VINOGRAPHY: a wine blog
Wine and food adventures in San Francisco and around the world
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Masuizumi Junmai Daiginjo, Toyama Prefecture
Many of us drink wine as a portal to a sense of place and time -- to be transported through flavor and aroma to a patch of land and the cumulative effects of a season under the sun in our glasses. No matter what your definition or personal religious stance on the concept of terroir, it cannot be denied that the best wines convey some sense of locality. Sake, on the other hand, tends to defy our traditional notions of terroir. Of course, there's certainly an analogue to wine's sense of place -- the specific spring water, the particular strain... continue reading 
- Posted by: Alder on February 17, 2008 11:58 PM
- Filed under: Perfect 10s , Sake
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1988 Chateau Climens Sauternes-Barsac, Bordeaux, France
There are an endless number of formative wine experiences to provide enthusiastic wine lovers with memorable introductions to new levels of wine appreciation or knowledge. These moments, which are so easily to forget in a lifetime of serious wine drinking, should definitely be cherished in the same way we might hang onto the infant drawings of our children. Most wine lovers don't remember their first taste of Cabernet or Merlot. These early introductions to different varietals are best forgotten anyway, coming as they often do in bottles that could charitably be called "value priced." There is one type of wine,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 27, 2007 10:41 PM
- Filed under: Dessert Wine , Older Vintages , Perfect 10s
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
1961 Hospices de Beaune Emile Chandesais "Cuvée Rousseau Deslandes," Côte de Beaune, Burgundy
I will never be able to taste all the wines out there, no matter how hard I try, just as I'll never be able to travel to all the places I want to go in the world. Wine offers a landscape of exploration seemingly as varied as the world around us, and just as likely to offer up surprises and treasures to those who are intent enough, or lucky enough, to find them. Great wines sometimes just sneak up on you. They are like precious gems, or veins of gold. Many of the main sources are well known and consistently... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 14, 2006 10:41 PM
- Filed under: Older Vintages , Perfect 10s , Red Wine , Wine Reviews
- Comments (17) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Tasting The Wine & Spirits Top 100 Wines
I don't believe in Top 100 lists, or any other list that purports to catalog the "Best Of" when it comes to wine. The criteria for even the best of such lists tend to be so muddled that there's no way for any list to offer any sort of authoritative judgment on the world of wine. Having said that, no matter what the publication, these sorts of lists inevitably have some good wines on them, so anyone prepared to ignore the rankings and just explore some of the offering can usually find some good stuff. It is with exactly this... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 22, 2006 9:35 PM
- Filed under: Perfect 10s , Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (11) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
1988 Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France
Wine, when at its most triumphant and expressive, nearly defies description. Some people speak of "perfect wines" which is always a problematic moniker, because the appreciation of wine is always contextual and always subjective. But there are some wines that have a magic to them -- from the instant they touch your lips to the residual memories that linger for days after their consumption. These wines bafflingly seem to be more than the sum of their parts, as if someone added two and three and got six -- they shine brighter and deeper than it seems possible for a simple... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 29, 2006 10:39 PM
- Filed under: Older Vintages , Perfect 10s , Red Wine , Wine Reviews
- Comments (10) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
1989 Fiorano (Boncompagni Ludovisi) Botte 48 Semillion, Roma, Italy
So what is a perfect wine, anyway? There are several answers to that question, one of my favorites being, "There are no perfect wines, only perfect bottles." Most folks who buy and drink their favorite wines with regularity know that some bottles just are better than others. Another answer to the question might be, "There are no perfect wines, just perfect tasting moments," where the wine drinker gets some celestial alignment between all things important to wine tasting -- the flavors of the wine, the environment of tasting, the company, and the food on the table. Finally, of course, I... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 11, 2006 6:07 PM
- Filed under: Older Vintages , Perfect 10s , White Wine , Wine Reviews
- Comments (7) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
1997 Zind-Humbrecht "Clos Jebsal" Pinot Gris VT, Alsace
