Bo Barrett came to his winemaking job at Chateau Montelena the old fashioned way – he earned it. His family had recently bought the Chateau and overgrown property, so right after graduating from high school in 1972, Bo spent the summer working in the old vineyard and picking up rocks in preparation for replanting. So, […]

The Santa Rita Hills Bunch
In part five, the final installation of our roundtable series, Rick, Peter and Wes discuss SRH plantings, vintage growing issues, and the value of experimentation and sharing of information within the AVA.
A few facts: there are just over twenty vineyards here, most of them specializing in Pinot Noir and/or Chardonnay, with […]

Rick Longoria of Longoria Wines
Today, in part four of our five part roundtable series: pricing rationale, picking maturity, more discussions on alcohol and ripeness in today’s “newer” Pinot Noirs, site-specific clones, and Chardonnay anyone?
A few facts: while the soils of the two areas differ somewhat (gravely and loamy in the south; sandy in the north), […]

Wes Hagen of Clos Pepe Vineyards
Today, in part three of our five part roundtable series, Rick, Peter and Wes talk about those incessant comparisons to (gasp!) Burgundy, the wines at hand, varietal character in the wines, and background on the SRH.
A few facts: although the Santa Rita Hills AVA is naturally cool and windy with […]

Peter Cargassachi of Point Concepción Wines
Today, in Part two of our five part roundtable, Rick Longoria, Peter Cargasacchi and Wes Hagen discuss: regional terroir – is there one, or is the region just too young. Also, more about ripeness and balance, and how this is affected by wine critics, along with an assessment of the […]

Established in 2001, the Santa Rita Hills AVA is a unique growing area located in the westernmost section of the Santa Ynez Valley. The AVA covers approximately 40,000 acres (about 2,000 planted) extending from four miles west of Highway 101 at Buellton to two miles east of Lompoc on both sides of the Santa Ynez […]

We believe that wine is the greatest of all collectibles. Unlike a rare work of art hanging on your wall unchanged for decades, wine changes considerably throughout its limited lifetime.
Today we discuss how to plan, build, maintain, and enjoy a world class wine collection - regardless of your budget.
Our guest today is Jeff Smith, Founder […]

Tasting notes are the stock in trade of wine writers and critics. But, as anyone who has ever tried writing one will know, it can be hard to describe tastes and smells in words alone.
By making tasting notes you will have a permanent record of each wine tasting experience. This is invaluable for the serious […]

The Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) exists to promote the highest level of educational achievement for the wine industry, culminating in the internationally recognized qualification of Master of Wine (MW). As a corporate entity it organizes all aspects of the Master of Wine examination and education program, runs tastings and other events programs, provides […]