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Vinous Table: Bar Le Côte, Los Olivos, CA
Vinous Table, United States: California
, Oct 2024
The food scene in Los Olivos has improved dramatically in recent years. I sensed a palpable increase in the quality of local restaurants on my most recent visit this past July. Perhaps the long-awaited re-opening of Mattei’s Tavern was a catalyst. I can’t say for sure. What does seem evident is that visitors today have unparalleled options when it comes to exploring the local dining scene. Bar Le Côte is one of the crown jewels in Santa Barbara wine country.
Umbria: Peeling Back the Layers
Italy: Center & South, featured
, Oct 2024
Umbria’s diverse landscape, terroirs, styles and grape varieties can be a lot to handle. However, navigating this complexity and the wide range of vintages in the market is well worth the effort, as Umbria consistently produces some of Italy’s most exquisite wines.
The Misunderstood Margaux: Marquis de Terme 1947-2021
Verticals & Retrospectives, featured, France: Bordeaux
, Oct 2024
Marquis de Terme is a Margaux château that flies under the radar. Estate director Ludovic David offered me a rare insight into the property and presented a vertical of over 20 vintages back to the postwar period.
Cellar Favorite: Castello dei Rampolla: Library Releases
Italy: Tuscany, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Oct 2024
These library releases from Castello dei Rampolla offer fascinating insights into one of Italy’s most innovative estates and wines.
Vinous Table: La Petite Colombe, Franschhoek, South Africa
South Africa, Vinous Table
, Oct 2024
La Petite Colombe certainly ranks among the best meals of 2024, and it lives up to the billing. It showcases the dazzling array of ingredients around South Africa and neighboring countries, and the execution in the kitchen is quite brilliant.
Rheinhessen & Rheingau: Riesling Triumphs After Rain
Germany, featured
, Oct 2024
Rheingau and Rheinhessen produced world-class Rieslings in 2023. The wines are bursting with flavor and delineated by freshness but moderate in alcohol. An initially dry year was drenched in late summer rains, which the late-ripening Riesling weathered with aplomb. Steep, stony slopes of historic renown proved their exalted status all over again. If there is one operative attribute for this Riesling vintage, it is juiciness. In the Rheingau, off-dry and nobly sweet wines with electric acidity are an added bonus. The 2022 Pinot Noirs are some of the best ever.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia: In Search of an Identity Part II
Italy: North, featured
, Oct 2024
Internationally perceived by some as the defining wines of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, macerated white wines from the area are blockbusters of the wine world. However, their inception, ‘history’ and quality have become confused, and in the blinding glow of their popularity, the region finds itself in yet another identity crisis. I visited the first adopters of the style to discover how the wines came to be, their meaning today and the realities of the region where they come from.
Conti Costanti: Montalcino’s Most Historic Estate
Italy: Tuscany, Verticals & Retrospectives, featured
, Oct 2024
As a self-taught young man, Andrea Costanti immersed himself in the world of winemaking and Brunello di Montalcino. He rose to become one of the region's leading winemakers. This vertical details the last nineteen years of that evolution, showing Costanti’s blend of traditionalism and progression.
Cellar Favorite: 1984 Ridge Zinfandel Geyserville Trentadue
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, United States: California
, Sep 2024
The 1984 Zinfandel Geyserville Trentadue is one of Ridge’s more obscure single-vineyard bottlings. This cuvée is a blend of 95% Zinfandel and 5% Petit Sirah that came from a vineyard established by Evelyn and Leo Trentadue.
Vinous Table: Akoko, London, UK
Vinous Table, United Kingdom
, Sep 2024
Overall, I highly recommend Akoko. I absolutely loved the food. I exited its doors, looking forward to a return. I’d love to see the team really get behind South African wines, whose panoply of styles means it could easily cater to all delectations. It would make a statement. If you have never tried West African cuisine before and wish to see the culinary height achievable, then try Akoko.