Six bottles of 2010 southern French red wines told the story. With the low yield, long hang time, high quality vintage examples selling for $17 and under at retail, the story wanted to be good. All of the wines were without flaw, dark purple, full of fruit, round, rich, and without any hard edges to make them […]
Blind Tasting 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape
Early critical accounts pegged the 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape vintage as monumental. Grenache and Syrah flourished under favorable growing conditions. Yet, decade old tasting memories bulged from powerful, tight, and stubborn bottles expressing convincing cellar potential. Could a dozen year term of lingering dark, cool rest unveil beauty beneath youthful armor? With this in mind, […]
1995 Clos du Mont Olivet: Another Lesson In Aging Wine
This is the last in a series of recent posts on cellar treasures for a while; I promise (fingers crossed behind my back). In 1998 I bought a few bottles of **** 1995 Clos du Mont Olivet Chateauneuf du Pape that stashed itself away, incognito-like, in my cellar’s Rhone Valley section. Having completely forgotten about them, I […]
1995 Domaine Marcoux Perfect at $15
There is a new patch of winemakers scattered around the globe revitalizing old vineyards and turning what we knew about varietals and regional character upside down with their experimental, natural, or biodynamic infused techniques. They are creating both welcome excitement and dubious distraction thanks to savvy importers and their global distribution channels. It’s understandably easy […]
Top Three Wines: Saint-Emilion and Rhone Valley
One quick scan of my January tasting notes and I immediately knew which three wines produced greater reward than any other. All are French, two from the southern Rhone Valley and one from Saint-Émilion. Besides common French ancestry, all three rank as intense values in their own class. The 1994 Vieux Telegraph recompensed fifteen years […]
Three-Step Classic Wine List Gameplan
Drawing up the perfect attack on a classic restaurant wine list creates the same adrenaline level NFL coaches experience prepping for Sunday games. At least it seems that way; it’s both exciting and nerve wracking knowing one or two calls can define a dinner’s outcome. Planning is required. Have we worked with the restaurant’s wine […]
High Quality $30 Oregon Pinot & Raymond Usseglio Deal
I guess I’m thankful Tower Wine & Spirits is located in my new “transitional” Atlanta neighborhood near where Piedmont meets Cheshire Bridge. While I live in Boston, I have been spending a lot of time working in Atlanta and it made sense to skip the hotel scene and just get an apartment. With lots of open evenings […]
Top Three Wines of December
France scores a smooth hat trick in the WineZag “Top Three Wines” December round up. This holiday month provided ample opportunity to drink a lot of great, and not so great, wine with boastful price tags and venerable credentials. These WineZag “top three” wines are especially worthy, all offering pinnacle palate moments that stand out […]
Boston Wine Festival 2010
The 2010 Boston Wine Festival will return again to the Boston Harbor Hotel beginning January 8. Chef Daniel Bruce has an uncanny ability for wine/food pairing and so many of the specific events recently announced are great opportunities to get over to Meritage and experience Chef Bruce at his finest moments. There are lots of […]
Cote du Rhones for the Ages?
Tasting through this year’s release parade of 2007 Cote du Rhones (CDR) reflects an intensity of reward found in vintages where mother nature sets the perfect table. I have been grinning and tasting the releasing 07 CDRs acknowledging their richness, depth of fruit, aligned structure, and across the board enjoyment. They offer a value buying opportunity with only one question; Buy just enough to drink over […]