Page 27 - Blog

So being invited to dinner to your daughter’s best friend’s parents’ house (that’s a mouthful) can be a bit harrowing. First thing that comes to my mind is, “Can they cook? LOL. Second, do they even like wine? Thankfully, in this case, I had met them a handful of times already so I felt comfortable on both counts. Dinner was casual and comfortable, just the way I like it. 

We started the evening with a great glass of Bourbon, huddling around the kitchen to bear witness to Kass’ culinary expertise. She made a wonderful shrimp jambalaya that was just divine and thankfully paired great with a bottle of 2012 Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto, Sassicaia’s baby brother. The touch of heat that the jambalaya offered complemented the spicy notes that this Tuscan gem brought to the table.

I’m sure many of you have heard it before, but Sassicaia is probably the most collectible Italian wine to come out of Italy. This historic wine is

When thinking about white wine from France, most of the time you think of Burgundy or Loire, not necessarily Bordeaux. So when I had the opportunity to try a white wine from the Pessac Leognan region of Graves in Bordeaux, which has the famous first growth Haut Brion, there was no hesitation. 

It wasn’t until 1987 that Pessac Leognan even became its own appellation; before that, a wine would just be considered to be from Graves. As an appellation, it produces about 10% of all Bordeaux white wine made for the entire region. There are two main grapes used in the production of white wine in this region which are Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, and sometimes a little Muscadelle. 

Chateau Carbonnieux, which is situated between such famous neighbors as Chateau Haut Bailly and Chateau Smith Haut Lafite, is one of the oldest estates in the Bordeaux region with a history dating back to the 13th century

I completely agree with the above statement, as it’s been one of my favorites from the beginning. Billecart-Salmon is a relatively small Champagne house so it tends to fly under the radar. However, their Rose does have a cult following with wine aficionados & sommeliers. Their house style is more about freshness & elegance as opposed to a richer, fuller style.

Billecart-Salmon was founded in 1818 when Nicolas Francois Billecart married Elisabeth Salmon. Nicolas, at the time was practicing law, but afterwards he decided to take over the family wine estate & thus Billecart-Salmon was born. It now stands as the oldest continuously family owned and operated house in Champagne, & is currently being run by the 7th generation, brothers Francois and Antoine Roland-Billecart.

As I stated above, they’re known for having a more elegant, fresher style Champagne & a lot of

Could you live on bread, cheese and wine? I have always thought that I could, so on a rainy weekend when I was the only one home and cooking seemed superfluous, I put that theory to the test. Add a classic book that I decided to re-read (the release of the author’s only other book is imminent), and I had the recipe for a blissful two days. 

Since the bread I selected was an artisan focaccia accented with fresh herbs, I searched my collection for a great Italian wine. Though Tuscany and Piedmont always offer solid performers, I decided to take a southern turn on the map and head toward Sicily and selected a bottle of 2012 Tenuta Delle Terre Nere Guardiola.

Marc de Grazia was no stranger to the Italian wine world even before he started producing his own wines. Long known as a connoisseur, consultant and importer, de Grazia now resides in Etna where he mentors the newest

Spring is in the air and to me that calls for popping a delicious bottle of white wine to be enjoyed outside with friends.  I was looking for something really special and unique, and I found it.  The 2013 Terredora Greco di Tufo Loggia Serra from Campania is just the wine I was looking for.  The cool thing about this crisp white is the fact that it is made with 100% Greco grapes.  The Greco grapes date back 2,500 years to the ancient Greek settlers and is now native to Campania.  This grape is one of the most important parts in Campania’s wine renaissance.  The Mastroberardino family has put all the focus on the vineyards and new technology to create the character of the Terredora.  The vineyards are located in the Avellino province in Campania which has a unique soil and thermal fluctuations that create intense and elegant fruit.  Since 1994,

In selecting a wine for this week’s blog, I wanted to pick something that I wouldn’t normally opt for. Usually my heart and palate steer me towards the Rhone, Burgundy or Bordeaux but  tasting wine is always about trying new things, so this time I selected one that I’ve been reading about in the press - the 2012 Fort Ross Chardonnay Fort Ross Vineyard. The Fort Ross-Seaview appellation is relatively new in the grand scheme of Sonoma. But winegrowers Lester and Linda Schwartz have been battling the elements here on the "REAL" Sonoma Coast for over two decades. 

I pulled the cork on this gem about an hour before dinner was ready. I made a great free-range chicken puff pastry dish stuffed with roasted tomatoes and gruyere with a lovely side of sautéed baby bok choy, my lady’s favorite. As expected this needed a little time to open up, but when it did it was perfecto with this dish. Firm acidity, not too much wood influence and the unfined quality

As my colleague Daron blogged about recently, the hottest releases on the market right now are the 2010 Brunellos.  James Suckling was the first to report on the vintage and said “The year 2010 for Brunello di Montalcino is the greatest modern vintage of Italy’s most famous red wine region.”  Antonio Galloni also recently released his report and stated that “Two thousand ten has turned out to be a superb vintage for Brunello di Montalcino”.  Needless to say with all of the hype around the vintage, we’ve been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the 2010 Brunellos, and thankfully they’re just starting to roll in!  The one that caught my eye was one of the better price-points from the vintage: 2010 La Serena Brunello – rated 97 points by James Suckling and only $49.95/btl

Wilde Farm Winery was actually a horse farm long before it became a winery. In fact, the 2013 Wilde Farm Pinot Noir Donnelly Vineyard is only the second vintage ever produced of these wines. It’s a collaboration between proprietor Loren Grossman and winemaker Pax Mahle. Even though it’s only the second vintage ever produced, Pax Mahle is not a newcomer to winemaking. He first started producing his Pax Label in 2000, and now produces Agharta and Wind Gap wines as well. All his wines have a very different style to them. With Pax and Agharta being the much richer and powerful wines in the group, the Wind Gap and Wilde Farm wines come from cooler coastal areas of Sonoma and tend to be lighter and lower in alcohol. 

Wilde Farm began as a horse farm in 1907 and was purchased about 20 years ago by Loren Grossman. However, the first vintage of Wilde Farm

My favorite duty as a Sokolin Wine Consultant is to sample wines that are unique, rare or limited in production. This week, I had the pleasure of experiencing a new arrival, the 2011 Calder Charbono Meyers Vineyard. I was quite excited to taste an almost extinct grape. 

The 2011 Calder is 100% Charbono.  Charbono, also known as Douce Noir which translates as “sweet black”, is known for growing in the Savoie wine region of France.  What was once the most widely grown red grape in Eastern France and a California favorite is now only grown in small amounts in Argentina, Piedmont and on 70 hectares in California. Why has such a historically prominent grape been reduced to such small plots of land? Producers have learned over the years that there is not much of a market for this scarce grape, but those drinkers who enjoy it hold it on a pedestal, as they would with cult wines.