For anyone who drinks Alsatian wines on a regular basis, let alone someone who considers themselves a fan or an aficionado of the unique wines from this narrow slice of northeastern France, it's pretty much impossible to have a discussion about the area without the name Zind-Humbrecht coming up. While everyone is reticent to pronounce any one winery "the best" no matter which region you're talking about, many people would be hard pressed to find a reason why you couldn't say that Zind-Humbrecht has the position fairly well covered for Alsace. The Humbrecht family has a long history in winemaking,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 27, 2005 5:14 PM
- Filed under: Older Vintages , Perfect 10s , White Wine , Wine Reviews
- Comments (2) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
The Best Grenache in The World?: A Tasting With Robert Parker
"Grenache has basically been disregarded for the last century," said Robert M. Parker, Jr. on his recent visit to Napa where he conducted a tasting of 14 examples of the varietal with several dozen wine lovers at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena. The second annual guided tasting hosted by Parker to benefit a scholarship fund in his name to the recently opened Rudd Center for Wine Studies at the CIA, the event was an opportunity for Parker to talk about and taste some of the finest examples he knows of a varietal that he counts among his... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 23, 2005 11:55 PM
- Filed under: Perfect 10s , Red Wine , Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (15) - TrackBacks (1) - Permalink
2001 Chateau Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan (Bordeaux), France
I've actually had a number of people tell me something approximating, "I just don't understand what all the fuss is about Bordeaux." I'll admit that early in my wine drinking career I felt much the same. I occasionally went to wine stores and spent twenty or thirty dollars to buy a wine that said Bordeaux on the label and enjoyed it, but without the heavens opening or the ground shaking beneath my feet. What was the big deal? In the last 7 or 8 years as my experience with wine has grown in depth and breath, and my ability to... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 28, 2005 9:59 PM
- Filed under: Perfect 10s , Red Wine , Wine Reviews
- Comments (2) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
1995 Pride Mountain Vineyards Reserve Claret, Napa
OK. Time to trot out another one of the classics from the cellar. I try and review a range of wines here on Vinography (I try to drink a range of wines) and the wines of the last few days represent perhaps two ends of the spectrum I normally travel. Last week saw perhaps one of the best wines for under ten bucks I've ever had, and this wine represents one of the best California Cabernets I've ever had. I'm keeping myself happy, and hope you're learning in the process. Pride Mountain Vineyards is located at one of the oldest... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 27, 2004 8:46 PM
- Filed under: Perfect 10s , Red Wine , Wine Reviews
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
My Conversation With Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Regular readers know that I have both a good amount of respect for Robert Parker, the founder and author of the Wine Advocate Newsletter, as well as a tendency to strongly and vehemently disagree with him on occasion. So what happens when the world’s most powerful critic and I get a chance to sit down and have a chat over some Syrah? I come away from the experience wishing everyone had a chance to do so. The man that comes across in the manila-colored pages of his newsletter, his books, and in other print vehicles, and the man I met... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 12, 2004 2:57 PM
- Filed under: Perfect 10s , Ramblings and Rants , Wine Reviews
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (1) - Permalink
1997 Heitz "Martha's Vineyard" Cabernet , Napa
What's life without a little splurging? What's California without a little Cabernet? California cabs put us on the map when it came to wine in the 1980's and they continue to be the most popular and expensive wines made in the US. This wine may be a classic example of both (popular and expensive), and it is most certainly a classic example of the category. Heitz Cellars is one of the original "cult" producers of wine in Napa. So consistent and revered are their wines, that their Cabernet is used by some collectors much like the Dow Jones Industrial Average... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 25, 2004 10:30 PM
- Filed under: Perfect 10s , Red Wine , Wine Reviews
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
2003 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rose, Bandol (Provence), France
