Available Wines In Pennsylvania
Bryn Mawr is a Welsh name that roughly translates to “High Hill.” Ranging from 650-890 feet on the Western crest of the Eola-Amity Hills, elevation is the distinctive characteristic of our site. As one of the steepest, rockiest, and windiest sites in the Willamette Valley, just a hundred yards can have a massive impact on sun and wind exposure, soil type and depth. We have multiple volcanic soil series striated throughout the property and quite the range of aspects, from true East to true West. Even though our vineyard is small, our block-to-block variation can be as great as entire regions!
One thing that has become clear to us is just how different our site is than others in the Willamette Valley. Directly to our West lies the Van Duzer corridor, a mountain pass in the Coast Range that acts as a massive wind tunnel for the rest of the state to receive cool ocean winds on hot summer days. We regularly see temperatures 5-7 degrees lower and winds much stronger than areas just 500 feet below us. As a result, our vines are a bit more stressed and slow-growing than those of our neighbors. Cool vintages bring us white knuckles in the fall, as our grapes often need an extra few weeks to achieve full ripeness and winter rains loom on the forecast. The payoff comes in warm vintages, when we are able to maintain acidity and verve with above-average hang time.
The early days of Bryn Mawr Vineyards were slow-going and exceedingly hands-on. Rachel lived onsite in the restored trailer with her now-husband Liam and put her training on site selection to work as she chose what to plant and where. With 4 acres of mostly Pinot Noir to build from, she formed a plan to maximize the potential of our vineyard. Not only did she need to learn how to deal with the extremities of our intense site, but three of her first four vintages also proved very tough years for Oregon wine. The home on the property had to be gutted to its frame while its basement was an active winery. The little wine she and Jon were able to make in those first vintages was stunning, but with only 500 cases produced per year, survival was far from guaranteed. Rachel admits she had her doubts, but Temperance Hill just across the street was her favorite vineyard in Oregon, and being able to see it every day assured her that great wine was just waiting to be made here.
Coho is the aspiration of vintner Gary Lipp to produce flavorful, balanced wines. Grown in select cool-climate vineyards, Coho wines emphasize fruit purity and vitality. Gary has worked for
California wineries for almost thirty-five years: involved in all aspects of the craft, acquiring the skills to bottle his passion.
The choice of Coho as the name of the brand might seem curious as it doesn’t invoke images of vineyards or wine, but to us the salmon embodies an innate wisdom so essential to understanding ourselves and our environment. As stewards of the land winemakers must strive to sustain our habitat and the species that share it. And like the salmon we need the steadfast will to keep going no matter how difficult the journey.
Founded in 2002, COHO makes wines that are easy to enjoy, full of flavor and reasonably priced. Coho has garnered recognition from the press, wine trade, and wine lovers for the qualityand value of our unique, vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot and our Bordeaux Blend, HEADWATERS ™.
Check out our video on the Coho 2013 Headwaters Napa Valley Red Blend
Find the Coho 2013 Napa Valley Headwaters Cabernet Sauvignon available in PLCB Stores
Voted Top 100 Wines by James Suckling in 2016! 93 Points JS!
There is a basic formula for making wines of unique character and complexity: start with grapes that deliver a unique character and true complexity.
Cultivating grapes of this type also begins with a basic formula: planting varieties that are perfectly suited to a location with a specific climate and soil. These basic principles are followed by winemakers across the globe who seek to produce wines of quality that can be called great, unique, memorable and meaningful. And, it is the most important element of our winemaking at Cartograph.
In the pursuit of making fine wine it helps to love the process of turning grapes into wine. We do. In fact, we believe that it is our love of the entire winemaking process, from carefully handling and selecting grapes and giving our undivided attention to each lot to scrubbing out tanks and barrels, that leads to producing wines that year in and year out consistently represent the unique vineyards they portray in the bottle.
Pinot Noir is our primary focus at Cartograph and we believe this wine is most satisfying and most intellectually intriguing when the winemaking emphasis is placed on balance, nuance and complexity, rather than power and intensity. This calls for a light hand in the cellar. In our view it also calls for picking grapes slightly earlier than most others who may be seeking to produce big, extracted wines. Our light touch and emphasis on balance and complexity also, we believe, produces wines that pair well with, rather than overwhelm, meals. Finally, our goal is to produce a wine that will age and transform into something new with each year in the bottle.
