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Review: Domaines Schlumberger “Cuvée Christine” Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives (2018)
“A late-picked Gewurztraminer has perhaps the most exotic smell of any wine in the world,” says Jancis Robinson’s Atlas of Wine. Whether dry or sweet, this grape is extra. Gewurztraminer punks the palate while it indulges the senses. It’s fascinating, it’s uncanny–and I can’t get enough of it. My local wine shop only stocks Gewurztraminer…
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Review: Taittinger “La Française” Brut Champagne (NV)
Taittinger’s “La Française” is one of the best widely available Champagnes in the $50-$60 price range. It’s like a sampler platter of all the classic Champagne flavors, and it hits an ideal spot between richness and freshness. It’s versatile, too. Not too soft, not too acidic. Good brand-name recognition for impressing your friends, but not…
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Norah Jones’s “This Life” wines, reviewed: French bubbles and rosé for summer!
Summer in Texas lasts about nine months out of the year. When you’re relaxing by the pool or on the patio in 100-degree weather, only one type of wine will do: The cold type. Singer-songwriter and musician Norah Jones must’ve been thinking of her Texas roots when she created her wine brand. Her “This Life”…
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Review: Champagne Barnaut Bouzy Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Brut (NV)
A bigger-is-better Grand Cru Champagne is on the menu for today. Determined to get over my birthday blues, I’m celebrating at Coupes, a chic bubble-centric wine bar in Dallas. Coupes has an eye-popping list that includes–by my quickest count–more than 80 different Champagnes and Crémants by the glass, bottle, and half-bottle. I rattle off some…
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Review: Cave de Lugny Mâcon-Villages “La Côte Blanche” Unoaked Chardonnay (2022)
Today’s white wine is 100% Chardonnay–you can be sure of it. Not only because Chardonnay is the only permitted variety in the Mâcon-Villages appellation, but also because the label proudly proclaims it to be so: “Chardonnay.” Although it’s jarring to see the name of a grape beneath the sloping shoulders of a Burgundy bottle, it…
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Merlot Thursday: Château Giscours “Haut-Médoc de Giscours” (2020)
Today’s #MerlotThursday wine is actually just 50% Merlot–so I drank two glasses to make it count. 😉 The “Haut-Médoc de Giscours” is the third label of Château Giscours, a prestigious Third Growth estate in the Margaux appellation of Bordeaux. The fruit comes from Giscours’ 60 hectares of vines in the Haut-Médoc, slightly inland and adjacent to…
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Merlot Thursday: “Madame de Beaucaillou” Haut-Médoc (2019)
Merlot’s fortunes are so low that it’s possible to walk into an upscale wine shop and not see a single bottle with the “M-word” on the label. When you ask for help finding a nice Merlot, they will look at you with either pity (as if you have no wine knowledge) or suspicion (as if…
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Six takeaways from Wine Paris 2026
We’re back from three days of tasting, learning, and exploring at the colossal Wine Paris trade show! Each day, I wandered the exhibition halls from open until close to try and soak up clues about what’s happening in the international wine biz. On Friday, I shared seven personal moments that defined my Wine Paris experience.…
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Wine Paris 2026: A trip to remember
“Mind-blowing.” “Insane.” That’s how Wine Paris was described to me before I went–and now that I’m back home, I’ve got to say that I agree. As a new-to-the-industry person, I’ve wasted no time jumping straight into the deep end. (If not now, then when?) The opportunity came to go to Paris. So I cashed in…
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Champagne Road Trip (Part Two): Épernay and Vallée de la Marne
This is Part Two (of Two) of a dream-worthy jaunt to France’s Champagne region. Check out Part One here. Champagne may be a relatively small wine region, but it’s a huge business: A whopping 35% of France’s total wine exports by value. The world’s love for Champagne extends to wine tourism, with an estimated 3.5…
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A celebratory bottle: Pommery “Cuvée Louise” Brut Champagne Millésime (2005)
A snazzy Champagne to commemorate a much hoped-for outcome: Passing my WSET Level 3 course with Distinction! We snuck into the bar in the early afternoon to savor the sweet, sweet taste of success. Vibrant medium lemon in the glass with amazing clarity and many slow, finely distributed bubbles. Aromas of fresh and candied lemon,…
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Review: Thierry Delaunay “Le Grand Ballon” Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc (2023)
Now that Taylor Swift has gone and ruined Sancerre for everyone, ordinary wine drinkers like moi have to look for alternatives to the popular but scarce Loire Valley label. Just kidding, Swifties. Sancerre shortages have been a recurring wine-biz story for at least 2-3 years now, due to harvest challenges and other supply-demand mismatch issues.…