The results I tasted from both Clos Cantenac and Château Séraphine are downright delicious. Distinctly different from the two previous vintages, the reds are slightly more approachable at this stage than their predecessors, and they have a decisively bordelais flair. The rosés and white crackle with freshness and structure. All made in very small quantities, these are worth seeking out.
Read MoreThe 2019 vintage marks Jordan Chardonnay's 40th anniversary. As ever, the Jordan Chardonnay wildly over-delivers in quality and price with this decade-marking, birthday vintage. I can't believe the winery still only charges for $35 for this class act, but I'm very happy that such an attractive and age-worthy Sonoma Chardonnay is available at such an (all things relative) incredibly accessible price.
Read MoreGraves is where Bordeaux's first vineyards were planted, yet the AOC remains a bit off the radar. This is one of many areas in Bordeaux where good potential lies for a high ratio of quality to value. This is especially true of wines that are not part of the Crus Classés de Graves, which account for only 16 of the 200 vignerons. Here is a small tasting of bottled 2019s from select producers sent directly from the properties this late spring.
Read MoreEhlers Estate 2020 Sauvignon Blanc - This beauty's aromas are pretty and exotic yet also delicate: a plethora of floral blooms nest with kumquat, pomelo zest and cardamom. The palate has a pleasantly tactile pithiness that, with its medium-plus acidity, nicely corrals its rather full and creamy body - whatever one might assume from the abv. Minerally and lingering on the finish, this wine has oodles of charisma along with rather profound concentration to allow it to age in bottle well for several years.
Read MoreMandrarossa is based near Sicily's southwestern coast near the town of Menfi. In 2020, over twenty years since its founding, which itself happened only after years of painstaking research, the winery expanded to begin gathering grapes from two more world-class sources: Etna and Pantelleria. The wines are clean, precise and soulful. For the second time, I've come away highly impressed from my tasting.
Read MoreTwo years since its introduction to the US market, the Domaine Bousquet Virgen ("virgin" in English) line has expanded from one to three reds. Tasting these two, it's no surprise because the wines deliver vivacious, fresh fruit with good structural balance for a smart SRP of only $13. Moreover, the attractive, brightly-colored and elegant labels make an impact that aligns with the wines' motto of making earth-friendly - even vegan-friendly, wines with only naturally occurring sulfites. Hence, the wines proudly bear a USDA Organic label as well as a "No Added Sulfites" assertion.
Read MoreIf only Don Melchor Concha y Toro could know how his idea to import and plant in Chile pre-phylloxera vinifera vines from Bordeaux has evolved! It started 138 years ago...and one-hundred and four years after that initial planting, in 1987, the first wine named in Don Melchor's honor from the Puente Alto Vineyard was bottled. In 2017 - the year of this vineyard’s 30th anniversary and the wine's 31st bottling, the Viña Don Melchor winery became independent from the Viña Concha y Toro portfolio. All this fascinating history aside, this wine is ravishing!
Read MoreAs food prices continue to creep up, it's nice to know that good wines are still available for a Jackson. (Or, maybe soon it will be a Tubman!) All three of these red blends taste delectably of Tuscan sunshine, and they all hail from highly acclaimed estates.
Read MoreOnce again, Martin Krajewski and his daughter, Charlotte, deliver focused, precise wines with immediate appeal yet evident ageability. Each offers ample delight, but as with the 2019s, I find an electrifying je ne sais quoi element with the Clos Cantenac.
Read MoreThe labels and the brand material for Luke, created by husband-and-wife team Thomas and Kristin Vogele look like something fit for a Western flick: a lone, perhaps forlorn, man on dusty, desert terrain. Cleverly, "The Companion" label, is not only a red blend but also includes a dog striding beside him. There is good value here, and there is a lot to like in these muscular, Wahluke Slope wines.
Read MoreYet again, Rodney Strong has released some solid wines, especially at the value end of the spectrum. The Chalk Hill Chardonnay is a perennial star, and the 2017 Russian River Pinot Noir is especially tasty!
Read MoreThe slighly jarring - if catchy - name of this label has fascinating origins. The name points out the K-T Boundary Line that apparently tells the geological tale of an asteroid impact on earth, leading to the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Fittingly, The Boneline's catch phrase is "wines grown on the shoulders of giants".
Read MoreChange is afoot in Bordeaux as one steps away from the classified growths and luxury cuvées for which the region is well-known, but which in reality only reflect a small portion of wine production. Higher proportions of "spice rack" varieties and less new oak - not to mention a much more experimental approach to fermenting and aging vessels - shape the resulting wines. Here are three innovative reds - all made by women - that I recently tasted. The Hors-Série is a new fave!
Read MoreGaia is the Greek goddess of earth, who gives life to all things. While Domaine Bousquet has farmed organically from its first days in the early 1990s and proudly displays its many certifications, this range honors this practice - and visually cues today's earth-concerned but busy shoppers - with the image of Gaia on the front label.
Read MoreMade by South Africa's first black female winemaker, Ntsiki Biyela, Aslina Wines are crafted from classic French grape varieties in a lush and classy, South African style.
Read MoreTenuta di Arcano 2013 Arcanum Toscana: This very attractive and fragrant wine composed of predominantly Cabernet Franc (73% - from 16 different blocks of vines, along with 17% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon) needs some time to open, despite the fact that it is showing decidedly tertiary aromas.
Read MoreToday’s Bordeaux is affordable Bordeaux. No, I’m not talking about the 2019 En Primeur campaign, where prices are being slashed despite the most recent declarations of “the vintage of the century” in the face of the challenges presented in bringing the wines to market in the face of COVID-19. Rather, I’m talking about the 90%+ of Bordeaux wines that are sold outside of the En Primeur system. In fact, many sold within the En Primeur system are highly affordable, too. The fanfare at the precipitous (price-wise) top of the quality pyramid has distracted far too many consumers for far too long. During the same time, quality was skyrocketing while prices throughout most the region remained modest.
Read MoreFor the wine geeks: while made in the Nino Franco cellars in Valdobbiadene, this blended spumante (80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc) technically is not a Prosecco for several reasons. The differences add up to make the Faìve Rosé Brut a more intense and concentrated sparkling with with a definitively dry edge and focused finish
Read MoreI purchased these bottles recently as they seemed like solid solutions to my recent cravings for chillable reds to fight the heavy heat that has settled on New York City. Alas, I was reminded that lighter styles of red at gentle prices don't necessarily work with a chill. After all, both of these wines had some stuffing. These chilled reds wines were pleasant, but they weren't showing their best. So, I kept the wines for five days, trying them every day at chilled and cellar temperatures. As ever, I enjoyed the learning experience!
Read MoreA world almost entirely closed to travel, a cancelled Bordeaux En Primeur Campaign and persnickety, new DHL compliance requirements in the US are nothing compared to the tenacity of Martin Krajewski, owner of Château Séraphine and Clos Cantenac. And so it was that I held a mini En Primeur chez moi.
Read More