Robert Mondavi Winery 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville
This is a great wine. But this wine is also important. First, it’s made in a true Mondavi style, honed in the ’60s and perfected in the ’80s: this is how …
2013
Delille Cellars 2013 “D2” Columbia Valley
Delille Cellars’ D2 is a “must-try” wine. First, the history behind this bottle: The winery was one of the first to plant Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in Columbia Valley. Since the …
Smashberry 2013 White Wine Central Coast
This is how wine is done today. A small family-run winery with a web of brands and subsidiaries. This bottling is produced by Turn Key Wines, which is itself owned by …
Cadaretta 2013 “SBS” Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley
Cadaretta Wines is a new winery with a long history; It was founded in 2008 as an offshoot of Anderson & Middleton, a logging company founded in 1899.Their wines follow the path that many …
3 Rings 2013 Shiraz, Barossa Valley
It’s interesting how fashion changes in the wine world. When this wine was first released, it was the belle of the ball. Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate gave the 2004 …
Castellani 2013 “San Michele” Valpolicella Classico Ripasso
Some call this style a “Baby Amarone,” which is kinda like comparing a ribeye steak to a cheesesteak. Sure they come from the same place, and they both are damn delicious, …
Solena 2013 “Domaine Danielle Laurent Reserve” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
So the name of this winery is tricky. Solena was a side project that Laurent and Danielle Montalieu worked on while their vineyards matured. The plan was to eventually start making …
Maison Nicolas Perrin 2013 Crozes-Hermitage
The Northern Rhone is the ancestral home to Syrah, and family-run wineries dominate it. Names like Chapoutier, Chave, Perrin, and Guigal top the family tree here. There used to be another, …
Crios 2013 “Limited Edition” Tannat, Mendoza
Tannat originally hails from France, grown mostly in Madiran. The wine it produces is always tannic and often primitive. The grape is also widely planted in South America, with Uruguay at the epicenter. …
Marchiori and Barraud 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza
Paul Hobbs Paul Hobbs without Paul Hobbs? Let’s talk a bit about Paul. He is one of the most celebrated Napa winemakers alive today: he worked for Mondavi and was on …
Pierre Amadieu 2013 “Domaine Grand Romane” Gigondas
Gigondas is one of the top crus in the southern Rhone, often dominating its famous neighbor Chateauneuf du Pape, and Pierre Amadieu is a benchmark winery for the region. A few years back, I …
Familia Zuccardi 2013 “Q” Malbec, Mendoza
Zuccardi is a rock-solid winery in Argentina. This wine has been evolving vintage by vintage. I love how Zuccardi is pulling away from the “Melted Chocolate and Licorice” profile that has …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Coopers Creek 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough (NZ)
A good price for a worthwhile bottle. Coopers Creek is one of the founding wineries of New Zealand. It’s the winery that gave Kim Crawford his start as a winemaker. Unfortunately, …