For those of you who have ever tasted a bottling from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, you'll be able to attest to the greatness and fabulous complexity of their wines. Do they merit the price tag?($500 and up) Maybe not if you're comparing them to the kind of quality Pinot Noir you can obtain from both California and Oregon. However, what is unique to the tasting experience of a wine like this, is the incredibly history and exhilarating nostalgia involved in drinking something that only a small percentage of the world's population will ever have the chance of experiencing. That being said, this wine was great regardless of reputation and the awe that surrounds drinking a famous bottle of wine.

I'm not going to get into the history and story of this wine but if you're interested in the vineyard then check out the wiki on it here.

Important to note is the color of this wine which appears to be slightly fading and has a rusty and slightly brick red/orange hue. The core is still red though and the wine appears to be holding it's own after twenty years.

The bouquet of this wine is extremely complex and perplexing. I truly must have studied it for around 15 minutes before even taking a sip. It's an aroma profile that is constantly evolving throughout the tasting experience and one that is haunting and completely unique to the terroir of the vineyard. Some of the descriptors I wrote down to explain this phenomenon were: stew, earth, mushroom, red apple skin, cherry tomato, boiled potatoes, hint of mint, plum, and beef stew.

On the palate this wine showed flavors reminiscent of red apple skin, savory cherry sauce, mineral, stewy beef, and earth. It reminded me of blood for some reason! Maybe I was half in a coma by then, but I wrote the word "blood" like three times in my notes!!

What's strange is that I've certainly had wines that tasted better than this, but oddly enough I haven't had many that I have enjoyed or thought about more.....I guess that's really what these great Burgundies are all about....Mind-blowing Complexity. 95 points

Click here to find out more about this wine

My experience with Grand Cru Brugundy is somewhat limited up until this point in my wine career. I've probably tasted a couple dozen of them both at trade events and at private parties. I do however, regard them as some of the best wines in the world when they are in prime drinking form. Burgundy as we know, is such a fickle wine region filled with so many great wines but very limited quantities and notoriously spotty vintages. The 1993 Dom. Laurent Mazis-Chambertin is a brilliant wine that is very much still an infant and is drinking amazingly.

The first thing to note about this wine is it's amazing color! It shows little to no signs of aging, besides a bit of sediment. The core is extremely dark red, with only the slightest bit of thinning toward the edges of the glass.

On the nose I get stunningly bright notes of cherry that combine with chalky-mineral, cola, sarsaparilla, herb, tea berry, sweet tobacco, anise (on the highest registry), and smoked meat. What is so great about this wine is the complexity and ever-changing bouquet. Every ten minutes this wine seems to morph into a completely different animal.

On the palate this wine is still very much heavy-laden with lots of tannin and acid, suggesting the youth and exuberance remaining after 17 years. I get flavors of cherry, leather, tobacco, black plum, tea leaf, and slight metallic notes on the finish. What immediately came to mind when tasting this wine is that it's incredibly dry and reminds me of a lot of Nebbiolo wines I've tasted. I immediately suggested that it tasted like Barolo to the tasting group and almost everyone agreed it had striking similarities.

As I mention previously, this wine is still incredibly youthful and I could easily see it aging another twenty years. In fact, I don't think it's nearly the wine it will someday become. 95+ points

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I've had the opportunity to taste this wine on two other occasions and can honestly say that it's starting to really shine and become the wine that many thought it would be. The first time I tasted the wine about three years ago, it was no where near ready to drink and was far too massively structured and extracted to enjoy. It's quite possibly the boldest and most expressive wine from Montalcino to be made in the last couple decades.

The color of this wine is still extremely dark and almost black, showing little signs of discoloration from age.

On the nose this wine is classically "Italian" showing a whirl of soil, leather, and hints of barnyard/brett character. There is also a solid core of black cherry, cassis, chocolate, vanilla, oak-spice, and dried raisin. When the wine opens up a bit more in the glass I get a slight hint of sweet tea and plum action appears as well. A complex and alluring bouquet to say the least!

On the palate the wine is packed with dense tannin and sharp acidity, flavors of black cherry, blackberry, leather, milk chocolate, and black plum, all combine to form an intense and delicious drinking experience.

The small group that I was tasting with all agreed that this wine had improved over the last few years and that it was amazingly unique for the region. 94+ Points

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It's always an amazing privilege to taste any bottling of Yquem and especially one that has been waiting to be opened for 27 years! This vintage of Château d'Yquem is characterized by it's amazing unctuous texture and it's richly sweet and full bodied style. Parker describes it as "massive"....

