Domaine Marcel Deiss, Alsace: Current Releases
Alsace, the oft-contested and much-coveted skinny strip of land between northeastern France and its neighbor Germany, is an odd and unique place. Like several other such zones around the world, it has been a part of so many different countries and empi...
Red Wine Review: Murrieta’s Well The Spur
Murrieta’s Well The Spur 2008 | Livermore Valley, California Lately I’ve been spending too much time at my very awesome job, commuting, blogging elsewhere, giving baseball lessons, and doing other things in life that take me away from writing here. I took a look at my list of “drafts” and there are now two dozen...
Casa Lapostolle Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Going on 15 years now, Chile has been my “go to” for unearthing great wine values. A long time ago I discovered Casa Lapostolle’s “Cuvee Alexandre” line of wines, finding the Merlot particularly enjoyable — and fairly easy on the wallet. That said, when I happened upon this “Casa” Cabernet Sauvignon, my expectations were high...
Weingut Nikolaihof, Wachau, Austria: Current Releases
There are certain places in this world that feel as if they exist outside of time. Or perhaps they exist inside of time but move much slower than the world around them. As I stepped through the doorway into the inner courtyard of Weingut Nikolaihof, a...
Napa Royalty: Tasting the Wines of Oakville
While often considered a single "place" when it comes to wine, Napa is hardly a monolithic growing region. Each of its 14 established AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) lays claim to a separate identity, characterized by geology, microclimate, and dif...
Red Wine Review: Macari Merlot Reserve 2007
When I pulled this bottle off my rack I realized I also had the same wine in the 2008 vintage — so this is kind of “late”. Though, tasting the ’07 now proved that a.) it is ageable and b.) it might continue to evolve with even more cellaring. The nose is attractive, offering spice...
Burgundy Comes to San Francisco: Some Tasting Notes
It's been two years since I've been to Burgundy and I miss it terribly. And not just because I haven't had my fix of Delice de Pommard, the utterly addictive soft cow's milk cheese that is encrusted with whole mustard grains. Burgundy is magical, and ...
Matthiasson, Napa Valley: Current Releases
The past of most wine regions becomes physically embodied in its most iconic destinations, whether grand Chateaux, or venerable old cellars. The future of many wine regions, on the other hand, can be much harder to find. It is often tucked away, or som...
Schloss Gobelsburg, Kamptal, Austria: Current Releases
It seems like they have always been there. For centuries, the monks have been rooted as firmly as their grape vines, watching empires come and go, tending their secrets as carefully as the grapes and the sacred wines they produce. Shrewd investment and...
Mountain Wines of Italy: Tasting Notes from Alto Adige
From the snow-capped peaks of the Dolomites and the Alps, water trickles off glaciers down into steep-walled fertile alpine valleys where small villages and their vineyards beg to be photographed against the stunning backdrop of one of the world's most...
Fritz Winery 2009 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
The Award-Winning Wine:Fritz Winery 2009 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley Reason...
Weingut Veyder-Malberg, Wachau, Austria: Current Releases
In Austria's Wachau valley, it's hard to pay attention to what winemakers tell you, especially when they're talking with you in a vineyard. The Danube twists olive and lazy below incredibly steep hillsides terraced with centuries-old rock walls, each ...
