New Zealand: Just For Starters
featured, New Zealand
, Nov 2018
Upon joining Vinous, New Zealand came back into my purview for the first time since 2010. Its location on the opposite side of the world meant that finding time to visit this year was not quite as easy as nipping down to Bordeaux or Burgundy on the daily easyJet. This interim report covers more than 400 new releases from a wide range of estates.
Cellar Favorite: 1990 Gaja Barbaresco Costa Russi
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Piedmont, Italy: Piedmont
, Nov 2018
The 1990 Barbaresco Costa Russi brings back a rush of memories from a tasting that feels like it happened just yesterday. Time has been exceedingly kind to the 1990.
Vacqueyras 2016 and 2015: Value and Consistency
featured, France: Rhône & Beaujolais
, Nov 2018
Vacqueyras enjoyed virtually flawless growing seasons in 2016 and 2015 and its producers responded by making wines of consistently high quality. While prices have been steadily rising for current releases from neighboring Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas, pricing for Vacqueyras wines has mostly been holding steady, which is terrific news for wine lovers.
Cellar Favorite: 2002 Luciano Sandrone Nebbiolo d’Alba Valmaggiore
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Piedmont, Italy: Piedmont
, Nov 2018
Through severe cropping and selection, Sandrone made a Valmaggiore in 2002 that is truly eye opening.
Vinous Table: Arbor, Hong Kong
Vinous Table
, Oct 2018
Over the years, I have got to know Hong Kong well and made many friends within its thriving wine scene. And it’s a wine scene like no other. Weekly mouthwatering dinners, verticals and winemaker-tutored retrospectives create an almost frenzied atmosphere on libation, only possible here where there is such a concentration of collectors within a 15-minute drive of each other.
Focus on Washington: The New Normal
featured, United States: Washington
, Nov 2018
Washington has experienced an unbroken succession of six very warm to hot years, but by now the state’s most serious growers and winemakers have proven that they can stand the heat. While there are underperformers in Washington, at the level of the better wineries quality has never been higher than it is today.
Blind Vision: 2015 Burgundy Red & White
featured, France: Burgundy
, Nov 2018
Bordeaux is a dog. A dog will always fetch the stick or come to heel. Dogs are predictable. But a cat? You never know what a cat might be up to at any given moment—licking its paws or catching mice. Cats are as unpredictable as opening a bottle of Burgundy. You never know what to expect until you pull the cork. Burgundy is a cat….
Cellar Favorite: 1942 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg “Vigne Originelle Française”
cellar favorite, France: Burgundy
, Nov 2018
The magical properties of the time-buckling 1942 Richebourg Vigne Originelle Française Non Reconstitutée defy the laws of mature Pinot Noir. Over the course of 90 minutes, the wine gains substance from the ether.
Vinous Table: Arpège, Paris, France
France, Vinous Table
, Nov 2018
Arpège is one of the world’s best-known restaurants, a temple of high gastronomy where foodies flock to share in chef Alain Passard’s unique ability to turn vegetables (but not only vegetables) into the stars of a memorable meal.
2014 Barolo: Late Releases
featured, Piedmont, Italy: Piedmont
, Nov 2018
The 2014 Barolo vintage offers readers plenty of intriguing options, although a little work is required to cull out the gems and avoid wines that were affected by a growing season with some of the most challenging conditions in recent memory. In a few cases, growers decided not to bottle some or all of their top single-vineyard wines, making a number of the entry-level Barolos particularly compelling. I remain just as excited by the top 2014 Barolos as I was when I first started tasting the wines in November of that year.