Wine
Apparently, I’m not the only one to be charmed by Kate MacMurray, lately. She took us all up to see the views at the top of the MacMurray Ranch in Sonoma last weekend, to the place where her father (actor Fred) used to drive up in the evening to “count noses” of the cattle on [...]
I’ve had a few of the 2006 Signorello wines this week, and they are showing nicely: plenty of interesting aromas, good body and tannins. But they are young, the body not yet roundly evolved, the tannins still adolescent. I’d love to try these in a year. However, the wines are unfiltered. Does that mean they [...]
The Plumpjack people’s new winery is called CADE. I tried their 2007 Sauvingon Blanc recently. Not unexpectedly it’s screwcap, which is great. The wine itself if somehow light but substantial: fine notes of sweet grasses in the nose, with more weight than you’d expect in the body. Of course, I drank it chilled. We left [...]
…but we had TWO wines made with Rkatsiteli last night at Jonathon Alsop’s Boston Wine School. I brought the Dr. Konstantin Frank — and of course Jonathon had to one-up me with the Westport Rivers. Both 2006, and somewhat similar in their strong aromas and mineral finishes. The Frank had a powerful almost dairy-fermented aroma, [...]
There’s a reason some winemakers are considered great: they know how to blend vinified grapes into great wines. Blend is the key word here. And nothing argues more against the current fad for single vineyard wines than some of the single vineyard wines themselves. Recently, I tasted three single-vineyard wines from a well known Argentina [...]
What: en primeur tastings of the 2007 vintage wines When: April 2008 Where: all over Bordeaux, France Who: worldwide wine journalists (and top trade tasters) Why: once you manage to get through Air France’s disdain for US travelers, the people in Bordeaux are exceptionally polite and welcoming. And you get to catch up with fellow [...]
Continue reading about Bordeaux: Evaluating the 2007 vintage
I don’t know why the people at Ermenegildo Zegna on Newbury Street in Boston were willing to let us wander around their shop with red wine, but I’m very glad they did. There I tasted the spectacular Ornellaia 1988, an incredibly full, lively and young Super-Tuscan. The guys from the winery recall that this was [...]
There’s a piece of France near Healdsburg in Sonoma, California. From the setting among the hills to the gracious luncheon, Jordan Winery feels more like Bordeaux than anything you might expect in America’s West. I’d recommend trying to get Chef Todd Knoll to prepare a fine meal for you, if you ever have the chance [...]
The best part about The Bubble Lounge Champagne Bar in SF? Yes, there are the small-production Champagnes, which have gotten better and better (since Terry Thiese began introducing them to the US a decade or so ago). And then there’s the new, sensuous small bites menu to pair with the Champagnes. But my favorite part [...]
Ever heard of Malbec made in Amarone style? Is this a good idea? Well, I just tried it, courtesy of Mailisa Allegrini – of Allegrini in Valpolicella — who makes it in Argentina with Patricio Reich at Renacer in Mendoza, Argentina. Actually, it’s 50% Malbec, with Syrah, Bonarda and a tiny bit of Cabernet Franc. [...]
