing And Responsibilities

MaryAnn and Larry may have each had a different childhood than the other, as one is Italian American and the other Chinese American; one lived in Boston, the other in Long Island, NY; one studied abroad in France and the other worked at a local Long Island restaurant getting the chance to taste ultra-premium wines; yet at the core of their cultural values laid a commitment to centering one’s life around tasting amazing things with family and friends. As a first-generation Chinese American, Larry was introduced to Asian flavors and aromas from an early age. However, growing up on Long Island gave him plenty of opportunities to expand into other cultural sensorial experiences, and further travel just intensified his deep desire to build a life on such olfactory pleasures. MaryAnn grew up in Boston in an Italian American home. As a child, she witnessed the miraculous process of making wine from her grandfather, albeit as a hobby, yet it was a hobby that brought so much joy to her grandfather’s life.

MaryAnn would not only get to study abroad in France, but she would fulfill a rare dream as a middle-class Italian American and get her MBA at Harvard while Larry had already received his MBA from Stanford. While they were living in New York City as a married couple, they decided to take the plunge to move to “The Golden State.” MaryAnn could pursue her dream by working in the wine business and Larry would delve into food and beverages since MaryAnn loved the European way of life that was rooted in wine and Larry fell in love with California when he attended Stanford. However, both would initially have to go down the corporate route, despite their dreams of entrepreneurship, as, unlike today, that seemed impossible, and the corporate route was the only way for MBAs.

While Larry was working with gourmet food and coffee, MaryAnn started working for Beringer in 1989. At the time, the Swiss company Nestlé owned Beringer and wanted to increase their portfolio by purchasing ultra-premium wineries as well as increasing their vineyard holdings in Sonoma County and Napa Valley. Ten years after MaryAnn started, Beringer had accumulated an extra 750 acres in the Sonoma and Napa Valley areas, and MaryAnn was a key part of acquiring such valuable vineyards. Along the way, she gained incredible knowledge about where the best sites are situated, especially those plots that suited her personal preference for elegance, freshness and balance. During her time at Beringer, they were awarded three #1 slots on Wine Spectator’s “Wine of the Year” list.

Larry and MaryAnn Tsai
Photo Credit: Moone Tsai Wines

There were many moments, although brief, that connected to the joy of MaryAnn and Larry’s childhoods while they were working for Fortune 500 companies: that surprising addictive aroma, a gorgeous texture, talking to those who crafted such delectable delights and learning about the process, yet schedules and pace were unrelenting and there was never time to savor the experiences truly. But after a time, as they found a few moments to take deep breaths and reflect on their lives, which included raising two lovely daughters, those fragmented memories of their early years came flooding back, but this time, the memories were more vivid and powerful; the message was clear, they needed to open their own winery, and Moone Tsai Wines was born in 2003.

Their first wine was a Cabernet Sauvignon, and they have always been a believer in mainly sourcing from vineyards that would make complex, layered wines balanced by vibrant freshness and incredible texture. Together with Philippe Melka and his 30 years of relationships with Napa Valley vineyard growers, they were able to find plots that would accomplish such a goal. Today, they work with 12 different growers, have around eight separate wines in their portfolio with a few limited releases from time to time and have grown from initially making 180 to 3,000 cases – although still tiny, and hence, keeps their goal of wanting to make each bottle a forever memory that will bring a touch of magic to the lives of their customers possible.

Ideal Partnership For Great Wine

Larry and MaryAnn jumping for joy
Photo Credit: Tsai Moone Tsai Wines

Two people living parallel lives driven by the smells, tastes and how such sensations formed uplifting bonds and the most significant bond is when MaryAnn and Larry found each other. Their combined mission has been to live an exuberant life with other wine and food lovers and make it a way of life that they would pass down to their daughters as well as inspire others to live.

Every journey starts with the incredible discoveries of those things that thrill and mystify. Then, as an adult, the road seems to be filled overnight with learning, experiences and lots of responsibility, until finally, one gets to the point where they can finally achieve the goal that they have carried in their hearts all that time… a goal that surrenders to the idea that one’s time is precious. As it is easy to toil one’s life away without ever experiencing true joy. But it is never too late, never too late to find that bottle of wine that will pulse through the weary body of someone who has worked the grind too long, pulse like a shot of electricity, opening a whole new world of wonderment.

Moone Tsai, Hillside Blend, Howell Mountain and “Cor Leonis” Cabernet Sauvignon
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

MaryAnn and Larry decided to expand into making Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from some of the top vineyards in prestigious California regions, such as the Russian River Valley and Sta. Rita Hills, allowing Philippe Melka to employ his remarkable skills in crafting wines outside of Bordeaux varieties.

