Cellar Favorite: 2018 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Dames Hospitalières
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Jun 2021
The 2018 Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Dames Hospitalières is a Hospices de Beaune bottling raised by Mounir Saouma of Lucien Le Moine for American importer Vintus.
Cellar Favorite: 1998 Domaine Georges Roumier Morey-Saint-Denis Clos de la Bussière 1er Cru
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Jun 2021
There is no point in restating the fact that I, along with countless other Burgundy-lovers, adore the wines of Christophe Roumier. Oops, I did it again!
Cellar Favorite: 1896 Taylor’s Single Harvest Port
Portugal, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Jun 2021
Several years ago, Taylor’s Fladgate had what might be described as a eureka moment. Instead of using precious, ancient and irreplaceable pipes of Port into their 40-Year Old Blend for example, why not see if there is a niche market for limited launches of historical fortified wines?
Cellar Favorite: 1978 Château de Pommard Pommard
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Jun 2021
Before I started scribbling words about wine writing, I worked for a Japanese import company that acted as agents for a dozen or so producers. One of those was Château de Pommard and so naturally I was in regular contact with its erstwhile proprietor, Jean-Louis Laplanche.
Cellar Favorite: 2005 Vietti Barolo Castiglione
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Italy: Piedmont
, May 2021
When I purchased the 2005 Vietti Castiglione for $34 a bottle, I did so knowing that the worst-case scenario is that it would be a great Barolo to check-in over the course of ten years; but what I only realized a few years back is that this bottle, which I thought might be in decline by now, was still maturing in a positive way.
Cellar Favorite: 2015 Soldera Sangiovese
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Italy: Tuscany
, May 2021
Tasting the 2015 Soldera Sangiovese brings back so many memories of tasting the wine from cask with Gianfranco Soldera prior to his passing in 2019. The routine was always the same.
Cellar Favorite: 2008 Mvemve Raats MR de Compostella
cellar favorite, South Africa, Cellar Favorites
, May 2021
On my bucket list of wine-related things to do, apart from tasting the 1947 Romanée-Conti and climbing K2 with Lalou Bize-Leroy in order to overcome my debilitating vertigo, is to conduct an unabridged vertical of Mvemve Raats MR de Compostella.
Cellar Favorite: 2011 Cupano Brunello di Montalcino
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Italy: Tuscany
, Apr 2021
After the tragic passing of proprietor Lionel Cousin, I found myself digging through my cellar for past vintages of his lovely creation, the Cupano Brunello di Montalcino.
Cellar Favorite: 2004 Poggio Il Castellare Brunello di Montalcino
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Italy: Tuscany
, Apr 2021
Having just celebrated its fifteenth birthday, I thought it was about time to check in on the 2004 Brunello di Montalcino from Poggio Il Castellare, an estate from the southeast that I associate with suave character and dark ripe fruits.
Cellar Favorite: 2018 Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Célébration
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Apr 2021
A few years ago, I was fortunate to attend an evening tasting of ancient vintages from Louis Jadot reserves, a cornucopia of rare bottles stretching back to the 1860s.