Our only white wines at Cartograph, Gewürztraminer and Riesling, are modeled on the great white wines produced in France’s Alsace region. We shepherd our grapes through a winemaking process that leads to a wine that is dry, crisp and of moderate weight on the palate to, again, deliver a wine that will pair well with foods and all seasons. – Alan Baker, Winemaker & Co-owner
Founded in 1871, El Molino is one of the first wineries in Napa Valley and remains family owned and operated. Cellar conditions are ideal for the limited production of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay using traditional winemaking techniques.
Check out our video on the El Molino 2012 Rutherford Pinot Noir
Find the El Molino 2012 Rutherford Pinot Noir available in PLCB Stores
Experience wine is the dream of Catherine and Travis Vale. Travis was born and raised in the Russian River Valley of California’s Sonoma Coast. He first worked a harvest in 1998, falling in love with the sights and sounds of a working winery. The daughter of a master brewer, Catherine was born and raised in London.
The two met in 2001 while both were traveling in New Zealand. Travis was furthering his education in the cooler climate growing regions of Marlborough. Catherine was finishing up a six-month tour of Southeast Asia and Australia. The tour bus they shared was aptly named the Kiwi Experience New Zealand.
“That chance meeting far from our homes was a turning point in our lives,” says Catherine.
Immediately drawn to each other, the two married in 2004 and made their home in the Napa Valley. Travis worked at a family-owned winery while Catherine accepted a position with drinks giant Diageo Chateau and Estates. In 2010 they struck out on their own journey of growing grapes and launching a new wine brand. Naming the fledgling wine Experience seemed a perfect fit.
Catherine and Travis have been blessed with three daughters. Their business is truly a family affair with everyone pitching in when needed. The family’s core belief is to enjoy the journey and not focus on the destination. Life is a series of incredible opportunities to embrace, explore and experience. This is the essence of what makes Experience a special wine now and in the future.
Find the 2017 Experience Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley at the PLCB store
A Few Words From Mr Wonderful:
“I love wine. My stepfather, George, introduced me to wine and I have never looked back. In my life I have had the opportunity to drink first growth Bordeaux and Burgundy from the casks stored in the deep and dark caves of their original vineyards. I have visited almost every vintner in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys of California, sampling their spectacular wines. I have tried the wines of Cyprus, North Africa and many other great wine producing regions, all while standing amongst their vines.
I created O’Leary Fine Wines to help give Americans access to amazing wine at an amazing price. 97% of the wine sold in America is under $14.95 and yet almost all of it is not what I would drink. I don’t want to go blind when I drink wine; I want it to be a wonderful experience.
I would never put my name on a bottle that I wouldn’t drink myself and serve to friends and family.
After months of trial and error, working and reworking, our Chardonnay is close to perfect — I know that for me, it has already become my mainstay white wine for friends and family. And I love our Cabernet too — the arrogant audacity of its nose and its smooth and elegant approach on the palate blew me away when I first tried it.
I can’t wait for you to try O’Leary Fine Wines and see for yourself. I’m confident that as soon as you let one sip over your palate, you’ll agree it’s spectacular!”
Find the Kevin O’ Leary 2015 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon available in PLCB Stores
KRUTZ wines are built with one purpose, build the best.
A CIRCULAR JOURNEY
Some thirty years ago Fred and Cherry Krutz discovered the world of wine when they made an adventitious stop into a wine and cheese boutique in Carmel, CA. Little did they know that their oldest son, Patrick, would wind up working in the same store two decades later. The Cheese Shop is where the Krutz family first developed a passion for wine, and where Patrick learned the art of winemaking by working with some of Monterey County’s best wineries.
A HOBBY BECOMES A FAMILY BUSINESS
Krutz Family Cellars was founded in summer of 2003 in Monterey County when Patrick Krutz produced sixty cases of wine. The idea was to purchase a ton of grapes a year in order to produce a small amount of wine for family and friends. However, demand soon changed that plan and Krutz Family Cellars continues to grow in an effort to supply that demand. In 2011 Bryan and Cole Krutz joined their brother Patrick as owners and Krutz Family Cellars is now a family owned winery located in Sonoma County.
This starts in the vineyards where we have full control of our various KRUTZ blocks. This includes, but not limited to, farming practices, yield control, irrigation calls, and night time harvest dates. Once the fruit is received, we cut no corners. Hand sorting, whole berry integrity, new Taransaud French Oak fermenters, and gravity-fed, Free Run Only Wine (no press fractions) straight to the finest French Oak barrels on the market are just some of the critical core components to making the best wine possible.
