Cliff Lede 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Dancing Heart Stags Leap District: This is a Rock Block Series wine, which bears a label that looks nothing like the other Cliff Lede labels. This series began when David Abreu was hired to manage the vineyards. Cliff began naming the micro-blocks after rock songs and albums, and every vintage features a specially-named "mash up" of two or more of these blocks.
Read MoreAs the #NapaFires and #SonomaFires are burning, it has been a poignant time to turn to some wines from the region to think about how exciting their multi-faceted expressions can be. With this tasting, I'm delighted yet again to be tasting a something totally off-the-radar for Napa: Grenache Blanc.
Read MoreThese two Malbecs supersede their different-ends-of-the-scale price points. Importantly, they offer an interesting contrast of Malbec possibilities. The US is high quality-oriented. Not all of Argentina’s export markets are so picky.
Read MoreTrinchero 2012 Forte Napa Valley: This estate-grown wine boasts exceptional concentration. In fact, it’s a bit of a monster! It is inky black in color, bold in its full body and strident in grainy tannins. Alas, this is a classic case of a high-end wine seeing a retail shelf or restaurant wine list far before its time, even if it is now four years post-vintage.
Read MoreI love the wines from the mountains that parallel – and hence form – Napa Valley. They bear a saline, earthy, dark-berried quality that fascinates me to no end. I now have been following Mount Vedeer Winery’s wines for at least 12 years, and not yet has one disappointed me, whatever the style of the vintage.
Read MoreHaving bought for restaurants and a retailer and being someone who attends trade tastings regularly, I have a good feeling for wine mark-ups. Naturally, I want to pay as little mark-up as possible. I do most of my wine shopping online.
Read MoreNapa is always beautiful in February. Sunny and clement, her fields are bursting with mustard’s cheery yellow blooms. This year, Napa was a particularly lovely place to be as – for the first time – I sat on the other side of the table.
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