Page 17 - Staff Tastings

With summer finally here, I’m constantly getting asked by my customers if I can recommend a good Chardonnay. Usually, my next question has to do with what style they prefer, and the majority of the customers responses are ‘not too oaky’ and ‘on the dryer side.’ My first go-to recommendation is a Chablis! What I’ve realized though is that many aren’t aware that it’s produced from the Chardonnay grape. Actually, many connoisseurs and critics believe it’s the truest form of Chardonnay due to the cooler climate of the region and on average, they use much less influence of oak than other regions that produce Chardonnay. Chablis is known for having ‘steely’ and ‘flinty’ notes with nice minerality and acidity. 

William Fevre was the son of an accomplished winemaker and started Domaine de la Maladiere where he produced and bottled his first wine in 1959. Over a 50 year span, Domanie de la Maladiere became

I would always hear stories of the famed Tua Rita Redigaffi, with its cult like following after the 100 point score from Wine Spectator in 1997. So recently when given the opportunity to have their flagship wine, the 2007 Giusto di Notri, I knew I was in for a treat. 

In 1984, Rita Tua and her husband Virgilio Bisti purchased the estate and began planting Bordeaux varietals Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. The original plantings of about seven acres were sold off and used in another famed winery of Maremma, Sassicaia. That is until 1992, when they started bottling under their own label Tua Rita, an inversion of the proprietor’s name. Currently Tua Rita produces seven different wines, two whites and five reds, up from the original three that were produced in the first vintage. After only five years of producing wine, they received their first 100 point score for the Redigaffi,

As I sit here sipping on a glass of Alain Voge’s 2012 Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes, I can’t stop thinking about a smorgasbord of steak selections on the grill: marinated flanks, seasoned skirts, sexy strips, a thick ol’ rib eye, and since we’re talking syrah, throw in some lamb chops! I mean, there are a number of varietals that go well with meat, but when it comes to the char of flesh and fat, syrah is the choice for me. And with Memorial Day just behind us, now is the prime time of the year for these pairings on the grill. 

When it comes to Old World Syrah, the Northern Rhone is as classic as it gets, with Cote Rotie and Hermitage as the benchmark examples. Of course with their stature, can also come hefty price tags. But over the past decade or so, savvy collectors have been enjoying relatively affordable offerings from Cornas, the southernmost AOC

In the rolling hills of the Alexander Valley, you will find the home of a wonderful estate that my most recent bottle to blog about calls home.  Roth Estate Winery, owned by Leslie Mead Renaud, was founded in 2001 with the purpose of producing Bordeaux varietals. A decade later, Leslie is producing a fine Cabernet, with production just fewer than 10,000 cases, that I had the pleasure of tasting. 

The terroir consists of volcanic-based soil that gives character to the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that grow on the Sonoma Coast estate.   Roth is known for producing concentrated and complex wines, which is clearly shown in their 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon. As most California Cab lovers know, 2012 was an excellent year for Cabernet Sauvignon on the North Coast, meriting a 96 point rating overall from Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate Vintage Guide.

When I opened this bottle,

It didn’t take long for Ryan Deovlet to make a name for himself. He started his own winery in 2008 after cutting his teeth with the likes of Stephen Dooley, David Ramey, Paul Hobbs and Stephen Ross. His experience also includes a year in New Zealand and Australia, taking a hands-on approach in the vineyard including a harvest at Turramurra Estate. By 2012, Antonio Galloni was already referring to him as “one of the most exciting young winemakers in the Central Coast” and his 2009s and 2010s were all considered terrific, both the Chardonnays and the Pinot Noirs. Galloni also stated that “Readers who can find the wines should not hesitate.”

So when I saw that we had checked in some of his 2012s, I couldn’t wait! Given the accolades he has received and the reviews for the vintage in Santa Barbara County, I anticipated exceptional wine. Why not? Everyone in the loop proclaimed it to be "perfect growing season" - one where there were no extremes

So being invited to dinner to your daughter’s best friend’s parents’ house (that’s a mouthful) can be a bit harrowing. First thing that comes to my mind is, “Can they cook? LOL. Second, do they even like wine? Thankfully, in this case, I had met them a handful of times already so I felt comfortable on both counts. Dinner was casual and comfortable, just the way I like it. 

We started the evening with a great glass of Bourbon, huddling around the kitchen to bear witness to Kass’ culinary expertise. She made a wonderful shrimp jambalaya that was just divine and thankfully paired great with a bottle of 2012 Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto, Sassicaia’s baby brother. The touch of heat that the jambalaya offered complemented the spicy notes that this Tuscan gem brought to the table.

I’m sure many of you have heard it before, but Sassicaia is probably the most collectible Italian wine to come out of Italy. This historic wine is

When thinking about white wine from France, most of the time you think of Burgundy or Loire, not necessarily Bordeaux. So when I had the opportunity to try a white wine from the Pessac Leognan region of Graves in Bordeaux, which has the famous first growth Haut Brion, there was no hesitation. 

It wasn’t until 1987 that Pessac Leognan even became its own appellation; before that, a wine would just be considered to be from Graves. As an appellation, it produces about 10% of all Bordeaux white wine made for the entire region. There are two main grapes used in the production of white wine in this region which are Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, and sometimes a little Muscadelle. 

Chateau Carbonnieux, which is situated between such famous neighbors as Chateau Haut Bailly and Chateau Smith Haut Lafite, is one of the oldest estates in the Bordeaux region with a history dating back to the 13th century

I completely agree with the above statement, as it’s been one of my favorites from the beginning. Billecart-Salmon is a relatively small Champagne house so it tends to fly under the radar. However, their Rose does have a cult following with wine aficionados & sommeliers. Their house style is more about freshness & elegance as opposed to a richer, fuller style.

Billecart-Salmon was founded in 1818 when Nicolas Francois Billecart married Elisabeth Salmon. Nicolas, at the time was practicing law, but afterwards he decided to take over the family wine estate & thus Billecart-Salmon was born. It now stands as the oldest continuously family owned and operated house in Champagne, & is currently being run by the 7th generation, brothers Francois and Antoine Roland-Billecart.

As I stated above, they’re known for having a more elegant, fresher style Champagne & a lot of

Could you live on bread, cheese and wine? I have always thought that I could, so on a rainy weekend when I was the only one home and cooking seemed superfluous, I put that theory to the test. Add a classic book that I decided to re-read (the release of the author’s only other book is imminent), and I had the recipe for a blissful two days. 

Since the bread I selected was an artisan focaccia accented with fresh herbs, I searched my collection for a great Italian wine. Though Tuscany and Piedmont always offer solid performers, I decided to take a southern turn on the map and head toward Sicily and selected a bottle of 2012 Tenuta Delle Terre Nere Guardiola.

Marc de Grazia was no stranger to the Italian wine world even before he started producing his own wines. Long known as a connoisseur, consultant and importer, de Grazia now resides in Etna where he mentors the newest