Featured Winemaker: Alex Baer, Allbaer Wines

Alex Baer didn’t grow up as a generational winemaker. It wasn’t until he was a sophomore in high school that wine became a part of his life. His parents’ company had contracted to make a small condo atop a barn on a vineyard. His father finessed one ton of Petite Sirah into the contract. Shoveling grapes into a destemmer late into the evening in 2007 was his first exposure to the vinification and winemaking process. 

He graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Enology, and a minor in Agricultural Business. His wine career has included stints at Clos Solène, Chateau Petrus, Domaine la Barroche and Sine Qua Non.

While working at SQN, Alex decided to make a small amount of wine from a particular area of his family's vineyard. The plan was to continue to work full time at SQN, and when he had time, drive back to make what would become Un Petit Début. After much thought and deliberation, he decided to make the leap and commit to his winery full time. He opened Allbaer Winery in 2018.

““I started the brand because I had plateaued in my career. I had worked for so many incredible producers. Those people had already accomplished goals that I could never have imagined. My work for them was to help maintain that consistency of quality they had already established. I hadn’t been a defining figure in their success. ALLBAER gives me the opportunity to create something from scratch. My work with this brand will show what I’m capable of doing. It will be a trial by fire. I’ll learn through successes and failures like all new brands.” ”

— Alex Baer

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Our Favorite Collectible Wines

Special occasions call for special additions that leave lasting memories. As passionate wine enthusiasts, we enjoy collecting special vintages to savor and enjoy with family and friends. Below are just a few our our favorite collectible wines carried by TWP Distribution:

Roy Estate 2018 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
(94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot)

The 2018 Roy Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is an expression of this bountiful and acclaimed vintage. After an initial flood of ripe, dark fruit, the wine intrigues with notes of toasted grains and dried hay. Dark cherry, black plum and blueberry notes cascade decadently from the glass, while wild mountain herbs like thyme, mint and fennel promise freshness. Evoking golden fields on a warm autumn day, the comforting mid-palate complements warm, lingering tones of roasted coffee beans and baking spices on the finish. Exceptionally focused tannins, a signature of Roy Estate hillside blocks, provide precise structure and the ability to age for the next 15-20 years.

“2018 stands as the most collectible and critically acclaimed Napa Valley vintage of the past decade,” says Crétier. “Making the most of such an ideal growing season, Philippe demonstrated unflappable patience in allowing each step of the winegrowing process to follow its natural course. Now, nearly three years from harvest, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, certainly among the vintage’s finest examples, stands ready for its debut.”

Except courtesy of Wine Industry Advisor

The Vineyard House 2018 Block 8 Cabernet

95+ Points - Jeb Dunnuck

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon The Boss Block 8 comes from a site close to Futo and Harlan, in Oakville, and it’s another inky hued, concentrated, powerful, age-worthy wine from this team. Giving up plenty of red and black fruits as well as violets, minty herbs, and hints of eucalyptus, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a balanced, concentrated, structured mouthfeel, fine tannins, and good acidity. Everything points to a seriously good bottle of wine. Give it 4-5 years as well. - Jeb Dunnuck

brilliant mistake The Poet and The Muse

The Poet & The Muse is a luxurious best barrel selection showcasing a rich and multilayered personality; 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from St. Helena and Rutherford. This bold and powerful wine impresses with a deep garnet-purple color when poured. Vibrant and plush with layers of creamy ripe black and red cherries, chocolate, plum, black currants, cedar, espresso, and herbs are present in the glass. Structured and intense silky tannins and acidity coat the palate, with a finish epic in length. This wine will age gracefully for decades, but it’s also delicious and approachable now so don’t hesitate to pull the cork!

Excerpt courtesy of brilliantmistakewines.com

Bring in the Bubbly this Holiday

With the holiday season now upon us, it’s officially time to break out the bubbly. At TWP Distribution, we offer a variety of champagne and prosecco varietals, perfect to compliment any dish or occasion.

Champagne Juillet-Lallement

Champagne Juillet-Lallement produces precise wines, showing elegance, minerality and above all, a true personality. Husband-and-wife team Jean and Virgine carry on the family tradition of winemaking spanning three generations.

