Mar
23
Calera Mills Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009
In my life, the greatest pleasure of wine lies in cooking, experimentation, and pairing. The greatest wines in the world have so much to offer, but the height of intellectual
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
20
Blankiet Estate Paradise Hills Vineyard 2012
My prediction: cult Napa wines, as a general category, will be increasingly irrelevant. However, there will always be a place for the very best of them. According to Rob McMillan’s
Dec
23
Two Top Wines for the Holidays
Holidays demand much of us. I like to see them as an opportunity to treat yourself and those who deserve it in between the rest. When those moments do arrive,
Nov
22
Old and Good: Barolo, Burgundy and … Champagne
Sometimes there are those nights where everything is on point. Accompanied by wonderfully executed food at Cinara, each of the following was in peak form: Bernard Moreau Chassagne-Montrachet 2014 Diebolt-Vallois
Nov
4
Mount Eden Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Many hold the incorrect view that California produces similarly good wine year to year due to its interminable sun. This is incorrect. Vintage variation in California is as significant as
Oct
21
1978 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande … and Other Wine
40 year old wine is always a journey, sometimes into dissapointment, always into variability, and occassionally into greatness. While this 1978 Pichon-Lalande was not at the apex of aged Bordeaux,
Sep
30
Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin Le Banc 2016
Pierre-Yves founded his domaine with family vineyards in 2006, after having spent about a decade as winemaker at his family’s domaine “Marc Colin”. In the mere decade since founding his
Jul
19
Bodegas Y Vinedos Alion 1998
Rioja gets most of the attention for the softer-style of age-worthy Tempranillo. Ribera became infected with over-extraction in the 1990’s and 2000’s that undid much of the regions’ potential for