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Merlot Thursday: No. 3 d’Angelus Saint-Émilion Grand Cru (2020)
Hark how the bells! Sweet silver bells! All seem to say, “Throw cares away! “It’s Merlot day!” (Okay–so I made up that last part.) It’s not only the freaking “Carol of the Bells” that’s living rent-free in my head today, but the famous bells of Château Angelus. Located in a natural amphitheater, the Château’s vineyards…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #22: Maison du Lac Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc (France)
If you’ve been following along on our journey through all 24 of the Costco advent calendar wines, then you know it’s been a bumpy ride. There is a lot of variation in quality and style this year. The Wine Fairy tasting team (me and my wife, Sarah) are using a very informal (non-blind, non-mathematical, go-with-your-gut)…
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Review: Borsao “Tres Picos” Campo de Borja Garnacha (2021)
A big old juicy Garnacha is on the menu tonight: The Tres Picos Garnacha from Bodegas Borsao. Borsao is a large co-op in Campo de Borja DO, a landscape of arid hills and plateaus nicknamed “the Empire of Garnacha.” Over 700 small grower families have united to produce these wines, which are known for their…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #21: Brillo Solar Garnacha (Spain)
Known for bold red fruit flavors with a hint of spice, Garnacha (also called Grenache) is a workhorse of the wine world. The French claim it, but it probably originated in Spain’s Aragon region before spreading across the Mediterranean. Garnacha is a hardy, high-yielding vine–one that can be counted on to produce good-to-great wines even…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #20: Meadow Moon Riesling (Germany)
Christmas Day is approaching! Santa is buffing his sleigh, scalpers are hawking Nutcracker tickets…and we are almost to the last bottle in the Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar. A light German Riesling is tonight’s designated wine. But does Meadow Moon Landwein Rhein deserve a stocking full of presents, or a visit from Krampus? Let’s gather ’round…
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Review: Gloria Ferrer Carneros Blanc de Noirs (NV)
A plush pink bubbly is the wine treat of the day: The Blanc de Noirs from Gloria Ferrer. I’m taking a quick break in downtown Sonoma, just a few miles from Ferrer Caves & Vineyards. Gloria Ferrer is the original sparkling wine producer in Carneros (established in 1982). And so the name of the wine…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #19: Mendoza Nights Malbec (Argentina)
Wine critics and wine judges have devised some entertaining shorthand terms for awful wine. Scrawled in the margins of a notebook or whispered under your breath to a colleague, they allow a taster to diss a wine without offending the pourer. Good ones that I’ve heard recently include FJ (“Fruit Juice”), TD (“Termite’s Dream”–meaning that…
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Merlot Thursday: Peter Cellars Carneros Estate Merlot (2019)
Each week we drink a different Merlot, and sometimes we drink it in a cool place! Today’s #MerlotThursday wine is a special one indeed, because I got to enjoy it at the winery with the winemaker. Do vineyard vistas make the wine taste better? Of course they can. But Peter Cellars’ Estate Merlot is excellent,…
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Review: Borrasca Brut Cava (NV)
Sometimes I think I could mark the eras of my life by what inexpensive Cava I was buying at the time. Me and Cava go way back, each decade associated with a different label. Segura Viudas from the corner store, bought by a friend with a borrowed ID. Next, the “black bottle bubbly”–that would be…
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Merlot Thursday: Château Chapelle d’Aliénor Bordeaux Supérieur (2019)
A modest Bordeaux with friends in high places is this week’s #MerlotThursday pick. The wine is Château Chapelle d’Aliénor, which casually name-drops Château La Gaffelière on its crested label. The producer is Domaines Comte de Malet Roquefort, whose holdings include La Gaffelière (a Premier Grand Cru Classé estate) and four other nearby vineyards. The Malet…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #18: Aralena Pinot Grigio delle Venezie (Italy)
A very merry December 1st! Today is the day that good and patient boys and girls can begin opening their advent calendars to behold the first of the treasures hidden within. But at The Wine Fairy, we are neither good nor patient. So tonight it’s time for Bottle #18 from the Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar:…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #17: Cielo d’Oro Carménère (Chile)
Carménère is one of those wines that people either flee from or embrace. Appreciating this long-banished Bordeaux grape takes practice. (Or blending!) Dark red in color, full of chewy tannins, and often packing intensely vegetal flavors, it’s not likely to be selected as anyone’s house wine or wedding-table tipple. In fact, this is the first…