Maison Marcel

Inspired by the epic love story of his grandparents, Marcel and Helene, Maison Marcel's founder carries on their legacy with every bottle produced. With vineyards located in the south of France, each bottle is infused with tradition and playfulness.

Spagnol

Spagnol began as a family business, and remains so to this day. The entire family, including father Orazio, mother Loreta and brothers Stefano, Marco, Alberto and Mattia, are intricately involved all of the winemaking. The winery is located in Colbertaldo di Vidor, and includes

Solighetto di Pieve di Soligo vineyard, which belonged to Count Marco Giulio Balbi Valier, who isolated the Prosecco Balbi.

Featured Winemaker: Helen Keplinger

The culture of wine has been a part of Helen Keplinger's life for as long as she can remember. Her dad had a wine cellar, which was the source of her childhood wine bottle collection — she also collected rocks, an early indication of her future as a winegrower.

Helen earned a degree in viticulture and enology at the University of California, Davis in 1998. After completing her formal education, she began working with Heidi Barrett, Kathy Joseph, Michel Rolland and David Abreu. She also served as winemaker for Cellars Melis (Priorat), Kenzo Estate, Fort Ross, Sarocka, Scully, Arrow & Branch and Bryant Family Vineyards.

After founding Keplinger Wines in 2004 with her husband, DJ Warner, that became her main focus. Keplinger wines are greatly influenced by Helen and DJ's love of the Mediterranean lifestyle, where they both spent a significant amount of time. They believe that great wine is only possible for great vineyards - they select vineyards, farm grapes and make wine by this mantra.

Featured Winery: La Pelle Wines

In 2016, La Pelle Wines was founded by three partners connected through the wine industry - Maayan Koschitzky, a former winemaker at Screaming Eagle and Atelier Melka winemaking team leader, Miguel Luna, a long-time viticulturist, and Pete Richmond, who runs Silverado Farming Co, a Napa-based vineyard management company.

La Pelle pays homage to both the vineyard and the cellar with respect to a tool that is used in both areas. It is said that Miguel would frequently joke about returning to California to start his own brand, simply calling it the shovel. La Pelle produces single vineyard wines, as well as wines from their Bien Nacido, Napa Valley vineyards and a Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - a barrel selection which varies each year.

Featured Winery: For Your World

For Your World was started by Erin Wiehe and Rhiannon LaForest, two Michigan residents who share a passion for Italian wine.

Their goal is to connect small lesser-known wineries with the dining tables of the USA - telling the stories of their community, their family and their terroir. By doing this, they hope to deliver an experience, and enable the consumer to really “taste Italy”.

Erin started her journey to Italian wines more than 20 years ago when she lived in Rome during her undergrad studies.

She returned in 2018 to take a year long sabbatical, this time sheltering between the Tuscan hills and extending her passion for wine. While teaching English and learning Italian Erin’s love of Italy grew to where she would turn a passion into a business.

Rhiannon grew up in England. She received a BS in European Business with Technology and spent these precious years studying and living in both England and Italy. Italy, however, was to become her home for another 8 years and the rolling terrain of Piedmont cultivated her love of wine and the Italian way of life.

New Brand: Hertelendy Vineyards

We are pleased to announce that we are now carrying wines by Hertelendy Vineyards. Hertelendy Vineyards specializes in producing Bordeaux varietals from premium mountain fruit, including Oakville, Pritchard Hill, Howell Mountain, Atlas Peak, Coombsville, and its very own 4+ acre Crystal Springs mountainside 1365 ft elevation “Rockwell Ridge” estate vineyard (35 ft below the Howell Mountain AVA) planted in 1993. They also produce a Russian River Valley Chardonnay from the legendary Ritchie Vineyard. With a limited total annual production of 750 cases, the winery’s focus is on producing unparalleled wines of superior quality with a commitment towards excellence. 

Featured Winemaker: Jordan Fiorentini

Passionate, dedicated and not afraid to push the envelope, Jordan brings an enthusiastic and experienced spirit to Epoch Estate Wines. Under her direction, Epoch Estate Wines has produced some of the most revered wines in Paso Robles.

Jordan holds an engineering degree from Dartmouth College and a masters degree in viticulture from UC Davis. Jordan started her career working at her family’s winery in Georgia, Araujo Estate in Napa Valley, Antinori Winery in Italy, and as head winemaker at Chalk Hill in Sonoma.

