Martin Ray
MOUNT EDEN VINEYARDS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 41 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE
EVERY VINTAGE FROM 1972 TO 2012: A GREAT REVELATION! I have been visiting, buying, tasting and drinking wines from Mount Eden Vineyards since the early 70s when they began. I also have been writing about and recommending Mount Eden Vineyards wines since the launch of The Underground Wineletter in 1979. (To read the Retrospective […]
Click here to read entire article »JOSEPH SWAN: A CALIFORNIA WINE LEGEND
THE MAN AND HIS WINES AND THE CONTINUATION OF HIS VISION Recently, I attended a dinner that featured 17 different wines from Joseph Swan Vineyards. It was organized by The Rare Wine Company with the wines almost entirely from the Joseph Swan Vineyards library. Held at The Murray Circle Restaurant at Cavallo Point in San […]
Click here to read entire article »WHAT’S ULLAGE GOT TO DO WITH IT? – THE CURIOUS CASE OF 1928 LA GAFFELIÉRE NAUDES
This case is all about provenance and storage. (To read Dennis Foley’s article on proper wine storage click here) But, despite the long standing belief that the history of the wine (provenance) is the most important thing in evaluating an old wine, it is the thing that most new wine buyers have ignored. This is […]
Click here to read entire article »NEW WINES TO CONSIDER AS WE RAPIDLY APPROACH THE END OF THE YEAR
I am always looking for new and different wines. These range from obscure “Under the Radar” wines to the latest Burgundy vintage and other wines tasted from barrel. Around the year end holidays is always a time to relax and enjoy life. That includes time with family and friends and food and wine. So as […]
Click here to read entire article »A NOTE FROM DARRELL CORTI
Recently, I published an article entitled “A Grand Event: Featuring Old California Wines From Pioneer Producers.” It related to a tasting of old California wines hosted by K&L Wines. Darrell Corti and I were invited guests (Click here to read the article). After the article was published Darrell sent this note. It adds color and […]
Click here to read entire article »MOUNT EDEN VINEYARDS AND DOMAINE EDEN — SOMETHING OLD AND SOMETHING NEW
Mount Eden Vineyards is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was launched in 1972 on the site of the old Martin Ray Estate which was started in 1945. My first visit to Mount Eden was in the early 1970s. The wines from here are some of the best made in California and I have been tasting, drinking, and writing about them for over 40 years.
Click here to read entire article »A GRAND EVENT: FEATURING OLD CALIFORNIA WINES FROM PIONEER PRODUCERS
Earlier this year I attended a wine and food dinner featuring old Santa Cruz Mountain wines from two of the early pioneers, Hallcrest and Martin Ray. There was also an old BV Pinot Noir from Napa Valley, a very old Madeira, and a very rare Cabernet Sauvignon from Hanzell.
Click here to read entire article »Retrospective Review: Volume I, Number 1 (August-September 1979)
We are reproducing here a copy of the first issue of The Underground Wineletter. Below you’ll find an updated review of each article, where I will go over what we got right and what we got wrong. We will follow this format with each successive issue. So Volume I, Number 2 will be coming next. […]
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