Moone Tsai, Paige Cuvée, Chardonnay
Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2022 Moone Tsai, Paige Cuvée, Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California: 100% Chardonnay from the renowned Ritchie Vineyard. Named after their oldest daughter, Paige. A bright nose with lovely aromas of citrus blossom and stony minerality with lemon curd flavors highlighted by candied kumquat with a sustained finish, leaving the saline notes from the ocean in one’s head.

2022 Moone Tsai, Corinne Cuvée, Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills, California: 100% Pinot Noir from the Our Lady of Guadalupe Vineyard. Sta. Rita Hills is an incredible place for Pinot Noir as the top sites, such as this one, get an ideal amount of ripeness while achieving mouthwatering acidity due to the fierce winds in the area. This wine is named after their youngest daughter, Corinne. The generosity of a gorgeous bouquet is enthralling on this wine, with blossoming jasmine and rose petals intermixed with star anise with silky tannins caressing the palate with multilayered fruit and an extended length of flavor on the finish. Even though Philippe and Moone Tsai have made their name on Cabernet, this Pinot Noir can certainly go head to head with some of the best in Sta. Rita Hills.

Moone Tsai, Hillside Blend, Howell Mountain Photo Credit: Cathrine Todd

2021 Moone Tsai, Hillside Blend, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California: 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Merlot from the hillside of Howell Mountain around 2,100 feet above the fog line. It is a wine that slowly beckons as it reveals itself with each sip and the juicy cassis flavors are an ideal counterpart for the broad tannins that allow one to sink their teeth into a wine that has an intense sense of place with notes of smoldering earth and crushed rocks with a long, spicy finish.

2021 Moone Tsai “Cor Leonis” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from vineyards located in the Napa sub-regions of Pritchard Hill, Coombsville and St. Helena, which shows the great blending talents of Philippe Melka. The name “Cor Leonis” translates to “heart of the lion,” and this outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon represents the pinnacle of excellence that Moone Tsai has achieved with only 300 cases made; hence, it is on allocation. The aromas astonish with exciting notes of forest floor after a refreshing rainfall with wild sage and crushed volcanic rock balanced by blackberry coulis, cocoa nibs and cherry tart flavors and a buxom body with curves in all the right places and it is simply a showstopper that combines a big wow factor with an overall harmonious finesse that is extremely impressive.

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Former Winemaker Of Top Merlot Wine Is Now Making A 100% Merlot In An Unexpected

Posted on July 27, 2026 by damewine

The sound of several gasps along with widening eyes followed by broad smiles brought an exuberant energy to the room that was palpable. Few things can bring such awe to adults who have already lived a full and eventful life, as very little can catch them off guard with a joyful revelation. Yet at that moment, the words “blue clay” associated with a Merlot wine in a place other than where one would expect turned seasoned fine wine drinkers into giddy adolescents again.

Blue clay is associated with some of the most outstanding Merlot wines in the world, such as Château Pétrus, located in the Right Bank of the prestigious wine region of Bordeaux. But there is another Merlot wine that sometimes outdoes Château Pétrus in certain vintages, according to some, and that is Masseto from the impressive wine area of Bolgheri in Tuscany. Masseto has a devoted cult of collectors that will go to great lengths to acquire a range of vintages in various formats and come together with other Masseto obsessives in fantastical gatherings to bask in the glory of these wines as a devoted collective.

Château Lascombes
Photo Credit: Château Lascombes

The former winemaker of Masseto, Axel Heinz, became the estate director for both Ornellaia and Masseto properties in 2005 and had stayed there for 17 years, longer than any other estate director. Under his guidance, he had made Ornellaia and Masseto some of the most sought-after wines on the auction market, and now, he is man aging director and CEO of an estate with a longer history than his Italian predecessor, Château Lascombes on the Left Bank of Bordeaux in the eminently elegant wine sub-region of Margaux.

Legend Of Blue Clay

A piece of blue clay from the Château Lascombes Photo Credit: Château Lascombes

Blue clay, also known as smectite clay, is a soil with significant iron composition, hence, it is known to give a distinct mineral character not found in wines grown in other types of clays or soils in general. The absorption of minerals is more significant for blue clay as it has properties that increase its ability to attract those desirable substances that help a wine to transcend excellence to a level where words cannot do it justice.

Merlot has been the ideal partner for blue clay as it has enough expression of fruit potential to balance the fierce intensity of minerality that is endowed to the wine grapes that grow in this legendary soil. Also, clay has the ability to keep the ground cooler as it retains more water than other soils, so it is conducive to a grape that finds ideal balance with a slower ripening cycle. In Merlot’s case, it keeps it from becoming too overripe, to which it has the tendency under certain conditions, yet allows it to gain enough concentration and complexity to become a magnificent wine with a regal power.

