Wine 101

Before Château Lafite Rothschild existed, there was only a la hite in the Médoc archipelago. Allow me to explain.

On this special episode of Wine 101, we share with you an episode that ran on The VinePair Podcast earlier this week. Adam Teeter is joined by Nicole Hitchcock, the estate director of J Vineyards & Winery in Sonoma, California, about her background in wine, what's so exciting about California sparkling wine, and the current state of Sonoma. 

We cap off our Haut Brion story with the Chateau creating the first wine bar, the first luxury wine brand, and the source of the first published tasting note. All this with Lafite waiting in the wings.

As a new generation takes stewardship of Haut-Brion, war erupts abroad. When the smoke finally clears, Arnaud III de Pontac is ready to change the world of wine forever.

Keith chats with Matt Revelette, head winemaker at Siduri, about how Pinot Noir has evolved over the three decades the winery has worked with the grape. What challenges shaped that evolution? How has the style shifted over time? And what changed when growing this notoriously finicky variety across different regions?

Before we can appreciate the Haut Brion of today, we need to examine an era of this property that was key to its survival and success.

I wanted to take a quick moment to talk about some big realizations I had while exploring the country's top wineries. It’s a short one, but I have a theory about where we are in history right now that I can’t wait to share with you.

As Napa Valley built up around it, it became the last of the Valley's virgin soil. It became something more.