Category: Classics
Rioja Adventures Round Two; Classic Reds, Sprightly Rosados and Crisp Blancos
Our base was the Hotel Marques Riscal, in Elciego, a tiny town on the road to the bigger destinations of Laguardia, Haro and Samaniego. MARQUES DE RISCAL The Marqués de Riscal City of Wine, in Elciego (Álava), includes: the...
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Discovering Rioja: fine values in high quality aged wines
Matt Kramer, long-time columnist for The Wine Spectator and author of a definitive book on...
Read MoreIn Search of the Napa Nose; Style and Sense of Place
Last month, I bemoaned the trend in California wineries toward making high-alcohol, thick fruit bombs out of Cabernet Sauvignon, with an accompanying loss of varietal character and sense of place. The wines secure high scores...
Read MoreBeyond the California Cult Fruit Bombs – Classic Wines from Napa
Having followed the evolution of the California wine industry since 1972, I’ve seen many changes in winemaking styles to appeal to new markets and critics whose rankings drive sales. In the past two decades, one trend is for the...
Read MoreFavorites from 2021 — Classics and Values
It’s always memorable to go through our tasting notes for the year. We recorded the notes during a wide range of tasting experiences, from trying new wines at home, to dinner parties with friends, to trade tastings, industry...
Read MoreRioja Shines; Fine Red Wines from Spain, $15 to $156
Ranking wines during blind tastings can provide some eye-openers, to coin a phrase, particularly with wines from different vintages and a wide range of prices. One group in San Diego, the Carmel Valley Wine Club, held its 302d...
Read MoreExploring New World Pinot Noir, $12 to $88
The following notes are from Pinot Noir wines tasted from the New World over the past six months and rated as good, very good and excellent. For background on Pinot Noir in the New World, versus its home in Burgundy, France,...
Read MoreDo California Red Wines Improve With Age?
Can fine red wines from California age, most notably the Bordeaux varietals? Even those far below the cult-level wine prices? It depends, of course, on too many variables to list here. But, in general, many do improve with age....
Read MoreSummer Whites: Easy Sipping Party Wines, Plus a Few Complex Classics
The following white wines rose to the top of our tasting leaderboard the past three months, scoring for overall quality of the wines and values delivered. Most are widely available, except for classics from the cellar and...
Read MoreA Sampling of Fine Burgundy Reds from 1998 to 2011
In tasting some 100 Burgundy wines over the past six months and from eight vintages from 1998 to 2011, we’ve compiled our top 20. Each exhibited the wonderful characteristics of its climat, even in awkward vintages. In going...
Read MoreValues in New World Pinot Noir
In seeking gastronomic relief from the high-alcohol fruit bombs attacking our palates from all over the world, we often turn to something more friendly with food – Pinot Noir. Wines from this fine red wine grape can be enjoyed...
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Willamette Valley and Seven AVAs — Exploring Oregon Pinot Noir
The seminar was titled “It’s Willamette, Damnit,” to break the pronunciation barriers, and offered...
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