Category: Wine Reviews
Napa Merlot’s Identity Crisis
As a wine writer, I read extensively what my colleagues around the world publish on a daily basis. This (admittedly
Vinography Unboxed: Week of 3/8/26
Hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up on my doorstep asking
Vinography Unboxed: Week of 3/1/26
Hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up on my doorstep asking
50 Years of Limestone Dreams: A Look Back at Calera Pinot Noir
You’d likely know if you ever met the late winemaker Josh Jensen. He was tough to miss and hard to
Vinography Unboxed: Week of 2/22/26
Hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up on my doorstep asking
California Riesling: Improved and Ignored
We now have incontrovertible evidence that a rising tide does not lift all boats. In the last decade, sales of
Wine News: What I’m Reading the Week of 2/15/26
Hello and welcome to my weekly roundup of the wine stories that I find of interest on the web. I
Vinography Unboxed: Week of 2/8/26
Hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up on my doorstep asking
Vinography Unboxed: Week of 2/1/26
Hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up on my doorstep asking
Vinography Unboxed: Week of 1/25/26
Hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up asking to be tasted.
The Refined Shape of New Zealand Pinot Noir
I still remember my first trip to New Zealand in 2006 like it was yesterday. I felt as though I
Vinography Unboxed: Week of 1/18/26
Hello and welcome to this week’s dig through the pile of wine samples that show up asking to be tasted.
New(ish) and Notable in California
There was a time, more than two decades ago, when keeping tabs on new wine brands in California felt like
The 2023 Vintage Through the Lens of Premier Napa Valley
One of my favorite exercises each year involves trying to get a sense of recent vintage quality in Napa through
Alder’s Most Memorable California Wines 2025
In reflecting on a year of tasting, I am fascinated by what persists in memory. Which wines have remained vivid
The Ambassadors of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Two parallel universes of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc exist: one in which quantities are measured in shipping-container units destined for grocery
Vinography Unboxed: Week of 12/14/25
Hello and welcome to this week’s dig through the pile of wine samples that show up asking to be tasted.
Vinography Unboxed: Week of 12/7/25
Hello and welcome to this week’s dig through the pile of wine samples that show up asking to be tasted.
Vinography Images: Volcanic Fire
Bottles of Tokaji Aszu sweet wine glow in the light of a dark cellar. The soils that grew these wines
