Winemaker Jesse Katz began this venture in 2009, just before I originally met him in 2011 when he took on the winemaking at Lancaster Estate and Roth. Fast-forward just over a decade….this is an incredibly rich Chenin Blanc to be only 12.1% in abv. It's deep yellow in color and rounded and broad on the palate with a generous oiliness…..
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 MoreJean-Claude Mas aims to make wines with a “luxuriously rustic” character. Interpretation is everything, and it’s easy for the mind to spin on those words. These are classy wines from highly selective and ambitious cellars that punch above their weight classes (a.k.a. price points). Whether you enjoy them at your urban dining table or on a blanket spread in the countryside of southwestern France (the only way I can see “rustic” entering the picture), it’s pretty easy to feel the luxury of each sip, especially in the case of the Château Paul Mas Belluguette!
Read MoreI am so jazzed to see so many full-throttle, high-quality wines arriving to the US shores from South Africa these days. At last! I used to drink most of this country’s ambitious to high quality wines almost soley in the UK. Here are some of my latest tastings of SA wines in New York City. I loved every one of these bottles.
Read MoreI recently learned that Limoux was the second most-imported-to-the-USA French, traditional method sparkler after Champagne. Who knew?
Read MoreDavid Finlayson 2013 Chenin Blanc Single Vineyard Old Vine Camino Africana 13.5%: This characterful wine is composed of fruit harvested from bush vines planted in the Bottelary Hills of Stellenbosch in 1947. These vines are some of the oldest in the Cape.
Read MoreCartology is pertinently named for its mix of five vineyards, stretched through the center of the Cape. All are old, gnarly, bush-trained vines.
Read MoreLast week I helped my parents move from the house where I grew up. They lived there 35 years, and they discarded very few scraps of history. Amidst the tangles of two different chock-full closets, I found empties of wines enjoyed with Mom. (Dad is a tea-totaler.)
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