An interesting fact about Jordan is her unique approach to developing her tasting notes. Her descriptors are hand-drawn, visual representations of each vintage, which she refers to as Vinpressions. "Your palate has a beginning, middle and end so I’m trying to draw what I feel.”

Featured Wine: 2018 Epoch Estate Blend Red

The 2018 Estate Blend is a graceful, awe-inspiring expression of the red varieties at Epoch grown across all three vineyard sites – Paderewski, Catapult, and York – in the even-keeled, dreamy 2018 vintage. Brimming with concentrated dark plum and black cherry, savory roasted herbs and meats, earthy forest floor, lavender, chocolate, and vanilla, this wine is generous and harmonious in youth, but it is sure to age beautifully thanks to its balance of flavor and texture on the palate entry to finish.

Wine Enthusiast 98
Jeb Dunnuck 94-96
Wine Advocate 95

Covert Estate 2018 Cabernet Franc

On nose offers sun-ripened black fruits and purple flowers, grounded in aromas of earth. In the mouth, sweet black fruits explode with the full force of summer, layering black cherries and plums with red fruit freshness, fragrant violets and kola nut notes. Ultra-silky tannins glide effortless into an endless finish of gentle plum, blackberry and oak spice.

Featured Winery: Purlieu Wine

Purlieu in the literal sense means “the edge of the forest” or “an outlying area.” For Purlieu Wines, “purlieu” symbolically refers to the their approach to winemaking, to exploring the outskirts and navigating the boundaries of what one may expect of a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.

Purlieu Wines hail from the most prolific vineyard sites in the Napa Valley, and are finished in the hands of world-class winemaker - Julien Fayard. With more than two decades of winemaking expertise, Julien Fayard is one of Napa Valley’s most respected winemakers producing California varietals with French finesse. He believes in producing wines with an identity, exploiting what makes each one unique. Julien’s wines are a pure expression of their terroir, highlighting the specificities and characteristics of the fruit, vineyard management, soil and climate.

Andis Painted Fields 2020 Old Vine Zinfandel

Planted in 1869, the Original Grandpère Vineyard is one of the oldest documented Zinfandel vineyards in America. Farmed by only four families over its 150-year history, the vineyard produces a very small amount of fruit each year, and every ton is prized by winemakers. Andis is one of only four wineries fortunate enough to get fruit from this vineyard.

Richness and ripeness show off great fruit flavors in this full-bodied but fresh and vibrant wine from a historic vineyard. Moderate tannins frame the exuberant raspberry and blackberry flavors nicely and blend with good acidity for a very good balance.

93 points - Wine Enthusiast (2018)

“Distinctive tones of salt, pepper and sage bring this full-bodied wine to life as they accent the ripe plum and blackberry flavors. Mild tannins and a superbroad texture make this wine something over which to linger, as it no doubt reflects the 19th-century vines from which it was made.”

Covert Estate 2018 Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon

The landmark 2018 vintage delivers rich, sleek Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in its full glory. The nose offers blackcurrant aromas with notes of damp earth, wild myrtle and a hint of volcanic minerality. On the palate, these aromatics expand into black and purple berries, black raspberries with boysenberries and black cherries, with warm notes of cedar and tobacco. On the finish is sweet clove, blackberries and fresh brown sugar.

Featured Winery: Covert Estate Wine

Covert Estate uses traditional Bordeaux winemaking techniques combined with Californian creativity. Tucked away on a steep hillside in the heart of Coombsville, Napa Valley, Covert Estate is a unique terroir perfect for winemaking.

The team harvests by hand in the cool early mornings and sends the grapes through two rounds of rigorous sorting—first as whole clusters, then again as de-stemmed individual berries. After cold maceration, the fruit is fermented by naturally occurring wild yeasts for three to four weeks. Once this initial fermentation is complete, they gently crush the grapes with a vertical press directly into barrels for a secondary malolactic fermentation. The wine then spends 18-26 months in barrel, as needed for each vintage. They rack at most twice per year, and bottle without fining or filtration.

