Press

TEXSOM International Wine Awards – Gold Medal Winner May 2023

Our 2022 Le Petit Sauvignon Blanc was awarded a Gold medal at the 2023 TEXSOM International Wine Awards. This year’s TEXSOM Awards had 2,356 total entries with wines from around the world.

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Some excellent Napa Valley Wines from Coquerel – April 2023

Coquerel 2019 Estate Cabernet Franc – “This wine really delivers, especially as it opens up and blooms. It’s a big wine with an edge. Clearly the wine of the night and a world class Cabernet Franc. Highly recommended – worth every penny.”

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Young or aged – there’s no taming Tempranillo – September 2021

We recently took advantage of a local wine tasting in Raleigh, N.C., and tried some wines from a Napa producer we were not familiar with. The wine shop hosting the tasting was also not known to us previously, so it was a great chance to make two discoveries in one trip.  The experience was excellent on all fronts.

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TEXSOM International Wine Awards – Silver Medal Winner May 2021

Our 2019 Le Petit Sauvignon Blanc was awarded a Silver medal at the 2021 TEXSOM International Wine Awards. This year, the TEXSOM International Wine Awards garnered nearly 2,400 entries representing 29 countries and 16 U.S. States.

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Thurstqueen – Pick of the Week 2019 Le Petit Coquerel Sauvignon Blanc

“Le Petit Coquerel is bursting fourth with an incredible freshness, brightness, and purity of stunning citrus fruit and gooseberry — this is not typical of a California Sauvignon Blanc. The structure here is incredible, and the acidity and tension in this wine are on point.”

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Le Petit Coquerel Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley – The Nittany Epicurean October 2020

“Grapefruit, lemon candy, tart apple, peach, blood orange and lime zest all arrived on the nose. Grapefruit, lemon candy, Granny Smith Apple, peach, tangerine and hints of lime followed on the palate where citrus was the name of the game. The wine exhibited electric acidity and great minerality. It was light-bodied and good length. This wine would do as well as an aperitif as it would alongside a rich lobster bisque.”

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Drink The Bottles – 2016 Coquerel Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

“You really can’t find any great wines under $100 per bottle” is a huge disagreement that you and I can have all day, every day. It simply isn’t true. This 2016 Coquerel Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is perfect example of what I’m talking about today.”

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Top Wines of 2019 – The Nittany Epicurean  2016 Coquerel Cabernet Sauvignon

“The last Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon to make this list came from another new winery to my ongoing series of discovery of some of the great wines of California – the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley produced & bottled by Coquerel Family Wine Estates.”

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2016 Coquerel Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – The Nittany Epicurean December 2019

“2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley produced & bottled by Coquerel Family Wine Estates (Napa, California). The wine showed a dark ruby almost opaque color. Blackberry, cassis, vanilla, licorice and oak all arrived on a nose that showed initial restraint. Black cherry, cassis, raspberry preserves, blackberry, vanilla, licorice and oak followed on a palate that was much more developed than the nose. The wine was full-bodied and exhibited excellent length along with soft tannins. This wine would do very well alongside a grilled ribeye.”

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Eight of the Best California Sauvignon Blanc Wines     August 2019

“In a cave on that same Calistoga tasting tour, I found the 2016 Le Petit Coquerel Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley ($22) from their local estate Walnut Wash Vineyard. With stainless steel fermentation and “frequent” lees stirrings, the complexity of both the bouquet and flavor profile was off the charts and I, once again, enjoyed the lingering minerality.”

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Drink the Bottles – 2016 Cabernet Franc Review     March 2019

“Admittedly, I am not a huge Cabernet Franc fan because historically most of it has left me wanting more, often wondering if all Cab Franc was lackluster or if I had just been unlucky.  After today, I am putting all of that behind me and all Cabernet Franc will be judged against this 2016 Coquerel Bennett’s Vineyard Cabernet Franc.”

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TEXSOM International Wine Awards – Gold Medal Winner March 2019

Our 2017 Le Petit Sauvignon Blanc was awarded a Gold medal at the 2019 TEXSOM International Wine Awards. This year there were 3,294 entries representing 32 countries and 18 U.S. States, a record for the competition. Entries were blind-tasted and judged by 66 internationally renowned tastemakers from five countries – only 8% of the wines that were submitted won a Gold medal.

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TEXSOM International Wine Awards – Bronze Medal Winner March 2019

Our 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded a Bronze medal at the 2019 TEXSOM International Wine Awards. Judges’ Selection Awards winners are medal-winners from the competition nominated for a second blind tasting judging to determine category awards based on country, US state, variety, style, and best value. These wines are outstanding even amongst their medal-winning peers.

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Robert Parker Wine Advocate – 90 Points, 2015 Terroir Chardonnay

The 2015 Chardonnay has a fresh apples, pears and peaches-scented nose with a spicy undercurrent and a waft of baking bread. The medium-bodied palate is fine, refreshing and yeasty in the mouth, finishing on a savory note.

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The Fifty Best – Gold Medal 2016 Le Petit Coquerel Sauvignon Blanc – June 2018

The Fifty Best held a “blind” tasting of 13 recent release California Sauvignon Blancs with 10 members of our wine judging panel. Strict tasting rules were applied. The order of service was established beforehand by lottery. Each of the wines were poured into fresh wine glasses from new sealed bottles and served chilled. Only ice water and white peasant bread were available to cleanse the palate.

