Chateau Saint Jean 2010 Chardonnay, Belle Terre Vineyard
This is an American classic Chardonnay. Imagine a big ole’ honey bear of wine, dressed up in a tuxedo but passed out on a feather bed.Golden and glossy in the glass, it …
Wine
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 …
Petra 2008 “Ebo” Val di Cornia Suvereto Rosso
The Tuscan coast has become a hotbed of luxury wines in the past decade. This is the motherland of the so-called Super Tuscans that have captured the American imagination. Petra is …
Contadi Castaldi 2007 “Brut Satèn” Franciacorta
Sparkling wine is one of the great pleasures in life. Sadly, there are only a few wine regions that really truly do a spectacular bubbly. In Italy, Franciacorta is such a …
Bodegas Briego 2009 Crianza, Ribera del Duero
Bodegas Briego is an obscure winery from one of the greatest wine regions in the world, the Ribera del Duero. The winery was founded in the nineties by three brothers from the …
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 …
Bodega Benegas 2009 Don Tiburcio, Mendoza
The Benegas is the founding family of the wine trade in Argentina. Tiburcio Benegas founded the Trapiche winery in the late 19th century. By the 1970s, the family had sold off all their …
Michele Chiarlo 2007 “Tortoniano” Barolo
Barolo is a luxury that no one should do without. In the world of wine, it is like royalty. When a bottle of Barolo is priced under $40, it’s often worth …
Bodega Triton 2009 “Tridente” Tempranillo
What is this curious label? The wine region listed is “Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y Leon,” a reference to a huge — and unremarkable — wine region in central …
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 …
Altadonna 2010 Nero d’Avola
Altadonna is a project by the well-known father & son winemaking team of Stefano and Niccoló Chioccioli. Their portfolio is a line of pan-Italian wines sourced from northern to southern Italy. While such …
Chateau Ollieux Romanis 2011 “Cuvee Capucine” Corbieres-Boutenac
I don’t know why this wine is named Capucine. Was it named after the French actress who lives about an hour away? Or Refuge Capucine, a dog shelter near the winery? …
Nugan Estate 2012 “Third Generation” Shiraz, South Eastern Australia
Eight years ago, a juice company from Australia contacted me. They were moving into the wine market, and we’re working on distribution into the US. Could I help them? Sure, I …
Food & Wine Pairing Menu
Chef at the Wine SchoolPart of my job running the Wine School is to create the menus for our food & wine pairing classes. That includes our food and wine pairing …
Rivetto 2007 “Lirano Soprano” Barbera D’Alba
Rivetto is well known for their Barolo, which is all well and good. Those bottles earn their high price tags, but the hidden gem in the lineup is Barbera d’Alba. Along …
St. Urbans-Hof 2011 Zickelgarten Riesling Spatlese
I tried this wine for the first time almost one year ago. I was at the annual trade tasting for a wine importer. He had just brought this wine less than …