The color is quite golden with the classic Yquem sediment that looks like tiny little crystals.

The bouquet of this wine is really one of the most profound I have ever smelt, with rich honey, apricot, cream brulee, and loads botrytis spice. Smelling this wine is truly an experience in it's own that is completely urethral and hedonistic.

On the palate the wine is "massive", rich, and unctuously textured, with intense flavors of apricot and orange marmalade, honey, buttered toast, cream brulee, nutmeg, caramel, and spice. It's as rich of an Yquem as I have ever tasted. However, the acidity is somewhat lacking and doesn't pierce the palate like most great vintages of this wine inevitably do. Does this make it any less of a wine.....? No, it just typifies the vintage and makes it unique and different. Amazing stuff....96+ points

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The 2008 vintage of Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is a blend of three vineyards. Two of the vineyards, "Gap’s Crown" and "Terra de Promissio", are located in the southern portion of the Sonoma Coast appellation lying directly in the path of the Petaluma Gap’s cooling influence. The third component is a new addition from the northwestern reaches near Annapolis, Walala.

The wine was aged in French oak barrels (44% new) for a total of 16 months. It was bottled just a few months ago on January 25, 2010. Really it's about as young as you could possibly imagine drinking it. However, I wanted to spread the word and was anxious to see if the quality still remains despite the recent business transactions with the sale of the label.

On the nose I get powerful wild strawberry and raspberry notes, combined with a meaty and smokey type element that reminds me of beef jerky. There is also a slight hint of mineral, crushed rock, cocoa powder, and herb.

On the palate the wine has a very razor-like acidity and powerful intensity. There's a nice, heavy dose of red raspberry sauce with crushed stone minerality, and hints of sage. I immediately notice the alcohol on this wine, which suggests that perhaps the wine needs a few years in the bottle to calm down and for the flavors to meld together properly. The tannins are young, firm, and refined, and the wine finishes leaving your palate dry and full of fruit flavor.

Although I feel that this wine may drastically improve with cellar time, I do think that right now it's showing a bit poorly. It's true to the varietal character, and the fruit is delicious and intense, but the alcohol is completely overwhelming this wine. Will it get better when the alcohol is currently out of balance?? Not sure......Just not sure..... 86 points

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I apologize for the somewhat fuzzy picture of the label. The lighting and quality of my camera phone were slightly dodgy! Anyways, I should start off by saying that I think this wine and 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa are drinking exceptional at this point in time. The 03' vintage was a tad spotty in terms of overall quality, but I think it's time to start cracking them open and tasting a few right now.

As far as how the wine was made, I was only able to come up with the barrel regimen which was 27 months in 100% new French oak Barrels. I'm not entirely sure if the wine was made from all Estate fruit, but I'm confident that at least most of the harvest was from vineyards located in the Oakville AVA.

On the nose I got beautiful aromas of black plum, dried cherries, sandlewood, kola-nut, anise, and a quite pronounced black licorice aroma.

On the palate the wine is silky smooth with fully integrated tannins, flavors of rich black currant, black cherry, tea leaf, and chocolate all combine with grace and lasting intensity to the finish.

This wine is drinking absolutely brilliantly and could easily hold up for 5-10 years, but I believe it's probably starting to peak in terms of perfect fruit-acid-tannin balance. 93 Points

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Antica Terra is a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir that is made by Maggie Harrison, who was the assistant winemaker at the famed Sine Qua Non and apprenticed under Manfred Krankl for ten years. I'm sure she would like us to focus on the quality of her new wine and not so much the reputation of her previous employer and the wines she no longer makes.

Antica Terra is a 40 acre parcel located in Willamette Valley's Eola-Amity Hills AVA. The vineyard was originally planted in 1989, and when Maggie and her partners acquired the parcel in 2005 they began to further the develop the estate by updating the rootstock and fine tuning the clonal selections.

As for the availability of this wine in the retail market, I believe it's mailing list only.....??

On the nose I get a quite distinct Oregon "terroir" and soil component that is surrounded by hearty and rich fruit aromas of black cherry and raspberry pie. There's a salty-playdough type thing going on as well that I think is quite interesting. Reminds me a bit of certain Syrah's I've smelt......over-extraction perhaps?

On the palate the wine is rich, round, and massively extracted. The color alone gives you the impression that this wine was made with lots of skin contact and modern day winery techniques. The tannins are very prevalent still, but also quite silky in nature. Flavors of raspberry and cherry dominate proceedings and slight hints of soil and herb also linger about.

