Apparently, a French man in the early 1800s became interested in Chilean flora, fauna and geology. Claude Gay became the effective patron saint of local, Chilean plants. Thanks to Claude, anytime you travel to Chile, it is made abundantly clear in all government proclamations that you cannot bring in any plants, fruits or vegetables. A friend inadvertently crossed customs with an apple in his pocket (I believe he was traveling from Taiwan, though he lives in London) about 15 years ago and was firmly reprimanded, despite eating the same apple in the presence of immigration officers.
Read MoreThe Torres name is one of the most powerful in Spanish wine, not to mention quality Spanish wine. Given the enormous range of wines in numbers of labels and in price points made by the Torres family, this is all the more remarkable. With the Torres name, you buy consistently good quality, whichever the wine.
Read MoreIt's unusual to see an "Organic Wine", so I jumped at the chance to taste the Crianza Xtrème Ecológico. Additionally, both of these 2015 releases come from the original LAN vineyard, Lanciano, which sits along the Ebro River on the border between Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa. While LAN's overall quality is extremely good, including the wines made from grapes outsourced grapes, the wines from Viña Lanciano are always a particularly nice treat.
Read MoreSo, it was with a particularly keen interest that I popped the cork on my first white from Grupo Pesquera. In fact, it’s the only white wine that the Fernández family makes, and it’s 100% Airén.
Read MoreTorres 2014 Priorat Salmos: The vibrant mouthfeel and perky acidity were the first things I noticed about this infusion of Carineña, Syrah and Garnacha. Then, I felt the smooth, gilded tannins welling up on the palate along with the rich, concentrated body.
Read MoreI found these three wines immensely impressive. To start with, they are all delicious, and moreover, each offers such an immense quality-to-value ratio that the pricing is thoroughly hard to believe. I’d buy any of these three with great confidence.
Read MoreAn arínzano is an agricultural estate that showcases unique vineyards, and this winery was the first estate in northern Spain to be endowed with the prestigious Vinos de Pago classification. The term pago is a nod to the Greek “pagus”, or property. The idea behind these wines is that they are entirely unique because of their provenance, or terroir, in wine geek speak. In sum, pago equals prestige, as the classification is set up.
Read MoreThis wine really started to shine on the third day after I opened it. Once fully opened, this wine is a mosh pit of smashed mulberries and smoky spices wrapped up in a velvet coat of smooth, even sumptuous tannins with a fine point of chewiness on the medium finish.
Read MoreSince I last tasted Troon wines, in Southern Oregon in July 2013, the winemaker and winemaking approach have changed. They were pleasant before, so I was curious to see what I would fine in the wines post-makeover. I'm happy to report that this Southern Oregon pioneer continues to push boundaries in the right direction.
Read MoreCVNE 2011 Rioja Reserva Viña Real: I tasted one ounce of this wine each day for three days before I wrote a note on that third day. I would decant it at breakfast and leave it until dinner - with zero trepidation.
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