Wine Reviews

An archive of all wine reviews

Adriano Marco E Vittorio, Barbaresco (Piedmont, Italy) 2010
Michael Franz
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June 11, 2013
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 Complete and convincing, with excellent balance and complexity from the first whiff to the conclusion of the very persistent, impressively symmetrical finish, this is...
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Taliano Michele, Barbaresco (Piedmont, Italy) 2010
Michael Franz
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June 11, 2013
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 Expressive, even punchy aromatics show ripe, intense red fruit scents backed by commensurately intense scents of oak.  This was among the most dramatic of...
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Zisola, Noto Rosso (Sicily, Italy) 2010
Michael Franz
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June 4, 2013
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 Owned by the Mazzei family that is famed for the great Tuscan wines of Fonterutoli, this estate was purchased in 2003 and has seen...
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Ramon Bilbao, Rioja Crianza (Spain) 2010
Robert Whitley
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June 4, 2013
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 For all of the new interest in Spain’s vast and varied viticultural areas, Rioja remains at the pinnacle. Not only is it the most...
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Thomas Fogarty, Santa Cruz Mountains (California) Pinot Noir 2011
Linda Murphy
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June 4, 2013
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This wine is so elegant and refined that it likely flies under the radar of many critics, particularly those who love richness and volume. ...
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Acorn Winery, Russian River Valley (Sonoma County, California) Dolcetto 2010
Linda Murphy
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June 4, 2013
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Betsy and Bill Nachbauer buck the trend of growing only Burgundian varieties in Russian River Valley.  They list toward Italian grapes in their Alegria...
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Pupillo, Sicilia Rosso IGT (Sicily, Italy) Nero d’Avola 2011
Michael Franz
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June 4, 2013
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 This wine was among the most impressive bottlings of Nero d’Avola that I tasted during an entire week in Sicily, though I hasten to...
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Bolla, Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso (Veneto, Italy) 2010
Michael Apstein
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June 4, 2013
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Both Bolla, the famed Soave producer, and Valpolicella, the area in the Veneto near Verona, have had checkered reputations over the years.  I’m happy...
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Donum, Carneros (California) Pinot Noir 2010
Robert Whitley
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June 4, 2013
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Though the Donum Estate Pinot exhibits the red-fruit character that is the Carneros signature, this vintage is more complex and powerful than usual for...
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E. Guigal, Crozes-Hermitage (Rhône Valley, France) 2009
Rebecca Murphy
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June 4, 2013
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This is a lot of Syrah for the money.   Blackberry and plum fruit mingles happily with black pepper, leather and an inkling of fresh...
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Cooper Mountain Vineyards, Willamette Valley (Oregon) Pinot Noir 2010
Rebecca Murphy
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June 4, 2013
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It’s perhaps a miracle that this wine got made at all (the year 2010 was not a good growing year in the Willamette Valley...
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Aberrant Cellars, Willamette Valley (Oregon) Pinot Noir 2009
Marguerite Thomas
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June 4, 2013
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You know the way some things just feel absolutely right?  The perfect white shirt.  The chair that hugs your body the minute you sink...
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