Azienda Agricola Terenzuola
Toscano Vermentino Nero 2014
Superb oddball grown along the northernmost reaches of the Tuscan coast. Opens with bright acidity like wild raspberries & bing cherries, but as this Vermentino Nero catches air, plums, a kiss of figs, and savory herbs emerge with very fine & mellow tannins. Worth hunting down! — 8 years ago
Quebrada Del Chucao
Sidra Espumante Sparkling Hard Cider 2014
The taste of those funny-looking, gnarled cider apples from old orchards might strike some as funky, but not as much as Basque cider to my palate. To me this is pretty, even delicate, and much more terroir based than most ciders out there. Can't wait to conjure cocktails with Quebrada! — 9 years ago
Château de Luc
Les Jumelles Corbieres White Blend
Crisp, with that telltale marzipan & pear flavor profile without being at all sweet! Easy like Sunday night.... — 8 years ago
Luis Pato
Colheita Seleccionada Baga Touriga Nacional 2012
Vibrating between black raspberry & a favorite leather jacket, this brings a smooth lingering taste of unassuming greatness. Built to last and to give immediate pleasure like a great song, Luis Pato wines are that rare thing: affordable, dependable, and thrillingly delicious every time! — 8 years ago
Poseidon Vineyard
Estate Grown Carneros Chardonnay 2014
A beautiful outlier in Cali Chardonnay, coastal cool climate fruit meets Hungarian oak barrels, which impart a warm masala of spices. If I imagine Meursault made at the edge of the world,... that's where Poseidon is heading.... — 9 years ago
Viñátigo
Blanco 2015
Pssst...you knew Listan Blanco is really the same Palomino grape as in Sherry? These are 100+ yr old vines, showing beautifully, friskily, and with a layer of concentrated heft that tells stories in the glass. — 9 years ago
Château Coupe Roses
La Bastide Minervois Carignan Blend 2014
Sharing a sentimental favorita with my babe on Xmas Eve, 2016. The musky perfume of Carignan old vines intermingle with the violets, thorns, and garrigue of Grenache-- all of it grown on a limestone cliff that clings to the old pagan culture of the Cathars. Wishing everyone such timeless succor of family & vino! — 8 years ago
Marchesi di Barolo
Sbirolo Langhe Nebbiolo 2012
Lots to love about this wine, starting with the name, Sbirolo, which refers to an old but pleasantly eccentric person in Piemontese dialect. The wine itself is juicy and smoother than most Langhe Nebbiolo, pretty and bodacious. Terrific value, too! — 9 years ago
Chris DeBarr
Pretty like violets & wrought iron steel; soft tannins but with structured acidity & smooth textures. I'd only had Negrette from Ken Volk in Cali, but we're celebrating the defeat of Le Pen with an indigenous French wonder — 8 years ago