M. Senegor

Already in possession of two major wineries in Napa and Sonoma, Francis Ford Coppola has now acquired a third, currently in transition, temporarily named The Lost Colony. A recent serendipitous visit to this new winery revealed insights about the reason behind the acquisition and what is to come.Keep in mind that Coppola is a visionary with an eye on history and drama, and a long term perspective in transforming his acquisitions. For more details on his accomplishments so far, see my prior blog.The motivation behind the new Geyserville purchase, so close to his flagship Coppola Winery lies in what Coppola[...]

Famous movie director Francis Ford Coppola has added another winery to his list of acquisitions, one he hopes will complete his vision of a unique wine destination, a family friendly resort in Sonoma of a sort that does not exist elsewhere.Located near Geyserville, two exits north of his flagship Coppola Winery on Highway 101, this thirty-three acre property,  formerly of Geyser Peak, is presently in a state of transition. It has been temporarily named Lost Colony, a label that refers to Roanoke, one of the earliest settlements in North America. The tasting room is replete with artifacts that depict the[...]

Following Skipstone Ranch, our next tasting at Carpenter Winery, also arranged by our Healdsburg B&B, took us to the far south end of the Alexander Valley. Along an isolated stretch of Chalk Hill Road our hostess Laura Carpenter Hawkes greeted us at the entrance of a vast vineyard and we followed her Volvo station wagon on a dusty dirt road to the tasting spot she had set for us.There was no winery there, nor a tasting room. In fact there were no buildings anywhere, just acres of vineyards all around. We parked our car in a clearing between rows of[...]

The sample tasting that began in the wine country as a marketing effort akin to those of a bakery or produce stand, keeps evolving into more elaborate, previously unimaginable experiences. Recently, during a weekend in Sonoma, we encountered the latest in two back-to-back visits. Welcome to the new world of the  ultra-private, personalized wine tasting.                                          Honor Mansion.It began with a word of mouth referral from our B&B in Healdsburg, Honor Mansion, itself a small boutique outfit where the owners Steve[...]

It's harvest time!Wait a minute....Summer isn't over yet. How can that be?Believe it or not, the California wine grape harvest is already nearly over. Thanks to the same weather conditions that have caused our epic drought, now into its fourth year, the growing season has shifted, grapevines experiencing early bud breaks. The season is still the same length, just early to start and end. In Napa they began harvesting Pinot Noir in late July, with Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet following in August. The climate has resulted in reduced overall yield for the 2015 vintage,  down 12% from prior years. But[...]

In a recent Friday night tasting a dark red wine appeared in a slope shouldered bottle,blinded as all our bottles are. It had a subtle smoky nose and clean, light-berry fruit with a dash of bacon. It moved on to a pleasantly fruity, unoaked, acid finish. It was an easy drinker, nothing magnificent, simple  but amiable. Many of us, myself included, guessed it as a Cotes du Rhone. We all liked it.When unveiled, a surprise! It was domestic, from Santa Cruz, California. An old friend."I cut my Grenache teeth on Clos de Gilroy," I remarked to my puzzled tasting mates.Composed[...]