It's almost futile to really try and do justice to Domaine Tempier as a vintner from any perspective -- historical, cultural, oenological. Certainly it's hard to do a better job than Kermit Lynch, the importer who is responsible for bringing their wines to the US and who wrote about them in his wonderful book Adventures on the Wine Route. So, rather than my feeble attempt, let me share with you some of what Lynch has to say about this producer from Bandol, the wine region which takes its name from a little tourist town on the Mediterranean coast. "Domaine Tempier... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 11, 2004 9:43 PM
- Filed under: Perfect 10s , Red Wine , Wine Reviews
- Comments (10) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
2002 Adrian Fog "Savoy Vineyard" Pinot Noir, Sonoma
So you think you know a varietal. You've had it hundreds of times in its various and varied incarnations. Old World. New World. East Coast. West Coast. Avant Garde New World. Die Hard Puritan Old World. Super Snobby European Creme De La Creme. You name it, I've had it when it comes to Pinot Noir. Not that I'm an expert by any means, but I've definitely tasted my fair share of Pinots, from Burgundy to Beaverville, Oregon. I pretty much thought I knew what they taste like. But then along comes a wine that completely redefines the boundaries and standards... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 8, 2004 8:00 PM
- Filed under: Perfect 10s , Red Wine , Wine Reviews
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
2001 Rudd Proprietary Red, Oakville Estate
I've already reviewed the Rudd Jericho Canyon Red Blend here, and therefore I was excited when last week I had the pleasure of sampling the just bottled 2001 Rudd Oakville Proprietary Red. Even with high expectations I was impressed. This wine is quintessential in its poise, depth of character, and flavor. It tastes more like a Cabernet than a meritage, but has some lovely depth and dimension that you only get with a blend. I think they make something like 1200 cases of this stuff and it is immediately snapped up by the market with good reason. If you can... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 26, 2004 12:24 PM
- Filed under: Perfect 10s , Red Wine , Wine Reviews
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
2002 Aubert Chardonnay, Ritchie Vineyard, Sonoma Coast
Mark Aubert has quite the resume: Rutherford Hills, MontiCello Cellars, Peter Michael Winery, Colgin Cellars, and since 2000, proprietor of his own label. In the decade and a half that he's been making wines, he's churned out his share of blockbusters to the accolades of Parker and Tanzer and the rest. This week I had the opportunity to taste his recent efforts in the Chardonnay category, and even though this review is about only one of his wines, honestly I can't decide which one I like better. These wines also define a point where Mr. Parker and I see eye... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 25, 2004 7:05 AM
- Filed under: Perfect 10s , White Wine , Wine Reviews
- Comments (9) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
1998 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay - Margaret River
I've had a fondness in my heart for Australian Chardonnays since the first time I visited Tyrrell's winery and had their Vat 47 Chardonnay, which is a lovely, un-oaked, crisp mouthful of sunshine. Indeed, that wine has been one of my gold standards for Chardonnays. Until last night. A friend and client of mine took me out to Sushi Ran in Sausalito, and we packed a couple of wines along, including the Leeuwin. Tasting Notes: This wine was simply stellar in every sense of the word. The nose was bursting with gorgeous aromas of pineapple, clean and clear as its... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 20, 2004 6:19 PM
- Filed under: Perfect 10s , White Wine , Wine Reviews
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
But Wait, There's More!
This page only has the last sixty entries in this category. If you're interested in digging farther into my archives, you'll want to use the complete list of archives to access my articles by month.
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May 2008
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Masuizumi Junmai Daiginjo, Toyama Prefecture 1988 Chateau Climens Sauternes-Barsac, Bordeaux, France 1961 Hospices de Beaune Emile Chandesais "Cuvée Rousseau Deslandes," Côte de Beaune, Burgundy Tasting The Wine & Spirits Top 100 Wines 1988 Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France 1989 Fiorano (Boncompagni Ludovisi) Botte 48 Semillion, Roma, Italy 1997 Zind-Humbrecht "Clos Jebsal" Pinot Gris VT, Alsace The Best Grenache in The World?: A Tasting With Robert Parker 2001 Chateau Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan (Bordeaux), France 1995 Pride Mountain Vineyards Reserve Claret, Napa
Favorite Posts From the Archives
Masuizumi Junmai Daiginjo, Toyama Prefecture Wine.Com Gives Retailers (and Consumers) the Finger 1961 Hospices de Beaune Emile Chandesais, Burgundy Wine Over Time The Better Half of My Palate 1999 Királyudvar "Lapis" Tokaji Furmint, Hungary What's Allowed in Your Wine and Winemaking Why Community Tasting Notes Sites Will Fail Appreciating Wine in Context The Soul vs. The Market 1989 Fiorano Botte 48 Semillion,Italy
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