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12 / the tasting panel / july 2015 INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT Did You Know? W ant to impress your guests with some fascinating wine knowledge? Look no further than our continuing trivia series, featuring fun facts from Dick Rosano's book Wine Trivia . . . In So Many Words, which is available now. • It is estimated that a cork exits a Champagne bottle at speeds of between 40 and 50 miles per hour. • During his presidency, Thomas Jefferson purchased more than 20,000 bottles of wine from Europe. • Although not its official name, Maryland is known as "The Free State" because it was the only state that refused to enforce Prohibition, so its citizens would be free to drink. Anniversaries K aren Hunt celebrates five years as President of DAOU Vineyards & Winery, a premium producer of highly-rated Bordeaux varietal wines from the Adelaida District in the Paso Robles AVA. Hunt has worked closely with proprietors Georges and Daniel Daou since the first vintage release in 2010. For the past five years, she has played an instrumental role in building both national and international limited partners with the DAOU brand. Marlborough Pinot Shines W e received a very welcome visit from New Zealand winemaker Clive Jones of Nautilus, who came to show us his lovely 2014 Sauvignon Blanc (SRP $19.99)—the 30th vintage of this Marlborough wine from the celebrated winery owned by Robert Hill-Smith. Even more impressive was the current 2012 Nautilus Marlborough Pinot Noir ($34.99), which, in our view, rivals anything from Central Otago. Nautilus first produced Pinot in 1997 and built a dedicated Pinot Noir winery in 2000—a move that shows real commitment to this varietal. Jones also poured us the stunning 2007 Pinot from the winery's library, a wine whose Burgundian depth, complexity and crushed-velvet mouthfeel demonstrates the massive potential of Pinot Noir in Marlborough. David Townsend from Nautilus importer Negociants USA was in on the tasting and snapped the photo. —David Gadd Winemaker Clive Jones from Nautilus. PHOTO: DAVID TOWNSEND