Fish Eye Pinot Grigio: A Genuine Bargain in White Wine
I first enjoyed the Fish Eye Pinot Grigio in 2009 with my fellow wine bloggers at our annual conference (and wrote about that experience here). It was a humbling moment for many of us, who were a bit sniffy about the wine based on the cute label, its a...
Quick Sip: Franciscan Estate 2008 Cuvee Sauvage
Hello Friends,
Today’s Quick Sip is the Franciscan Estate 2008 Cuvee Sauvage Chardonnay ($40) from Carneros [Napa Valley], California. The Carneros AVA spans both Napa and Sonoma counties and its relatively cool climate and long growing season is p...
Pairs of Great Wines, No. 3: Stone Edge Farm
Stone Edge Farm, set in the verdant foothills of Sonoma Mountain, is a collaboration between Mac McQuown, who helped finance Chalone Winery in what seems like a whole different era, and perennial winemaker Jeff Baker. The two were partners in the old Carmenet Winery, launched in 1980. (The Chalone Wine Group sold the Carmenet brand...
Old-School California Cabernet, No. XVII: Louis M. Martini
Highway 29 around St. Helena so long ago turned into a carnival of showcase wineries, tasting-rooms and traffic jams that it’s difficult to imagine what the Napa Valley was like in 1934 when Italian immigrant Louis M. Martini moved from the Central Valley and founded his eponymous winery. What else was there? Beringer, Beaulieu, Inglenook,...
Miracles Happen: Three Worthy Pinot Noirs for $25 or Less
Pinot Noir is a budgetary nightmare for most of us. Pinot is a finicky grape, which makes it difficult to grow, which translates into expensive bottles on the shelves. And that was before the movie that put Pinot Noir in everybody's glass, displacing M...
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Frog’s Leap Merlot, 2007
If you like a bit of bully and you live within a light year of London, you will have already tried Goodman, the Russian owned, New York inspired steak house. With an amazing wine list that tips more than a nod and wink towards Uncle Sam. I spotted a Frog’s Leap on the menu on...
Pairs of Great Wines, No. 2: Kelly Fleming Wines
Specialization can be a great thing; I wish more wineries practiced the habit rather than trying to be all things to all people. Kelly Fleming Wines, established in 1998, makes only limited bottlings of a sauvignon blanc wine and a cabernet sauvignon, each 100 percent varietal. Fleming (pictured below) bought 300 acres in the northward...
California Dreaming: David Kinch Is Working on a New Cookbook
A West Coast chef takes the farm-to-table ethic to new extremes.
Classic Cabernets for $15 or Less
There are all kinds of Cabernet Sauvignon out there. Some are too fruity for me. Some are too green. Some are too expensive. Some are too huge, with big alcohol and palate-punishing tannins.I like my Cabernets to have a classic profile: plum and curran...
Get Your Spurs On
*Disclaimer: I received this wine as a sample. Still digging into those deep dark reds for the winter months here in VA. Though I awoke yesterday to find that my daffodils had started blooming. That just isn’t right. We’ve barely even had enough cold days to make a fire in the woodburning stove this year!...
Two New Releases from Manzoni Vineyards
One feature of writing about wine that I especially enjoy is trying products from wineries that I’ve never encountered. Such a one is Manzoni Vineyards, a small family-owned and operated estate in Monterey County’s Santa Lucia Highlands. The winery traces its origin to Joseph Manzoni, who left Switzerland for the New World in 1921 and...
Special Valentine’s Day Salad Recipe
What better way to say I love you than cooking dinner for the ones you love! The Valentine’s Salad recipe below is from B.R. Cohn Winery & Olive Oil Company, a wonderful winery to visit in Sonoma County, California. Visitors to B.R. Cohn can experience wine tastings and olive oil tastings. Enjoy this creative salad...
