Category: Older Vintages
Tasting The Ghost Grape: A Deep Look at Pignolo
What virtues are there to be found in obscurity? Don’t ask a hipster. They’ll just roll their eyes and go
Vinography Unboxed: Week of 3/5/23
Hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up asking to be tasted.
The Way of Granite: Gideon Beinstock and the Wines of Clos Saron
In the most famous wine regions of the world, a tourist wandering the nicely manicured rows of vines that lead
Forgotten Wine Island: Tasting a Few Madeiras
There was once a time when everyone who was anyone in the world drank Madeira. Just ask America’s Founding Fathers,
The Wines That Helped Me Survive 2020
I am not a fan of journalism-by-list. We can thank Buzzfeed, SEO fanaticism, and the shortening attention span of America
Drinking the Past as California Burns
Light night, even as flames roared through the chaparral of Southern California, I attended a wine tasting event to benefit
Like Visiting an Old Friend: A Few Vintages of Chateau Musar
Sometimes drinking wine can be like spending time with your dearest friends. I suppose that any familiar flavor, enjoyed repeatedly
Flavors of a World-Changing Wine Event: Celebrating the Judgment of Paris
On May 24th, the world will celebrate the 40th anniversary of perhaps the single most important event in the modern
Plumbing the Depths of Portugal: A Tasting Journey
In the pantheon of global wine regions, Portugal doesn’t rank among the most storied, at least as far as the
25 Years in the Hills: A Seven Hills Winery Retrospective
We’re funny, us humans. We like to draw these imaginary lines on the earth and give names to the places
Château de Beaucastel: The Difficult Vintages
For most lovers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Château de Beaucastel needs no introduction. One of the largest, most storied, and most respected
Checking On Some Older CA Pinot Noir
Once upon a time, among the many criticisms leveled at California wine, there existed the notion that California wines did
Icon Wines of Napa: A Tasting
What would you do if someone offered to hold a tasting of all the best Cabernets in Napa according to
Hawke’s Bay Wines With Some Age On Them
With the clouds turning a peachy pink against the always-riveting-blue sky above Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, I found myself strolling
The Legendary Wines of Napa: Tasting Notes
Last weekend I had the singular pleasure of co-leading a tasting with the title Legends of Napa Valley. I wrote
2006 Peay Vineyards Roussane/Marsanne Blend, Sonoma Coast
As a wine reviewer who gets paid next to nothing for his work, I have the luxury of only reviewing
2001 York Creek Vineyards Cabernet Franc, Spring Mountain District, Napa
One of the most gratifying experiences I have as a wine lover and very, very small time wine collector involves
1988 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru, Burgundy
You don’t get very far in a journey towards being a wine lover without hearing the words “Romanée-Conti” spoken with
1983 Schloss Schonborn Rudesheimer Bichofsberg Riesling Spatlese, Rheingau, Germany
Wine is the closest we come to alchemy. And ironically, the most magical transmutation that takes place within wine is
