Cellar Favorite: 2015 Domaine des Comtes-Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Nov 2020
Why is there a photo depicting mackerel in this Cellar Favorite? Well, let me explain.
Generosity and Diversity - Mosel 2018: Graach to Grünhaus
germany: Mosel, featured
, Nov 2020
It’s the rare wine among Mosel Rieslings of 2018 – a generally forthcoming, even effusive bunch – that seems to demand cellaring, and then usually only because a surfeit of sweetness is among a given wine’s generous-to-a-fault characteristics. Continuing upstream, I offer my second of two reports on the 2018 vintage Mosel Rieslings, here including those from estates based along the Ruwer.
Trentino & Alto Adige: Worlds Apart
Italy: North, featured
, Nov 2020
As if engrossed in a Tolkienesque fantasy novel, we delve into the labyrinth of producers, varieties, labels, languages and the diverse terroirs of Trentino and Alto Adige. However, while traversing this realm where Italian meets Austrian meets German, it quickly becomes apparent that the effort we put in to comprehending its people and the array of fascinating and stimulating wines they produce is truly worthwhile. Together, let's take a trip down the rabbit hole to better understand two of Italy’s most under-the-radar regions.
Cellar Favorite: 2006 Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Italy: Tuscany
, Nov 2020
The fact is, the 2016 Riserva became one of my favorite wines to pull from my cellar year after year. Now, at fourteen years old, the 2006 appears to have fully peaked, but is holding strong.
Vinous Table: Crabtowne USA, Glen Burnie, MD
Vinous Table
, Oct 2020
Readers visiting the D.C. or Baltimore area who love seafood and tradition owe it to themselves to hit a Maryland crab house or two. It’s a unique, timeless and comforting experience that I try to enjoy as often as possible.
2018 Santa Lucia Highlands: What a Difference a Year Makes
United States: California, featured
, Oct 2020
Following the epically hot 2017 vintage, Mother Nature paid Santa Lucia Highlands growers and winemakers back, with interest, by delivering a picture perfect season and an abundant crop of healthy grapes in 2018. The wines feature distinct energy and fine definition, with expressive fruit, well-integrated tannins for the red wines and relatively uncommon nerviness for the whites.
Joseph Drouhin “Monty and Moose”
Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Burgundy, featured
, Oct 2020
Who doesn’t enjoy munching through a packet of M&Ms? But these M&M’s are different: Montrachet & Musigny from Domaine Drouhin. I examine these two wines via separate verticals from recent vintages back to the 1940s.
Cellar Favorite: 1966 Dow’s Vintage Port
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Portugal
, Oct 2020
The vintage Ports of 1966, despite their extremely high quality, have and probably always will live in the shade of the monumental 1963s, which is great news for consumers.
Barbaresco: The Highs & Lows of 2016-2020
featured, Italy: Piedmont
, Oct 2020
Readers will find a wide range of wines from Barbaresco in the market ranging from majestic, soaring 2016s to the far more variable 2017s and the first 2018 releases. With its stunningly beautiful, hillside vineyards, Barbaresco remains a terrific destination for consumers looking for site-specific, Old World wines that won’t break the bank.
Vinous Table: St. John, Lodon, United Kingdom
Vinous Table, United Kingdom
, Oct 2020
Let’s put this on the record: St. John makes the best pies in the world. Don’t argue with me. Their pies are perfection. St. John is to pie what DRC is to Pinot Noir.