Dec
28
Albert Mann “Clos de La Faille” Pinot Noir 2015
The plethora of high quality Pinot Noir available today is astonishing. Regions such as New Zealand have dialed in their understanding of site and method just as the traditional regions
Nov
29
Champagne Recommendations for the Holidays
Holidays need Champagne, much for the reasons Napoleon indicated. Champagne evens the ups and downs of life, family, and friends. It allows pause in an over-programmed life. I am not
Nov
16
Domaine Hubert Lamy “En Remilly” Saint-Aubin Premier Cru 2016
Climate change and talent are transforming St. Aubin. Olivier Lamy at Domaine Hubert Lamy is a leading light in this appellation, alongside the likes of Pierre Yves Colin-Morey. St. Aubin,
Oct
27
La Paulée Dinner 2019 – Vancouver International Wine Festival
The Vancouver International Wine Festival and Hawksworth Restaurant hosted the innaugural La Paulée dinner last week. The wine festival has, historically, been a place where new and newish consumers come to
Aug
25
Is Chardonnay the Most Diverse Grape in the World?
To set this post, I have purposefully asked a complex question with a complex answer. Despite its seemingly simple base form, Chardonnay does not reveal itself with simple explanations. Chardonnay
Aug
9
Benjamin Leroux “Les Mitans” Volnay Premier Cru 2016
Most of our world and our lives are occupied with narrowness. Linear processes, limited ways of executing tasks, myopic behavioural expectations, risk-aversion to steer clear of the wrath of the
Jul
28
Some New World Wines Showing Favourably Alongside Burgundy
Wine competition is more intense now than any time in the history of the commercial wine industry. This has pushed quality in every region higher and faster – even a
Jul
10
A Few Thoughts On the Oregon Wine Trail
What is intellectual pleasure in wine? For a professional, is there pressure to intellectualize wine? For a consumer, is there inertia to sensualize wine? The present mantra is to democratize
May
5
Is Pinot Noir the Most Interesting Grape in the World?
This question may seem audacious, but it deserves serious consideration. The criteria for interest are (1) diversity of flavour, texture, and structural profiles; (2) that diversity derives from both site
Apr
8
Cote de Beaune Blanc: The Last Four Years, the Next Four Years
To confound the wine world, the 2016 vintage’s April frosts reduced yields about 10-fold in the Cote de Beaune, accelerating an already meteoric price increase beginning with the 2014 vintage.