Feb 21, 2012
When it comes to wine appreciation, so little, perhaps nothing, is set in stone. This is true for the simple reason that no two brains are alike. The brain, that focal point for interpreting and translating what flows over our taste buds, is as unique as a fingerprint. This was brought home once again upon drinking an oldish Sauterne the other night. The 1981 Rieussec is the product of a vintage in that French region that ranks for many as…
Feb 16, 2012
I love Pinot Noir events primarily because I love Pinot Noir. There is something about the Pinot producer too that sets them apart from other winemakers. There is an arrogance I like. Maybe it comes from them working with one of the more difficult grapes to control. Maybe it's because there seems to be an additional air of intellectualism behind the grape. It's often more subtle and it takes a keener vocabulary and sharper set of senses to really wrap…
Jan 23, 2012
I'm looking forward to reading the interview with Giuseppe Mascoli in the February issue of Drinks Business just so I can see how demeaning he can be and to determine how far out of the intellectual fringe he can sit when talking about "Natural Wine". In a story on Drinks Business that previewed the interview with Mr. Mascoli of Aubert & Mascoli we learn a number of things: 1. Non Natural wines will make you ill and cause you to…
Dec 5, 2011
It's one thing to publish a Top 10 or Top 100 list of your favorite individual wines of the year. My hat is off to those who can determine such detailed conclusions. It's another thing to list one's Top 10 Wine Types of the year. This is merely a matter of determining what category of wines most pleased during the year. I prefer this later approach as it relieves me from having to mention individual wines and it's a far…
Nov 7, 2011
In an earlier post concerning the Pinot On the River event in Healdsburg last month, I made note of the fact that the 2009 California Pinot Noirs are generally considered great wines. I quoted Jim Laube of the Wine Spectator who wrote, "There is no such thing as a perfect vintage, but 2009 comes close to nirvana for California Pinot Noir," and noted that an amazing 55% of the 2009 California Pinots rated by the Wine Spectator received 90 points…