Page 29 - Blog

As I was contemplating what wine I was going to serve at our weekly Sunday dinner with family, I decided to serve the 2010 Giacomo Brezza Barolo Sarmassa.  How can you go wrong with a wine that some say is the wine of kings, and the flavor and texture is like an iron fist in a velvet glove?  I thought the same thing.

The Brezza Estate is located directly in the town of Barolo and really dials in on the tradition and natural flavors that the Nebbiolo grape has to offer.  The Brezza Estate dates back all the way to 1885.  Giacomo and his father Antonio first bottled their first offering in 1910.  They own about 18 hectares all over the region, and 15 of the 18 are located right in Barolo.  Now, the 4th generation of Brezza’s are running the show and are becoming a force to be reckoned with in all of Italy.  Most who live, drink, or work in the

Believe the HYPE!  It’s always natural to be a little skeptical when the critics come out raving about a vintage and calling it one of the best in history.  There were many glowing articles written about the 2010 Barolo vintage, and one quote in particular stuck out from Antonio Galloni: "Simply put, 2010 is the greatest young Barolo vintage I have tasted in 18 years...”  With a quote like that, it definitely grabs your attention and makes you wonder are the wines that great?  Well I’m here to tell you that they are!  We just started receiving some of our allocations, and we’ve been very impressed with what we’ve tasted thus far.

First, let me give you an overall synopsis of the vintage.  Temperatures were cooler than normal, and it was a mid-October harvest for Nebbiolo.  The 2010 vintage benefited from the cool temperatures and mid-late harvest.  The wines have bold aromatics,

“Vilmart & Cie. is not only one of the greatest grower-estates in Champagne, but one of the finest champagne producers of any type in the region.” - Peter Liem, Champagneguide.net

“Organic viticulture, (truly!) low yields, remarkable polish of fruit, and the deliberate patient pursuit of a vision of perfection make Laurent Champs’ estate a gemstone gleaming among the chalk.” - Terry Theise, Importer

Laurent Champs was the fifth family member to take the reins at Vilmart et Cie in 1990, 100 years after Desire Vilmart founded this Champagne House. Located in the heart of the district of Montagne de Reims, they own 11 hectares of 1er Cru vineyards in Rilly-la-Montagne,

Much has been written about the 2011 vintage Ports, only the third vintage declared in the last 12 years. The growing season left a great deal to speculation until harvest, with some fearing that the juice would ultimately be destined for commercial brands. Most Port houses were aware that it was a year when the oldest vines would prove to be the most successful as the summer was quite dry.

August proved to be the vintage’s savior, and the 2011s are already being praised for their classic style and structure, less fruit-forward than the last vintage, 2007. I was able to find out for myself on a recent evening when my husband hosted his brothers and close friends for the annual “Port and Cigars” evening at our home.

2011 Grahams Vintage Port is a balanced and pleasing blend of blackberry, citrus and spice with beautiful structure and an amazingly long finish which included a bit of a chocolate note.

At this point, it’s no secret that Spain, specifically Ribera del Duero for me, has been producing magnificent wines for longer than you and I have been on this earth.  For several generations, the Calvo Casajus family has produced quality wine in extremely limited quantities and has saved them in underground cellars, mostly for their own enjoyment.  But in 1993, Jose Alberto Calvo Casajus founded Bodegas J. A. Casajus Calvo, using modern, more advanced techniques, but always keeping with the family traditions.  Up until recently, they went unrecognized globally and were known only locally for producing magnificent wines.  That is until Neal Martin from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate had the opportunity to taste through the wines.  I enjoyed a bottle this week that I paired with my slow cooked short ribs recipe.  When it comes to value, Bodegas Casajus Calvo delivers two-fold!  This is a perfect wine to pour over the holidays or to gift to the

"The best Chateauneuf-du-Papes are among the most natural expressions of grapes, place and vintage.” - Robert Parker 

Searching for a clear cut example of what wine from Southern Rhone should taste like at an affordable price? Look no further than the 2007 E. Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape. After being aged in oak barrels for 36 months, this blend of mostly Grenache and the rest Syrah and Mourvedre is sure to impress your senses.  

Eitenne Guigal started Establissements Guigal, or Ets. Guigal for short, in 1946 after leaving Vidal Fleury where he worked for 15 years.  38 years later, his son Marcel was able to purchase Vidal Fleury which he has managed since.  Etienne and his wife Marcelle passed away in 1988 leaving Marcel and his son Phillipe to continue their family legacy in the world of wine.  Today, Guigal is one of the top names in Southern Rhone, with quality

“I make my wine at Lafite and Latour, but my heart is in Calon.”

This quote is attributed to the Marquis de Segur, who acquired Chateau Calon Segur through marriage in the first half of the 18th century, and is the reason for the heart being incorporated into the bottle’s label design. 

Dating back to Roman times, the property is one of the oldest in the Medoc. In 1855, the chateau was awarded 3rd Growth Classification and many sources site it producing excellent wines throughout the first half of the 20th century. Then a general void of quality seemed to run its course there until the ’82 vintage, with a solid rejuvenation in the ‘90s. 

One of the better vintages Calon produced that decade was the ’95. That summer was one of the driest and warmest Bordeaux had seen in a few decades. Being the northernmost classified estate of the Medoc in the northernmost of the four famous communes of the

A recent Saturday night was a very special occasion - we were getting together with old friends, ones we don't get to see nearly enough. The restaurant was selected, an easy pick as we all love Italian.  My task was to select a wine for the table, and I decided to bring along a bottle of Brunello.

I happened to have a 2007 Donna Olga Brunello di Montalcino on hand, put away when the wine world could talk about nothing else but the incredible back-to-back vintages of 2006 and 2007 in Tuscany. From the beginning, we all anticipated that the 2007s would be slightly more approachable, with the '06s needing additional bottle age to show their best features. The Donna Olga validated this theory and showed beautifully from the minute the cork was popped. On the palate, this Brunello is full of deep, luxurious flavors including dark berries, earth and a bit of leather which I very much enjoy.

Pinot Noir, an unpredictable and demanding grape, is considered to be the hardest to grow yet it carries the title, the ‘Nobel Grape’. Pinot Noir is a main focus of Sean Capiaux, one of California’s thriving Pinot producers.  The Capiaux Cellars label was created in 1994 by Sean with the intention of producing single vineyard wines in a natural fashion, which he has accomplished.   

Sean’s technique is one he calls “neo-classic”. He uses modern instruments for the fermentation process and a hands-on approach for everything else. The goal each season is to create truly beautiful wines that show drinkers the terroir from which their wine came.  

2012 was an excellent growing season in Sonoma County, especially for Pinot Noir. Ideal temperatures in 2012 set the stage for growers and provided a plentiful amount of juice after their harvest.  Capiaux Russian River Valley Widdoes Vineyard produced 386 cases of the 2012

In 1929 the aromatic white grape Kerner was bred in Germany by crossing the red variety Trollinger (also known as Schiava Grossa or Vernatsch in various parts of Italy) with the noble white grape Riesling. Not authorized for general cultivation until 1969, the Kerner quickly became the most planted modern German cross. That being said, there has been a trend in Germany since the mid-90s to pull out modern cross varietals and total acreage is now less than half of the amount at its height.

Funnily, it is from Northern Italy where most Americans get to sample wine from this grape. Though plantings amount to about 1/150th of those in Germany, the combination of how well Kerner grows in the striking mountainous terroir of Alto Adige, coupled with the fact that no white varietal dominates there, helped lay the foundation for it doing well. But it takes attention and care for the varietal to excel and a handful of producers seem to offer just that, Kofererhof being one of them.