And the wine is well-made, balanced, and at a great price. Can you resist? Wait, she’s not riding the bicycle…she’s flying it. Looks like it’s getting away from her.

I had been joking about this for a while: Why isn’t Michel Roland making a wine here in Washington? He can just hop on a plan after leaving Staglin! Well, he has been here and has consulted on a Washington wine! The Long Shadows project is behind this and it’s going to be about a [More]

But my point is that I have opened numerous bottles of wine that are strange, unappealing, boring, and/or overblown. Most of the time, my initial observation is proved correct. You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken shit, ok? Having said that, and bearing in mind some of my criticism of Washington wines, I would [More]

The 2003 Chateauneuf-du-Pape(s) I have tasted are all super pruney and not my cup of tea. I profess gross ignorance to most CDPs; I haven’t really drank a great one or a really good one actually. The 2004s, however, are a great example of a more typical, classic vintage. I am enjoying a ridiculously low-priced [More]

Um, didn’t get the results I was expecting. See, I just drank a mind-blowing 1997 Manzone Barolo La Gramolere. Wow! All the hype about the 1997 vintage in Piedmont (and Tuscany) is true; every Italian wine I have had from this vintage has been exceptional. This Barolo had power to spare and exploded in my [More]

I have been hard on Washington wines; many can be oaky and expensive. But I drank a very tastyCab/Merlot: 2000 Claar Cellars Cabernet/Merlot White Bluffs It is drinking beautifully now, and it’s like 10 bucks on the shelf. Get outta town! YEAH! Maybe it has something to do with the French winemaker from Burgundy. It [More]

Got to taste a 2002 Staglin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. WOW! I was blown away by the power of this wine, and the bold, Bordeaux-style aromas and flavors. Like a first-growth on steroids. This is definitely a show-off wine, but it delivers the goods. Right after that we tasted a 2002 Insignia, which is a much [More]

I haven’t really drank any great Red Burgundy in a while. I’ve only been exposed to a lot of boozy, fruit-bomb California and Oregon Pinot Noir. Tonight I opened up a 1997 Grivot Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Boudots. Wow. What a beautiful wine. So elegant and persistent. It had a great smoky nose and pure, lovely fruit. [More]