Milbrandt Vineyards 2010 Grenache, Clifton Vineyards
BackgroundSome of the best wine grapes in America are grown in the Columbia Valley of Washington State. Butch and Jerry Milbrand are two of the farmers that made it happen. They were a …
Wine Reviews
Landmark 2011 “Overlook” Chardonnay
Background At the Wine School, we don’t review wines that are produced by big corporations. We only care about unique wines made by small producers. Because of that, this is very …
Di Majo Norante 2011 Ramitello
The BackgroundDi Majo Norante is an Italian winery located in Molise, just off the Adriatic coast. The property dated back to 1859 and was the farm and vineyard of a local …
Maquis 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, Colchagua Valley
What do Chateau d’Yquem, Joseph Phelps, Leoville Las Cases, Champagne Roederer, and Dominus Estate have in common? First, they all share the same winemaking consultant, Xavier Chone. Originally hailing from Bordeaux, …
Mas Doix 2006 “Costers de Vinyes Velles” Priorat
Valentí Llagostera of Mas Doix understands the concept of terroir. I was fortunate to spend a day with him during a recent visit to Priorat with the Wine School. Valentí’s family has …
Vall Llach 2009 “Idus” Priorat
Wine Review: Vall Llach 2009 “Idus” Priorat On the nose, a giant whiff of wild fennel and fig confit. The palate is bursting with black fruit with sweet vanilla and balsamic. …
Bouchaine 2009 Pinot Noir Carneros
Who are the Bouchaines? It doesn’t really matter at this point. It was the maiden name of one of the original partners in this winery. The important question is, who are …
Ottimino 2009 Zinfandel, Rancho Bello Vineyard
Ottimino was established in 1999 by Brad Alper and William Knuttel. Their first bottling was from the Ranch Bello vineyard. This is Alper’s winery in many ways, but Knuttel is the name that makes …
Pierre Legras Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
One of the great developments in sparkling wines in the last few years has been the emergence of small grower-producer Champagne houses. They offer a level of quality and individuality that …
Cantina Firriato 2011 Quater Bianco
This is not the first time we have reviewed a [link id=”11146″ text=”Firriato wine”], and it probably won’t be the last. They bring classic Sicilian wines to the American market in …
Bodegas La Magdalena 2011 “Sueno” Tempranillo
Ribera del Jucar is one of a dozen unknown yet exemplary wine regions in Spain. It’s an ancient wine region that was under vine during the Roman Empire. But it’s also …
Chateau L’Ermitage 2012 “Sainte Cecile” Costieres de Nimes White
Chateau L’Ermitage is the classical type of French winery. Nothing exciting except the wines they produce. For the past thirty years, Michel and Jérôme Castillon have owned the winery and made …
Curtis Winery 2010 Heritage Cuvée
I am not a fan of corporate wines. That is something most people in the wine trade know all too well. I am not a fan of large-scale wineries, even if …
Bodega Goulart 2010 “The Marshall” Malbec
This wine is a bit of Argentine history. Gastao Goulart originally planted the Bodega Goulart vineyard in 1915 to Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. At the time, he was a Brazilian political …
Poggio Scalette 2012 Chianti Classico
The Greve Valley is lined with terraced vineyards. Looking across the valley from this winery, those stone walls can look like a giant scallete (ladder, in Italian). At least it did for the …
Rosenblum Cellars 2010 “Harris Kratka” Zinfandel
A Little About ZinNo matter its pedigree, Zinfandel is big, dumb, and fun. I don’t mean that in a pejorative way. There should always be a place for fun. This is …