Find 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III Napa Valley in PLCB Stores
Luminous Hills Vineyard, located in the southwest corner of the Yamhill-Carlton District is a unique high elevation site bearing the typical sedimentary soils of the AVA, as well as a significant area of Jory volcanic soil. These two diverse soil types, along with a variety of carefully selected clones of Pinot Noir, provide diverse components and complex elements to the wines of Luminous Hills.
https://www.michelschlumberger.com
We are fortunate to offer such a diverse portfolio of estate-produced wines. Ultimately, we let the estate decide which varietals are best suited for each of the microclimates on our property. The intricacy of this landscape provides a perfect backdrop for a range of varietals to thrive, each handpicked as an ideal match for the estate terroir. As a result, we focus on Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc for our white wine program, and Cabernet, Merlot, Zinfandel, and Syrah, for our red program not only for specific varietals but also for unique and award-winning red wine blends.
The mission-style architecture of the Estate harkens to Michel-Schlumberger’s European roots while honoring the influence of the Spanish in early California history.
While you need great grapes to make fantastic wine, you also need great people. Ottimino has successfully produced fine zinfandels for so long due to the people that have put their hearts and souls into perfecting every step of the winemaking process. From growing and harvesting the grapes to making and bottling the wine, we here at Ottimino are proud of our combined heritage that brings these great wines to you.
A few words from Sheldon Richards:
My parents, Barbara and Jim, always had an interest in wine, both in its making and its consumption, and in food and gardening. In 1980, they were living in Midland, Texas, and began thinking about a retirement home. They decided to start looking for a small property in the Napa Valley where they could build a home and plant a small vineyard. This dream was realized in 1983 when a friend of theirs, Dan Duckhorn, called and told them about the property now known as Paloma Vineyard. When you operate and vineyard and winery, you never retire!
The property is located five miles northwest of St. Helena at the top of Spring Mountain. In the last half of the 19th century it was a vineyard, but was allowed to return to forest around the turn of the century. The purchase of this raw land was the beginning of an odyssey that is ongoing, ever changing, but with one goal—to grow the best grapes possible and make a wine that reflects the terroir of Paloma Vineyard, Spring Mountain and Napa. They were rewarded for strength and determination, receiving the Wine Spectaor’s 2003 TOP PICK over 15,000 other wines from around the world.
For those interested in such things: the elevation of Paloma Vineyard is 2060 feet above sea level at the bottom of the property and 2240 at the top; exposure is
generally east with many variations; and the soils are derived from the Sonoma volcanics and from Franciscan sandstone. Total acreage is 17 acres with 15 acres planted in Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. My parents left me an amazing legacy—one that I will continue to maintain—farming, winemaking, hospitality—at levels that would make them both proud. Little will change! I can promise you that.
What we all love most about this lifestyle—is you—the people we meet from all over the world. You make the food and wine taste better and always remind us of how lucky we are to live in paradise! To all of our many friends and loyal wine buyers, we thank you for your ongoing support.
After harvest in 2016, I pulled an acre of aged Merlot and will plant 600 Cabernet Franc vines in the spring of 2017. Napa Cab Francs seems to get better every year and several very good ones come from Spring Mountain. So I am excited by the possiblities! Patience please! It will be 8 years before I will have a Paloma Estate Cabernet Franc to share. It will be called “Ode to Barbara” to ensure her ongoing support!
We survived the fires of 2017! Very surreal to be picking grapes and making wine while surrounded by fire on three sides with bombers and helicopters flying just above tree-top level. Hard to decide what to do with the contents of two workshops, a winery and 2.5 houses. Finally decided to just roll with it and hope for the best! Not knowing if I would have a home or livelihood was kind of daunting. The good news: We survived!
The next year, 2018, may be the vintage year of the decade. Even though we had lots of smoke from the Shasta and Mendocino fires, the temperatures were moderate, so the berries were plump and beautiful. A bumper crops for the whole valley and one of five biggest crops!
Robert Storey has been an icon in the wine industry for four decades. He works with many acclaimed winemakers to craft wines using the fin
est grapes from some of the most highly acclaimed growing regions in California.