My initial impression with this wine is that it's well crafted. However, having tasted so much Willamette Valley Pinot Noir over the last few years, I'm confident in expressing that this wine is somewhat atypical of the regions natural intonation. Whereas most Oregon Pinot Noir relies on delicacy and grace, my opinion is that the tone of this wine is dictated by innovation. Cool stuff, but not my style. 87 points

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Wines like these are a real passion of mine. Small production wines (200 cases) where the winery sources amazing fruit from the hidden corners of the Napa Valley. Wines that aren't very well know yet but have the potential to become the next "mailing list only" gems.

The 2006 Saunter Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from the Clark-Claudon vineyard on the backside of Howell Mountain. The wine was made by winemaker Thomas Brown, who consults for several really great wineries and also has his own project called "Rivers Marie". I actually reviewed the Cabernet from Rivers Marie a couple weeks ago and thought it was amazing stuff.

First thing I notice when I pour this wine into the glass is it's amazing deep color and an aroma that immediately fills the room. It's a richly intoxicating aroma of blackberry and cassis accompanied by a textbook Napa Valley cocoa. The nose also shows secondary aromas of cedar and slight hints of vanilla.

On the palate the wine has an mouth-coating affect and is just as rich as the nose suggests. The fruit is stunning and pure and reminds me of ripe black cherry, savory milk chocolate, with subtle hints of ripe plum and spice.

I must comment on the ripeness and delicious factor of this wine. I knew I would probably dig this stuff because Howell Mountain rarely lets me down in terms of quality, but ggg's this stuff is really amazing wine. The nose evolves every few minutes in the glass and the finish is literally minutes long. 94 Points

Click here to visit Saunter Wines and get on their mailing list!

Legendary Santa Barbara vintner and TV icon Fess Parker passed away yesterday at the age of 85. The Texas-born Parker first made his name during the dawn of the TV era playing Davy Crockett, serialized on the popular Disneyland show. Parker followed that in the 1960s with a successful run on TV's Daniel Boone.

By the late 1970s, Parker was focusing on real-estate investment in Santa Barbara and developed numerous projects over the years. In 1989 Fess and his family turned an interest in fine wine into an adventure now 20 years in the making.

The Fess Parker Winery is a highly regarded and popular destination on the Foxen Canyon wine trail in Los Olivos, CA. The family also farms over 300 acres of vineyard in the Santa Ynez valley. Creating a successful business with his family was one of Fess' proudest achievements.

Parker and his wife, Marcella, marked their 50th wedding anniversary in January of this year. He had remained active up until a year ago when his health began to fail. Tim Snider, who is married to Parker's daughter, Ashley, is president of the winery and has been overseeing day-to-day operations.

If you're looking for a fun event to pull off at your next party, try Champagne Sabering! Here's a video about how to pull it off without hurting yourself or any of your friends. Yes, the guy is a bit dull but he'll show you how to do it the right way.....Master Somm style.

I must admit that I have a serious issue when it comes to holding off on these young vintages of good Bordeaux. It's by far my favorite region for red wine and I'm addicted to the stuff!

The 2005 Chateau Duhart-Milon is just a continuation of the constantly improving quality of the wine from this estate. Bobby Parker asked the question if it was the "Best Duhart-Milon ever made?" He was no doubt going gaga for the wines of 05' like the rest of us.....

The estate is planted to about 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. The final blend for this vintage contained 71% Cabernet and 29% Merlot. It was aged in French oak barrels (crafted at the cooperage located at Lafite) for around 14-16 months (50-55% new oak).

The wine has a deep ruby red color with a solid dark and almost black core. I have noticed that Bordeaux in general has started to have a deeper color. Perhaps they copied California on this one?? Wait.....they've been copying California on a lot of things in the last decade. Like having their wines be more approachable upon release and producing a more ripe and lush style~~

The nose at first was completely closed down and almost muted, but after about an hour of decanting, the wine has opened up significantly and is showing some really amazing and complex layers. I get aromas that remind me of black currant, spice, black cherry, leather, crushed rocks, graphite, black plum, tea leaf, and soil.

On the palate the wine is rich and full bodied, but also sleek and sexy. I love this about Bordeaux, they produce wines with incredible power and richness while maintaining a wine that is relatively low in alcohol and not viscous or thick in texture. The great Chateaux rarely over-extract the wine making it heavy and/or clumsy. Balanced.

