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
Feb
3
Mayer Gamay 2017
Gamay. So hot right now. Rob McMillan’s latest state of the wine industry report provides the key insight that millennials are drinking less wine, particularly fine wine, and this portents a
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
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
Jan
4
Pyramid Valley Vineyards Earth Smoke Pinot Noir 2009
Pyramid Valley is one of the more remarkable estates in the new world. Located in the Waikari Valley in southern New Zealand, near Christchurch, Mike and Claudia Weersing spent 15
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,
Dec
9
Francisco Mulinari L’Aietta Brunello di Montalcino 2012
Sangiovese struggles due to inconsistent producers and over-expansion of plantings, not inherent potential. The best of Sangiovese belong among the world’s greatest wines. But, too many Chiantis and Brunellos destroy
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