Italy’s Ace in the Hole: Marche
Italy: Center & South, featured
, Oct 2021
Marche is a land of pleasures and values, bursting with wines packed with potential just waiting to be realized. The last three vintages offer readers a plentitude of exciting wines from the dueling regions within Verdicchio, but also some irresistible reds from Central Italy’s Adriatic coast. The question isn’t if these wines will be discovered, it’s when they’ll be discovered.
Cellar Favorite: Domaines Delon: Recent Cellar Releases
France: Bordeaux, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Oct 2021
There is a growing trend for châteaux to keep a proportion of their stock for late releases, the two most notable being Palmer and Léoville Las-Cases. I recently tasted vintages of 2011 from Jean-Hubert Delon’s stable.
Stand and Deliver: 2001 Sauternes
France: Bordeaux, featured
, Sep 2021
The 2001 Sauternes were hailed on release. But at 20 years of age, do they match the hype? This report answers that question and like Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, poses more.
Everyday Piedmont, Part 1
Italy: Piedmont, featured
, Sep 2021
Piedmont has so much to offer the curious wine lover. Barolo and Barbaresco are now firmly established among the world’s greatest reds. Alto Piemonte has made huge strides in recent years. But there is so much more to Piedmont beyond those famous appellations and wines. In the hands of the best growers, Dolcetto, Barbera, Langhe Nebbiolo and Piedmont’s other reds and whites deliver the same qualities that have made the region’s top bottlings so coveted. These are artisan wines from family-run domaines that convey a sense of place.
Cellar Favorite: 2006 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape
France: Rhône & Beaujolais, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Sep 2021
It isn’t too often that a Cellar Favorite is also a currently available library release. That’s the case with the gorgeous 2006 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a wine that I marginally underrated when I tasted it from barrel in November 2008 and then in bottle a year after that.
Vinous Table: Chizuru Tei, Edinburgh, Scotland
Vinous Table, United Kingdom
, Sep 2021
Chizuru Tei has one raison d’être: to serve the best Japanese food possible. I cannot return soon enough.
Looking Backward/Looking Forward: 2000 vs 2001 Bordeaux
France: Bordeaux, featured
, Sep 2021
Debate about whether Bordeaux 2000 is superior to 2001, or vice versa, has simmered since the wines were in barrel. So, this past June I visited many major châteaux to compare the two vintages side-by-side. What I found was that 12 months apart, the two vintages represent the end of one era and the beginning of another.
Chianti Classico and Beyond – 2018 & 2019
Italy: Tuscany, featured
, Sep 2021
I was thrilled to get back to Chianti Classico this past summer. It was my first tasting trip to Italy in two years. Much has changed, for obvious reasons, but some things haven’t, chief among them my long-held belief that these are some of the greatest sites in the world.
Cellar Favorite: 2001 Armando Parusso Barolo Bussia
Italy: Piedmont, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Sep 2021
I pulled the 2001 Barolo Bussia from the cellar while thinking back to a dinner with Marco Parusso at one of New York City’s long-lost, great establishments, La Pizza Fresca, back when I worked for a major retailer. That was the first time I was fully introduced to the Parusso style, and the first time I had the opportunity to taste the 2001 among a larger lineup of wines that were there for sale.
Vinous Table: Divino Enoteca, Edinburgh, Scotland
Vinous Table, United Kingdom
, Sep 2021
While on vacation in Edinburgh I wanted to check out a restaurant focused on wine, so I booked a table at Divino Enoteca.