David Shaw

9.0

828 cases made, 50/21/20 blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese plus minor additions of Counoise, Petite Sirah and Barbera. Medium extracted pigment, very good clarity. Fruity nose, lightly tannic, cherryish flavors with notes of tangerine, mint, spearmint and white pepper. Pioneers of wine growing in Cochise County AZ. Paired it with grilled chicken and red mole, and also grilled salmon. Artisanal yet tasty — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

This is Gaston’s Special Club. What does it mean when a Champagne is labeled as Special Club?

The Special Club, or Club Trésors de Champagne, was originally founded in 1971 by 12 of the oldest families of the Champagne region. Since then, the club has grown to include 29 producers committed to excellence in all aspects of production. This exclusive membership is only open to Recoltant Manipulants (a French designation for a producer of grower Champagne). Champagnes must be produced, bottled and aged at the member’s estate. The Special Club Champagnes represent the tête de cuvée (a premier bottling often carrying a vintage date) selection for each member.

Special Club Champagne designation means they are only made in outstanding vintages from grapes harvested from member’s own vineyards. Each producer must submit his wine to two blind tastings panels of esteemed oenologists and wine professionals. The still wines (vins clairs) are tasted first and if approved may be bottled in the uniquely-shaped Special Club bottle before undergoing secondary fermentation.

After a minimum of three years aging on lees, the wines are tasted again for final approval.

On the nose; green apple, bruised Bosc pear, touch of golden apple, pineapple, cream soda, light citrus, sea shells/spray, brioche, gray volcanic minerals, soft chalk, spring flowers & citrus blossoms.

The palate is soft, delicate, subtly rich with micro oxygenation. Green apple, bruised Bosc pear, bruised golden apple, pineapple, cream soda, light citrus, sea shells/spray, brioche, gray volcanic minerals that have teeth and dig deep into your palate, soft powdery chalk, spring flowers & citrus blossoms.

Photos of; the house of Gaston Chiquet, cellar-hand hand riddling bottles, Owner/Winemaker Nicolas Chiquet inspecting bottles and one of their Grand Cru Vineyard.

Producer notes...Nicolas farms 23 heactares in the Valle de la Marne in the villages of Ay, Dizy, Hautvillers and Mareuil-sur-Ay. All of the fruit (including that which is used in the non-vintage cuvee) comes from premier and grand cru grapes. Nicolas does not employ any oak aging at Gaston Chiquet; he believes that concentration, fruit maturity and malolactic fermentation impart enough body and texture to make aging in barrel unnecessary.

The vineyards are planted to equal (forty percent each) parts chardonnay, pinot meunier and twenty percent are planted to pinot noir. Gaston-Chiquet. He also produces a vintage dated chardonnay from 5 parcels on the western side of the grand cru village of Ay. Usually recognized as a grand cru village for pinot noir, these vines of chardonnay were planted in Ay in the 1930s.

In 1919, two brothers, Fernand and Gaston Chiquet winemakers came together to create their house Chiquet Brothers. They were ‘pioneers’ in Champagne, the very first winemakers to take the initiative, bold at the time, to keep their grapes, turn them into Champagne and sell their own wine. Nicolas Chiquet planted his first vines in 1746, and since then eight generations have have managed their house. Gaston Chiquet registered the company in 1935 and expanded the property with land in Aÿ, Cumières and Hautvillers. Gaston Chiquet is best known for making the only blanc de blancs from the Pinot village of Aÿ. Aÿ was the big name in the area long before wines became sparkling, and many were the kings and popes who counted Vin d’Aÿ as their favorite wine. The vineyards slope down steeply to the village by the Marne River, and the best locations are just over the town, sheltered from the wind and with maximum exposure to the sun. — 8 years ago

Mark Gudgel

9.4

Review number 3200 is an old favorite. I often write about how wine is a complement to a greater experience, not the experience itself. This wine, to me, illustrates that point perfectly. Tonight, I pair it with cooking dinner for my family, and it reminds me of my incredible visit to Smith-Madrone winery this past summer. A wine made beautifully by men who are both artists and pioneers, this full-bodied cab boasts a complex flavor profile and wants for nothing, aside from to be shared with friends. Cheers! — 9 years ago

