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Bryant Family Vineyard
Bryant Family Vineyard is a California wine estate in the Napa Valley, founded by businessman Donald L. Bryant Jr. and his ex-wife, Barbara Bryant. Known for their 100% Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon wines grown on their Pritchard Hill estate, Bryant Estate was one of the original cult wines to emerge during the early 1990s, along with wineries such as Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate. Low production levelsand high demand for the wines have driven prices to the upper echelon of wines produced in the United States. As of 2009, Bryant Estate produces two additional labels, "Bettina" and "DB4". Bettina is a parallel wine to Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet, made of grapes purchased from some of viticulturist David Abreu's vineyard sites. DB4 is a second wine, made of declassified wine from both Bettina and Bryant Family Vineyard labels. History In 1985, Bryant purchased the current site of the vineyard and winery with the intention of building a home. After lear ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Abreu
Abreu Vineyards is a winery in Napa Valley, California founded by the viticulturist David Abreu. History David Abreu, a third-generation rancher from St. Helena, California founded Abreu Vineyards in 1980. Abreu Vineyards first vintage was made in 1986 but the first release was not until the 1987 vintage, which was made available to consumers. Eventually, intuition and experience led him to four single vineyard properties: Madrona Ranch, Cappella, Las Posadas (formerly Howell Mountain), and Thorevilos. He planned and planted each one. Alongside Brad Grimes, a chef turned winemaker, he whittles one hundred barrels down to just 12,000 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon blends. In 1980, David formed David Abreu Vineyard Management, working with pioneering winemaker Richard Forman to manage ranching operations at Inglenook Winery. Abreu and Forman became friends and traveled frequently to Bordeaux, where they observed French winemaking operations. They brought back French rootstock, tre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cult Wine
Cult wines are wines for which dedicated groups of committed enthusiasts will pay large sums of money. Cult wines are often seen as trophy wines to be collected or as investment wine to be held rather than consumed. Because price is often seen as an indicator of quality, sellers may adopt a premium pricing strategy where high prices are used to increase the desirability of such wines. This is true even for less expensive wines. For example, one vintner explained that "on several occasions we have had difficulty selling wines at US$75, but as soon as we raise the price to US$125 they sell out and get put on allocation".''Decanter'' (June, 2006). "Cape crusaders". pp. 90 & 92 Other wines that fall under the title occasionally are from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhône and Italy. These wines when scored highly by Robert Parker have had a tendency to increase in price resembling the Bordeaux investment market. California cult wines California cult wines refers to any of the California ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wineries In Napa Valley
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of tanks known as tank farms. Wineries may have existed as long as 8,000 years ago. Ancient history The earliest known evidence of winemaking at a relatively large scale, if not evidence of actual wineries, has been found in the Middle East. In 2011 a team of archaeologists discovered a 6000 year old wine press in a cave in the Areni region of Armenia, and identified the site as a small winery. Previously, in the northern Zagros Mountains in Iran, jars over 7000 years old were discovered to contain tartaric acid crystals (a chemical marker of wine), providing evidence of winemaking in that region. Archaeological excavations in the southern Georgian region of Kvemo Kartli uncovered ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Petit Verdot
Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, colour and flavour, in small amounts, to the blend. Petit verdot has attracted attention among winemakers in the New World, where it ripens more reliably and has been made into single varietal wine. It is also useful in 'stiffening' the mid palate of Cabernet Sauvignon blends. When young its aromas have been likened to banana and pencil shavings. Strong tones of violet and leather develop as it matures. History Petit Verdot probably predates Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux, but its origins are unclear. There are records of it in the eighteenth century, but its characteristics suggest an origin in much hotter climes than the Gironde. It is one parent of Tressot, the other parent being Duras, a grape from the upper Tarn valley near To ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being used in blends and produced as a varietal in Canada and the United States, it is sometimes made into ice wine in those regions. Cabernet Franc is lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon, making a bright pale red wine that contributes finesse and lends a peppery perfume to blends with more robust grapes. Depending on the growing region and style of wine, additional aromas can include tobacco, raspberry, bell pepper, cassis, and violets. Records of Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux go back to the end of the 18th century, although it was planted in Loire long before that time. DNA analysis indicates that Cabernet Franc is one of two parents of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Carménère. History Cabernet Franc is believed to have been established in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Merlot
Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color of the grape. Its softness and "fleshiness," combined with its earlier ripening, make Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin. Along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, Merlot is one of the primary grapes used in Bordeaux wine, and it is the most widely planted grape in the Bordeaux wine regions. Merlot is also one of the most popular red wine varietals in many markets. This flexibility has helped to make it one of the world's most planted grape varieties. As of 2004, Merlot was estimated to be the third most grown variety at globally.J. Robinson (ed) ''The Oxford Companion to Wine'' Third Edition, Oxford Uni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lake Hennessey