The flavors are based around a core of ripe black cherry, while secondary flavors of cedar, leather, graphite, blackberry, black plum, tobacco, tea leaf, crushed rocks, and cedar all unfold in multiple and interchanging layers. This wine is also accompanied by a dense layer of firm but quite ripe and sweet tannin. The finish is long and extended with some lingering black tea and plum-cherry notes.

This baby Duhart-Milon will last at least a couple decades in the cellar, but is as balanced and ripe as you would expect from any top wine from the 05' Bordeaux vintage. Stellar stuff 93+ Points

Click here to find out more about this wine

Recently I came across a great article about the science of aging wine. It talks about the history of aging wine and about the general chemistry behind this practice. If you've ever wondered exactly why it is that some wine greatly improves over time (provided it's stored in the right conditions) then this article will break it down for you.

I for one have always enjoyed drinking properly aged wine and often encounter self-loathing when I think of how many bottles I could have saved and enjoyed if I'd had the patience to cellar them for a few years.

As we all know, wine is a living, breathing, and constantly changing elixir. It unfolds in stages and can become extremely complex when it's chemical makeup is just right. Acid, tannin, esters, and other various elements all contribute to this beautifully intricate and scientific evolution.

If you're interested in the nuts & bolts process of aging wine then check out this great article! Science of Aging Wine

This Columbia Valley red blend had such a cool label that I thought I would purchase it at my local wine shop. Oh, and if you're not shopping at your local mom & pop wine shop shame on you!

Anyways, this wine is composed of 88% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Syrah. The grapes were sourced from various vineyards throughout Yakima, Walla Walla, and the general Columbia Valley AVA. The wine was aged in 100% American oak (30% New) and is a total production of 3500 cases.

On the nose I get aromas of concord grape jelly, candied blackberry, coco powder, plum, and hints of spicy oak. It's fun to smell a wine aged in all American wood! To me it imparts a lot more aroma into the wine and seems even a bit clumsy.

On the palate the wine maintains it's candied, fruit-forward approach and displays flavors of mixed berry, cedar box, and a slight tinge of bitter walnut. It's relatively light for a wine that is built with such varietals and quite honestly finishes a bit awkward and out of focus. It's kind of hodgepodge to be honest.... 83 points

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This Chateau has really become one of the best value's in all of Bordeaux and one that's really come on fire quite recently. It's obviously been a Chateau of great esteem that produces quality wine, hence the 2nd growth classification it received in 1855, but I would say that since the 2000 vintage this estate has really started to turn heads. I believe part of the reason is that they offer their wine at a fraction of the price that other estates do within the same classification. I also think they have started to use more modern techniques that help their wines appear more lush and approachable during their youth. These reasons coupled with the fact that their soil and vineyard site is world class, makes this a really extraordinary bottle of wine.

The vineyard in St. Julien is planted to 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc. The wine typically goes through 20 months in French oak barrels (50% new) and is fined and filtered prior to bottling.

First thing to notice when pouring this wine (other than the freakin' bad ass aromas filling the room!) is the extremely dark color. The wine is almost completely opaque, except for the edges which are a really dark ruby red. The core on a 2oz pour is completely black!

On the nose I get truly scintillating aromas of crushed blackberry, black currant, black plum, and nuances of dark, unsweetened cocoa. There is secondary layers of spicy scorched earth, pencil shavings or graphite, leather, black cherry, and cedar box. The bouquet is also divinely blessed with what I like to refer to as an "elegant terroir" or an earthiness and minerality that most high caliber Chateaux revel in.

On the palate I get very delineated blackberry flavors. This blackberry that I'm referring to is not the candied kind, but more like filling my mouth with real, fresh blackberries out of the carton or directly off the plant. It's a more gritty, earthy, and phenolic experience. I also get secondary flavors of spicy black currant, crushed stone, and extra dark 80% cocoa chocolate. Give this wine and hour in the decanter and you'll begin to get some very nice black cherries on the finish too!