Pierpaolo Petrassi MW

Master of Wine; Head of Beer, Wine & Spirits Waitrose

9.0

Proof that the beat English fizz can age beautifully. A rare magnum from Ridgeview; pioneers of the English winemaking revival and still one of its greatest producers. The Blanc de Blanc style is becoming an English classic. — 11 years ago

markus gould

9.2

natural wine full of character from one of the pioneers of the scene! the number II is by far my favourite of the three ex veros, all of them a similar cuvée of chardonnay and sauvignon blanc from the same hillside. the II features a perfect mix of tension, complexity, development and seriousness.
using the metaphor of a human face it'd be an old soul, calm and deep but with witty eyes and of good humour.

the 2008 is my personal darling vintage, needs to be aerated, showing nuts, blossoms and crushed stones in a salty finish, but remember: werlitsch's wines always are more than the sum of its parts. beautiful balance and much wine with only 12.5% alc.

furthermore an excellent value for it's reasonable price, easy food pairing (doesn't act up), gathering high attraction both of absolute newbies to wine as well as winefreaks with willingness to contemplate. . . — 11 years ago

Pierpaolo Petrassi MW

Master of Wine; Head of Beer, Wine & Spirits Waitrose

9.2

2010. Proof (as if proof were needed) that English & Welsh Traditional Method Sparkling wine is the real deal. Ridgeview are the benchmark for quality and one of the real pioneers celebrating 20 years this year. Fantastic. — 11 years ago

Alexis Davis Iaconis

Hospitality Director Copain Wines

9.5

Tasted with Domineco at the winery in Monforte. "Modern" style Barolo, but also one of the pioneers of the region. Riper year but an amazing wine. Dried tea, violets, plum — 11 years ago

with Matthew

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

8.9

One of the pioneers if dry creek. — 12 years ago

Peter Wasserman

Importer Le Serbet/Becky Wasserman Selections

9.7

With Josh Jensen one of the pioneers! — 13 years ago

Shuyi Li

9.4

Toasty and very delicious and savory. sourced from the producers who are pioneers of biodynamic production in Alsace. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.7

Of the Napa wines I tasted over 4 days on this trip, the 16 Sinegal Reserve & the 13 Seavey Cabernet were my favorites. Both great wines but, stylistically very different. The Seavy big and bold and the Sinegal pure beauty & elegance.

The nose reveals very dark currants. Dark & milk chocolate. Blackberries, creamy black raspberries, black plum & plum, mocha powder, core of anise, beautiful dark spice, soft volcanic soils, some dry brush and lavender, violets and fresh dark red florals.

The body is full. The tannins are really meaty but, exceptionally soft, fine and meaty. Lots of dark spice with plenty of heat. The mouthfeel is gorgeously sexy with feminine elegance. Dark & milk chocolate. Blackberries, creamy black raspberries, black plum & plum, mocha powder, core of anise, beautiful dark spice, big sweet tarry notes, soft volcanic soils, some dry brush, lavender, violets and fresh dark red florals. The acidity is perfect. The finish is well balanced sexy and gorgeous. The structure, tension say this needs to cellar eight to ten years.

Photos of; tasting cellar area, modern stainless tanks, outside terrace tasting and or dining area and their grounds and lake.

Producer history and notes...Sinegal Estate was founded in 2013 with wines made from their 30 acre Inglewood estate in St Helena (not to be confused with the Inglenook Estate in Rutherford). This is not a new property, it was part of an original land grant and its more modern day history dates back to 1879 when owner Alton Williams purchased the property and planted the first vines in 1881.

The property has changed owners a number of times over the decades. At one point the Jaegers’ owned the estate, Bill Jaeger and his wife Lila lived here. These Napa Valley pioneers were in part responsible for helping establish Freemark Abbey and Rutherford Hill. Lila was also a gardener and established beautiful gardens on the property.

