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Ojai John Sebastiano Vineyard Grenache, 2018
Breathtakingly good. The best North American Grenache we’ve ever had the privilege to drink. To sip. To take deep, deep pleasure in. After a “dry-ish” January we splurged. Gorgeous maraschino cherry with a nutty sharp turn towards licorice, clove and pepper. Elegant notes the way you catch a sweet scent passing a florist. Both forward […]
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Envinate Palo Blanco, 2018
Woodsy, walk in the dewy woods, if you will, dampness and pungent, sour, acidic, and heavy, like an earthen pot; and look at the glass, that mellow amber hue. This is the Yin to, say, an ethereal Alsace white Yang. And it is novel; pretty much unlike any white you’ll have in the cellar. I […]
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Chateau Gaillard Clos de Mez Morgon, 2017
Heaven. I repeat: Heaven. We splurged for an Easter weekend red, something meat and vegan friendly, and this was the ultimate. So bold and striking, a great big gob of fruity juiciness with these niche floral notes floating through like motifs, great balance, terrific finish. And we finished it, in a flash. Rarely do we […]
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Artuke Finca de los Locos, 2018
The biggest disappointment of 2021 so far. Wow. Just not good. Maybe it was the Wine Advocate’s 93 points, and, therefore, some latent expectation the wine could never meet. Or maybe it was the cost, and the resentment that comes with paying too much for wine in BC in general. But really, I think it […]
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Artuke Pies Negro, 2018 & Artuke Tinto, 2019
This is a case where the “better” wine was not as good as the “value” wine. (At least according to the Wine Spectator, which gave the PN 93 points and the Tinto 90.) Let me explain: The Pies Negro is a curious bottle. It evolved with air, it shifted from an aggressive, acid heavy fruitiness, […]
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2020 Wine of the Year: Domaine Huet Le Haut-Lieu Sec Vouvray, 2015
From the cellar: Hands down the best wine we drank in 2020. Wow. Words simply aren’t necessary. As a tradition, we open a bottle of Vouvray sometime in December, celebratory style. Usually it’s a demi-sec, and more often than not it’s Huet. The Wine Advocate gave this 2015 a comfortable 93 points, and in some […]
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Saint-Damien Plan de Dieu Côtes-du-Rhône Villages, 2018
It might be a CDR villages, but it’s old vines CDR villages, and it shows. Big time. A spectacular “common” red. To find a wine in BC around $30 that has this much finesse without dripping in oak or insipidly acidic, is a treat. Amen to Côtes-du-Rhône. Grenache and Mourvèdre get married, the former […]
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Chateau La Tour Blanche, Sauternes, 2009
From the cellar: No thesaurus has the language to describe this luscious dessert sipper: Stupendous. Ludicrously good. Layer upon layer upon layer of flavours. Ethereal; the proverbial nectar from the gods. Can you hear my lips smacking? The palate is a veritable wine fractal: Peach. Apple. Pear. Almond. Some cedar shavings. Tangerine. That might […]
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Domaine de la Baume Elite D’or Chardonnay, 2015
Just wrong. It smells like Australian Chardonnay from the cask. It drinks like inexpensive over-oaked California Chardonnay. And then it disappears on the palate. The heft of the bottle weight, the adornment of points from the WA, and the golden hue of the wine, lean towards something substantial, but like candy floss, while it looks […]
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Il Grigio da San Felice, Chianti Classico, Riserva 2009
From the cellar: The Wine Advocate came out with a 93+ points rating for the 2009 Il Grigio (in 2013). We bought six bottles. I have rarely been more in accord with (what I call) The Robert Parkers. The only regret is that six was far too few. We drank our next to last […]