Total Wine’s Top Wino is in Congress
In 2015, Maryland’s 8th Congressional District race had a new candidate, David Trone, co-founder of Total Wine & More, started his ascent into politics. It took him another four years, but …
What are Tannins?
What are Tannins?Defining tannins can be tricky even for seasoned wine enthusiasts. According to the dictionary, tannin is a yellowish or brownish bitter-tasting organic substance found in various plant tissues, commonly …
Balma Venitia ‘Dom Venitia’ 2012 Beaume de Venise Rouge
A pretty bottle of village-level Rhone wine. A touch reductive on the nose at first, but quickly tosses out a potpourri of scent. Unoaked, as Grenache-dominated wines often are, this is pure fruit on the …
Redi 2009 Orbaio Toscano
A beautiful balance of classic Tuscan Sangiovese and muscular Cabernet. Cocoa-dusted spice and lush dark fruit on the palate meld into tart cherry and mineral. Elements of anise and toast emerge …
Domaine Forca Real 2013 Cotes du Roussillon Villages
Split between two countries –France and Spain– Catalan winemakers share a skill in making powerful wines from scraggly old vines grown on craggy hills of shale. This unoaked bottling is mostly Grenache, with some Mourvedre …
Feudi di San Gregorio 2011 Primitivo di Manduria
Vibrant and exceptionally juicy, this Primitivo offers up simple pleasures with an elaborate flourish. The black pepper and pressed wildflowers open into tobacco smoke and ozone. Flavors drift from blackberry and currant to licorice: …
Bersano 2010 Barolo Nirvasco
Sauvage notes of roses and resin lightened by strawberry and mint. The deeply steeped tannins cut into a concentration of tobacco and fennel. Managing that wonderful dance of Nebbiolo: intense and powerful, …
Castelli del Grevepesa 2010 Clemente VII Chianti Classico Riserva
An impressive Reserva that offers an increased level of depth and verve. A classical note of leather ties together aromas of rusty iron and sandalwood. A hefty dose of gritty tannins …
Tintara 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale
A great value for Cabernet, thanks to the “Chairman’s Selection” program. The bottle is packed with the kind of menthol-smooth structure that makes Cab Sauv’s a great dinner wine. Classic notes …
Carpineto 2012 “Valcolomba” Merlot, Tuscany
This wine starts with dark berries and toasted almonds, with a whiff of diacetyl (that butterscotch smell so popular in chardonnay and so reviled in Heineken). There is a hint of …
Finca Flichman 2013 “Paisaje de Barrancas” Mendoza
This is a growling beast of a wine, trained from birth to dominate the dining room table and chew up any wine glass it is poured into. The nose is oak-dominant …
Maquis 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Colchagua Valley
A lush and delightful bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from one of the world’s top Cabernet growing regions. Aromas of licorice and sandalwood are accented by iron and fresh leather. On the …
Villa Mora 2008 Montefalco Rosso Riserva
When wine writers call the aroma of wine the bouquet, they don’t usually mean it literally. If you don’t like flowers, don’t sniff this wine. Thyme, marjoram, roses, violets, and bay …
Cesarini Sartori 2007 “Signae” Sagrantino di Montefalco
Garrigue and camphor on the nose and a finish of peppered beef jerky. In between, toasted spices and black fruit get busy, and a massive but elegant core of tannins take …
Sbragia 2013 Sauvignon Blanc Dry Creek
Sauvignon Blanc is becoming a bit too popular. I keep waiting for someone to come up with a “Housewives of Beverly Swills” bottle of Sweet Sauvignon, or possibly a White Sauvignon …
Barão de Vilar Feuerheerd’s 10-Year-Old Tawny Port
Despite being around since 1815, this port producer doesn’t really exist. That’s reason enough to pick up a bottle or two.Let me explain: Feuerheerd was founded in 1815 by Dietrich Matthias …