Oregon Pinot Noir: The Winning Streak Continues
United States: Oregon, featured
, Jul 2020
Oregon’s unprecedented run of outstanding vintages which began in 2014, has been extended yet again with 2018. In fact, you have to go all the way back to 2011 and 2007 to find years that were truly challenging, and both of those vintages actually produced a large number of outstanding wines.
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2020 Harvest Report: Chile and Argentina
Chile, Argentina, featured
, Jul 2020
By the end of March 2020, almost every winery in Chile and Argentina had finished picking. Apart from a few small pockets, on both sides of the Andes the harvest was completed in record time. With ripening accelerated by a combination of climatic factors, and the looming threat of COVID-19 exerting pressure on work teams, we were presented with the unprecedented sight of bare vineyards at the end of March – generally not something you’d see until late April or early May.
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The Vinous Mentorship for BIPOC Wine Professionals
featured
, Jul 2020
The last few weeks have been a time of deep introspection at Vinous. We’ve been shocked and saddened by recent events in our country. From the very beginning, we have strived for a culture of inclusion. But we can do more, and we will. Today, I am proud to announce the Vinous Mentorship for BIPOC Wine Professionals.
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The Grand Vin of the North: San Leonardo
Italy: North, Verticals & Retrospectives, featured
, Jul 2020
When we think of Italy’s highly successful experiments with Bordeaux blends, it’s often the coast of Tuscany that comes to mind. But what if I told you that one of the country’s grandest wines hails from the north instead, in the region of Trentino? I invite you to explore the past, present and future of Tenuta San Leonardo through one of the most riveting verticals ever assembled.
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Loire Chenin Blanc: Underrated No More
France: Loire, featured
, Jul 2020
One of the immutable, unwritten laws of wine writing has been that you must describe Chenin Blanc with one or more of the following terms: underappreciated, underrated or underdog. But the reality is that some of the most exciting white wines in the world are Chenin Blancs from Anjou and Touraine, in famed appellations such as Montlouis, Vouvray and Savennières, as well as from a wave of producers in Anjou who’ve shunned the traditional appellations and chosen to bottle their wines as Vin de France.
The Most and Least Important of Things: Petrus 1897–2011
France: Bordeaux, Verticals & Retrospectives, featured
, Jul 2020
What is the place for a retrospective on Petrus in a time of global pandemic and economic hardship? This article has been in suspended animation since January 2019, when London’s Hide restaurant witnessed one of the most unforgettable wine dinners in recent memory. But finally, after 18 months, I decided that these rare and precious wines should be written up. First of all, as the only journalist in attendance, I had a duty to formally record a tasting that might never happen again. Secondly, life goes on; you cannot put everything on hold forever.
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Big Love for Loire
France: Loire, featured
, Jul 2020
The Loire wine scene is full of youthful energy. It’s no surprise that the region has also become an epicenter of the organic, biodynamic and natural winemaking that appeals to a younger generation. The first part of my coverage looks at Cabernet Franc with a focus mostly on Chinon, Bourgueil and Saumur-Champigny, as well as others from Anjou and Touraine.
2017 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti: A Day’s Work
Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Burgundy, featured
, Jul 2020
The annual presentation of new releases from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in early March was the last tasting I attended before lockdown. Initially I thought I would publish this article as a bookend, when things returned to normal. Back then, I could have never imagined where we would be today. After reading Neal Martin’s article Complex, Not Complicated: 2017 DRC in Bottle chronicling the London edition, I decided to shamelessly rip off his format. So, here you have my version…
Albion Gets Serious: English Sparkling Wine
United Kingdom, featured
, Jul 2020
I used to groan when an ordinary English sparkling wine was heaped with praise. My palate has not changed; what has changed is the quality of English fizz – a category that now needs to be taken seriously on the world stage. It’s time to discover the leading producers.
Delivering Where It Counts: Meyney 1971–2017
France: Bordeaux, Verticals & Retrospectives, featured
, Jul 2020
Continuing my focus on Bordeaux wines that offer both quality and value, my final château visit before lockdown was to Meyney in Saint-Estèphe. How has their wine improved so much in recent years?