This is a wine that falls in the not-exactly-cheap-but-pretty-darn-good category. It comes from Ponzi Vineyards in Willamette Valley, Oregon. Ponzi is a family-owned producer that was founded back in 1970. They have 120 acres of LIVE Certified Sustainable vineyards in Northern Willamette Valley, a cool-climate wine region—perfect for pinot noir. The winemaker at Ponzi is Luisa […]
It was just earlier this year that I posted a review of the 2010 Casillero del Diablo merlot and now we’re on to the 2011. Although it seems that I could taste a different wine every day of my life and never run out of new wines, I do like to revisit wines I’ve tasted […]
Meritage, pronounced like “heritage” with an M, is a name for Bordeaux-style blends that come from regions other than Bordeaux. This one comes from Robert Mondavi Private Selection. I think it’s a safe assumption for me to figure that you’ve heard of Robert Mondavi. The company has a number of different tiers in their wine […]
I’m starting to sound like a broken record when I say that Chile is a great region for good wine values. I say this realizing that some readers under 30 may not know what the “broken record” analogy means. This makes the generation gap painfully obvious to me. A little side story about generation gaps… […]
I’m a big fan of sangiovese, but I’m also a little prejudiced with a preference toward Italian sangiovese. I particularly like sangiovese via Brunello di Montalcino (which usually doesn’t qualify as a “cheap” wine). I don’t rule out the possibility that other regions can do good things with sangiovese, but Italy has much more experience […]
In America, we love to celebrate entrepreneurs. Our modern day heroes are people who start businesses in their garages and transform them into successful enterprises. But not all of those garage-bound creators are technology nerds. There are plenty of stories in the wine industry of producers who just started making wine in their garage or […]
This is a wine that doesn’t have a lot of back story. It doesn’t come from a small, artisanal family vineyard that’s been passed down from generation to generation. There isn’t a Grove Ridge vineyard that you can visit. It’s produced by the fourth-largest wine producer in the US, Bronco Wine Company. Bronco Wine Company […]
I was scrolling through the posts on this site the other day and I realized that I’ve been neglecting some of our audience. I noticed that the focus of most of my posts was gravitating toward the rare gems, wines that may be a little difficult to track down — but of course very interesting […]
Some wine producers believe that music is good for the vines and helps to create better wine. DeMorgenzon in Stellenbosch, South Africa is one of those believers. They play baroque music 24 hours a day in their vineyards. They do so to, as they say, “positively influence the ripening process.” I don’t know if it’s […]
In my last review, I shared the Franciscan Estate Napa Valley Chardonnay. Tonight, I move on to their Cabernet Sauvignon. The suggested retail price of this wine is slightly above our typical target, at $28. But it’s a darn good wine and shopping around you may find it as low as $21 at some places, […]
