New in the US this year, Lanson’s brut rosé is an elegant example of a champagne that more than fulfills its promise. Pale salmon in color, with very small bubbles. The barest hint of rose-petals with light yeast on the nose. A bone dry, beautifully balanced wine. Some raspberry, and
This white wine made with organic grapes you’ve probably never heard of is a great find at a great price. Beginning with a combination of green apple blossoms and herbs, it’s at first reminiscent of a fruity Sauvignon Blanc. But on the palate it has more mild, rounded flavors, as
Arriving at night at an airport at the end of a journey, sometimes it’s hard to realize how remote a location you’re in until you start driving around the next day. This is what happened to me when I landed in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, a few weeks ago.
In a half-bottle, this wine is a no-brainer for a two-person barbecue. It has notes of strawberry and a very light touch of pepper in the aroma, both of which continue on the palate. The body is somewhat light for a zinfandel, but there are some tannins to balance the
This is the grassy, herbal side of chardonnay in aroma and flavor, though it does turn more leanly mineral on the palate. When the wine was a bit warm, I detected a hint of a metallic taste on the end-palate and in finish, which mostly recedes into some citrus in
When I was in the French region of Armagnac in December, everyone was all excited about selling Armagnac in China. As well they should be. While Armagnac is a beautiful, tawny, aromatic spirit with a long tradition, in recent decades it has fallen far below Cognac in world recognition, consequently
Five clones of estate-grown syrah are blended together to produce a wine full of nice, tarry fruit. Balanced by good acidity, this wine is hearty from nose through palate to finish. Yet it has a touch of florals throughout as well, which add both a hint of delicacy and another
Cows and sheep trekking down from the mountains have nothing to do with the “Transhumance” name of the wine; instead it’s the winemaker himself who makes the journey from the Northern Rhone down to the Languedoc region in the south of France. There, he has produced an earthy, smoky, syrah-based