Featured Wine Commentary
2018 RED BURGUNDY
A LEGEND IN THE MAKING I have been going to Burgundy to taste the new vintage from barrel before bottling since 1981. During this period I have missed only one year and my friend Geoffrey Troy has accompanied me on each trip. Others have also joined us from time to time most notably John Brincko […]
Click here to read entire article »2018 GERMAN ROSÉS
Germany does not produce as much rosé as some other countries but what it does produce is very special and not to be missed. I have tasted some German Rosés in previous years and really liked them (to read about some of those click here). This year I had an opportunity to taste many more […]
Click here to read entire article »2018 ROSES – IT’S TIME & IT LOOKS LIKE WE ARE IN FOR A REAL TREAT!
Yes it appears to have happened very quickly, but the 2018 roses are beginning to arrive. This perception of an early arrival maybe even more so this year given the cold weather we are having across the country. That includes here in Santa Barbara where we are in one of the wettest and coldest […]
Click here to read entire article »CALERA WINE COMPANY – A GREAT CALIFORNIA WINE STORY NOW ENTERING ANOTHER CHAPTER
Earlier this year Calera Wine Company founder and owner Josh Jensen announced the sale of the company to Duckhorn Wine Co. I first visited Josh at Calera shortly after he released his first vintage which was 1978. And I have been following, buying, and drinking Calera wines since then. The wines are consistently first […]
Click here to read entire article »A RECENT VISIT TO DIAMOND CREEK VINEYARDS – FALL 2018
I first visited Diamond Creek Vineyards over 40 years ago. The first vintage for Diamond Creek Creek was 1972, and shortly after that we went to we went to visit (to read a recent article on Diamond Creek including the history click here). The late Al Brounstein, along wine his wife Boots, founded […]
Click here to read entire article »GAMBAL-WORK WINERY
Gambal-Work is a new winery dedicated to making Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara that expresses the true nature of the grapes. Here is how the winery came into being as described on their website: GAMBAL-WORK is the creation of four men who believe that great wine is made by following a seamless line […]
Click here to read entire article »2018 HILLSIDE HOUSE SUNSET SOIRÉE WITH JIM CLENDENEN OF AU BON CLIMAT
2018 HILLSIDE HOUSE SUNSET SOIRÉE WITH JIM CLENDENEN OF AU BON CLIMAT The annual Hillside House Sunset Soirée fundraising dinner was held June 9, 2018 at the historic El Mirador Estate in Montecito, CA (to read an article about the event click here ). It was a great success in all respects. The fundraiser was […]
Click here to read entire article »IS IT ROSÉ TIME?
Spring has arrived. And the new vintage 2017 rosés are starting to appear on the market. So with the normal fanfare merchants are now heralding the “It’s Rosé Time” chant. That’s all well and good. But, it was not all that many years ago that Americans paid little attention to rosé. Oh yes, […]
Click here to read entire article »DOMAINE BALLOT-MILLOT – HISTORY, OLDER WINES & THE 2015 VINTAGE, AND TASTING NOTES ON THE 2015S
HISTORY Below is what I said about this Domaine in my first article posted in February 2010: Even a lot of very serious White Burgundy fans may have never heard of this producer. I first became acquainted with the wines in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In those days, the wines were […]
Click here to read entire article »BIEN NACIDO ESTATE AND SOLOMON HILLS ESTATE
Beginning in 2005 the Miller family, owners of Bien Nacido Vineyard and Solomon Hills Vineyard, began to make a small amount of wine under their label. Owners of Bien Nacido Vineyards since 1969, this vineyard has been the source of many great wines made by early wineries like Au Bon Climat, Qupé, and Bonny […]
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