Veuve A. Devaux Cuvée Rosée Brut NV
Tasted while visiting Devaux, in the Côte de Bar—the house itself, an historic building just off the bank of the river Seine. Thier non-vintage Cuvée Rosée is tutu pink, with a fine bead it offers a pretty sensor arc of rose petals, anise, red berries and pastille mints. Fresh and convivial on the palate, it’s […]
Coyote Canyon Vineyard H/H Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Big John 2010
Coyote Canyon’s H/H Estate ‘Big John Cab’ Reserve 2010 is garnet-hued at this stage in its life, sporting notes of black cherry, crème de cassis, subtle spice, and dried mint. Satiny smooth on entry with polished tannins and moderate concentration. Black and red fruit nestled at the center, along with a touch of vanilla. Drink […]
Research and Resilience at High Altitude
What one Argentine winery is doing to combat climate change. Climate change is everywhere, according to Dr. Laura Catena, and tackling these problems is a race, “We need to look at life at all levels, using science to preserve nature and culture, and we don’t have much time.” I recently had the opportunity to talk […]
Wilfred Wong’s Pho
A few months ago, a friend from Sweden sent me a recipe for cardamom buns. He’d come across my review of Pierre Peters Blanc de Blancs 2005, where I wrote, “My ex-mother-in-law made Swedish bread every year at Christmas. This brought all of it back; the yeast, cardamom, and toasted almonds.” Having used Vivino since […]
Château Saint-Cyrgues Costières-De-Nîmes 2015
Nice value to be had in this bottle, the 2015 Château Saint-Cyrgues Costières-De-Nîmes offers up a bouquet of violets, perhaps even a hint of dried rose petal. Following this perfumed floral bloom are plums, bramble berries, soil and dried moss, lilting clove and allspice notes. This is a lighter red, with a palate is soft […]
Château de Roquefort Côtes de Provence Grêle 2012
Château de Roquefort Côtes de Provence Grêle” width=”200″ height=”200″ /></a>A Provençal red, the 2012 Château de Roquefort Gréle No. 2 reveals black olive tapenade, Garrigue, black licorice, fresh potting soil. smoky black tea and pen ink as it slowly unspools. Round in the mouth and expressive, though not as full bodied or as intense as […]
Q&A Label Series One No 12 Of 12 Red NV
Ron Rubin Winery’s Q&A Label Series One No 12 Of 12 is bright ruby in the glass with violet reflexes, and offers primary fruit on the nose. Mostly raspberry, red cherry, anise, and vanilla with touch of spice. It’s a medium-bodied [undisclosed] blend, with soft, ripe tannins—toast, if any, is scarcely discernible as texture. Moderate […]
Louis M. Martini Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
The profile of the 2012 Louis M. Martini Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is consistent with the profile of the 2013 I reviewed last spring—how did I manage to get the vintages out of order? No matter, these are wines with great aging potential, they can be squirreled away for a decade or more. Black currants, […]
Brooks Runaway Red Pinot Noir 2013
According to winemaker, Chris Williams, Runaway Red is the first Pinot Noir the winery blends each season. This is also Brooks’ entry level label, priced at $23.00, it’s soft and accessible with an entirely red-fruited profile. Rhubarb, strawberries, pie cherries and a delicate floral note lead into a wine that is acid driven and lightly […]
Frei Brothers Reserve Chardonnay 2014
A nice value Chardonnay from the River Valley Russian, Frei Brothers 2014 Reserve is medium lemon yellow in the glass with a leaning towards tropical-papaya, ripe pear, buttered scone and baked apple tartin. The attack is round and full with moderate toast squarely at the mid-palate. A short shorts that adorned with toast and pencil […]