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TEXSOM International Wine Awards – Silver Medal Winner April 2018

Wines earning a Silver medal are deemed excellent for their category. They may show extraordinary quality, complexity, or style compared to their category. This is the second highest honor earned during the course of competition judging.

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Star/NVV panelists taste, rank two dozen wines

Cabernet franc is by no means new to the valley. By 1885, H.W. Crabb and other Napa Valley vintners who were eager to make fine claret like Bordeaux planted cabernet franc and other supporting varieties to add to their cabernet sauvignon wines.

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Inside Napa Valley, Calistoga: A vacation in your own backyard, Spring 2016

New to the Calistoga area is Coquerel Family Wine Estates which specializes in small batches of Sauvignon Blanc. Clay and Brenda Cockerell don’t yet have a tasting room, but you can keep apprized of their constitution schedule and learn more about their wines at coquerelwines.com

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Forbes Magazine – November 2015 – Best Wine Selection Dish for Thanksgiving – Le Petit Coquerel

2012 Le Petit Coquerel Sauvignon Blanc — Located in northern Napa, this winery retained Sauvignon Blanc expert, Christine Barbe to help craft a vibrant yet rich wine. Think grapefruit and lemon cream and you get the idea. ($22)

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D Magazine – What to Drink Now for Women – March 2015

Winemaker Christine Barbe met Brenda and Clay Cockerell in 2006, shortly before the couple launched their Coquerel Winery in Napa Valley. The Bordeaux born and trained winemaker, and producer/owner of Toquade, did not start out with a focus on wine during her schooling, instead she earned her PhD at the University of Bordeaux in research…

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The Terroirist Blog – 2012 Chardonnay review – March 2015

Light yellow-straw color. Bright nose of white peach, papaya, lemon, some honey and white flowers. Clean and crisp on the palate with white peach, yellow apples and lemon-lime. Very tangy and bright with some honeyed tea and minerals. Food-friendly, but creamy and mouthfilling at the same time.

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Sunset Magazine International Wine Competition – Bronze Medal Winner

One of the hardest things about being a wine editor in the West is that niggly feeling that I’m just not keeping up—with the amazing cache of old-time wineries clustered in well-established wine regions, let alone the veritable flood of new producers coming online in regions old and emerging.

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Bigger Than Your Head – Fredric Koeppel – 2012 Terroir Sauvignon Blanc Review

Seven months in French oak, 10% new barrels. Very pale gold color; grapefruit, tangerine, lime peel, hint of peach, notes of lilac, lavender and fennel; a few moments in the glass bring up touches of roasted lemon and celery seed; a little leafy and herbal; taut, crisp, vibrant, loads of personality and presence; tensile slightly dusty grapefruit-limestone finish.

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Life Between the Vines – Podcast, Interview with Christine Barbe

Christine Barbe makes wine for Clay and Brenda Cockerell’s Coquerel label. It is worth noting that Christine is also French (from Bordeaux, no less) and without a doubt she makes her wine in the French style. While the wine may not be easy to find….it IS worth the search.

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The Wine Dude – Joe Roberts, Interview with Christine Barbe

At this point, I think that we’ve established that Bordeaux native Christine Barbe is at least a little bit crazy. Very talented, but a little crazy. Crazy enough to justify the namesake of her personal brand, Toquade, anyway.

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Calistoga Tribune

The French port city is celebrated for its Cabernet and Merlot grands vins, while the north Texas metropolis is famous for Cowboys and ten-gallon hats. Here in Calistoga, the two places happen to share a delightful connection that, fittingly, has nothing to

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Life Between the Vines – Podcast

Auction Napa Valley once again breaks a record.  For all the details, check out the press release below.  This program features interviews with owners and winemakers from the barrel auction at Charles Krug and the main auction at Meadowood Country Club.  This program runs in three parts with all the participants listed below.

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Tasting Panel Magazine – 90 Points – 2012 Chardonnay

Silky and balanced, understated and elegant with racy fruit and good acid structure; lovely, with style and finesse.

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Restaurant Wine – Excellent **** – Le Petit Coquerel Sauvignon Blanc and Terroir Coquerel Sauvigon Blanc

Both wines are unwooded (aged 7 months in stainless steel barrels); both are excellent values. The 2011 is very distinct in character (fig, lemon peel, lime, grapefruit), full bodied, and balanced; a Sauvignon with a long flavor evolution on the palate, and a medium long finish. 1,474 cases.

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San Jose Mercury, Contra Costa Times – May 12th, 2014

When the opportunity arose in 2005 for the high school sweethearts to attempt their own memorable, Bordeaux-style white in Calistoga, they dubbed it Coquerel, using the archaic, French spelling of their name, and had the wisdom to tap French winemaker Christine Barbe.

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Wine Enthusiast – 90 Points and Editor’s Choice, 2012 Le Petit Coquerel Sauvignon Blanc

A beautiful wine, it shows exquisite control at balancing green, minty notes with richer flavors of apricots, Meyer lemons, vanilla and toast. The finish is dry and tart.

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