Lake Hennessey is a reservoir in the Vaca Mountains, east of St. Helena and the Napa Valley, within Napa County, California. The reservoir is formed by Conn Creek Dam, built in across Conn Creek. Construction of the earthen dam was authorized by the United States Congress when it passed the Flood Control Act of 1944 in order to mitigate flooding downstream in Napa, California. Funding for the dam was never appropriated by Congress, so in 1946 the City of Napa took on the project and built it at a cost of $550,000 dollars plus $250,000 for the land. The cost of laying the diameter pipeline from the dam to the city of Napa was $1.7 million. The 30 miles of pipe for the project was manufactured at the Basalt Rock Company plant located south of Napa. The design of the dam did not include a way to drain water from the reservoir when it comes close to full capacity. Once the lake is full, water drains from a spillway causing potential flooding dangers downstream. The reservoir and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
California Wines
California wine production has a rich viticulture history since 1680 when Spanish Jesuit missionaries planted ''Vitis vinifera'' vines native to the Mediterranean region in their established missions to produce wine for religious services. In the 1770s, Spanish missionaries continued the practice under the direction of the Father Junípero Serra who planted California's first vineyard at Mission San Juan Capistrano. Its contemporary wine production grew steadily since the end of Prohibition, but mostly known for its sweet, port-style and jug wine products. As the market favored French brands, California's table wine business grew modestly, Taber (2005), p40 but quickly gained international prominence at the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, when renown French oenophiles, in a blind tasting, ranked the California wines higher than the primer French labels in the Chardonnay (white) and Cabernet Sauvignon (red) categories. Taber (2005), pp216–220 The result caused a ‘shock' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Antonio Galloni
Antonio Galloni is an American wine critic. He is the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Vinous for which he is also the lead critic covering the wines of Bordeaux, California, Italy, and Champagne. From 2006 to 2013, Galloni was a tasting staff member of Robert Parker's publication ''The Wine Advocate''. In May 2013, Galloni founded Vinous. Early life and education Galloni was born in Caracas, Venezuela to an Italian father and American mother. When he was eleven the family moved to Sarasota, Florida where his parents sold Italian wines at retail. This early exposure to wine began a lifelong fascination with wine. Galloni's maternal grandmother introduced him to the wines of Burgundy, while his father instilled in him that "there are two great wines in the world: Barolo and Champagne". Galloni received a degree from Boston's Berklee College of Music in jazz composition and guitar. After a stint as a musician and waiter, which led him to get to know many of the ne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Parker Jr
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honour, praise, renown" and ''berht'' "bright, light, shining"). It is the second most frequently used given name of ancient Germanic origin. It is also in use as a surname. Another commonly used form of the name is Rupert. After becoming widely used in Continental Europe it entered England in its Old French form ''Robert'', where an Old English cognate form (''Hrēodbēorht'', ''Hrodberht'', ''Hrēodbēorð'', ''Hrœdbœrð'', ''Hrœdberð'', ''Hrōðberχtŕ'') had existed before the Norman Conquest. The feminine version is Roberta. The Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish form is Roberto. Robert is also a common name in many Germanic languages, including English, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Scots, Danish, and Icelandic. It can be used ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wine Advocate
''The Wine Advocate'', fully known as ''Robert Parker's Wine Advocate'' and informally abbreviated ''TWA'' or ''WA ''or more recently as ''RP'', is a bimonthly wine publication based in the United States featuring the consumer advice of wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. Initially titled ''The Baltimore-Washington Wine Advocate'' the first issue was published in 1978. Accepting no advertising, the newsletter publishes in excess of 12,000 reviews per year, utilizing Parker's rating system that employs a 50–100 point quality scale (Parker Points® or simply ''RP''). These wine ratings have a significant effect on the sales of the reviewed wine. Background and history Robert Parker first developed an interest in wine on a trip to France while in college studying law. In the 1970s, Parker was influenced by the activist consumerism philosophy of Ralph Nader and saw in the wine industry a lack of independent wine criticism that was not sponsored by the distributors or wineries be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Helen Turley
Helen Turley is a pioneering American winemaker and wine consultant. She is known for bringing several Californian cult wines to the public awareness, and as the owner of a boutique winery, Marcassin Vineyard. She is the recipient of several prestigious American wine awards, to include Wine Spectator's Distinguished Service Award and Food & Wine's Achievement Winemaker of the Year. Turley has mentored many California wine consultants, such as Mark Aubert, Jesse Hall, Philippe Melka, and Heidi Barrett. In addition to consulting for wineries such as Pahlmeyer, Bryant Family Vineyard, Colgin, Martinelli and Blankiet, until 1995, she was the winemaker for Turley Wine Cellars. Career Turley graduated from Cornell's agricultural school in the 1970s, and moved to the Napa Valley, landing at Robert Mondavi's lab. By 1984 she had her first job as a winemaker but began thinking differently about winemaking when she made two barrels of wine using wild yeast in 1989. During her c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
