Beringer 2014 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley
Knights ValleyOne of the top pieces of advice I can give anyone is this: if you want to buy great wines at a discount, don’t buy from famous places. Case in …
wine review
Ant Moore 2016 “Signature Series” Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
The Ant ManYeah, so Ant is the guy’s name. Short for Anthony. Yeah, that’s a thing. He’s one of those up-from-nothing and built a small wine empire kind of guys. He also …
Del Rio 2015 Pinot Gris, Rogue Valley
Rogue Valley If you drew a line between Napa Valley in California and Willamette Valley in Oregon, Rogue Valley is just about the halfway point. It’s a place of rolling hills, …
Renato Ratti 2014 “Battaglione” Barbera D’Alba
I was going to include this in my recent Barolo & Beyond class, but at the last minute, I swapped it out for the Oreste Buzio 2016 Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese.Why? …
Wine Reviews
Tormaresca “Trentangeli” Castel del MonteI am a big fan of Aglianico, but it isn’t a crowd-pleaser. It’s more like the Metallica of the wine world. Even some of our sommelier friends …
Nicolis 2007 “Ambrosan” Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Nicolis is a benchmark producer of Amarone who has been crafting top-notch wines since 1951. This particular bottling is a bit more modern than its usual releases. Instead of aging exclusively …
Sokol Blosser 2014 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley
Sokol BlosserSokol Blosser is one of those wineries everyone should know about. It’s a historic family-owned Oregon winery that keeps on producing quality wines. It’s great to see the current generation …
Wynns 2013 “Black Label” Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra
If you think of wine like art or architecture, this is one of those wines on the “Must Taste” list. It’s historically relevant to the origin of modern winemaking in Australia; it …
Robert Young Winery 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Scion Estate in Alexander Valley
SonomaWhen students ask me where they should visit when traveling to Napa Valley, I’ll rattle off a few wineries. If someone asks me if they should go to Sonoma or Napa, …
King Estate 2014 Pinot Noir, Oregon
One of the great strengths of the Oregon wine scene is that its founders came from all points of the globe from all types of backgrounds. Background A case in point is …
Z’ivo 2012 Pinot Noir, Eola Amity Hills (Willamette Valley)
John ZelkoJohn Zelko is an interesting guy. He earned his MD from the University of Colorado Denver in 1983. He’s now a practicing surgeon at The Oregon Clinic’s Portland facility, where he’s …
Chateau Lanbersac 2014 Puisseguin Saint Emilion (Bordeaux)
Françoise Lannoye Françoise Lannoye is one of my favorite unknown Bordeaux winemakers. She makes great wine in unconventional areas and does it without fanfare. Along with her husband Philippe, she purchased …
Bersano 2011 “Generala” Barbera d’ Asti Superiore Nizza (Piedmont)
Bersano If you were purchasing Barolo in the ’80s, Bersano was a brand you’d seek out. Located in Nizza, the winery offered up classic Piedmontese wines. Their 1982 Barolo Riserva was …
Latoque 2015 Reserve, Languedoc Roussillon
Does this wine exist? If it weren’t for the fact that I found a bottle at a wine shop, I would have to say “no.”A Wine MysteryI read about the wine …
Herdade de Peso 2015 “Trinca Bolotas” Tinto
Sogrape is Portugal’s Gallo Wines. It’s the biggest winemaker in the country, and it’s not above throwing a critter on the label. This is the company behind Mateus for effing chrissake.I really …
McPrice Myers 2013 Beautiful Earth, Paso Robles
There are a few folks who have been reading my reviews —Chris, Jon, and Mary, to name a few— since I started in 2001. You can even check some of those …