Before that amazing 1994 Fontalloro I had my last 2002 Baumard Savennières. It was a great way to start the evening. The previous bottle was very tasty and fresh, but not so complex. This bottle, however, had wonderful richness that bordered on sweetness, but with loads of acidity to finish fresh. Amazing that this is [More]
Best Red…Ever?!?
Felsina is my favorite Chianti producer and their top wine, the Fontalloro, has been one of my favorites. It’s 100% Sangiovese. The 1999 is one of the best reds I have had, period. So I almost passed out when I was at a local wine shop and saw the 1994 vintage. It was amazing. It [More]
Best Red…Ever?!?
Felsina is my favorite Chianti producer and thier top wine, the Fontalloro, is
Bubbles
It’s almost New Year’s Eve, the one time of year when everybody is looking to drink sparkling wine and Champagne. I would like to stress that you should be drinking bubbles year-round; these are some of the best and most pleasurable wines, period. Here are my picks: Under 10 bucks: Veuve de Vernay Brut and [More]
Huet Vouvray
To reiterate, the 2006 Huet Vouvray Le Haut-Lieu Sec is a fantastic wine. Wonderful, natural richness, a touch of RS (seems like it’s on the sweeter side of dry) but with fantastic acidity. Really lovely. Dry Chenin Blanc is still priced well below Chardonnay from Burgundy and much more interesting. Really.
Vintages Matter (II)
I tasted a wine today that reminded me how out of whack and crazy the 2003 vintage was all over Europe. Recently I wrote about a Bordeaux, Chateau La Vieille Cure , from 2004. A very elegant, complex Bordeaux with a lot of style. Today I tried the 2003 and it was a monster! Very [More]
Virginie de Valandraud
All hail the distributor close-out list! Sometimes a company has a wine in its portfolio that for some inexplicable reason they are unable to sell and the price gets slashed. Who knew it would be for the second label of the Chateau Valandraud, a very well-regarded (and highly priced) Saint-Emilion from the original garagiste, Thunevin. [More]
Beaujolais and Purity
It has been a while since I had a Beaujolais; all of the recent Nouveau-inspired events reminded me how real Beaujolais is still underappreciated. But when you live by the Nouveau, you die by the Nouveau. Real Beaujolais are some of the most charming, drinkable, and pleasurable wines in the world. Nothing reminded more of [More]
