A wine as dark as India ink. An alcoholic nose (15.2%) with lots of intriguing aromas of anise, dark chocolate, and blackberries. Somewhat tannic, but the fruit comes around; just seems to take longer to emerge. Some black coffee and-read more-
Before we began the day with our formal tasting, we all trooped over to Château Cheval Blanc. It was, as usual, a media circus with the top wine critics from around the world shooting interviews with each other and with-read more-
Becky Sue Epstein is back in Bordeaux, for the annual en primeur tastings. She continues her live coverage from France here. On the second day of the quest for 2010 bordeaux, we all headed over to taste the wines of-read more-
Citrus and a touch of caramel, a bit of toast and a nice, open aromatic profile characterize this barrel-fermented Chardonnay. It is immediately pleasant but could round out nicely over a few years in the cellar. Québec-born Guy Lamothe has-read more-
Found this 2005 forgotten in the basement and brought it up for dinner tonight. What a great surprise! It was a bit warm but I twisted open the screwcap and sweet grass and herbs wafted out. The aromas persisted upon-read more-
Becky Sue Epstein is back in Bordeaux, for the annual en primeur tastings. She continues her live coverage from France here. It has begun. The criss-crossing of Bordeaux by hundreds of journalists and thousands of buyers, swirling, sniffing, sipping and-read more-
Gianni Zonin, who likes to bill himself as “the biggest winegrower in Italy,” has 11 estates—10 in Italy and one in the U.S., in Barboursville, VA, not far from where that great oenophile Thomas Jefferson cultivated vines. Barboursville’s Octagon is-read more-
There’s a fair bit of oak in this premium bottling from this producer in Oliver, British Columbia, but it integrates rather nicely in a supple and ripe cabernet with fine tannins and just the tiniest herbal touch to give it-read more-