The inaugural release of Artesa wines was September 1, 1999. Over the past few years, those wines as well as our subsequent releases have garnered exceptionally enthusiastic acclaim from the nation's leading wine writers. Here's a sampling of what members of the press around the country have written: Wine Spectator "…this winery has produced one of the best Cabernet values of the vintage." James Laube Restaurant News "Artesa is producing some of the best and best value Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs in California." Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune "Artesa's wines are uniformly good and sometimes exceptional, offering a great range of soil and microclimate influences.. It's undoubtedly one of the most refined and sophisticated facilities in California, ranking with Opus One or Dominus in terms of architectural and artistic panache." Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate "This relatively new winery continues to impress...(these) offerings are all impressive as well as distinctly different... Artesa is definitely a serious winery! Moreover, their wines represent sound values." Denver Post "The wines are delicious examples of their viticultural areas. And to beat all, they are terrifically well-made and well-priced." San Francisco Examiner "Artesa's Pinot Noirs capture the complexity and many-nuanced flavors that so many California Pinots fail to achieve." Wine Spectator "The young wines, particularly the whites, are delicious. The Pinot Noirs are very good too, each reflective of its appellation. I expect the Cabernets and Merlots to be immense efforts as well." Dallas Morning News "Artesa is a fairly new winery with a deep-pocketed Spanish owner, whose motto must be 'money is no object when it comes to quality,' because this is a nearly perfect wine…Keep your eye on this wonderful new winery." Wine Spectator "James Laube's Smart Buys in California Chardonnay" "James Laube's Top-Scoring California Sauvignon Blanc" "James Laube's Smart Buys in California Merlot" San Francisco Chronicle "Artesa's three juicy Pinot Noirs are from the three best Pinot Noir regions in California (so) wine buyers can taste what California Pinot Noir is all about. Artesa has made an impressive debut...a brand to watch in the future." Sacramento Bee "A flight of three Pinot Noirs speak(s) clearly to the winery's goal to craft fruit from highly regarded regions into wines that reflect with accuracy and style their viticultural heritage… the wines represent the three prime areas for Pinot Noir in California, and a side-by-side sampling will help tasters define what region most appeals to their palates." San Antonio Express-News "After sampling the Artesa wines, I am of the opinion that they will rapidly take their place among the best from California. The chardonnays, in particular, show wonderful promise." Dan Berger's Vintage Experiences "Part of a new line of wines produced by the former Codorniu Napa, whose winemaker, Don Van Staaveren, has crafted a number of superb wines. The Santa Barbara County and Russian River Pinot Noir are excellent values."