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Disneyland

The boys were standing in front of Splash Mountain informing me in no uncertain terms that this was a ride they were not going to go on. I was suppose to be with Parker and Lexi, but it was nine year old Billy and eight year old Luke who were on this ...

 
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Pinot Noir Russian River vs Pinot Noir Santa Maria

Pinot Noir loves a cool climate. There are two grape growing regions in California where temperatures can change as much as forty degrees in one day. It is these two regions that we believe grow the best Pinot Noir in the Americas. I remind you that we do ...

 
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Russian River Pinot Noir

55 miles north of San Francisco, in the western part of Sonoma County is California’s prized Pinot Noir appellation the Russian River Valley. Russians created outposts in Sebastapol, Graton and Freestone in 1812-1841. If you look at the back label of a ...

 
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A Winemaker's Pinot Noir

Row Eleven Wine Company is different than most wineries. We are Winemaker-oriented. You must be thinking all wineries are Winemaker oriented. But they are not. Some Winemakers are lucky and get to work for the wineries of their dreams. Most Winemakers ...

 
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Forefathers

I loved meeting with Lou Foppiano, Sr. Lou is what Sonoma used to be about. Lou was more grape farmer than winemaker. I can close my eyes and imagine Lou fifty years ago sliding open the old barn door. His old winery cold, wet and musty. His fermentation ...

 
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Midwest Gunslinger

I had a fun time with our Midwest Regional Sales Manager when she recently visited California. I call her "our Gunslinger." She is smart, courageous and willing to travel and she knows wine. She goes wherever we need her. I think her past month included ...

 
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More April

I guess instead of writing about relatives I should write about wine. Nina does not feel that I give you enough insights into our wines and winemaking. It is hard not to be dreamy right now. My friend Russell down in Paso Robles gauges summer by how many ...

 
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Me And My Uncle

When I was young my mother would send me to be with my Aunt and Uncle for the summer. She said it was to allow me to spend time around men (my Uncle and his buddies). I suspected the real reason was so that she could be a free, dating, career woman for a few ...

 
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The Top Ten Events That Shaped The Modern Wine Industry

A blog discussed the ten most important things that have impacted the modern wine industry. I disagree with them. I want to give you my list of ten events that really created the modern wine business: 1. Ernest and Julio create the Gallo Wine Company ...

 
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It's All In The Name

People ask me how we got the name Row Eleven. I explain to them that all rows in a vineyard are not equal. Some are just better than others. There are vineyards in every appellation that lay claim to greatness. But, greatness requires time. California is too ...