Wine Reviews

All Things Corked & Forked

Over two thousand wine reviews! While most of our reviews focus on great wines under $20, we also offer reviews of luxury and collectible wines. As we are located in Philadelphia, most wines reviewed here are available via wine & spirits shops in Pennsylvania. Our main reviewer is Keith Wallace, the executive director and founder of the Wine School of Philadelphia. Want to locate a specific wine? Use our PLCB Wine Finder.

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Shannon Ridge “Vigilance” 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, Red Hills

American Wine Reviews

Shannon Ridge is becoming a favorite in Pennsylvania. It's wines have showed up in so many Chairman Selection offerings, that it's becoming a annual tradition to review a bottle or two of their wines. This bottling is quite a pleasant surprise, exceeding their very...

September Newsletter 2018

Featured, Wine Reviews

50% OFF BOGO SALE For the rest of September, get a 50% off coupon for any class, up to $250 in value. Purchase any upcoming class or course, and the 50% off coupon code will be emailed to you immediately. This is the best sale we've ever put on in a long time, so I'd...

Mark Herold 2014 “Collide” Red, California

American Wine Reviews, Wine Reviews

Mark's new tasting room just opened in Napa --just down from the Oxbow Public Market-- a scant three months before I reviewed his wines. I loved the room --super fun and modern-- but another journalist gently pointed out that it was geared towards Millennial wine...

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Castillo Labastida 2001 Rioja Reserva

International Wine Cellar, notoriously the most difficult of the major wine-review publications, called this bottling "fully mature and delicious." To that we would also add "guilt-inducingly affordable" and "dangerously drinkable."

J.M. Bouley 2004 “Clos De Chene” Volnay 1er Cru

A beautiful Burgundy which is just starting to develop, and will continue to do so for another decade. Lush and tannic for a Volnay, a filigree of freshly cut roses and allspice rises about its complex palate of red fruit and violets. A lush beauty that is just beginning to find its poetry.

Montes 2005 ‘Alpha’ Chardonnay, Casablanca Valley

Modern style Chardonnay with plenty of flair and depth. Vanilla-poached pears & toasted almonds on the palate, a little jolt of freshness on the finish, and a lingering sensation of smoke. Quite worthwhile to serve as an aperitif.

Bodega Baigorri 2005 Crianza Rioja

A Spanish Wine Review A beautiful Rioja with an aroma of cigar box and toasted cinnamon. Flavors of vanilla and espresso dominate the attack. On the mid-palate mineral and red cherry come forward. The finish is bursting with crushed red fruit. This is a well-tailored and charismatic Rioja without being overblown....

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 this project very interesting. William Knuttel was the winemaker for Saintsbury in Carneros for 13 years, Chalk Hill...

Mount Veeder Winery 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

American Wine Reviews, Wine Reviews

In the late 90's, Constellation Brands started buying up Napa wineries. At the time, they were an unknown wine company that produced low-end brands like Cribari. What a lot of people in the wine trade didn't know was how profitable cheap wine could be. It was a three...

Wines of Portugal

Featured, Portuguese Wine Reviews

Portuguese Wines There is evidence of wine production in what is now Portugal since the time of the Tartessians, who planted vines in the Sado and Tagus valleys around, at least, 2000 BC. Later, Phoenicians, Romans, and Celts contributed to the expansion of the...

Cambria 2014 “Benchbreak” Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley

American Wine Reviews, Featured, Wine Reviews

Cambria has always been that tiny corner of the Kendall-Jackson empire that didn't have that smell of overstuffed marketing. It was family home of Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke, his second wife. His daughters grew up there. The winery itself, located in the Santa...

Mazzei Belguardo 2013 “Serrata” Toscana

Italian Wine Reviews, Wine Reviews

I've written about Tenuta Belguardo over the years. It's a property owned by the Mazzei family of Chianti, which also owns Castello di Fonterutoli. They consistently put out wines that perform well above their price categories. Belguardo's vineyards are on the...

Bodegas Montecillo 2011 Reserva Rioja

Spanish Wine Reviews, Wine Reviews

A 19th Century winery that still manages to put out some serious juice, year in and year out. If you need an everyday bottle of Rioja, this will fit the bill. Aromas of cigar box and tomato leaf; flavors of cherry, burnt vanilla, and laurel. There is plenty of fresh...

Commanderie de la Bargemone 2017 Rose, Coteaux d’Aix en Provence

French Wine Reviews, Wine Reviews

It's about time America fell in love with rosé wines. We've been extolling the virtues of rosé since the 2006 vintage. Historically, one of the great spots for the wine has been the Coteaux d’Aix region in Provence, France. The region has been making one version or...