Wine Reviews

Article: Favorite Tastes from #Cabernet Day

Here's a summary of the better Cabernet's I tasted during #Cabernet Day last Thursday.

Article: Warming up for #Cabernet Day with a Big Bordeaux Tasting

I’ll admit that it was a bit of a coincidence that I put together a big tasting of red Bordeaux yesterday, just two days before #Cabernet day. But, it was great timing nonetheless. T...

Article: Highlights from the Family Winemakers Tasting, San Francisco 2010

The Family Winemakers of California held their annual San Francisco tasting...

Article: 2007 Napa Cellars Merlot Napa Valley

Napa Cellars is known for reliable, affordably-priced wines from Napa Valley grapes. Sourcing the fruit from a variety of vineyards...

Article: The 2010 Cabernet Shootout

This past Saturday, I served as a judge in the California finals of the 2010 Cabernet Shootout. Organized by

Article: 2006 Staglin Family Vineyard Estate Chardonnay, Rutherford, Napa Valley

Many of the wineries in the central and northern AVAs of Napa Valley choose to focus their estate vineyards on red wines and Sauvignon Blanc. They typically source their Chardonnay grapes from vineyards in Carneros and sometimes the Sonoma Coast....

Article: Two Very Good, But Very Different, Bottles of Merlot

The appearance of the 2007 Rubicon Estate Merlot foreshadows its character. Ruby in color but completely opaque, it is a very rich Merlot with seductive aromas of...

Article: 2008 Tor Rock Grenache-Syrah Hommage Allan

I recently received a new-release offer email from Tor Kenward Family Wines. I found the description of their 2008 Tor...

Article: Matthew Stamp of The French Laundry Wins Top Sommelier Award

After grueling qualifying and regional competitions, the 2010 TOP|SOMM...

Article: Solving a Food and Wine Pairing Puzzle at Tadich Grill

Finding a good wine pairing for cioppino is a challenge. Cioppino is essentially a stew made with tomatoes, wine and all kinds of seafood — but always a lot of shellfish. There’s usu...

Article: Avoiding Hometown Palate aka Throwing a Dinner Party

When Grand Prix motorcycle racers crash and go sliding down the track on their back, they have to be very careful when standing up. Their brain has become accustomed to the high speeds of...

Article: 2007 Wente Pinot Noir Reliz Creek Arroyo Seco

Wente Vineyards is known primarily for its Livermore Valley winery and vineyards. However, they have held vineyards in Monterey County for decades. The vast majority of...

Article: 1986 Ridge Petite Sirah Essence California

When you think of Ridge wine, you probably think of either their balanced and flavorful Zinfandel-based wines or their iconic Bordeaux-inspired Monte Bello red blends. Perhaps...

Article: 2006 Robert Mondavi Winery Sauvignon Blanc I Block, To Kalon Vineyard Oakville, Napa Valley

The To Kalon Vineyard in Napa Valley’s Oakville District was established shortly after the end of the American Civil War. H.W. Crabb, an Ohio native who had come west to mine for gold but switched to farming after 6 months, bought land there in 1...

Article: 2005 Tayerle Troubador

Tayerle is a small wine brand which sources grapes and then makes the wines at facilities in Oakland, Paso Robles and Sonoma. Founder Loren Tayerle has worked on the...

Article: Top Wines from the 2010 Pinot Days Grand Tasting

The 2010 Pinot Days Grand Tasting was held on June 27 at Fort Mason in San Francisco. More than 212 wineries were on hand pouring their Pinot Noir wines. I would be surprised if there were...

Article: Wine Ratings vs Wine Value

In a comment on one of my

Article: 2006 Alpen Cellars Pinot Noir Trinity County

If Heidi moved to the U.S. to...

Article: Free Samples, Blah, Blah, Blog

There seems to be another brouhaha brewing about whether or not wine writers should accept free wine samples and what effect said samples have on the subsequent reviews. Some argue...

Article: 95 Points Are the New 90 in Bordeaux

In a