2015 Torres Sangre de Toro, Catalonia ($9): This old favorite red wine from Spain once was blended and based on Grenache. It has always been a great value. It’s relatively rare when such a wine gets better and better, but this particular vintage of T… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back … Continue reading “Bargain of the Week”
Volume XXIII – Issue 13
On ‘Greatness’
By Dan Berger If you were to truly dissect the 100-point scoring schema, the most popular way of describing various wines’ quality levels, it quickly becomes clear that you’d run into some particularly nasty paradoxes. Any one of these could ea… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back – you may login … Continue reading “On ‘Greatness’”
Argyle on the Rise
Oregon’s Argyle Vineyards has been one of the state’s best with winemaker Rollin Soles as its style-setter and craftsman. In the last year, several new releases have begun to show how Soles’ vision is being carried out by his hand-picked successor… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back – you may login … Continue reading “Argyle on the Rise”
From the Unpublished Memoirs of Robert Lawrence Balzer
From 1961 Once in a blue moon, one encounters a golden wine from California that approaches the pulse-quickening majesty of the great French Montrachet. Ken Hansen, the taciturn Boniface of the famed Scandia Restaurant in Los Angeles, approached m… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back – you may login here. If you … Continue reading “From the Unpublished Memoirs of Robert Lawrence Balzer”
Bargain Alert
‘Green Beans’ on Sale Some Grocery Outlet stores are carrying two closeout wines that are excellent values worth trying—especially if you don’t mind a bit of green! If you like either one or both, they are worth stocking up on. –2015 Trinity H… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back – you may … Continue reading “Bargain Alert”
Important Notes
Avoid this Wine When you see the appellation Côtes de Provence on a rosé, you have a right to assume that the wine will be dry or at least off-dry. I rarely see sweet Côtes de Provence Rosé and when I have, the wine often is bad value. The wine… Want to read more? If … Continue reading “Important Notes”
Wine of the Week
2016 Eberle Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, “Vineyard Selection” ($24): it seems like I am forever seeking Cabernet Sauvignons that smell like the grape and deliver some of the structure I believe is necessary for it to work with food. Many high-fal… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back – you may login … Continue reading “Wine of the Week”
Tasting Notes
Exceptional 2015 Argyle Nuthouse Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills ($50): Stylishly balanced and fairly delicate in some ways, the fruit of this wine is a surprise since the color is lighter than most people usually see. The wine itself has excellent P… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back – you may login … Continue reading “Tasting Notes”