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For some, viticulture is a career of choice, while for others it is a calling. One suspects that Dick Erath falls into the latter category. After experimenting with making his own wine at home, Erath, an engineer by training, enrolled in courses at the University of California, Davis. Not long thereafter, he moved his family […]

At gatherings where more than two oenophiles are present, the question inevitably arises—in one form or another—of which wine is a given grape fancier’s favorite. Though responses to this query are as varied as the varietals themselves, among the cognoscenti, Nebbiolo always figures prominently. The reason for this is simple: Just as certain gemstones reflect […]

Leslie Rudd’s quest for quality is steadfast. His roles as owner of Standard Beverage Corp., chairman of Dean and DeLuca, and owner of Rudd Oakville Estate in Napa Valley have attuned his eye to identifying excellence in all things. His rocky, red-soiled acreage at the foot of the Vaca Mountains in Oakville, for instance, is […]

Founded in Napa valley in 1862 by the German immigrant Jacob Schram near the town of Calistoga, Schramsberg was an early benchmark of quality in the region and even figured in the writing of Robert Louis Stevenson, who mentions the winery in his accounts of his journey to California. About 30 years after Prohibition, the […]

Tucked among the hills of Santa Barbara County’s Santa Ynez Valley is a 600-acre laboratory where fascinating oenological experiments are carried out by Matt Dees. An alumnus of the University of Vermont and a veteran of the very different growing conditions of New Zealand and Napa Valley, Dees now presides over the complex winemaking at […]

The winemaker Mark Aubert is perhaps best-known these days for the supple, silky Chardonnay he crafts from the finest vineyards in Calistoga. Yet he made his original reputation with the red wines he produced for such important labels as the Peter Michael Winery, Bryant Family Vineyard, Sloan Estate, and Colgin Cellars. His passion for Chardonnay—the […]

Though Dana Estates’ first release was its 2005 vintage, the winery is nevertheless deeply rooted in the history of Napa Valley. The property’s owner, Hi Sang Lee—a longtime wine enthusiast and importer in his native South Korea—has developed close friendships with many of California’s leading vintners. His own career as a producer of fine wine […]

Wine is often cloaked in a mantle of romance by marketing directors who are intent on moving inventory. True romance, however, does occasionally emerge from the vineyards, as the vintners Solène Christophe-Fabre and Guillaume Fabre well know. The couple, both natives of France, met among the vineyards of Bordeaux shortly before Guillaume traveled to the […]

The latest vintages from this boutique label command attention…