Twenty East Coast Wines that Rival Napa Valley
Recently, I was researching East Coast wines for an online wine class. While researching, it struck me how far we’ve come, even in the last year. So I made it a …
Napa
Mount Veeder Winery 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Constellation BrandsIn the late ’90s, Constellation Brands started buying up Napa wineries. At the time, they were an unknown wine company that produced low-end brands like Cribari. A lot of people …
Vine Cliff Winery 2014 Chardonnay Los Carneros
In most classes at the wine school, I behave myself. I don’t let my deep love of Cali Chardonnay get in the way of a great wine class. Back when I …
Atalon 2014 Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley
Does this winery even exist? If one drives up to its Calistoga address, you won’t see any signs or even any employees. The winery has been converted into a facility to …
Havens Winery 2014 Merlot, Napa Valley
A stellar bottle of Napa red. All you merlot haters should pick up a bottle to see how wrong you can be. If Tom Hardy were a bottle of wine, he would be …
Terlato 2010 “Devils’ Peak” Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley
Terlato isn’t really a winery. It’s a family-run wine import/distribution company that also owns wineries in California and Italy. We’ve reviewed their wines in the past and have seen an impressive …
Merryvale 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
2011 in Napa Valley was a difficult vintage. It was the year when using too much oak in the aging process turned the wine anemic and unpleasant. Many big-name Napa wineries turned …
Napa Winemaker Throws Shade at American Oak
Abreu winemaker Brad Grimes uses new French oak when aging Cabernet Sauvignon. He says American oak does not make for a good match.Speaking to the drinks business on a visit to the …
2011 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
2011 was a crazy year for Napa Cabs.California is in the grip of a massive drought, but that wasn’t the case in 2011. At least in Napa Valley, where rain pummelled vineyards from …
Frank Family 2010 Rutherford Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
If you are a grape junkie looking to score some top-grade Napa Cabernet, this is a bottle that will ease your pain. If you haven’t experienced something like this before, allow …
Novy 2010 Syrah, Napa Valley
The nose in this Napa Valley Syrah offers copious aromas of black fruits –black cherry, currant, and blackberry– and a thread of smoky licorice. On the palate, it is lush and …
Starmont 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Here we have a wine from the second label of Napa Valley’s Merryvale Vineyard. Wine Spectator frequently calls out that their cabernets are deluxe in a way only Napa Cabs …
Havens Winery 2009 Bourriquot, Napa Valley
Before Michael Havens found himself out of cash and bankrupt, I worked at his winery as a cellar rat. He later sold the winery, along with the name – his own, …
Buena Vista 2006 Pinot Noir Ramal Road, Carneros
Carneros wine reviewGrown at the very bottom of Carneros, which also happens to be the very top of San Pablo Bay (let that be a lesson in geography for you)I can …
Merryvale 2008 “Starmont” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
A rock-solid Napa Cab at a rock-solid price. The nose of pencil shavings, vanilla, and toast promises great things to come, and it does deliver. The gritty tannic structure is balanced …
Bridesmaid 2009 White, Napa Valley
Far too many white wines from Napa Valley don’t have the same level of sex appeal that the reds. That is not the problem here. A classic Bordeaux blend of Sauvignon …