Texture-wise this wine is very sleek and classic of quality Bordeaux in a semi-cool vintage. It's alcohol is completely in check, which I adore and believe lends itself to balanced aging in the long-term. Firm tannins are definitely wrapped around this wine tightly, but they are silky smooth and very ripe. To be honest there's not a thing to criticize about this wine. I suppose it could have a bit more weight in terms of texture, but it's and absolute masterpiece for the 2006 vintage. In layman's terms - It's really awesome shit! 94+ points

Click here to find out more about this wine

Here's the latest jive from the wine blogosphere and a few articles and reviews I thought were interesting and thought provoking:

Over at Vinography they did a pretty in-depth post covering Cabernet Sauvignon at the 2010 Premiere at Napa Valley tasting. The reviews cover the 2008 Napa Vintage.....Check it out

Jim White at Napaman.com wrote a very interesting article and wine reviews about Celia Welch and her CORRA label. Celia also consults for Scarecrow, Lindstrom, Keever, ect... Read more

Eric Asimov writer at The Pour (The New York Times) wrote a great article highlighting legendary California winemaker Paul Draper (Ridge Vineyards) and focusing on the "Non'action approach to wine making" Read it here....

Over at Wine Peeps, Kori wrote a really neat post about a 1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild that her and her family experienced on the "Open That Bottle Night".....Check it out!!

John Cesano over at John on Wine pretty much posts his detailed resume out there for all Sonoma Country vintners to see! I think you can see by the response section that John is plenty qualified for any special event and marketing position in wine country. Plus I think it's a witty post! Read it here....

I decided to dig into my wine closet for a bottle from Paso Robles, and even though I was planning on saving this bottle, I'm going to drink it and review it. It's been over six months since I last reviewed any wine from Paso and I think this wine will be a positive awakening!

This vintage of Justin Isosceles is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Merlot. It's 100% hand picked fruit and was aged in French oak barrels (65% new) for a total of 24 months.

I generally consider Isosceles to be the most age-worthy and most "exalting" wine that this winery offers. The Justification is a wonderful wine as well, but it's tends to be a touch softer and perhaps a bit more round and unfurled.

On the nose I get aromas of blackberry jam, black plum, mocha, graphite, and hints of leather, smoke, and vanilla. It's has a very youthful purple color and all the pizazz and exotic aromas that you would expect from a beautifully ripe and lush Paso Robles red wine.

On the palate I get intense and mouth coating flavors of blackberry, cassis, plum, coffee bean/mocha, cherry liquor, and subtle hints of vanilla and cedar box. It has intensity, weight, power, and striking fruit to oak balance. I can see this wine being amazing in ten years! Makes me want to search for an older bottling and see how this wine evolves over time..... 93 points

Click here to find out more about this wine

I've been working on a new project and I finally have it up and running. I've launched a new Napa Valley wine blog focused strictly on providing information about California's most famous wine region.

I have yet to fully integrate every widget and column I want to be placed on the template, but if you visit the site you can perhaps offer up a few suggestions........hint...hint.....

Also for those of you who have wine or food websites that have related content and would like to exchange a link right now on this new blog, please let me know by either commenting here or on Napa-wine.net.

Cheers~

I thought this was an interesting video. Gary seems to say what everyone has wanted to say for years. That's why the guy rocks!

I truly wish I could be locked away in utter seclusion and have the chance to taste every vintage of wine from estates such as this. The history of the vineyard site alone is practically enough to write a thesis on the development of terroir, the perfection of clonal selection, and vineyard management.

I often wonder what it would be like to taste the wines of centuries ago. It's obvious that modern techniques have done wonders to insure quality standards across the board, but the vineyard is the ultimate source of energy and significance.

The 2003 Chateau Haut-Bailly has an amazingly exotic bouquet that boasts beautifully ripe cherry notes, black currant, graphite, toast, cedar, and mineral. It's a rich and truffle-like bouquet that expresses the warmth and ripeness of the vintage.

On the palate this wine is packed with dense black fruit flavors, hints of toasted oak, and an earthy-crushed stone minerality. There is firm tannin here and significant room for extended cellaring, I get the distinct feeling that this wine is only in it's mere youth at the moment. This is very well made and balanced wine that will improve over time. 91-92 points

Click here to find out more about this wine

Recently I had the opportunity to interview and brand new wine club owner and talk to him about what defines his club and how he plans to make it a successful venture.

The wine club is called "Uncorked Ventures" and is a newly formed, family run outfit, that focuses on bringing high quality, small production, and hard to find selections to their patrons.

Here is a run down of the short interview I had with founder and co-owner of Uncorked Ventures, Matt Krause:

Is this your first venture into the wine business?

Yes, prior to this I was a human resources professional for 14+ years working primarily within biotech companies. The last position I held was a Head of HR position at a 200+ employee biotech company.

My brother-in-law, Mark, worked in real estate development in San Diego prior to starting Uncorked Ventures.

What types of wine do your club memberships offer?

