
I tasted several wines during my visit and it’s clear to me Marshall hasn’t lost his touch. The 2010 Sauvignon Blanc was crisp and reminiscent of a New Zealand Sauv Blanc. The 2010 White Merlot surprised me because I didn’t expect to like it.

The emphasis here is on slowing the pace of life, winding back the clock to an earlier time. When you approach the tasting room, you get the feeling you could be in Europe. A bright red exterior with striped awnings and the words Rhône, Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Dijon, Marseilles and others beckon you to enter.

It had been more than a few months since I last visited Ponte Winery. I stopped by last week for a tasting, lunch and a visit with Winemaker Robert Cartwright. As you can see, Ponte is all dressed up for the holidays. Owner Claudio Ponte was there and I visited with him briefly before Robert [...]
">Meet Don Reha – Thornton’s Winemaker Par Excellence“This is not garage wine-making anymore. This isn’t amateur hour anymore.” Don Reha doesn’t pull any punches. He doesn’t worry about being politically correct. His focus when he arrived at Thornton Winery in 2003 was and remains to this day to produce the finest wines possible from the Temecula Valley. Don and I had a [...]
">Gershon Bachus Vintners – Quality Comes FirstWhen your grandfather’s name is Gershon Bachus, you have to give serious consideration to entering the wine business. Ken Falik and his wife Christina Lesch decided to do just that, although they took a few detours getting there. They have a marketing company that specializes in creating loyalty programs for businesses as well as brand [...]
">Wilson Creek Winery – Family MattersI’m selling a product that provides enjoyment to people and as long as people are happy I want to be here to experience it along with them. I’m very blessed they pay me for that.
">Wiens Family Cellars – It’s A Family Affair
I sat with winemaker Doug Wiens on a cool September morning at Wiens Family Cellars in Temecula. Doug told me about the impact the late summer heat was taking on the harvest. It took some of the potential out of what was shaping up to be a perfect year, but all in all, things are [...]