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Duckhorn Vineyards Wins the Readers' Choice Award for Best Domestic Red Wine

Filed under: Wine

Duckhorn Vineyards, located in St. Helena, Ca., is the winner of the Readers' Choice Award for Best Domestic Red Wine.

Co-founded by Dan and Margaret Duckhorn in 1976, Duckhorn Vineyards has spent nearly 35 years establishing itself as one of North America's premier producers of Bordeaux varietal wines. From its modest inaugural vintage of 800 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon and 800 cases of Merlot in 1978, to its addition of Sauvignon Blanc in 1982, Duckhorn Vineyards has crafted a tradition of quality and excellence that continues today.

Duckhorn made an early decision to focus on the production of Merlot. Though many Napa Valley wineries were using Merlot as a blending grape in the late 1970's, few were exploring the potential of this varietal as a stand-alone wine. A great fan of Merlot since traveling to St. Emilion and Pomerol, Dan Duckhorn felt that this elegant varietal was under appreciated in North America. "I liked the softness, the seductiveness, the color," says Duckhorn. "The fact that it went with a lot of different foods; it wasn't so bold, didn't need to age so long, and it had this velvety texture to it. It seemed to me to be a wonderful wine to just enjoy. I became enchanted with Merlot."

Gallery: Duckhorn Wine Company

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Cakebread Cellars Wins the Readers' Choice Award for Best Domestic White Wine

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Cakebread Cellars, in Rutherford, Ca., is the winner of the Readers' Choice Award for Best Domestic White WIne.

The winery, renowned for its Chardonnay wines, is owned by the Cakebread family, who are known for being among the most creative and successful winemaking families in Napa Valley.

The winery has a reputation for producing world-class wines. Cakebread attributes its success to its focus on quality, consistency and continuity, characteristics which are applied to the grapes, its wines, its staff and the operation of the winery, itself.

Gallery: Cakebread Cellars

Cakebread's roots date back to trip Jack Cakebread made in the early 1970's when he came to photograph the Napa Valley and casually mentioned his interest in one day owning a vineyard to family friends who owned a ranch in Rutherford. When he returned home that afternoon, the phone rang---it was the friends offering to sell their property. Cakebread headed back up to the valley that same afternoon to make his best offer, and Cakebread Cellars was born. Today a team of seven Cakebread family members leads the winery.

Cakebread Cellars has vineyard properties located throughout Napa Valley in addition to a recently added parcel in the Anderson Valley. The winery owns 13 sites totaling 420 acres, 340 of which are currently planted. Unlike many other wineries, Cakebread feeds its white grapes directly to a press where the juice is gently extracted without crushing (called whole cluster pressing) and only the juice is fermented.

All tours and tastings are made by appointment. They are conducted in various venues around the winery--in barrel rooms, in the fermentation room and occasionally alongside the vineyard or on a patio when production schedule and weather permits. Call ahead to make appointments, as weekends and holidays book quickly.

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Chateau Lafite Rothschild Wins the Readers' Choice Award for Best International Red Wine

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Chateau Lafite Rothschild is nominated for Best International Red Wine.

With a history dating back centuries and a claim to the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold, Chateau Lafite Rothschild is a fitting winner for the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award in the best international red wine category.

In 1787, scarcely ten years after some ambitious colonists declared a new country across the Atlantic, a small French winery called Chateau Lafite produced a very special bottle. Little did the resident oenologist know that nearly 200 years later, the bottle would sell for 105,000 pounds – roughly $160,000 – setting the mark for price that has stood since 1985.

When Baron James de Rothschild, a patriarch of the famous European banking family, purchased Chateau Lafite in 1868, it was perhaps a sign of a good investment recognized. But the Baron never saw his purchase bear fruit – he passed away just three months later, leaving the renamed Chateau Lafite-Rothschild estate to his three sons.

Gallery: Chateau Lafite Rothschild

Over a century later, Chateau Lafite Rothschild remains one of the world's most esteemed wine estates, producing some 35,000 cases per year. Much like the record-setting bottle from 1787, even the most recent vintages continue to rapidly appreciate in value – the 2008 Lafite Rothschild was valued at 1,500 pounds upon its release, but bottle prices more than doubled within two weeks. Baron James would be proud.

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Chateau d'Yquem Wins the Readers' Choice Award for Best International White Wine

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Many French wines boast an extensive history, but the sweet dessert wine of Chateau d'Yquem traces its heritage all the way back to the 16th Century. Chateau d'Yquem is the winner of the Readers' Choice Award for Best International White Wine.

In 1593, a nobleman named Jacques Sauvage gained control of the feudal territory of Yquem, where noteworthy winegrowing techniques were starting to take root. Toward the beginning of the 17th Century, the Sauvage family consolidated the vineyards and built the chateau that still stands today.

Gallery: Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes

As the years went on, Chateau d'Yquem's reputation made its way around the world. In the 19th Century, the wine became a favorite in Meiji dynasty Japan and in Imperial Russia, where the Tsar's brother paid 20,000 gold francs for a barrel of Chateau d'Yquem. At the start of World War I, the chateau was temporarily converted into a military hospital; during World War II, the head of the family was taken prisoner for two years before returning to France to bring Chateau d'Yquem to new heights.

Luxury goods conglomerate LVMH became the house's main shareholder in 1999, installing Bordeaux wine expert Pierre Lurton as the estate's manager. Other than that, not much has changed – and today, Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes remains one of the most beloved dessert wines in the world.

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