Owners, David (father)and James (son) Sinegal purchased the property in 2013. James was the co-founder of Costco and once CEO. David worked at Costco for 21 years.

After the purchase, David divided each of their vineyards into smaller blocks, picking selectively (30 times in 2013) rather than all at once, and adding technology to the vineyards so they have up to the date reports on a number of data points including temperatures, soil moisture and various barometric pressures. If they want to selectively water, say vine #67 in row number three, they can do so with their irrigation system. Extremely efficient!

Nine acres of vines are planted to various red varietals including; Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. They have some of the older Cabernet Franc vines in the valley that are 30+ years old.

The soils here are diverse and can vary even within small geographic ranges on the property. Some of their vineyards are planted on the valley floor – while their upper vineyards are hillside, on the edges of the Mayacamas Mountains.

Their landscape above the property is interesting and part of the Mayacamas Mountains. Visually, it appears drier than other parts of this mountain range and the vegetation reflects that with grey pine and more open natural vegetation rather than the thicker wooded vegetation more commonly associated with parts of Spring and Diamond Mountains to the north.

After purchasing the property, David created planned and laid out his vision to create a world-class boutique wine making operation. Many wineries in the Napa Valley can take years before they come to fruition, not so here. After only about 10 months, the existing winery was remodeled. 6,500 feet of caves were expanded and drilled into the hillside behind the winery and a new hospitality center was built. The hospitality center ties in very well with the winery. From the small tasting room, large doors open revealing the tanks.

A vegetable garden slightly under an acre grows just south of the winery building. Vegetables from this garden are sold to nearby restaurants.

A skeleton key appears on the labels of their wine and is prominently displayed on the outside of their winery building. This has historical significance. The original key opens the front door to the historic home on site and is displayed in the tasting room. With respect to the history of this property, this one key has already become iconic to the brand.

You only need to look inside of the winery to see that their wine making team is focused on quality. Each of the small lot tanks have built in pumps which can be controlled and programmed to do pump-overs anytime of the day or night. In addition, these tanks have multiple points at which the temperature can be controlled. These tanks do not necessarily handle all their fermentation’s. They also ferment small lots in puncheons and barrels as needed. Control across the board is the key here and it is the control of the details in wine making that is is so integral from when the fruit first arrives through to when it is bottled.

2013 was their inaugural release. The focus is currently on two primary varietals, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2013 Sauvignon Blanc were sourced from the estate but, then it was determined it was growing in an area better suited for red varietals so it was torn up and new plantings were made in the back of the property. While not far from these original plantings, their new home for their Sauvignon Blanc features different soils and is growing in a cooler part of the property.


The wine making team has been experimenting with the style of this varietal since 2013 with subsequent vintages seeing more oak. Especially, using the slightly longer cigar shaped barrels , which have extra surface area for maximizing complexities including textural feel imparted from aging the wine on the lees in these particular barrels. Maceration on the red wines is often 8-10 days and sometimes up to 20 days.

Most of their sales are direct to visitors or through their mailing list. However, they do have some distribution outside California in Florida, New York and Washington. Primarily to restaurants. — 8 years ago

Andres Montoya

9.2

2014. Tangerine peel, floral citrus notes, honey and melon in spades. Very powerful, one of the pioneers of Condrieu. This is just a stones throw from the 300 mts. elevation vineyards of Condrieu. — 11 years ago

Pierpaolo Petrassi MW

Master of Wine; Head of Beer, Wine & Spirits Waitrose

8.9

First taste of the 2014 Bacchus by these lovely viticultural pioneers from Buckinghamshire. More elderflower expression than the 2013 and showcasing an extra year of vine age and better winemaking too with nice crisp acidity. — 11 years ago

Christy Korrow

9.5

Spicy and a heavy clove flavor, in a good way. The Freys are early pioneers of organic and especially biodynamic wines. Jon, who is part our our bi monthly biodynamic study group, brought this as a gift last night. — 11 years ago

