This blanc de blancs made exclusively of Chardonnay grown in the heart of Trentino is aged a minimum of five years on its second fermentation yeast lees. Distinguished and deeply flavorful, this is ready to enjoy.
Read MoreIt is always a pleasure to taste wines that are hard to come by in this country, especially when it's hard to get out of this country now. I tasted this line-up from Vitis Global last fall, and there was much to like in this diverse array of styles provided by a wide array of grape varieties and producers.
Read MoreSpanish wines offer such excellent value and style diversity. They’re great to hit up for the holidays, even if your celebration may need fewer bottles than usual in this crazy year. As I always do, I marvel at the complexity of Sherry, one of the most under-appreciated wines around these days. Both this Sherry and this Chardonnay merit a “*” as personal faves!
Read MoreHailing from eastern Luxembourg's limestone soils, this blended sparkler made of Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir was fermented in an equal split of 228-L oak barrels and stainless steel tanks. The still wine underwent malolactic fermentation before its second primary fermentation in bottle. Interestingly, it was dosed with the house's ice wine. The residual sugar sits at 11.5 g/L.
Read MoreTwo beautifully and imaginatively packaged Romagna DOC Spumante wines that sell under the new Novebolle brand should be set to hit the US market soon (COVID-19 & new tariffs notwithstanding). Not only do the bottles look smashing, there is an incredible amount of subtle history applied in their design, too.
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 MoreLoimer NV Rosé Brut Sekt Reserve: This sekt stretches the imagination. A blend of Zweigelt, Pinot Noir and St. Laurent, it would be hard to place it in a blind tasting, even if its fruit purity, fine perlage and long finish clearly place it in a high quality region.
Read MoreWe're connecting digitally more and more these days, and now we're often doing so over a glass of wine. Bubbly lifts the spirit, making this post on a wide array of sparkling wine styles rather timely. Here's to you and yours!
Read MoreI recently had the chance to taste through these two wines thoughtfully, watching them evolve for several hours after opening. The two tenants of Bollinger's style were clearly present from start to finish: the attractive oxidation from the oak barrel aging of at least half of the base wines (all vintage and reserve wines are made exclusively using oak barrels from a range of ages) and the house's signature power supplied by a majority of Pinot Noir in the two blends.
Read MoreI'm just back from a brief but wonderful weekend in Portland. Even in the city, Oregon vibes are so fantastically chill. Coupled with the beauty - and sensibility - of the Pacific Northwest outdoors, the idea of Canned Oregon (wine) is a no brainer. Good thing that the wines live up to the idea.
Read MoreThis pale pink bubbly's sweetly scented, dried rose petals laced with peach and dried strawberries lead to a generous body creamy with bubbles. The back palate turns nicely focused with thirst-quenching, acidic lift. Delightfully easy-drinking and light-bodied with plenty of mineral elegance and just a hint of toast, I prefer serving this with hors d'oeuvres rather than at the table.
Read MoreDomaines Schlumberger 2014 Pinot Noir Les Princes Abbés: I’m totally blown away by the drinkability of this Pinot Noir. It’s downright slurpable! It is impressively harmonious, fragrant and very Pinot Noir in character.
Read MoreGloria Ferrer is one Sonoma’s most consistent producers of finessed bubbles. That’s not just due to its 35-plus years in California and steady application of know-how and TLC to its 340 acres of estate-grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Ferrer family has been growing grapes in Catalonia for over 600 years and launched its first Cava under the Freixenet label in 1914!
Read MoreEnrico Serafino is a well-established house in Piemonte’s Roero. In fact, it is the oldest continually operating winery there. That’s not for nothing.
Read MoreGotta hand it to Canned Oregon. The company has tailored its cans to its consumers’ mindsets. As a trekker, I love the idea of more easily transported wine.
Read MoreThe best wines of this tasting confirm what I’ve said for just over a half decade: I believe Sicily is a region on the rise to being one of the top quality producers (it has long been a top volume producer of Italy), if it isn’t already.
Read MoreTrentodoc bubbly is on a mission to have its metodo classico wines perceived as the best in Italy. The tip-top of this category of wines is crisp and bitingly dry – in an appealing way. They are also layered with flavor.
Read MoreDomaine Paul Mas NV Blanquette de Limoux Méthode Ancestrale St. Hilaire: Whoa! This bubbly has a honeysuckle-driven nose with a peach pie palate! It’s not often I taste pure Mauzac, yet this one packs plenty of come-hither attraction that reminds me it’s a great way to finish off a meal.
Read MoreThis new wine delivers enormous QPR. The Gloria Ferrer wines always have, but this wine really outdoes itself!
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