The wine world is paying close attention to Colchagua Valley. Topographically and geographically, it’s quite similar to Napa in many respects. Many fine producers have, and continue to emerge from this growing region. Recently we had an opportunity to taste an example from Colchagua – Calcu’s 2008 red blend. Calcu (Magician in the native Mapuche […]
In days past there was a regular monthly occurrence called “Wine Blogging Wednesday” when wine bloggers from around the world would all write about a common theme. There was also a “host” to the event who would write up a summary of all the participants so that you could go to one place to find all the […]
Alright, I’m going back to a theme we had going last week… checking out new vintages of wines we’ve previously reviewed. Last year we checked out the 2008 Apothic Red and it was a very interesting wine, so we were glad to be able to revisit it with the 2009 vintage, which we like even […]
Pinot Grigio gets a bad wrap. And I think I’m partially to blame. Having run an Italian restaurant with a very comprehensive wine list, I was compelled to offer a pinot grigio (or even two) on our list. But, man it was hard. Pinot grigio is, in all honesty, my least favorite wine on the […]
Since the last review we did was an updated vintage of a wine we’d previously reviewed, I thought we would continue that trend this week with another. Not too long ago we reviewed the 2009 Peñalolen Sauvignon Blanc and we’re already checking out the 2010 vintage of this wine. How can that be? A 2010 […]
About a year ago we reviewed the 2007 Tercos Bonarda and now we’re checking out the 2008 vintage of this wine. If you’re not familiar with bonarda, you should introduce yourself. It’s one of the most grown varieties in Argentina. It’s an interesting wine with good complexity and medium structure. This variety is also known […]
This is the second time we’ve reviewed Clif’s The Climber Red Blend. The 2006 version we reviewed was comprised of the same 5 varietals (zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, merlot and petite syrah); however, in similar fashion to how Clif’s winemakers have managed The Climber white, they’ve made some significant changes to the percentages. In the […]
One of the highlights of my trip to Austria this past fall was the grüner veltliner (pronounced GROO-nah velt-LEE-nah, with your best Germanic accent). We traveled up the Danube river one day and tasted grüner veltliner from the Wachau and Wagram regions, which are beautiful areas with terraced vineyards along the shores of the Danube. […]
This is an intriguing wine. It’s classified as a Sauvignon Blanc, and at 80% of the blend, that is technically accurate. But Clif’s winemakers, Sarah Gott and Bruce Regalia blend in 4 additional varietals to create a wine that offers layers, complexity, and distinction. Those expecting typical sauvignon blanc characteristics won’t be disappointed, but The […]
Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to have tasted many barrel samples with some really experienced winemakers. With almost every visit I’ve gained some valuable perspective to help me identify what wines are revealing, and more importantly what they have the potential to reveal. Sampling the Jacob’s Creek brought me back to one tasting […]
