Becky Sue Epstein

The Approachable Juggernaut Wine: 2015 Juggernaut Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon

April 17, 2019

At the risk of sounding like a Captain Obvious, this is a juggernaut of a bottle: it’s taller, broader, and much heavier than the average wine bottle today, which lends the wine a certain feel of grandeur. In f...

Does this wine remind you of Sting? There’s a reason: 2016 “When We Dance” Chianti DOCG

Becky Sue Epstein

April 11, 2019

Tasting Notes

This is the wine that opened the mind of a white-wine-lover to red wines. (Go, Oliver!) From the beginning, he noticed it was a lighter color, and less likely to hit him over the head with the first sip. Wha...

Character without Attitude: 2016 Matchbook Estate-Bottled Petite Sirah

Becky Sue Epstein

March 20, 2019

Tasting Notes

So this French Canadian family moves from Quebec to California’s Central Valley over 150 years ago, in search of better land to farm. Fast forward to the 1970s when two brothers (descendants) come home from col...

NV Piper Sonoma Select Cuvée Brut

Becky Sue Epstein

March 6, 2019

Tasting Notes

While it’s always best to drink non-vintage sparkling wines within a year or two of release, I have a feeling this bottle was lost on a store shelf somewhere before I bought it – but it turned out to be wonderf...

Somm + Chef + Sweet Wine = More Fun. And A Cocktail

Becky Sue Epstein

March 1, 2019

Features

Somms are moving sweet wines all around the menu, from cocktails and classic first course pairings to refreshing intermezzo moments.

2017 Campi Flegrei Falanghina

Becky Sue Epstein

January 9, 2019

Tasting Notes

Delicate yet rich. On the nose there’s a slight flintiness but there’s also a delicate hint of tropical fruit which becomes more real and sweeter on the palate. A slight viscosity apparent in the mouth makes th...

2016 Colori Pecorino

Becky Sue Epstein

January 7, 2019

Tasting Notes

A wine with an extra dimension. Made with organic grapes, it starts out feeling almost oxidized, but this is typical of pecorino, whether or not it has been macerated on the skins for a while. This grape has an...

2014 Chateau du Seuil, AOC Cerons

Becky Sue Epstein

December 20, 2018

Tasting Notes

2014 Chateau du Seuil, AOC Cerons A golden-tan wine that’s perfect with seasonal desserts. It has the bright apricot nose of a classic Sauternes or Barsac – being located adjacent to these ultra high-end des...

Best of 2015: The Oregon Chardonnay Clone Wars

Embracing the Obscure with Slow Wine USA

Finding Destiny, Love…And Wine

Book Review: Ritz & Escoffier – The Hotelier, The Chef & The Rise of the Leisure Class

2006 Bennett Lane Maximus

Kin’s Quest for Booze-Free Euphoria

The Approachable Juggernaut Wine: 2015 Juggernaut Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon

Does this wine remind you of Sting? There’s a reason: 2016 “When We Dance” Chianti DOCG

Nikka Coffey Malt Whisky

Lone rider Sherry Cask Finish Bourbon

Character without Attitude: 2016 Matchbook Estate-Bottled Petite Sirah