Featured Read
Domaine Clape: On The Essential Meaning of Cornas
Wine is a privilege. Sometimes I like to hope that it can be more, that if approached with humility those of us who enjoy its privilege can learn something greater. An (Ir)relevant Digression A recent piece in the New York Times by writer Pico Iyer eloquently defended the virtue of quiet. Stillness is a font for focus, understanding and creativity. In a world filled with technologically facilitated distractions, it is increasingly common to operate in a state of numb overload - unable to process the volume and speed of information thrust before us. In this environment, the quantity of our contributions and communications may be increasing, but their quality is decreasing. We are losing … [Read More...]
Latest Sips
Dal Forno Romano Valpolicella Ripasso 2005
Dal Forno is one of those names that immediately produces excitement but also a sense of extreme exclusivity. These wines, from the protege of the recently deceased Giuseppe Quintarelli, are both made in very tiny quantities and generally cost a fortune. How lucky I was, then, to find a seemingly mispriced bottle in San … [Read More...]
Spotlight on Nebbiolo: La Spinona Barbaresco Bricco Faset 2000
Tiny Barbaresco, the often neglected side-kick of Barolo (except, of course, for Gaja). The generally earlier ripening Nebbiolo here still produces some brilliant wines, mostly because the calcerous soils couple accessibility with the ethereal. La Spinona This is a small winery that is a hybrid of traditional and modern. … [Read More...]
Spotlight on Nebbiolo: Elio Grasso “Ginestra Casa Mate” Barolo 2005
With each bottle of Nebbiolo I consume I am slowly being introduced to real obsession. Add to that the majesty of Barolo and I am afraid that my future wine budget has been entirely allocated to these seemingly unaffordable bottles. Then again, when you compare Nebbiolo to Bordeaux, Burgundy and cult Calfornia Cabernet, it is a … [Read More...]
