Pellegrini Family Vineyards Milestone - 2 Pack
$49.99 + $5 shipping
CONDITION: Red
PRODUCT: 2 Pellegrini Family Vineyards Milestone 2 Pack
CT link above

Winery website

Pellegrini on Facebook

Any idea how many cases were produced?

Can we get the % of each of the varietals, please?

Pellegrini Milestone 2006 at Snooth

Pellegrini Family Vineyards at Yelp

Blog: Tasting Pellegrini Family Vineyards (includes the 2005 Milestone)

Hi - Ali from Pellegrini here...

a handful less than 1500 cases were produced in 2006.

A blend of 53% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petite Verdot, 5% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Franc.

Hi Ali. Thanks for jumping in. How about drinking windows for each and stylistic goals for your CA Bordeaux blend?

I'm guessing this Milestone might be a heavy wine...

Nonetheless, any pH / TA acid information?

Just the fact that they're in Santa Rosa is a huge plus for me. Nothing but success with almost all of the wineries i dropped by on my last trip up north.

Seems like a good deal, about $20 off of retail without dealing with shipping costs.

some tech notes at time of harvest...

Brix 24.8°
TA 6.2 g/l
pH 3.57
Analysis: At Bottling
Alcohol 14.3%
TA 0.571 g/100ml
pH 3.61
Bottled: August 19, 2008

The milestone spent an extra year in bottle and must say it's drinking very smooth right now, full of bold layers, without rigidness. I'll have Dan our winemaker pipe in with some age-worthiness notes here for us soon.

todd999430 wrote:Just the fact that they're in Santa Rosa is a huge plus for me. Nothing but success with almost all of the wineries i dropped by on my last trip up north.

Seems like a good deal, about $20 off of retail without dealing with shipping costs.

What's the weather like in Santa Rosa? Is it more like Davis type II or III. And where is it anyway?!

Edit; thank you for the data! What style do you aim at?

Ruh Roh, SIWBM is in jeopardy and a SWMBOWBM looms!

Didn't have any issues saying no to the last few, but this looks tasty and it's nearly a bogo....

Must sleep on it...hopefully it's not like Atlas Peak and won't be sold out when I wake and check from work.

richardhod wrote:What's the weather like in Santa Rosa? Is it more Davis II or III. And where is it anyway?!

They're on the outskirts of Santa Rosa, towards Sebastopol and Guerneville in the Russian River Valley, but I think a lot of their fruit comes from other parts of Sonoma. I have a merlot from there that's marked as Alexander Valley, although I have to admit that it's been long enough since I tried it that I don't remember much about it. According to their website, this one was sourced from the Alexander, Russian River, and Sonoma Valleys.

I don't remember trying this wine when I was at their tasting room a few months ago, but I came away impressed by them overall, at least enough that I picked up a Merlot and Chardonnay. Super friendly staff, plus tasty wines. I've told myself that I have too much wine and too little money for a while now, but this one's really tempting.

richardhod wrote:What's the weather like in Santa Rosa? Is it more like Davis type II or III. And where is it anyway?!

Edit; thank you for the data! What style do you aim at?

Hi, where are we? The winery is right off of Olivet Rd, west side of 101 in-between River Rd. and Guernville Rd. However, Olivet Lane only grows pinot noir and chardonnay (vines planted in 1975!). Our Alexander Valley property has over 55 acres of Merlot and Cabernet - Cloverdale Ranch. We sourced the Cab Franc, Malbec and Petite Verdot from a small vineyard in Bennett Valley.

Hello wine peeps! This is the winemaker speaking, happy to answer any questions you have!

danjfitz wrote:Hello wine peeps! This is the winemaker speaking, happy to answer any questions you have!

Russian River Valley is a type II zone though there are portions that verge on type III. The cool, foggy mornings are what really make this vineyard location.

danjfitz wrote:Hello wine peeps! This is the winemaker speaking, happy to answer any questions you have!

Welcome. Dan! You could look at the questions above and addd your bit to your colleague's excellent answers. I know there are a couple of parts of qs left out, about things line style and weather. Great to have you take time out to chat!

alismith wrote:Hi, where are we? The winery is right off of Olivet Rd, west side of 101 in-between River Rd. and Guernville Rd. However, Olivet Lane only grows pinot noir and chardonnay (vines planted in 1975!). Our Alexander Valley property has over 55 acres of Merlot and Cabernet - Cloverdale Ranch. We sourced the Cab Franc, Malbec and Petite Verdot from a small vineyard in Bennett Valley.

