Wine & Spirits - December 2012 - (Page 12)

happenings BY LARA DOUGLASS news in brief Villa Maria Estate purchased the assets of Te Awa Winery in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, including 130 acres of vines, making it the largest vineyard owner in Gimblett Gravels. JAN 25–27/OR Oregon Truffle Festival Eugene Info: 503-296-5929, oregontrufflefestival.com The Oregon Truffle Festival will celebrate its eighth year this winter with truffle dinners, pairings and educational seminars on truffle growing and canine truffle hunter management. Compagnie Vinicole Baron Edmond de Rothschild purchased the 65-acre Paul Family Vineyard in New Zealand’s Marlborough region. The purchase marks the first Rothschild venture in the country. Jean Taittinger passed away on September 23. Along with his brother François, he was the co-founder of Champagne Taittinger and the Société du Louvre. Taittinger served as the Deputy Mayor of Reims from 1959 to 1977 as well as Minister of Justice and Minister of State under French President Georges Pompidou from 1971 to 1974. He was also involved in the repurchase of the family’s Champagne house in 2006. Three new Masters of Wine were admitted this past September: Catriona Felstead of Berry Bros & Rudd in London, Annette Scarfe in Singapore and Andreas Wickhoff of Austria. In the same month, the Institute also appointed Jean-Michel Valette, MW, as its first-ever American chairman (see p. 16). The Culinary Institute of America announced four new inductees to its Vintners Hall of Fame: labor organizer Cesar Chavez, winemaker Merry Edwards, critic Robert Parker and wine writer Frank Schoonmaker. The induction ceremony will be held at the CIA’s Greystone campus on April 18, 2013. Silver Oak Cellars acquired Sausal Vineyard & Winery in Alexander Valley, including 75 acres of vineyards planted mostly to zinfandel and cabernet sauvignon. West Coast Wine Partners purchased the Valley of the Moon and Lake Sonoma Winery brands from Korbel. E & J Gallo Winery purchased the Snows Lake Vineyard in California’s Lake County. The 2,000-acre property has approximately 800 acres under vine. Ste. Michelle Wine Estates purchased O Wine Company, a Washington-based label founded by Stacy Lill and Kathy Johanson in 2006. Turley Wine Cellars purchased Karly Wines in Amador County. Jordan Vineyard & Winery appointed Greg Miller as director of wine, a new position that will include roles in both winemaking and education. CADE Estate Winery, on Napa’s Howell Mountain, hired Danielle Cyrot as winemaker. Cyrot previously held winemaking positions at St. Clement and Stags’ Leap Winery. Edmeades named Ben Salazar as winemaker. Since 2008, Salazar has held winemaking and enology positions with Jackson Family in the North Coast and Monterey County. Pahlmeyer Winery hired Kale Anderson as director of winemaking and Bibiana González Rave as consulting winemaker. Efeste Winery hired Peter Devison as winemaker. Brennon Leighton, his predecessor at Efeste, will continue to work with the winery in a consulting role. Artesa Winery & Vineyards promoted Dana Epperson to assistant winemaker. Castlegate Capital Advisors purchased Crushpad—the Sonoma-based custom winemaking company that produced microcuvées for private and small commercial clients—and re-launched the operation as The Wine Foundry. JANUARY 11–31/MA Boston Wine Festival Boston Harbor Hotel Info: 888-660-9463, bostonwinefestival.net 19–20/CA Wine Road’s Winter Wineland Wineries of Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River valleys Info: 800-723-6336, wineroad.com 25–27/CT Sun WineFest Mohegan Sun, Uncasville Benefit: Channel 3 Kids Camp Info: sunwinefest.com 25–27/FL Naples Winter Wine Festival Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples Benefit: Naples Children & Education Foundation Info: 239-514-2239, napleswinefestival.com JAN 31–FEB 2/CA ZAP Zinfandel Festival San Francisco Info: 530-274-4900, zinfandel.org The Zinfandel Advocates & Producers annual tasting gathers hundreds of barrel samples and new releases of zinfandel; seminar-style tastings that highlight its varied expressions and history; and Epicuria, a pairing of 50 zinfandels with dishes by chefs and sommeliers such as Joyce Goldstein and Randy Caparoso. CORRECTION: On page 82 of our October issue, the Ravenswood Belloni Vineyard Zinfandel (91 points, $35) and the Teldeschi Vineyard Zinfandel (90 points, $35) should have been listed as 2009s. http://www.oregontrufflefestival.com http://www.bostonwinefestival.net http://www.wineroad.com http://www.sunwinefest.com http://www.napleswinefestival.com http://www.zinfandel.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - December 2012

Wine & Spirits - December 2012
Editor's Note
Contents
Fined & Filtered
Happenings
Books
Spirits
The Light in Douro
Sushi & German Riesling
Tokaji Myths
Napa vs Bordeaux: A Seismic Shift
A Tale of Two Vintages
Dinner with Barolo
Extreme Values
Tastings Overview
Champagne
US Cabernet Sauvignon
Barolo & Barbaresco
Rioja
German Riesling
Alsace
American New Releases
International New Releases
Faces at the W&S Top 100

Wine & Spirits - December 2012