Randy Lewis once drove race cars for a living. But when the five-time starter for the Indianapolis 500 crashed into the wall during trials for the famed race in 1991, he and his wife, Debbie, his racing team partner, decided they’d had their fill of death-defying thrills.
Lewis decided to become a winemaker in Napa Valley, working first for friend and fellow vintner Bob Miner at Oakville Ranch while Debbie studied the business. When Miner died in 1994, the Lewises lost the vineyard source for the first few wines they had made.
It forced the couple to seek a new path, but they have navigated it well, producing a bounty of exceptional wines over more than two decades.
The Lewises share a passion for rich, powerful New World wines, an opulent style that suits the profile of Napa Valley–grown grapes. They have a tidy division of labor, and their winery is recognized as among the region’s quality elite. Their biggest triumph comes this year, with the release of the thrilling Lewis Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2013 (95 points, $90, 1,600 cases), a hedonistic wine experience from a spectacular vintage. Claiming its place as Wine Spectator’s 2016 Wine of the Year, it becomes the second Napa Cabernet in a row to earn our top honor and the seventh since the award’s inception in 1988.
It’s a fitting achievement for this 10,000-case, family-run business. Debbie, 72, is a fifth-generation Californian who grew up farming in the Sacramento delta. Randy, 71, has been racing cars since he was a teenager in Atlanta and says the biggest difference between his racing days and those in the cellar is that he never had the best cars, but he does have the best grapes.
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Shipwrecked Champagne Hoard Discovered Near Sweden
It sometimes feels like wine has a habit of falling into the briny deep. On July 23, Polish wreck diver and underwater photographer Tomasz Stachura announced that he and his Baltictech team had discovered the wreck of a 19th-century sailing ship near Ãland, an island off the coast of Swedenâand it was crammed with bottles of Champagne and mineral water.
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The 2024 harvest at Israelâs Dalton Winery was punctuated by nonstop rocket and drone attacks launched from just across the border in Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon.
Wineries Sue Napa County in Federal Court
Three Napa wineries filed a joint lawsuit in federal court in September alleging that Napa County officials violated their constitutional rights.
Savoring Persimmon Season
For many, persimmons are an enigma ingredient. Chef David Nayfeld of Award of Excellence-winning Che Fico in San Francisco and its Best of Award of Excellence sibling dangling persimmons off the tree with a stick at a childhood friend's house before realizing what they were. \"I remember his parents saying, 'Hey, don't hit the persimmons, those are food!\"\"
Tasting Plate: A German Six-Pack
Though it boasts Western Europeâs largest population and biggest economy, Germany is nowhere near the cheese juggernaut its neighbors Switzerland and France are. That said, the Germans love their fine cheeses, and they do turn out some excellent ones, fortunately including more than a handful that are currently available here in the U.S.
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Ask winemakers in the Southern RhÃŽne to name the most exciting white grape in their region and you will hear a growing number of them say \"Clairette.\"
Kistler's DARKER SIDE
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ups the ante at the house that Chardonnay built
THE SPLENDOR OF CHAMPAGNE
THE REGION'S LEADING PRODUCERS DELIVER HIGH QUALITY AMID A DIVERSE RANGE OF STYLES
MICHAEL BATTERBERRY: 1932-2010 Gourmet, Journalist, Gentleman
Before Food Network, Top Chef or Yelp ... before the term âfoodie\" ... before tomatoes were heirloom and sushi was fast food... back when fancy restaurants were always French... Michael Batterberry and his wife, Ariane, were working to celebrate and elevate the status of American chefs and international cuisine. Julie Mautner, Food Arts' former executive editor, looks at the life and legacy of her late mentor, affectionately known as The Bat.