Shannon Marie Latting

10

Pioneers at the onset of the Super Tuscan movement. Their first harvest was in 1968 (the 1st vintage Sassicaia released to market.) The name is derived from the root word "vigore" or vigor. #revolutionary #mavericks — 12 years ago

with Robb

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

9.1

This winery rescued some very old vineyards and were pioneers in the barossa — 12 years ago

David W Henion

9.6

Still a baby. Fairly massive, the real deal, from one of the Oregon pioneers. I had the good fortune to meet the generous him and see his life's work. — 13 years ago

Dirk Pettigrew (Pirate)

Sales Pirate Cru Wines

9.7

Authentic, modern pioneers. — 13 years ago

Martinez

9.1

Deeply colored, fruity, very aromatic skin-contact orange wine made with Jakot/Tocai Friuliano from 60 years-old vineyards in Oslavia (Italy’s Collio region, right on the border with Slovenia) that Princic has been farming without pesticides since the 1980s. Alongside Oslavia neighbors Josko Gravner and Stanislao Radikon, Princic is recognized as one of the region’s natural and orange wine pioneers, known for the early adoption of bio-dynamic practices and use of extended skin macerations and lengthy aging – in this case, 22 days on skins and 2 years in botti. Rich, concentrated, with beautiful aromas of apricot, honey and peach gummy hearts. Some spice, herbal notes. Mineral, salty, great finish. — 6 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.6

Pronounced Ho-notta (but Ho-latta is also acceptable). The name pays homage to the 1845 Spanish land grant, Rancho San Carlos de Jonata. At the time the land grant covered a large part of the Santa Ynez Valley. Today’s Jonata is at the heart of the former land grant. The Jonata name was borrowed by the first pioneers from the local Chumash Indian and means “tall oak”. Prior to planting the vineyards, Jonata had the viticultural team from Château Latour do a survey of the 600 acre property to determine which sites would support which types of grapes. Latour returned with a preliminary verdict: plant asparagus. El Desafio! This wine represents Jonata’s defiance and uprising to that challenge. 3 hours open and it’s absolutely stunning... cassis for days... so much mint... and savoriness... and chocolate... so classic Cali Cabernet, but still terroir-driven. — 9 years ago

Mike Mayer

9.1

A really nice Carneros Pinot Noir. Excellent nose of raspberries, plums and freshly tilled soil. Lots of red and blue fruit on the palate with luscious acidity and faint tannins. One of the Pinot Noir pioneers in Napa. Very enjoyable. — 9 years ago

with Lisa

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

8.9

#chablis bought in Paris. 12,20€ The winery name is curious #domaineduchardonnay but hey, maybe they were pioneers in #trademarking it is a SOLID #chardonnay and should be enjoyed and not underestimated — 9 years ago

George Chen

9.2

A 68 to behold....these old Inglenooks are harder and harder to find! A lost time of greatness from the early 50's to late 70's for some of these Napa pioneers. This was no exception. — 10 years ago

Pierpaolo Petrassi MW

Master of Wine; Head of Beer, Wine & Spirits Waitrose

9.0

A rare opportunity to taste a wine from one of Californian wine's great pioneers. Pleasingly balanced at a modest 13%, this wine has both richness & elegance in spades. — 11 years ago

Philip Patston

9.3

From one of the leaders and pioneers of Riesling in the Finger Lakes. Very delicate, subtle and floral. Flavors open up in the mouth if you give it time. Really enjoyable. Only caveat is that it could be overwhelmed by intense foods so best enjoyed on its own with light snacks. — 11 years ago

Sabra Nelson

9.4

Great wine from one of the pioneers of Yakima Washington wine! Love cab franc! — 11 years ago

Napa Valley Wine Academy

9.3

A Chenin Blanc from one of the pioneers in Biodynamic farming., Nicolas Joly. This Loire valley Chenin Blanc from Savennieres show just how versatile this grape truly is. Give the wines of Savennieres time to develop with age as it is then that they reveal their true potential. — 11 years ago

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

8.9

One of the pioneers of Rhone wines in California — 12 years ago

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

9.1

One of the pioneers of modern Barolo — 12 years ago

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

9.1

One of the pioneers of Tasmania — 13 years ago