Wine Reviews
Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Napa ValleyA classic style of Napa Cabernet. I really love the cardamom, black olive, and eucalyptus notes here. Medium-bodied and restrained, this works very well with grilled beef …
Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Napa ValleyA classic style of Napa Cabernet. I really love the cardamom, black olive, and eucalyptus notes here. Medium-bodied and restrained, this works very well with grilled beef …
Ulysses Cabernet Sauvignon Napa ValleyThis may seem like a lot of cash for a bottle of wine (and it is) but consider that it’s from the guy behind both …
Columbia Crest “Walter Clore Private Reserve” Red Columbia ValleyThis is a monster Merlot with a margin of Cabernet Sauvignon in the mix. Smoked chocolate and Dwayne Johnson-level muscularity. The last …
Seven Hills Red, Walla Walla ValleyA Bordeaux-style blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and aged for two years in mostly older oak barriques. Cedar and wildflowers frame a classy move into old-world …
Cloudlift Cellars “Halcyon” Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia ValleyThe gritty backbone of tannins with a whiff of burnt sage and cedar. Plump red fruit flavors take a backseat to eucalyptus. There is great …
Another Mystery WineI took a deep dive while trying to figure out who made this wine. I hadn’t heard of Stonehedge before tasting this monolithic Cabernet Sauvignon. The label seems to …
Le Terroir Daronton is a cooperative winery that includes about 200 winegrowers in the Southern Rhone. They don’t make a generic “Cotes du Rhone”; instead, they focus on village-designated wines. These …
HaroThe town of Haro has a long winemaking history, and Bodegas Berceo is its figurative heart. Berceo’s wine cellars were dug under the city streets, repurposing tunnels that dated back to …
Robert BrittanRobert Brittan is best known as the winemaker responsible for Stags’ Leap Winery’s Petite Sirahs. Those inky monsters redefined the grape as a luxury Napa Valley wine. Throughout the nineties, …
A Mystery BottleOut of nowhere, a 90-plus rated wine shows up on the wine shelves at the local wine & spirits store. As a wine critic, I like to know who …
A single vineyard bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from the Rimapere vineyard in Marlborough’s highly regarded Rapaura district. This joint venture between Bordeaux’s Baron Benjamin de Rothschild (owner of Château Clarke and …
A small winery that has a laser-like focus on the Mencia grape. This is one of several they produce, much of whom have earned critical praise. These include the brands Flavium, …
Revelations d’Hubert de BouardThe Revelations d’Hubert de Bouard is a portfolio of wines from eight Bordeaux wineries. These are not their usual releases, mind you. They are each working with Hubert …
Vinessens is a small family-owned winery located in Spain’s Valencia wine region. This particular bottle comes from the sub-region of Alicante and is sourced largely from a vineyard of 80-year-old Monastrell …
Long before the movie Sideways, Santa Barbara County has been a hot spot for Pinot Noir. In particular, Sanat Maria Valley is home to some of California’s top vineyards for the …
Don’t judge this wine by its bottle. This is the type of packaging I’d expect for a White Zinfandel geared towards functional alcoholics that sell bedazzled dog leashes on Esty. This …