When we approach the blending for "Milestone" we strive to put together a wine that is well structured yet lush and even sexy. Each variety contributes it's own layer of flavors, the trick is to achieve this harmoniously...
We wanted to make a wine that people immediately recognized as special, something that you would open for an occasion!

signing off for the night (big day with the family visiting Sonoma County for Thanksgiving!), looking forward to talking Milestone tomorrow. One thing to know, if you are a lover of right bank wines, the Milestone is a slam dunk. It's a sexy, silky beauty...Dan speaks the truth!

danjfitz wrote:When we approach the blending for "Milestone" we strive to put together a wine that is well structured yet lush and even sexy. Each variety contributes it's own layer of flavors, the trick is to achieve this harmoniously...
We wanted to make a wine that people immediately recognized as special, something that you would open for an occasion!

Thanks for chiming in Dan and Ali! Can you talk a little bit about your approach to wine making... your "philosophy"?

Can you talk a bit more about what unique qualities the area brings to this Bordeaux blend?

EDIT to remove wrong info!!

I didn't see anyone ask yet:

You mentioned this one is drinking well currently. Can these cellar, if so how long and do you think they'll get better over time or is the window right around now and the next year or so?

What kind of food pairings do you think are best for this wine?

Thank you in advance for your participation, it means tons around here!

Thank you, wine.woot, for my dad's Xmas gift. We can drink several toasts to his grandmother, who was a Pellegrini. Yay!

hogfatt wrote:I didn't see anyone ask yet:

You mentioned this one is drinking well currently. Can these cellar, if so how long and do you think they'll get better over time or is the window right around now and the next year or so?

What kind of food pairings do you think are best for this wine?

Thank you in advance for your participation, it means tons around here!

Good Morning! Yes, we think the Milestone will age well over the next 10 years. I'll let Dan answer what he thinks the best drinking window is...

This red blend pairs perfectly in a glass while sitting in a nice comfy leather chair with your feet up! Seriously will pair beautifully with any beef dish, Mt. Vella Dry Jack cheese and/or anything with dark chocolate.

In for 1. Now time to make some room

jhkey wrote:Thanks for chiming in Dan and Ali! Can you talk a little bit about your approach to wine making... your "philosophy"?

I LOVE the Russian River Valley, but it's known more for Zinfandel, can you talk a bit more about what unique qualities the area brings to this Bordeaux blend?

I am not sure RRV is known for Zin but rather Pinots and Chards...Dry Creek Valley is Zin heaven in Sonoma...maybe that's what you meant? What Zins from Sonoma are your faves?

losthighwayz wrote:I am not sure RRV is known for Zin but rather Pinots and Chards...Dry Creek Valley is Zin heaven in Sonoma...maybe that's what you meant? What Zins from Sonoma are your faves?

You're right, I was thinking Dry Creek and Alexander Valley (north of RRV?, Can't quite recall), I edited my post!

alismith wrote:Good Morning! Yes, we think the Milestone will age well over the next 10 years. I'll let Dan answer what he thinks the best drinking window is...

This red blend pairs perfectly in a glass while sitting in a nice comfy leather chair with your feet up! Seriously will pair beautifully with any beef dish, Mt. Vella Dry Jack cheese and/or anything with dark chocolate.

Doh, now I have to go buy a leather chair!

Seriously though, thanks again for your answers and participation.

hogfatt wrote:Doh, now I have to go buy a leather chair!

Seriously though, thanks again for your answers and participation.

ha! the wine is luxurious, so it's the first thing that came to mind.

hogfatt wrote:I didn't see anyone ask yet:

You mentioned this one is drinking well currently. Can these cellar, if so how long and do you think they'll get better over time or is the window right around now and the next year or so?

What kind of food pairings do you think are best for this wine?

Thank you in advance for your participation, it means tons around here!

I would definitely recommend drinking this wine now AND in ten years. It really depends on what kind of age you like on a wine. Right now the flavors are mostly primary driven, ie: blackcurrant, vanilla, cocoa, etc. As the wine ages, it will soften further and those flavors will evolve into more secondary ones, ie: earth, leather, mushroom, etc...

I don't think I can improve on Ali's food pairing advice, sounds like she's been bringing her work home with her =).

losthighwayz wrote:I am not sure RRV is known for Zin but rather Pinots and Chards...Dry Creek Valley is Zin heaven in Sonoma...maybe that's what you meant? What Zins from Sonoma are your faves?

