DiamAndes, Mendoza (Argentina) Gran Reserva, 2007 (Dourthe USA, $35): When I visited Bodega DiamAndes four months ago, I...
Argentina’s Exciting White
Crios de Susana Balbo, Salta (Argentina) Torrontés 2010 (Vine Connections, $15): I recall that the first time I...
Beyond Fruitiness
Zuccardi, Mendoza (Argentina) “Q” Tempranillo, 2006 and 2007 (Winesellers Ltd, $22): I’m not a big fan...
Marchesi di Gresy, Langhe (Piedmont, Italy) Nebbiolo 2009
This wine represents the Nebbiolo grape in its most delicate expression. From a vineyard (Martinenga) that is one of...
Cross-Cultural Success
Antica, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007 ($55): If I had not tasted this wine blind, I might think that...
Casale Pozzuolo, Montecucco (Tuscany, Italy) Sangiovese 2008
Montecucco is a fairly new (1998) DOC zone in southern Tuscany, south of the nearby Montalcino zone. The wines of...
Cascina Roccalini, Barbera d’Alba (Piedmont, Italy) 2008
Barbera wines come in many styles, from very light and fresh to very ripe and oak-influenced. This Alba-zone...
A Rosy Start to the New Year
Champagne Bollinger, Champagne (France) Rosé, NV (Terlato Wines International, $75): With one or two exceptions,...
Take Me to the Mountain
Planeta, Sicilia (Italy) Carricante, Sciara Nuova Vineyard, 2009 (Palm Bay International, $40): The moment had an air of...
Ponzi Vineyards, Willamette Valley (Oregon) Pinot Noir 2008
This wine is extremely fresh and vibrant, brimming with focused, ripe fruit character that suggests red berries, blood...
Tuscany’s New Royalty
Barone Ricasoli, Chianti Classico (Tuscany, Italy) "Colledilà" 2007 (Dreyfus, Ashby & Co., $65): This...
175 Years Young
Gonzalez Byass, Jerez-Xèrés-Sherry (Andalucia, Spain) Fino “Tio Pepe” (San Francisco Wine Exchange,...