Taking life one sip at a time
The cellar at Cheval des Andes.
When the world’s leading luxury brand owner (LVMH) takes two of their top winery brands (Cheval Blanc and Terrazas de Los Andes) and backs them to create a new winery under the aegis of one of the world’s greatest living winemakers (Pierre Lurton of Cheval Blanc and Chateau d’Yqem), you know it is going to be something amazing. What you may not have guessed is just how amazing the wines from their project (Cheval des Andes) are.
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The wine lineup at Kingston.
In a country known for large production wineries, Chile’s Kingston Family Vineyards is a small producer proving that a focus on quality over quantity can always set you apart.
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Food & Wine Studio by Pilar Rodriguez
We arrived at Food & Wine Studio by Pilar Rodriguez to a warm greeting before promptly being directed back to our van. “First things first,” says Pilar, “We need to go to the farm to get some ingredients.” And so begins our cooking class with the charming Chilean celebrity chef.
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Lingua Franca refers to a universal language that everyone can understand
Great wine is made in the vineyard. Larry Stone knew he saw something special when he inspected the property in what is now home to his latest project in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. This unique site combined with Larry’s 40+ years of experience and consultation by renowned winemaker Dominique Lafon, has already proven to be a winning formula for Lingua Franca Wines in its very early beginnings.
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Fall in the Vineyard at Stoller.
There’s something magical about being in a wine region when it’s time to harvest. The vines are plump with grapes ready to be picked while the canopy of leaves are changing from dark green to bright orange and red. In Oregon’s Willamette Valley, the soil is just as vibrant ranging from yellowy-red silty clay to the distinctive dark red of Jory volcanic soil. If you’re lucky enough to be at Stoller Family Estate at the time, you’ll be hard-pressed to find more spectacular vineyard views.
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Lenné Estate
If you were to ask virtually any winemaker what makes good wine, his or her answer will likely be that it starts with good fruit. Ask what is needed to grow good fruit and the answer will be poor soil. Poor defined by a wine grower is rocky soil, even better if it’s on a slope. Both allow for drainage which makes vines struggle to gather both nutrients and water, which in turn results in concentrated, flavourful and high-quality berries. Tucked at the top of a hill in Oregon’s Willamette Valley sits Lenné Estate—a winery that lives, and almost died, because of its poor soil.
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Guillaume Large
Oregon is now squarely on the radar of top winemakers from Burgundy. Domaine Drouhin Oregon started it all when Burgundian powerhouse Maison Joseph Drouhin acquired property in 1987 in the Willamette Valley and started producing wine. Since then, several big names in Burgundy have started or make wine at wineries in Oregon: Evening Land and Lingua Franca are both projects started with Dominique Lafond of Comtes Lafond; Isabelle Dutarte of Burgundy makes the wine at Oregon’s DePonte Cellars as well as running her own label Callabus Cellars, a project she shares with Domaine Drouhin’s Veronique Boss-Drouhin; and Bruno Corneaux who studied enology and viticulture at the University of Burgundy in Dijon with Veronique Boss-Drouhin has started Domaine Divio. In 2013 a big event happened when another Burgundian powerhouse, this time Maison Louis Jadot, purchased two vineyards in the Willamette Valley and created Résonance. On a recent trip to the Willamette we heard the Résonance story firsthand from its very talented winemaker, Guillaume Large.
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Alloro Vineyard
Oregon’s Willamette Valley is widely considered one of the world’s premier Pinot Noir producing regions. Among its 7 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) is the Chehalem Mountains AVA which sits just under 20 miles southwest of Portland, stretching 20 miles long and 5 miles wide. 53 of the Willamette Valley’s 700+ wineries live here including such well-respected names as Adelsheim, Ponzi and ROCO. A recent new discovery for us was Alloro Vineyard, a winery on a living farm that brings the best things in life to the table along with an invitation for anyone to come have a seat.
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