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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.…
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Review: Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne (NV)
Some things are revered as classics for no good reason: White trousers, Star Wars (fight me), the Monte Cristo sandwich. Other things are actually paragons of excellence, but are so mundane that they go unnoticed and unappreciated: The Toyota Camry, the eight-inch chef’s knife, the ordinary Cheez-It. And then there is Champagne. Champagne is beloved…
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Review: Bonpas Grande Réserve des Challières Ventoux (2020)
I get giddy over a great-value Rhône, and this one is a doozy: The Bonpas Grande Réserve des Challières Ventoux. It even looks substantial and rich. There’s the heavy embossed bottle, the rawkin’ Gothic font, and the castle on the label. I bought the Bonpas during a Grenache spree a year ago and promptly forgot…
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Review: Château de Corcelles Fleurie Poncié Beaujolais (2023)
It’s a Beaujolais day, hooray! I’ve already enjoyed my annual allocation of Beaujolais Nouveau (that’s one bottle each November, per spousal diktat.) But happily, no such limits apply to the Beaujolais crus. So when I spy a Fleurie sitting unassumingly on the bartop, that is what we will be having with dinner. Today’s wine comes…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #24: Ciel Bleu Sparkling Brut (France)
Patience, persistence, and an iron liver have finally brought us here: The very last bottle of the 2025 Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar. And what better way to celebrate crossing the annual wine finish line than by popping some champy? As it turns out, it’s not actually Champagne that’s behind Door #24. Instead it’s this, the…
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Champagne Taittinger tasting at The Wine Authority (Richardson, TX)
It would be insane to abstain from Champagne when Taittinger is being poured. And so, dozens of wine lovers herded ourselves into The Wine Authority for a wide-ranging tasting of six Taittinger labels, including the prestigious “Comtes de Champagne.” French wine specialist Benjamin Samacoïts-Etchegpin of Kobrand Wine & Spirits was on hand to answer questions…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #23: Once Upon A Time Chocolate Red (France)
Every Wine Person (every Wine Person that I respect, anyway) has the same motto: Drink what you like. It’s true that learning is useful and exploring is enlightening. Wine tastes often drift over time, and they tend to evolve in a predictable way–often away from sweetness and toward nuance and complexity. But it’s dumb and…
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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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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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Review: Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau (2025)
Posting tasting notes for Beaujolais Nouveaux is like reviewing Taco Bell’s food on Yelp. If you enjoy this kind of thing, then you’re going to continue to enjoy it–no matter what some critic has to say about it. Likewise, if you think it’s too cheesy or artificial-tasting or unhealthy, then there’s likely nothing I or…
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Happy Beaujolais Nouveau Day! Here’s eight fun facts to pair with a glass of Beaujolais
While you’re busy shopping for cranberry sauce and turkey and pie, it’s easy to overlook November’s other foodie holiday. That’s right–tomorrow is Beaujolais Nouveau day! Beaujolais Nouveau is released on the third Thursday in November, exactly one week before Thanksgiving Day. It’s an unofficial beginning to the festive season, and a great excuse to cut…