Ribera Del Duero is an important, mountainous wine district in north-central Spain. Bodegas Emilio Moro, founded in 2007, is aiming for the stars with an intensely modern approach to the venerable Tempranillo grape. With prices from $15-$150, you’re in for a treat at all price points. Today’s wine, the Cepa 21 (not the “Hito”), is […]
The name Jacquart doesn’t fall off the lips of our local Champagne drinkers. But its quality, style and better availability should change all that. Their non-vintage Brut Rosé is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. It looks rosé, but drinks bright, sassy and clean with the Pinot Noir adding a berry quality
Ten miles east of Rutherford in the Napa Valley is Priest Ranch. On a 2.7 acre plot, winemaker Craig Becker makes about 1,000 cases per year of Grenache Blanc, a grape better known for being used in blends throughout the Rhône Valley of France. On its own, this white is radically different from any other
The legend of Stony Hill Vineyard lives on. Fred and Eleanor McCrea bought a goat ranch on Spring Mountain in the 1940s and instead planted a vineyard. In 1952 they produced their first Chardonnay and the rest is history. Perhaps the first “boutique” Napa Valley property, Stony Hill was also planted to three acres of
‘A Superior Sipping Wine’ Read More »
September brings many wedding anniversaries and plenty of other occasions to celebrate with bubbly. But please, not Prosecco! Well, if that’s your reaction, maybe it’s time to try a good one. Bisol is an important producer of Prosecco in the prime region of Valdobbiadene in Italy’s Veneto region. They produce a wide variety of categories
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The thrillingly rich white wines of the Northern Rhône, among them Hermitage Blanc, have caught the fancy of wine lovers (and makers) the world over. The blending of Marsanne and Roussanne grapes can produce a heady wine — a perfect match for grand dishes when a white wine is preferred by the diners. Bob Lindquist
A Tale of Two Grapes Read More »
When Samuele Sebastiani came to America in 1895, Barbera was one of the grapes he, along with many other Italian immigrants, loved to cultivate. Barbera is that everyday red — dark in color, overt in bouquet, rich on the palate and satisfying without having to think too much. My own extended family drank Barbera at
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Rioja’s Gran Reserva bottlings seem to be less and less appreciated in the world market of today. The thinking behind this category is culling the finest grapes of the vintage, (not made every year, by the way) age two years in oak barrels and then three years in bottle before release. The result is very
Reverence for Rioja Read More »
Bordeaux knows no season. I’d be the first to admit that dissecting Bordeaux’s charm is more “comfortable” in the cooler months. But if someone offers me up a nice Medoc on a sizzling August day, my ears still perk up. Such is the case with today’s red, a Bordeaux I have bought, drank and enjoyed
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Left Coast Cellars is a new (and cute) name to me. They produce single-vineyard wines from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The Cali’s Cuvee Pinot Noir speaks volumes about the caressing suppleness inherent in good Pinot, and this recent vintage has produced a wonderful, sensual, spot-on wine at an extremely fair cost. 2013 Left Coast Cellars Pinot