Check out our video on the Robert Storey Cellars 2015 Block 17 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Spring Mountain Vineyard is an 850 acre estate of forest and vineyard on the eastern slopes of Spring Mountain which rises behind the town of Saint Helena. The vineyard occupies about 226 acres of the estate and is broken into 135 small and separate hillside vineyard blocks. Each small block and slope has a unique soil, exposure to the sun, and microclimate. Each vineyard block produces a unique wine, giving the winemaker a wealth of choices. The new Spring Mountain Vineyard was once three separate properties each with its own vineyard and winery: Spring Mountain Vineyards (Miravalle) 257 acres, Chateau Chevalier (Chevalier) 120 acres, and Draper Vineyards (La Perla) 435 acres.
The upper most property on the estate, La Perla, was founded in 1873 by Charles Lemme and expanded by the Schilling Spice family. Originally 285 acres it had the first Cabernet Sauvignon planted on Spring Mountain. The old winery remains today along with much of its original equipment and horse drawn carriages and wagons. Immediately below La Perla, and eventually added to it was the first vineyard planted by Fredrick and Jacob Beringer in 1882. These terraced hillsides were planted in a wide assortment of grape varieties to support the Beringer brothers fledgling winery.
Adjoining to the north of the Beringer vineyard was a Frenchman, Fortune Chevalier, whose stone winery, Chateau Chevalier, was making wine in 1891. And finally, next door to Chevalier was Tiburcio Parrott who grew olives, citrus and grapes. Parrott built a grand home on the estate which he named Miravalle.
The goal of the vineyard is to produce exceptional wines that show the power and depth of the mountain fruit, yet through gentle winemaking, possess elegance as well as strength.
In 1979 Scott developed an ambitious winery plan for the Santino family. As Winemaker and General Manager of Santino Winery, Scott is credited with placing Amador County firmly on the California wine map. Crafting the best wines possible from the soils and climatic conditions of the region, Santino and later Renwood benefited from Scott’s German training and innovative style. Becoming one of the leading wineries in Amador County, and garnering critical acclaim, the wine world was paying attention. Amador County was now recognized as a world-class wine-growing appellation.
SCOTT GOES BIG
In 1996, Scott was recruited as Partner, Winemaker & President for newly purchased, Folie a Deux Winery in Napa Valley. Combining forces with Lead Partner, renowned Winemaker, Richard Peterson, Ph.D, a formidable winemaking team was launched. Scott pursued his commitment to award-winning Cabernets made from the Estate Vineyards in Napa Valley while continuing his passion for Amador County Zinfandel. Access to Scott’s original Grandpère vineyard in Amador County and close relationships with premier Amador County growers, resulted in award-winning wines all around for Folie a Deux. In addition, Scott’s creation, the “Menage a Trois” line of wines, was an instant commercial success. In 2004, Folie a Deux, now a respected brand, was sold to Sutter Home/Trinchero Winery.
SCOTT HARVEY WINES IS BORN
Scott was finally positioned and ready to start his own venture, and he had the ideal partner – his wife, Jana, a wine industry veteran.
Check out our video of the Scott Harvey 2016 Amador County Three Stags Zinfandel
Find the Scott Harvey 2013 Three Stags Amador County Zinfandel available in PLCB Stores.
Founded in 1897 at the heart of the Bordeaux wine region, wine trading house Yvon Mau has built up unique expertise in Bordeaux wines. In the early 20th century, Yvon, the
founder’s son, would ride around the region on his penny-farthing bicycle (later to become the company’s symbol) in search of new wines.
Ever faithful to the land and village of its origins, Yvon Mau has grown to become one of the leading players in Bordeaux. A subsidiary of the Freixenet Group (the world’s 9th largest wine group) since 2001, the company now makes almost half its turnover in exports.
With over a century of expertise, a true passion for the Bordeaux wine region and the emphasis placed firmly on quality and creation, Yvon Mau has redefined the role of the Bordeaux trader and restored prestige to the profession. This strategy is reflected in the company’s brand development (Yvecourt, Premius…) but also in the creation of ranges of château wines (Esprit de Bordeaux, Révélations d’Hubert de Bouard…) showing the company’s ambition to move upmarket and the momentum in its drive for international expansion.
Check out our videos on the 2015 Chateau Moulin De La Rivière and the 2015 Chateau Les Fougeres
Find the Chateau Moulin De La Rivière 2015 (91 Points James Suckling) and Chateau Les Fougeres 2015 (92 Points James Suckling) available in PLCB stores.