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 …
PLCB
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 …
Expression 44 2010 Roserock Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills
Expression Wines is a new project by William Hill, and it’s all about the Pinot. The conceit of the labeling is that each Pinot is designated by its northern latitude: Santa …
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 …
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, …
Nine Great Wines
Arnaldo Caprai Montefalco Rosso Umbria A beautiful and modern Umbrian red. 70% Sangiovese with equal parts Merlot and Sagrantino in the blend. Borgo Scopeto Chianti Classico A classy leather-bound Sangiovese with …
Veramonte 2009 “Primus” Cabernet Sauvignon, Rapel Valley
Veramonte is a large winery in Chile’s Casablanca Valley, clocking in at just under 500 hectares. Since its founding, it’s been a US-centric winery, with over 80% of its wines bought …
Mendoza Vineyards 2011 “1907” Malbec, Mendoza
Sometimes writing up a wine adds more questions than it answers. First of all, who is the winery? Mendoza Vineyards is the winery on record, but they are a logistics and …
Landmark Vineyards 2011 “Grand Detour” Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
First of all, kudos to Landmark Vineyards for the awesome update to their labeling. It’s a great leap backward, and I mean that in the best way possible. This is a …
Villa Mora 2007 Sagrantino di Montefalco
A wine drinker may want to know a little more about its history with a grape as rare and wonderful as Sagrantino. It’s been growing in the corner of Umbria for …
Vall Llach 2006 “Vall Llach” Priorat
One of my favorite memories of visiting Priorat with my Wine School students was our time at Celler Vall Lach. A stone –a triangle of iron-shaded black rock– from one of their …
Chateau Leon 2010 “Cuvee Prestige” Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux
Back in January 2013, I favorably reviewed the Chateau Carignan 2005 “Prima” Cotes de Bordeaux. At the time, I had also tasted their regular un-Prima 2009 bottling. Like most wines I try, …
Trisaetum 2011 “Trisae” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Oregon’s Willamette Valley produces some of the world’s best Pinot Noirs. And that is only half the reason to love their wines. The other is its grassroots vibe. Unlike so many …
Mastroberardino 2007 “Radici” Taurasi
Mastroberardino produces a range of great wines, but it truly excels with its Aglianico bottlings. The grape is an ancient varietal that dates back to antiquity. It’s sometimes cited as the …
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 …
