Page 17 - Blog

Robert Parker announced his retirement from The Wine Advocate last week, marking the end of a 40 year career. What does this mean for the fine wine business?

Today, it's easy to forget just how big Parker's contributions to both the wine consumer and the wine industry really were, but let's look back to 1978 when it all began. 

1) Parker created the 100 point rating system, which was revolutionary, and with it, increased global interest in wine.

2) Parker was the first critic to expand upon Emile Peynaud's "The Taste of Wine: The Art and Science of Wine Appreciation" in a way that gave depth, clarity and life to wine reviews in a way that increased overall interest and access to learning about wine for the general public.

3) He was the first to do a non-advertising based, unbiased subscription model that followed his Ralph Nader like zeal to out corruption and give

Our team recently traveled to Bordeaux for the 2018 En Primeur campaign and spent days tasting barrel samples at many top chateaux. They tasted over 100 wines on both the Left Bank and Right Bank and reported back with the following information:

Team 1:

2018 was an unusual vintage to say the least. The entire region experienced an unprecedented amount of rainfall through the spring months until mid-July. The rain caused headaches for many producers as they fought diligently to protect their vines from mildew. Several chateaux lost a significant portion of their crop to mildew causing overall production numbers to be historically low. It was a very odd feeling to walk through the barrel rooms of Pontet Canet and Palmer and see the cellars nearly empty.

But after the rains stopped in July, the region experienced very even temperatures and very little rain through the end of the summer, which allowed the remaining

Nothing goes better together than wine and cheese, but not every cheese pairs with every wine. Impress your friends at your next get together by doing the perfect cheese and wine spread.

Pairing Tips:

Always taste the wine before you taste the cheese. Cheese has a much bigger impact on the flavors and aromas in wine than the other way around.

You want to make sure the texture of the cheese and the wine are compatible. If the cheese is heavy, it is less likely to go with a light wine since the wine will get overpowered by the strong cheese.

Hard cheeses, like cheddar, go best with oaky wines.

Note on soft cheeses, like Brie, the rind can affect the taste of the wine. Try tasting with and without the rind to see if you enjoy one more than the other.

Avoid salty cheeses all together as it can clash too harshly with the wine.

In order to get the full flavors from cheese and white wines, the cheese should be served at room temperature

Searching for exciting quality wines that are also affordable? We're your source to not only the most sought-after, rare wines on the planet, we're also equally passionate about discovering inexpensive gems that still taste like the world's greatest wines. Below, we’re sharing seven wines that you need to have on your wine list for spring and summer, and the best part is that they’re all under $25!

2018 D'Esclans Whispering Angel Rose - Kick off spring and summer with this seasonal favorite, Whispering Angel Rosé! The new 2018 vintage just checked into stock and will sell out quickly. It has a beautiful, pale pink color with a crisp and pure finish that exemplifies Provencal Rosé. It’s created by Sacha Lichine, son of the famous Alexis Lichine, who spent time working at his family’s chateau in Bordeaux. Whispering Angel Rosé is a world-class

Easter is quickly approaching, and we have the greatest wines for you to pour with your Easter celebration!

Here are ten amazing wines - five Chardonnays and five Pinot Noirs from Burgundy and California that are sure to impress you and your guests.

PINOT NOIR:

2015 Wilde Farm Pinot Noir Donnelly Creek Vineyard Anderson Valley - An earthy wine, like this one, is a great one for your Easter Dinner. Its black plum, allspice, strawberries and minerals make it a really delicious and complex tasting for your meal. It’s under $25 and a great value when it comes to California Pinot Noir. 

2015 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills - This tasteful wine is from one of California’s top producers and delivers

It’s wedding season again with love and dancing in the air. Nothing really tops off a wedding quite like a champagne toast. Something about popping that cork makes it seem so official! So why not gift the bride and groom an amazing bottle of champagne that they can enjoy on a future anniversary or special occasion?

If you’ve recently received a wedding invitation, or are certain one is coming your way, here are five champagnes to gift the future Mr. and Mrs. this year.  

Delamotte Brut - Uncork this wine to find that the warm bread, nutty and ginger accents will give you that blissful wedding day feel. With its vibrant aromas of lemon pith, pear skin and honeysuckle, it pairs perfectly with a fruity dessert like raspberry wedding cake. It’s priced at just $37.95 and over-delivers in quality.

P

It’s that time of year again. We’ve moved our clocks forward, we’ve opened up the curtains and maybe are doing a bit of spring cleaning. Well, there is one thing that the season wouldn’t be complete without, and that is wine! Nothing breaks in spring like enjoying a glass of white wine while sitting on your porch or at the lake.

Here are some white wines to kick start your spring!

2015 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills  - This springtime favorite at Sokolin with its notes of buttered citrus rind, candied lemons and honeycomb is a refreshing splash on a warm day. It took three different vineyards to make up this blend and only one glass to fall in love with it. It has a 95 point score and is priced at only $26.95, delivering tremendous quality for the money.

2017

Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta is one of the founders of the so called ‘Super Tuscan’ wine, and his wine Sassicaia has become one of the most sought-after wines in the world. Located just south of Livorno in Tuscany sits the Tenuta San Gudio estate, and this is where Mario had the vision to plant Cabernet and Merlot vines. He thought the ‘rocky’ terrain mimicked the soil of Graves in Bordeaux and set out to produce a world class wine from these varietals.

>> Shop all sassicaia wine >>

The Marchese’s first couple vintages weren’t exactly considered hits to the critics, who were accustomed to drinking the lighter style wines indigenous to the area.

From 1948 to 1967, Sassicaia was only produced to be enjoyed by family members and then in 1968, son

"For my money, Corton Charlemagne is as good as any Grand Cru white Burgundy (Montrachet, Chevalier Montrachet, etc.) at a fraction of the price. It’s the most serious Grand Cru white Burgundy at the most reasonable price point." - Dave Sokolin

Corton Charlemagne is also the most popular Grand Cru white Burgundy for a reason – almost every bottle is generally great. Louis Latour is consistently one of our top-selling producers of Corton Charlemagne, year after year. The Latour family is the largest landowner of the Corton Charlemagne appellation and has been producing wines for over 200 years.