Cristalino NV Brut Cava
Will it change your life? Will it plumb the depths of profundity that a great Tete de Cuvee Champagne will? Probably not. But at under $15, it’s a heck of a …
WSoP Support
Fattoria di Magliano 2007 “Heba” Morellino di Scansano
I was lamenting the scarcity of good and inexpensive Italian Sangiovese, and this one shows up a day later to prove me wrong. Nice balance of modern and classical Italian winemaking, …
Jean-Claude Thevenet et Fils 2006 St.-Veran Clos de l’Ermitage Cuvee Vieilles Vignes
A distinctive nose of wet riverbank stones with just the slightest citrus lift leads to a surprisingly generous mid-palate rich with lemon oil. That stoniness and minerality come back on the …
Drinking Nicolas Feuillatte’s Palmes d’Or with some Philly Racists
The Four Seasons In 2010, the Wine School ran a Champagne event at the old Four Seasons that featured a vertical tasting of Nicolas Feuillatte’s Palmes d’Or. Alas, I fear that …
Summers 2005 Charbono, Napa Valley
Yes, the mercury has risen, the muggies are threatening, and the food most of us crave has likely become lighter. So why extol the virtues of a wine of only moderate …
d’Arenberg 2004 “The Laughing Magpie” Shiraz/Viognier, McLaren Vale
Why does Arenberg sell this wine for so little? Why sell a bottle of wine for under $20 when so many people are happy to spend over $30? Even the critics …
Selvapiana 2003 “Vigna Bucerchiale” Chianti Rufina Riserva
Of the seven sub-zones of the Chianti DOCG outside the Classico area, Rufina is the most highly regarded. Tucked into the foothills approaching the regional border with Emilia-Romagna, its production is …
Tomas and Giesen “Munir Bianco” 2006, IGT, Sicilia
Cataratto is one of the most widely planted grapes in Italy. It accounts for over half of Sicily’s vineyard acres and is known primarily for use as a bulk wine grape …
Castillo Labastida 2001 Rioja Reserva
International Wine Cellar, notoriously the most difficult of the major wine-review publications, called this bottling “fully mature and delicious.” To that, we would also add “guilt-inducingly affordable” and “dangerously drinkable.”
Sylvan Springs 2006 “Hard Yards” Shiraz
Aussie to the core, this bottle is from McLaren Vale and offers up dark chocolate and licorice. Aromatics of white pepper and kirsch round it out this bruiser.
Jakoby-Mathy 2006 Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Auslese “Eulenlay,” Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Quite a mouth-full both in name and in flavor. This is a super-friendly, surprisingly light-on-its-feet Auslese with pronounced notes of lychee and an almost citric zing to it. Jakoby-Mathy may not …
Barbera from the Piemonte
I was always one of those guys unaffected by jetlag, no matter where I was traveling to or returning from. But this most recent trip–my wife and I spent the 10 …
Good Cheap Wine
There are plenty of well-made wines that are also cheap. Here are 10 of our favorite cheap wines, but these are a sampling of the best of the best. Even better, …
Cesari 2004 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
We’ve had excellent luck with the 2004 Amarones, and this one is no exception. Its deep, rich fruit and unexpected spiciness scream out for sauce-slathered baby-backs.
Las Rocas de San Alejandro 2005 Garnacha, Catalyud
The Wine School is pouring a Garnacha these days that is flat-out charming me: The Las Rocas de San Alejandro 2005 from Catalyud, Spain. Not only is it fabulously fresh with …
Forget Vintage, Take the “Bomb Pulse”
When it comes to wine, scientists are, in fact, using radioactive carbon traces to determine a bottle’s age. Specifically, new research has shown that the amount of radioactive carbon captured in …