The Fingerprints of Red Wine Varietals
This is a declassified article from our 2008 Foundation Wine Course. For the real deal, you should check out our Core Wine Program, which is available both in person and virtually. …
Cabernet Sauvignon
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, …
Wine Reviews
For our newest wine reviews for summertime drinking, check out our main page for wine ratings and reviews. The WhitesTangent Pinot Gris, Edna Valley (California)A rather unique bottling from the Central …
Mondavi 1991 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
From the moment I opened the bottle, this wine was one surprise after another. The color didn’t imply that the juice was 16 years old, and the nose, though redolent of the subtle aromas of leather and tobacco, developed a cinnamon-rolled blackberry character after a few minutes of air. And while the palate started off slowly, it blossomed into a stately mouthful of dried violets and apricots, with still-velvety tannins and a solid acid balance keeping it all alive. It certainly would have been better a year or two ago–or longer–but it was still hanging in there and giving plenty of pleasure.
Recommended Wine Buys
Our few recommended wine selections. Also make sure you have the perfect wine glass to make the experience truly memorable. Vionta Albarino (Spain)An aromatically complex white with plenty of white fruit …
Alexander Valley Vineyards 2004 “Top of the Crop” Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley
A bottling from AVV’s new Reserve line, this Cabernet is a good step forward for this family-owned winery. The aromatics begin with a whiff of buttered popcorn flowing into fresh tobacco …
Torres Mas La Plana 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon
It would be enough if this were simply an elegant, fully mature Spanish red. But the fact that it’s an elegant, fully mature Spanish red for one-third its usual price makes it truly special.
The First Great Pennsylvania Wine Vintage
Lost in the ValleyEric really should have told me to take a right in front of the Amish lass picking flowers. She was there every time I sped past. Eric Miller’s …
Buehler 2005 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa
This hearkens back to the halcyon days when my friend Jonathan Newman was the Chairman of the PLCB. I still remember all those great deals on top-shelf Napa Cabernet. Although the …
Ornella Molon Raboso, 2003 Pieve DOC, Veneto
Though it has been vinified since the pre-Roman era and was once an important wine for trade by Venetian merchants (known as recaldina), Raboso literally lost ground to Merlot and Cabernet …
Hogue 2006 “Genesis” Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley
I have been impressed by this line for a few years now. It’s an excellent product when priced at $15, but in PA it usually costs more. Fortunately, this is in …
Badia di Morrona 2000 “Nantia” Toscana
Quick quiz. What do these wines have in common – Solaia, Lupicaia, Cepparello, Olmaia, Feliciai, Summus? Super Tuscans with prices to match. Throw in a few more “aias,” and you have …
Turkey Flat Rosé 2008, Barossa Valley
Not your usual rosé blend, but the proof, year after year, is difficult to argue with. In fact, we recently opened up a bottle of 06 that still had life in …
Thelema 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Stellenbosch
Though Chenin Blanc–or Steen in local parlance–gets all the glamour, Sauvignon Blanc has really been shining lately in South Africa. This effort from the wildly delicious “Mint” Cabernet Sauvignon producers is …
Bodegas Benegas 2005 “Libertad Red”
With 35% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc (the latter from 100+-year-old vines) and the rest Merlot, this gorgeous Argentinean red is everything you’d hope for in a Bordeaux-style blend as …
Unexpected Pairings
This past summer, I fell madly in love with a perhaps unexpected food and wine pairing: Braised beef ravioli with tomato sauce alongside a bottle of Grand Cru Burgundy. This past …