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Elyse L’Ingenue Naggiar Vineyard White Blend 2010

Made with fruit from the Sierra Hills, this Rhone inspired white blend from Elyse fits well within the new breed of surprising, atypical wines from California. Much easier to peg as a French wine,...

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Tenuta delle Terre Nere Cuvèe delle Vigne Niche Etna Bianco 2012

The wines of Etna have in a remarkably short time become quite well known and respected in the industry – but focus has been almost exclusively on the red wines. One of the top modernist producers –...

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Chateau Musar White 2007

Musar is one of those wineries I have respected for years but never written about. It is one of those wineries that has been well known by wine geeks for a very long time and so I repeatedly overlook...

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Milton Vineyards and Winery ‘Libiamo’ Gewurztraminer 2014

Some grapes are so difficult to master that they become known for mediocre wine. The two most maligned these days are the low acid grapes Viognier and Gewurztraminer. The reputation for these grapes...

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Blending and Terroir with Bodega Catena Zapata

At Catena Zapata terroir is an ongoing science experiment. The philosophy is science-driven decision making. Statements about quality are not speculative or driven by marketing but are rather backed by...

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Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay 2013

Heaven on Earth. South Africa’s fairy-tale beauty with a view of Antarctica make the Hemel-en-Arde Valley among the world’s most awe-inspiring wine regions. Now home to some of the country’s top...

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Chateau La Garde Pessac-Leognan Blanc 2012

While affordable Bordeaux seems an oxymoron, there are ways to get your fix without being part of the three comma club. While most Bordeaux hype occurs with the reds, I find myself a huge fan of white...

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Bergstrom Sigrid Chardonnay 2012

Oregon Chardonnay has truly started to come into its own. In some cases, the best examples of Chardonnay are even more exciting than many of the Pinot Noirs coming out of the state’s small producers....

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E Guigal ‘Brune et Blonde’ Cote-Rotie 2010

Most of us geeks pass over many of the larger Rhone negocients when browsing bottles. Chapoutier, Jaboulet, Guigal, etc. But not all negocients are made the same. In my view, Guigal can surprise and...

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Bedrock Wine Co. Evangelho Vineyard Heritage Contra Costa County 2013

Bedrock is one of my favourite US producers. They focus on heritage vineyards, field blends, and ensuring proper acidity and balance in the wines made from the very intense, high potential sugar grapes...

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Domaine Huet ‘Le Haut-Lieu’ Vouvray Sec 1998

I’ve written enough about Huet before that I do not need to repeat the essentials (not to mention the sheer volume of material on the web). Sometimes it is nice to be reminded how even such a storied...

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Roccolo Grassi Amarone 2007

Newly-minted wine lovers often begin with Amarone. Its sweeter, richer profile is attractive to many North American drinkers and its recognizability make it a frequent go-to for those seeking gifts....

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Spotlight on the Swartland Revolution: Mullineux Syrah 2011

Sometimes, following years of commitment, one is drawn to catalogues of past output. As I recently surveyed the many years of work I have put into this blog I realized that this is my 20th “spotlight”...

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Spotlight on the Swartland Revolution: A. A. Badenhorst Red Wine 2012

Swartland’s old-vine material seems to permit two approaches to red wine. The first is single variety wines made mostly from Syrah, focused on expressing the unique amalgam of that grape’s singularity...

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Il Marroneto Brunello di Montalcino 2000

This wine taught me three lessons. Lesson 1: There is Top Tier Brunello Not Currently in B.C. While some might not be surprised that B.C. is missing representation for top tier wine, I think it is very...

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Domaine Vincent Paris ‘Granit 60’ Cornas 2012 (second tasting)

Few are privileged enough to buy multiple bottles of expensive wine to taste at various stages of development. But, for the wine-lover, watching a wine unfold over a period of years is one of the most...

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Spotlight on the Swartland Revolution: Sadie Family Old Vine Series...

Though Swartland is best known for its red blends and its Syrahs, because of its exceptional diversity of old-vine material, there are some impressively old vines of obscure varieties that have the age...

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Bollinger Brut Rosé n/v

I cannot think of a more perfect Christmas wine than Bollinger’s category-leading rosé Champagne made by blending their special cuvée with 6% red Pinot Noir wine from special plots dedicated to serving...

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Peay Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2013

Peay is one of the longer-running outfits in the ‘true’ (i.e. actually coastal) Sonoma Coast. Though founded in 1996, two decades is a long time for this new appellation and Peay were one of the key...

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Chateau La Providence Pomerol 2012

Perhaps I am too skeptical, but I reject providence. Instead I prefer greater emphasis on deontology. I subscribe to the consequences of choices and actions over outcomes. I am repeatedly disappointed...

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