Covert Estate 2018 Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2018 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is powerful, opening with a rich nose of black and blue fruits, wild berry compote and mineral-rich volcanic rock. The palate builds from a core of ripe cherries, huckleberries and bright cassis, expanding to aromatic layers of warm cedar and sweet black licorice. Smooth, well-knit tannins and abundant sun-kissed fruit sustain a lengthy finish of ripe boysenberries and a refreshing lift of clove.

Andis Painted Fields Curse of Knowledge

The intense ruby color and a sensational bouquet of dried violet, black cherry, fresh herbs, and cocoa powder will catch your attention. A balanced mid-palate, generous, and round due to the velvety tannins with a lingering finish of dark berries and black licorice. 

Production Notes

77% Cabernet Sauvignon - Andis Estate, Rancho Victoria, Brice Station 13% Cabernet Franc - Hawk Creek, Brice Station, Salman Farms 7% Merlot - Miraflores 3% Petite Verdot - Bokisch Vineyard

Featured Winemaker: Julien Fayard

Julien Fayard is a French winemaker, earning his reputation as a visionary who combines time-honored techniques with a fresh perspective to create wines that resonate with both connoisseurs and wine newcomers.

Born and raised in France, Julien's journey in the world of wine began at an early age. Growing up in the heart of Bordeaux, he was immersed in a culture that revered wine as an integral part of life. This upbringing sparked his curiosity and ignited his passion for winemaking. He pursued his studies at some of the most prestigious institutions, including the University of Bordeaux, where he honed his expertise in viticulture and enology.

Arriving in Napa Valley, Julien was captivated by the region's potential to create world-class wines. His ability to combine his French heritage with the innovation and experimentation inherent in the California wine scene set the stage for his remarkable career.

Julien's winemaking philosophy revolves around crafting wines that are an expression of the vineyard territory. He places a strong emphasis on sustainable and organic practices, recognizing that healthy vines result in exceptional grapes.

Julien officially began is winemaking career producing quality rosé, then went to Bordeaux, where he worked at Lafite Rothschild and Smith Haut Laffite. He later relocated to Napa Valley, where he served as Philippe Melka’s director of winemaking before launching his own projects. Now, with over two decades of winemaking expertise, Julien is one of Napa Valley’s most sought-after consulting winemakers, producing wines with California power and French finesse.

Featured Wine: Peake Ranch Chardonnay

Peake Ranch's Santa Barbara County Chardonnay integrates the two coldest AVAs in Santa Barbara, those being the Sta. Rita Hills (sourced from Peake Ranch Vineyard) and Santa Maria Valley (sourced from Sierra Madre Vineyard).  This very expressive wine exudes fresh notes of citrus blossom, white pineapple, crème brulé, with delicate expressions of stone fruits, dried flowers, and lemongrass. Nice acidity up front, slight grip, and a long finish with subtle weight on the palate.

96 points Jeb Dunnuck

“Straight-up gorgeous notes of ripe peach, caramelized apple, flower oil, brioche, and spice all emerge from the 2020 Chardonnay Santa Barbara County, a brilliantly textured, medium to full-bodied Chardonnay with terrific balance as well as length. It reminds me of some of the great Chardonnays coming out of the Russian River Valley with its opulence and richness.” - JD

Featured Winery: Maison Marcel

Maison Marcel produces quality wines that truly capture the essence of French winemaking and traditions.

They consider themselves much more than a wine brand - but celebration of love, laughter, and happily ever afters. Maison Marcel's founder was inspired by the epic love story of his grandparents, Marcel and Helene, and continue to carry on their legacy with every bottle produced.

Maison Marcel vineyards are located in the sun-drenched south of France, where they infuse each bottle with a blend of tradition and playfulness. The wines capture the essence of the region, with flavors that are perfect for every occasion, from casual gatherings to romantic dates.

Carrying four signature wines, including Marcel Hearts, Sparkling Hearts, Ocean Bound and French Velvet.

Featured Wine: Maison Marcel Sparkling Hearts Rosé

Experience the finesse of Maison Marcel's new Sparkling Rosé Heart Edition. With delicate notes of white peach and nectarine, this "Cuvée Provence" showcases a beautiful rose gold color.

Notes: Grapefruit, Nectarine

Grapes: Muscat, Aligoté