2019 Brunello di Montalcino is “…the vintage we’ve all been waiting for,” so “Buckle your seatbelts,” and strap on your helmets because the newest vintage from Montalcino is “…an embarrassment of riches for collectors and fans of the appellation” (Eric Guido, Vinous Media). The hotly anticipated Brunellos have “…definitely lived up to [their] lofty reputation as an excellent vintage across Montalcino” (Kerin O’Keefe). It showcases the extraordinary qualities of Sangiovese, Tuscany’s most famous and beloved grape variety, and its ability to exploit the region’s phenomenal terroir. This “…magical year…” (Giacomo Neri of Casanova di Neri) of “radiance and appeal” (Eric Guido) will likely set a new benchmark for Brunello wines for years to come.
According to Italian wine expert, Kerin O’Keefe, she has “…never tasted so many drop-dead-gorgeous young Brunellos from a single vintage.” She confesses that many of the best wines stopped her in her tracks, generating that “…magical moment
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 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. 
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. 
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.
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. 
There has been a huge demand in the market for 2010 Barolo, universally considered a “classic” vintage. Partly because the combination of a long, cool growing season and attention to details in viticulture and vinification allow these “classic” wines to be enjoyed in their youth as well as evolve over time. This is slightly different from the previous “classic” vintage of 2006 which produced slightly bigger and more powerful wines with denser tannins that will take a number of years to shed. That being said, drinking 2006s nearly a decade in, you still can taste the pedigree of the great wines and get a glimpse into the gorgeous and complex juice they surely will become. I can’t think of a better way to experience this for yourself than by sampling a bottle from the small stash of 
Spring is in the air and to me that calls for popping a delicious bottle of white wine to be enjoyed outside with friends. I was looking for something really special and unique, and I found it. The 
As my colleague Daron blogged about recently, the hottest releases on the market right now are the 2010 Brunellos. James Suckling was the first to report on the vintage and said “The year 2010 for Brunello di Montalcino is the greatest modern vintage of Italy’s most famous red wine region.” Antonio Galloni also recently released his report and stated that “Two thousand ten has turned out to be a superb vintage for Brunello di Montalcino”. Needless to say with all of the hype around the vintage, we’ve been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the 2010 Brunellos, and thankfully they’re just starting to roll in! The one that caught my eye was one of the better price-points from the vintage: 
Wilde Farm Winery was actually a horse farm long before it became a winery. In fact, the