Wine Exploration Club members receive a bottle of red and white with each of their shipments. We source wines for this club both locally (West Coast) and from across the globe. Participating in this club is like going on a wine adventure. Whether a shipment includes a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley or a Cabernet from Napa, members are treated to exciting and interesting wines that they will enjoy.

Special Selection Club members typically receive two bottles of red with each shipment. From time to time we will include a great bottle of white wine. Occasionally, a shipment may include a third bottle of wine to ensure our customers are receiving good value. Wines for this club are limited in production and are exclusively sourced from top quality and emerging wineries in California, Oregon, and Washington.

Reserve Selection Club members are treated to the best wines our partner wineries have to offer. While these wines are approachable now, they also offer good cellaring potential. Most members consider these wines to be the prized bottles in their collections. Typical shipments include two to three bottles, but from time to time we may ship large format bottles. These wonderful and rarer bottles are sourced from California, Oregon, and Washington wineries.

What makes Uncorked Ventures a unique wine club?

We ship what we want to drink, not what makes us the most money.

Our focus is on identifying and sourcing top quality wines for our club members and customers. To do this, we personally spend a significant amount of time visiting wineries, tasting their offerings, and speaking with winemakers. By building personal relations we are able to track down the limited quantity, high quality wines that aren't available at every local wine store.

What is your idea of great wine and do you make the decisions about what wines go into the clubs by what will sell best or by what you enjoy?

My definition of great wine is fairly straight forward. It should be delicious and memorable. That being said, there is such a thing as "great for the price". Not everyone can or should spend $100 or more on a bottle of wine. In my house, we drink wine most nights of the week. Therefore, I focus on the meal and what would go well with it. I probably spend more money on wine than needed, but hey, why not?

With regards to the wines in our club shipments, both Mark and I work together to choose which wines go out. Fortunately, we have found that our tastes have broad appeal. I have been picking out wines for my friends for 10+ years and their feedback has been universally positive. In fact, the positive feedback is probably what gave me the confidence to even consider starting Uncorked Ventures.

What will ultimately define success for you with this project?

Success has three components for me.

First, Uncorked Ventures builds solid partnerships with the best and most exciting wineries and winemakers. Second, by developing a loyal base of customers Uncorked Ventures acts as a bridge connecting wine consumers with incredible wines that are often not available in their community or which they might not have even heard of. And finally third, that along the journey I meet some good people whom I become friends with.

Do you have a personal wine collection? If so what are some of your gems?

Yes, I have been collecting for about 16 years now. I keep my wines stored at an offsite wine storage facility. One day I would like to build a small cellar in my home.

There are a number of wines I look forward to consuming in the future. Some of these bottles include 1994 Ridge Monte Bello, 1998 Chateau Pavie Macquin, 2007 Saxum James Berry Proprietary Red, and several Roar pinots.

For more information on the club, visit their website: http://www.uncorkedventures.com

By now we've all heard the reports about Chile's devastating 8.8-magnitude earthquake. It was somewhat of a shock to me that another natural disaster would follow so closely after what had happened in Haiti. Hopefully the world will respond in a similar fashion and help in the aid and recovery of Chile. (Although I doubt it because now it's not the dog and pony show)

This time the damage sustained in this earthquake strikes home to a lot more of us wine consumers. Chile as we know has come leaps in bounds in producing high quality and beautifully crafted wines. Just a couple years ago one of their prized wines "Clos Apalta" was the winner of the prestigious Wine Spectator award "The Wine of the Year".

Reports are now surfacing that some of Chile's wineries have undergone serious damages. On winebusiness.com I read a report that said this:

"A magnitude-8.8 quake — one of the biggest in centuries — has reportedly killed at least 708 people and destroyed or badly damaged 500,000 homes.

It has been reported that Eduardo Chadwick of Errázuriz said all people were accounted for and no problems at his Aconcagua winery but the Curicó and Colchagua cellars were affected. Unofficially Viu Manent lost 1.6 million liters of its wine also Casa Silva and Los Vascos around 80 percent each. This is unconfirmed.

But Casa Lapostelle’s Cunaco winery sustained a lot of damage and loss. Hopefully their Apalta facility is safe as it is built into rock, but there have been rumors of damage in Aplata as well.

Arnaud Frennet of Casa Silva emailed, “We are all safe and fine. Material damage is very large. This country is devastated. There is a serious challenge ahead of us.” - Winebusiness.com

My family's thoughts and prayers will be with the magnificent and beautiful people of Chile