From the category archives:

Wine Reviews

Wine of the Week: 2008 August Kesseler Spätburgunder Pinot N (Rheinhessen)

11 January 2012

Occasionally, I find a wine that is so surprisingly good that I am blown away.  The 2008 August Kesseler Spätburgunder Pinot N is one such wine.
The color is garnet that is starting to turn a bit brownish. The nose and palate have ripe strawberry and blackberry, spice, brambly, and just enough mushroom and black tea [...]

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Wine Review: 2006 Viñas de Luján Las Loicas Cabernet Sauvignon (100% Organic)

10 January 2012

I am not a big fan of rustic wines that conjure images of horses, hay, and barnyards, and I have wondered if perhaps I lack the patience or the palate for such wines. Upon opening, Las Loicas Cabernet Sauvignon reminded me of being down on the farm. Not all that long ago many Argentine wines [...]

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Seeking a Party Pleaser: Beaujolais Cru versus Barbera d’Alba

9 January 2012

In the continuing search for a perfect wine for a dinner for 500 guests, my colleagues and I tried two wines in a lighter style: the 2010 Jean-Marc Burgaud Régnié “Vallières” Beaujolais Cru and the 2009 Giacomo Ascheri Barbera d’Alba Vigna Fontanelle.  We were split between these two options, both of which we liked a [...]

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Wine Review: 2009 Chateau de La Chaize Brouilly, Beaujolais Cru

6 January 2012

The Chateau de La Chaize from Beaujolais’s Brouilly appellation hails from the famed 2009 vintage. It is a semi-finalist for the red wine to be served at the dinner I mentioned in my previous post. My fellow tasters and I liked that it is tasty, interesting, and fresh, with neither tannins nor acidity overly asserting [...]

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Wine Review: 2010 Domaine Vigneau-Chevreau Vouvray

5 January 2012

Last February I reviewed one of my favorite wines in the under $20 price range: Domaine Vigneau-Chevreau Vouvray. It was from the 2007 vintage and I found the “wine’s richness, purity, and delicious…hard to resist.” I am currently in the process of selecting wine for a 500-person event at my “day job” and the 2010 [...]

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Wine of the Week: 2009 Franz Keller Pinot Noir (Baden, Germany)

4 January 2012

To make good on two of my wine resolutions for 2012 – to drink lighter wines and more German wines, particularly reds – I made my first wine of the new year a Franz Keller Pinot Noir. The wine comes from the Baden region in southwest Germany. Despite being the warmest winegrowing region in the [...]

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Wine Review: 2009 Weingut Josef Leitz “Leitz Out” Riesling (Rheingau, Germany)

18 December 2011

Another clever wine name from winemaker Johannes Leitz of Weingut Josef Leitz.  His “Eins, Zwei, Dry” Riesling, which I reviewed earlier this year, was one of my favorite wines this year. Whereas the “Eins, Zwei, Dry” was dominated by apple and citrus, “Leitz Out” has lots of stone fruit – imagine ripe peaches and nectarines [...]

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Sauerbraten: An Impossible Dish to Match with Wine?

12 December 2011

Not impossible at all!
When my mother told me that for Sunday dinner she would be making Sauerbraten with dumplings, one of my favorite German dishes, I knew I would have to dig deep in the cellar to find the perfect white wine. In the past, my choice of white wine has raised eyebrows in my [...]

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Wine of the Week: 2008 Magnificent Wine Company “The Originals” Syrah (Columbia Valley, Washington)

7 December 2011

The simple but bold black and white label clearly identifies The Originals Syrah as part of the Magnificent Wine Company’s family of wines. You may not be particularly familiar with Magnificent, but I’m certain that you would recognize their “House Wines.” Founded by rocking winemaker Charles Smith, the Magnificent Wine Company is now owned and [...]

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A Ninety Plus Thanksgiving

30 November 2011

To my delight, Thanksgiving started a couple of days early with the arrival of a gift of samples from 90+Cellars, showcasing their latest bottlings. It is hard for me to resist trying a new wine, so they were immediately designated the wines for Thanksgiving dinner. Both were a huge hit, particularly with my mother. She [...]

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