The Merlot that makes up the majority of the blend is from one of our vineyards here in RRV. It's called "Eight Cousins Vineyard" for the all eight of Jeanne, Richard and Robert's kids. In answer to your question, YES! RRV is known primarily as a region famous for it's Burgundian varietals. Merlot is typically grown in AVAs like Alexander Valley and Knights Valley here in Sonoma. If you were to compare the climate to that of Bordeaux however, you would find that they do not get that kind of heat. By limiting the tonnage on our vines we are able to ripen the Merlot in our cooler climate. This yields an exceptionally long hang time which imparts those elegant tannins and bright, blackcurrant fruits.

danjfitz wrote:I would definitely recommend drinking this wine now AND in ten years. It really depends on what kind of age you like on a wine. Right now the flavors are mostly primary driven, ie: blackcurrant, vanilla, cocoa, etc. As the wine ages, it will soften further and those flavors will evolve into more secondary ones, ie: earth, leather, mushroom, etc...

I don't think I can improve on Ali's food pairing advice, sounds like she's been bringing her work home with her =).

Thanks for the follow-up! In for 3.

To Ali or Dan,

Would you describe the Milestone as you "flagship" wine, i.e. the one you're most proud of?

I notice that 1) It's listed first on your Wine Shop page. 2) At $45, it's your second-most expensive offering (by $5). 3) From the comments you have already posted, a lot of love and care goes into it.

I'm on the fence with this one, for financial reasons.

I'm on the fence, too. I went "auto-buy" (x2!) with the Wellington Victory, but feel like I need a push here. Where's RPM when you need him...?

NightGhost wrote:To Ali or Dan,

Would you describe the Milestone as you "flagship" wine, i.e. the one you're most proud of?

I notice that 1) It's listed first on your Wine Shop page. 2) At $45, it's your second-most expensive offering (by $5). 3) From the comments you have already posted, a lot of love and care goes into it.

I'm on the fence with this one, for financial reasons.

Oh, we are fortunate to have a handful of wines we are most proud of. The Milestone was made with extra care in the cellar and the vineyards, our first offering of this blend ever in 2005. I personally was excited to find this out years ago when tasting out of barrel at the winery, the Malbec and Cab Franc grapes sing in the Milestone. This is a wine for serious California Cab and Bordeaux drinkers most certainly.

As for the price, it's a chance to experience this bottle 2 at a time at a killer deal. A nice break for us all before the Holidays kick into full swing. Cheers!

PS...this bottle is often "best wine we've had all day" from folks visiting our tasting room.

Thank you to the winemaker for the comments. I just sent 4 orders as gifts to my wine loving friends for Christmas.

-Fellow paesano

danjfitz wrote:The Merlot that makes up the majority of the blend is from one of our vineyards here in RRV. It's called "Eight Cousins Vineyard" for the all eight of Jeanne, Richard and Robert's kids. In answer to your question, YES! RRV is known primarily as a region famous for it's Burgundian varietals. Merlot is typically grown in AVAs like Alexander Valley and Knights Valley here in Sonoma. If you were to compare the climate to that of Bordeaux however, you would find that they do not get that kind of heat. By limiting the tonnage on our vines we are able to ripen the Merlot in our cooler climate. This yields an exceptionally long hang time which imparts those elegant tannins and bright, blackcurrant fruits.

I see you do manage to keep the acid balance decent too. Ate you going for a Pomerol ot St Emilion kind of style? Or perhaps given the deep new world fruit, a SuperPom? I always wonder how the French often avoid much fruit in favour of harder tannin, earth, mushroom leather and maybe funk, even in young wines.

michaepf wrote:I'm on the fence, too. I went "auto-buy" (x2!) with the Wellington Victory, but feel like I need a push here. Where's RPM when you need him...?

I'd love to hear from him too on this one, as I'm sure he knows of the winery -although not to be confused with Pedroncelli.

However, as with Gandalf, Merlin, Obi Wan Kenobi and their ilk, we young Hobbitses have to learn how to do it for ourselves sometimes. So, ask questions, use the instincts, and don't put on that ring!

alismith wrote:Oh, we are fortunate to have a handful of wines we are most proud of. The Milestone was made with extra care in the cellar and the vineyards, our first offering of this blend ever in 2005. I personally was excited to find this out years ago when tasting out of barrel at the winery, the Malbec and Cab Franc grapes sing in the Milestone. This is a wine for serious California Cab and Bordeaux drinkers most certainly.

As for the price, it's a chance to experience this bottle 2 at a time at a killer deal. A nice break for us all before the Holidays kick into full swing. Cheers!

how do you guys think this 06 compares to the 05 when you started making the milestone?

In for 1. I do like me some red blends!