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
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