Among the highlights of my 2016 was an opportunity to return as a senior international judge for the Air New Zealand Wine Awards...
Finca Sobreno, Toro (Castilla y León, Spain) 2012
This is an excellent wine and an equally impressive value. Perfectly mature but hardly played out, it has absorbed all of...
Finca Río Negro, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla (Castilla y León, Spain) 2014
Based on the interesting design of the capsule atop this wine’s cork, I’d guess that “992” is a...
Inglenook, Rutherford (Napa Valley, California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
This historic property needs no introduction to those who follow wine history and wine news. I’m tempted to offer an...
Trossos del Priorat, Priorat (Catalonia, Spain) 2014
The label borne by this lovely wine announces unashamedly that it was made from the property’s youngest vines, and as the...
Lar de Paula, Rioja (Spain) 2013
I like my young Rioja light and fresh and unencumbered by heavy-handed oak, and thankfully, this style seems to be on the...
From Michael Franz’s Best of 2016: Best from Argentina
Valentin Bianchi (San Rafael, Mendoza) “Enzo Bianchi” 2012 ($55, Quintessential): Everybody in the wine trade...
Best of 2016, Volume I
I’m well aware of the fact that I’ve got the World’s Best Job, and I’d know that even if people...
Valentin Bianchi, San Rafael, Mendoza (Argentina) 2012
Everybody in the wine trade knows that red wines from Argentina “over-deliver,” but far from everybody knows that...
Viña Vik, Millahue, Cachapoal Valley (Chile) 2011
This is just the third release of this wine, made from extremely young fruit, but it already shows a mind-boggling level of...
From Best of 2016, Best New Producer: Viña Vik
Norwegian entrepreneur Alexander Vik embarked in 2004 on an effort to make a truly great wine in South America, searching for a...
Hermann J. Wiemer, Finger Lakes (New York) Cabernet Franc 2014
If you go nuts for big, rich, “gobs of fruit” wines, this is not your thing. However, if you like lighter reds...