De Chanceny 2011 Brut Excellence Vouvray (Loire, France)
A lovely bottle of dry bubbly. This is the top bottling of the Cave des Producteurs de Vouvray, which itself is run by Alliance Loire. Made from Chenin Blanc, the flavors …
France
Maison Bouachon 2010 “La Tiare du Pape” Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Maison Bouachon has a long history in the Rhone Valley. It began as a cooperage for other wineries in the 19th century. The Bouachons family operated the winery for four generations …
Chateau Ambe Tour Pourret 2010 Saint Emilion Grand Cru (Bordeaux, France)
A decadent bottle of right bank Bordeaux. This chateau is part of the budding Bordeaux empire of Françoise Lannoye and her husband, Philippe. They purchased their first property, Château Lanbersac, in …
Domaine Pradelle 2010 “Courbis” Crozes-Hermitage
Very little of this wine is imported into the United States, and most of it ends up in the Philly-NYC corridor, which is fine by me. It’s one of the great …
Los Boldos 2008 Amalia, Cachapoal Valley, Chile
Vina Los Boldos is an old winery at the foot of the Andes Mountains dating back to 1850. In 1990 the Massanez family from France purchased the property, turned it into …
Chateau Ollieux Romanis 2011 “Cuvee Capucine” Corbieres-Boutenac
I don’t know why this wine is named Capucine. Was it named after the French actress who lives about an hour away? Or Refuge Capucine, a dog shelter near the winery? …
Trimbach 2009 Muscat Reserve
Alsace is the place where sommeliers and grandmothers meet to share a glass of wine. Everyone else, it seems, doesn’t care. That is too bad because the wines from this German-influenced …
Pierre Amadieu 2009 “Romaine Machotte” Gigondas
Gigondas is one of the most complex wine regions in France, terroir-wise. Some in the valley are remarkably similar to the princely Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Some have the imposing structure of the Hermitage. …
Gerard Bertrand 2008 Grand Terroir Tautavel
The village Tautavel is lovely and largely unknown to the outside world. It is perched in a high valley that links the French wine regions of Roussillon and Corbières.Before now, Tautavel’s …
Gerard Bertrand 2008 Grand Terroir Tautavel
The village Tautavel is lovely and largely unknown to the outside world. It is perched in a high valley that links the French wine regions of Roussillon and Corbières.Before now, Tautavel’s …
Cave de Rasteau 2007 Ortas Prestige
Rasteau is one of the fine winemaking villages in France’s southern Rhone Valley, along with such notable nearby towns as Chateauneuf du Pape and Gigondas. This particular bottle is a field …
Napoleon in Philly
Wines of Napoleon Featured in PhiladelphiaIf you were the ruler of the known universe, what would you drink? The Wine School of Philadelphia will answer that question. A two-hour tour de …
Le Paradis 2010 Chinon
Cabernet Franc doesn’t get much play on the American wine market. Wines from the Loire Valley in France are also not very popular, either. Combine them, and you get… Chinon. It’s …
Jersey Wins!
Keith Wallace (the founder of the Wine School) hosted an event for National Public Radio. It was a blind tasting pitting his top picks from New Jersey with comparable wines from …
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 …