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.
Mar
31
Didier Dagueneau Buisson Renard 2014
I’ve been reading Raj Parr and Jordan Mackay’s Sommelier’s Atlas of Taste, which is a tome deserving of its own post. One of their great conceits is the idea of
Mar
11
Cornas
Stereotypical Cornas is “burly” and tannic. Nonsense. The greatest producers in Cornas produce wines of lithe complexity and deeply focused intellectualism. I now understand why so few appreciate these wines.
Mar
5
Larmandier-Bernier Terre de Vertus 2007
I am old enough to have witnessed the shift from house champagnes to grower champagnes in North America’s major wine markets. Today, grower champagne has exploded, particularly among the Millennial
Jan
12
Champagne Pierre Gerbais Grains de Celles n/v
Once you leave Canada to a real wine market, there seems an endless font of grower champagne. My latest discovery came courtesy of Le Caviste in Seattle: Pierre Gerbais’s Grains