This bottle is a strong argument for why Columbia Valley should replace Napa on steak house wine lists. This Bordeaux blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot) has the massive oak-and-smooth hugeness …
So the name of this winery is tricky. Solena was a side project that Laurent and Danielle Montalieu worked on while their vineyards matured. The plan was to eventually start making …
The tension between tannin and acid is remarkable. This wine is tight as a guitar string, which brings a high-toned musicality to the experience. A nose of crushed stone and white …
The Northern Rhone is the ancestral home to Syrah, and family-run wineries dominate it. Names like Chapoutier, Chave, Perrin, and Guigal top the family tree here. There used to be another, …
Want a retro chardonnay? Something to enjoy while listening to Hall & Oates and noshing on some baked brie? Buy a case of this and get your freak on. Like many …
A classic Sagrantino with an intimidating style. Tobacco and cedar are the building material of this colossus. It is austere and muscular with the barest hint of fruit, some leafy plum …
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 …
Castelli del Grevepesa offers two wines named ” Clemente VII ” this bottling and the Chianti Classico. This wine is a Super Tuscan, a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot, and Syrah. It …
This 2011 bottling is a fantastic example of a Ripasso style wine from Northeast Italy. Lavender and fresh fennel on the nose with a whiff of burnt vanilla. Dense tannins prop …
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. …
Tannat originally hails from France, grown mostly in Madiran. The wine it produces is always tannic and often primitive. The grape is also widely planted in South America, with Uruguay at the epicenter. …
Paul Hobbs Paul Hobbs without Paul Hobbs? Let’s talk a bit about Paul. He is one of the most celebrated Napa winemakers alive today: he worked for Mondavi and was on …
Pinot Nero is Italian for Pinot Noir, but the Nero is much more Italian than Pinot. Winemakers in northeastern Italy don’t typically make Pinot in the French style, as most everyone …
This is a fresh and zesty style of red with lavender and fresh cranberry on the nose. Stone and crushed wildflowers are playfully entwined on the palate. The blend here is about equal …
A beautiful white wine from southern Burgundy. Cave Le Grands Crus is a small cooperative winery working with about 100 growers in and around the towns of Vinzelles and Pouilly. This particular bottling …
After all these years (and all those wines!), the high level of winemaking and the low cost of Spanish wines still amazes me. For instance, this bottle of reserva should cost …