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Pinot Forum Dallas: Tasting the Russian River Valley
What could be better than traveling to your favorite wine regions? Not much–except having your favorite wine regions come to you! That’s what happened in April when I met up with the Russian River Valley Winegrowers in downtown Dallas. Located just north of the Bay Area and cooled by fog from the Petaluma Gap, Russian…
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Review: Cantine Due Palme “Pillastro” Primitivo Puglia IGP (2022)
Sometimes, in the midst of all the tasting and study that is my new wine life, I just want to drink something liquid and red. I keep a modest stash of bottles just for this purpose. Sangria wines, pasta-night wines–wines you drink with your mouth and not your nose. “Please don’t be gross,” I whisper…
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Merlot Thursday: Bodegas Volver “Juntos” Alicante Merlot (2024)
A ripe ‘n rowdy Merlot from Spain is our pick for this #MerlotThursday! “Juntos” comes from the sunny Mediterranean coast in the region of Valencia. Wine lovers may hear “Alicante” and think of Alicante Bouschet, the red-fleshed grape that lends its irresistible color to blends. And indeed, Merlot-Alicante blends do exist in the table wines…
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Three winemakers, three Spanish regions: Juan Gil, Bodegas Shaya, and Bodegas Morca
Spain is one of my favorite wine-producing countries. Even though I’ve yet to collect that stamp on my passport, when I drink a Spanish wine I can almost taste the Mediterranean sunshine in my glass. Recently in Texas, I got to sample some marvelous wines (and meet the winemakers!) at The Wine Authority. They came…
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Merlot Thursday: Shafer Napa Valley Merlot (2023)
The 2023 vintage in Napa Valley has wine writers using some immoderate language. “2023 was as perfect as any Napa vintage in living memory. It was Napa’s ‘1961 Bordeaux,’” writes Karen MacNeil in Decanter. “The Vintage of a Lifetime,” proclaims the Napa Valley Harvest’s vintage summary. “With consistent, mild weather throughout the season, above-average crop yields,…
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Merlot Thursday: Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot (2022)
Today’s wine was presaged by a special omen: Duck family! In my yard! Mr. and Mrs. Mallard stopped by this morning, grubbing up worms from the driveway after the rain. Whenever they found one, he nudged it toward her to taste it first–just like my partner does when I order something weird off a wine…
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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: Sydney Back South Africa Merlot (2022)
Oh no–#MerlotThursday snuck up on me again. Fortunately, I have this bottle that a friend gifted me last night: A Kosher Merlot from South Africa. Happy Passover to those who observe it! This medium-bodied, lightly oaked Merlot is fresh and red-fruited with some earthy character. Red cherries, black plum, and spiced cranberry yield to deeper…
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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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A Texas Tempranillo Experience at Red River Wines (Sadler, TX)
With its versatility, affinity for oak aging, and heat tolerance in the vineyard, Tempranillo is arguably the signature black grape of Texas. (It’s currently the second-most planted, after Cabernet Sauvignon–and gaining.) Since the first commercial plantings in the early 2000s, Texas winemakers have looked to this variety to craft bold reds with balanced fruit, spice,…
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Merlot Thursday: Backhouse California Merlot (2023)
Late-night happy hours (sometimes called “reverse” happy hours) are superior to regular happy hours in every way. Urban drink-seekers know this. Instead of jumping into rush-hour traffic to (hopefully) find a barstool and catch a server’s attention before the clock strikes 6 PM, you get to slow down. You can finish your daily work and…
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Review: El Pino Club “Sea Floored” Pinot Noir (2021)
Working as a prep cook in a hotel, I used to clean a lot of strawberries. Strawberries for the breakfast buffet, strawberries for the cold line’s fruit plates and salads, strawberries for the pastry shop. (This is a Pinot Noir review–I’m getting to it, I promise. But first I want to tell you about my…