Wines for Beginners
For those of us in the wine trade, it’s hard to remember what it felt like to be a beginner. The nerves. The uncertainty. The fear of being judged.Being new to …
Grenache
Spanish Wine Regions
It is no secret that Spain has a lush terroir, bringing us the world’s most exciting cultivars and high-quality wine. As a result, Spain is now known for being one of …
Domaine les Evigneaux 2015 Rasteau
The Algeria ConnectionAlgeria was once a part of the French Empire, and a lot of wine was grown there. When the country declared its independence, most of the winemakers headed to …
Cave de Rasteau Ortas 2015 “Tradition” Rasteau
Rasteau is a lovely village northeast of Chateauneuf du Pape and produces wine with similar finesse. Like most Southern Rhone reds, this bottling is mostly Grenache, with a bit of Syrah, …
Guigal Cotes du Rhone
Vertical VintagesAt least once a quarter, I pop open this wine to introduce our students to the Cotes du Rhone region of France. Vintage after vintage, this has been a go-to bottle. …
Twelftree Wines 2011 Grenache/Mataro
This is a side project for Michael Twelftree, Australia’s Two Hands Winery owner, and a fantastic find in the PLCB system. The wine is sourced from two old vineyards in Barossa: …
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 …
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 …
Shatter 2012 Grenache, Côtes Catalanes
Côtes Catalanes is an obscure wine region tucked into the mountains that separate France from Spain. Eight years ago, when I was on the editorial review team for the second edition …
Milbrandt Vineyards 2010 Grenache, Clifton Vineyards
BackgroundSome of the best wine grapes in America are grown in the Columbia Valley of Washington State. Butch and Jerry Milbrand are two of the farmers that made it happen. They were a …
Vall Llach 2009 “Idus” Priorat
Wine Review: Vall Llach 2009 “Idus” Priorat On the nose, a giant whiff of wild fennel and fig confit. The palate is bursting with black fruit with sweet vanilla and balsamic. …
Domaine Forca Real 2011 “Mas de la Garrigue” Côtes du Roussillon-Villages
For a hot moment in the late 90’s, France’s Mediterranean vineyards were trendy, in particular the Languedoc-Roussillon. The good folks at Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate couldn’t rate the wines high …
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 …
Domaine La Brune 2012 Beaumes de Venise (Vignerons de Caractere), Rhone (FR)
Beaumes de Venise, in the Southern Rhone, is most known for its dessert wines. But it also produces excellent old vine reds, mostly from the Grenache varietals. The region is located …
Hecht & Bannier 2010 Cotes du Roussillon Villages
This wine sports an inky hue with dark fruit and orchid perfume flowing easily out of the glass. The ripeness of the fruit is layered and soft as velvet. Allspice and …
Cellars Baronia “Flor D’Englora” 2011 Garnatxa
It was not too long ago that $10 bottles of wine were ground zero for the frugal and the downwardly mobile. That is no longer the case, at least for wine …