click on image to enlarge La Clarine Farm Petit Manseng 2013 Fenaughty Vineyard, Placerville, California 13.5{b2e123e9138e25ff8232216a74205959533a608968f4eba7854f63b9364ed57d} dry 2.9pH 14.1 g/L acidity six months ambient yeast fermentation rested on lees until bottling in August Aromatics and flavors of almond, apricot, pineapple juice and dried l
VIÑA MONTES Malbec Colchagua Valley 2013 $13 (Wine Spectator)
A pleasant, firm, cocoa-accented Chilean Malbec
Daily Wine News: Persuasive and Pure
Cathy Corison (Corison Winery) In the New York Times, Eric Asimov praises Cathy Corison for making cabernet her way in Napa Valley. “Best of all, they demonstrate plainly that Napa cabernet can speak transparently and persuasively in a pure, restrained voice without artifice or bombast.” CBS reports that some of the country’s top selling wines have
Best LCBO Wine Reviews and Ratings: Vintages April 4
You can access the 106 wines that I reviewed for April 4 as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches. You can also see my wine reviews for March 21, 2015. If you are a Paid Member, you can add my wine picks to your custom shopping list with one click and access that list on your smartphone to find the stock for each win
Rhone Rangers Tasting: March 28, Richmond, CA
Spring is in the air here in San Francisco. The plum and some cherry blossoms have already burst forth, those with allergies are suffering a bit, and we've got sunshine into the dinner hour thanks to the magic of daylight savings time. Spring means a lot of different things to different people, but for any wine lover in San Francisco, it certainly
Pinot Briefs
Bouchaine Announces Retirement of Michael Richmond & New Winemaker Michael Richmond has retired after a 45-year career, including 13 years as Winemaker and General Manager at Bouchaine Vineyards. Chris Kajani has been appointed the winery's new Winemaker and General Manager. During his illustrious career, Richmond, who co-founded Acacia Win
Salon des Vins de Loire 2015 day 1
I’m not sure it is possible to taste more Muscadet, Sancerre, Vouvray and Montlouis than I tasted yesterday. I kicked off with Luneau-Papin, with some brut de cuve samples which only served to reinforce my rapidly forming opinion that 2014 in the Loire Valley is a lovely vintage for all styles of dry wine, white, […]
White Burgundy: Tasting and Pairing the Ultimate French Chardonnay
Get to know the basics with White Burgundy (Bourgogne) wine, the ultimate French Chardonnay. Included are 4 primary styles to know and useful tips on taste, what to expect to spend and food pairing from Chardonnay-addict and sommelier, Morgan Harris. For winemakers, white Burgundy may just be the Helen of Troy of Chardonnay because nearly everyone
Expert judges from across the country join forces to evaluate record number of wines
The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition takes the evaluation of all wines entered into its competition very seriously and trusts only the best palates to taste and judge. During the first week of January, 59 judges from all aspects of the wine industry, including media, restaurant and hospitality, education, winemaking and retail, gather toget
Raphael 2014 Sauvignon Blanc
Made without even a splinter of oak, Raphael 2014 Sauvignon Blanc ($20), is a brisk, somewhat lean rendition of North Fork sauvignon blanc. Dominant aromas and flavors of citrus blossom, stony talc and straw are supported by light lemon, lemon verbena and gooseberry qualities. Juicy, citrusy acid keeps the palate crunchy and accentuates the mineral
Some highlights from the Tesco press tasting today
Today was the Tesco press tasting, held at the Hospital Club in Endell Street. I headed there, fresh back from Cape Town this morning, after stopping off at home to greet the dogs (every time I travel they must wonder whether I will be c0ming back) and have a quick bath. Here are some wines that I liked, ranging from cheap to relatively expensive.
Boutique ~ Who’s with me on this one
Every time I hear the word “boutique, you might as well be dragging your fingers down a blackboard in my world. When I entered my freshman English class in high school, Miss Samways immediately said to us, “Don’t ever use the word ‘nice’ in anything you write in this class. I have one idiosyncrasy, and […] The po
The deep roots of old vines
The fate of uprooted vines Touraine, Loire This was during a weekend in the Loire recently, I was visiting an elderly lady in a village to buy her vegetables and eggs and I saw this huge pile of recently-uprooted vines,...
Tasting note: “bitter clown tears”
This tasting note is no doubt better than the wine! But, oddly, I bet it actually helped sales of the wine (assuming people read it). It wouldn’t surprise me if there were a store out there somewhere that posted only mockeries or send-ups of tasting notes. Would resonate well with the youngs. If anyone lacks creativity but wants to get start
A Glass a Day Keeps the Doctor Away?
A research team led by an immunologist at the University of California, Riverside now has data that show that moderate alcohol consumption could bolster our immune system, and potentially our ability to fight infections. The finding was published Dec. 17 in the journal Vaccine. Researchers hope this new information can help lead to a better… Read