Grape vine on the Château Lascombes estate Photo Credit: Château Lascombes

And as Axel has been surveying the Château Lascombes’ estate, he has found one area of their vineyard with some blue clay, and Merlot has already been planted there. Once he left Masseto and Ornellaia to go to a Bordeaux property on the Left Bank, to a Grand Cru Classé château (classified as a Second Growth in 1855), he thought that he would never make a majority Merlot, let alone a 100% Merlot wine, ever again (as Masseto, like Pétrus would sometimes add a touch of Cabernet Franc), as it is unheard of to make such a wine among the top producers on the Left Bank, unlike its neighbors on the Right Bank. But he never thought that he would find that much-desired substance that creates wines that still baffle many a wine collector who tries to make sense of their transcendental qualities.

New Day For Château Lascombes

Reassessing the multitude of vineyard plots of Château Lascombes, which broadly span the Margaux region as they have holdings in three out of the five villages of the region, has become the main priority for Axel as he wants to make sure that only the best vineyards, except those deemed for the 100% Merlot wine, go into their grand vin. The grand vin, aka top wine of the estate, is in line with the tradition of Left Bank Bordeaux, hence a blended wine of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, sometimes with small percentages of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot grape varieties.

Like many other Grand Cru Classé châteaux, the amount of vineyards that Château Lascombes owns has significantly increased since they received the privilege of being listed within the Grand Cru Classé classification of 1855. As a Left Bank classified château is allowed to include any vineyards within the region, such as, in this case, the region of Margaux, to their grand vin; hence, Château Lascombes has added plots that were acquired after 1855 to their top wine in the past. But Axel is changing that “modern” concept and going back to a more “traditional” idea, an idea that deemed Château Lascombes as a Second Growth over a century and a half ago, and he is only placing those original vineyards from the 1855 classification into their top-tier wine.

Axel Heinz in the Château Lascombes vineyards
Photo Credit:
Château Lascombes

Yet he is not against progress when it is true to the terroir matching the expected quality level of the wine, and that is why he is making the 100% Merlot from those vineyards with the blue clay – it is a top-tier wine that defies all convention. It is all about the sense of place of the vineyards being utilized in the most appropriate ways.

Axel was born in Germany but fell in love with wine while he studied winemaking in Bordeaux and worked in the area after graduating. It was an incredible opportunity for him to become the estate director and winemaker of Ornellaia and Masseto in 2005. Yet, he says he never thought he would stay so long as he always figured he would return to Bordeaux. And no matter how much glory there is at an estate that is an international sensation, through time, one starts to reassess one’s priorities in life, and it was time for Axel to go back to his spiritual home.

Yet he returns to the special place that ignited his passion with a wealth of experience from overseeing the most sought wines in the world with the mission of elevating a great château to the level of international sensation. And being a man who has worked with outstanding vineyards, he knows that delving into the soil is the path to preeminence.

2022 Château Lascombes
Photo Credit:
Château Lascombes

The 2022 vintage was generally warm and dry for Bordeaux, so these wines are riper than usual. Yet they all still display a freshness and vibrancy despite the warmer temperatures.  

2022 Chevalier de Lascombes, Margaux, Bordeaux, France: 68% Merlot and 32% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the second wine of Château Lascombes’ grand vin wine. A nose that is lovely and inviting, with aromas of freshly picked raspberries during a sunny day, is enhanced by a complex note of tar with a concentrated mid-palate underpinned with lots of blueberries and plum fruit and continues with an incredible depth of flavor until the finish. 

2022 Chevalier de Lascombes Photo Credit:
Château Lascombes

2022 Château Lascombes, Margaux, Bordeaux, France: 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Multifaceted bouquet of sage, dried flowers and fresh leather dance with vivacity in one’s head with deeply concentrated blackberry fruit on the palate framed by finely sculpted tannins with an intense lifted energy along the finish that balances out the rich fruit.

2022 La Côte Lascombes, Margaux, Bordeaux, France: 100% Merlot from plots that have soils with clay over limestone with veins of blue clay throughout. Aromas that intrigue with dark, brooding fruit entice the drinker to dive into this abyss filled with delight and wonder. Slowly, the wine unravels its secrets with notes of crushed violets, sea spray and smoldering earth with a voluptuous quality on the body that satisfies on many levels, yet there is always something held back, so with each sip, more is revealed among the big velvety tannins and bright acidity that are seamlessly integrated along the sustained finish. 

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