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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…
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Merlot Thursday: Château la Grâce Dieu les Menuts Saint-Émilion Grand Cru (2016)
If there is any 2016 Saint-Émilion left on the planet at the end of this year, it won’t be for lack of trying. I have been uncorking these bottles with relish on Thursdays (and other days), and they are consistently tasting just right. Want a sip of this vintage? Then you’d better hurry. Château la…
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Review: Ciavolich Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo (2023)
Montepulciano was a grape that I thought I’d left in the distant past: The carafes of soft, plodding table wine ordered alongside spaghetti and mozzarella sticks. To a college-age Wine Fairy, “Montepulciano” sounded sophisticated and worldly. It seemed like a step up from the house Chianti in the wicker basket, if only because it was…
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Merlot Thursday: Salentein “Portillo No. 06” Uco Valley Merlot (2020)
Among wine drinkers, Argentina’s Uco Valley is almost synonymous with Malbec. Malbec’s growth, largely driven by international demand, has been heroic–more than 800% since 2004. The mountainous terrain allows this dark-skinned, intensely fruity variety to produce wines that also show elegant floral aromas and firm acidity. The emergence of Malbec as Argentina’s principal grape has…
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Review: Masi “Bonacosta” Valpolicella Classico (2022)
Rare bottles are nice and all. But sometimes your mood (or your wallet) pulls you in a different direction–toward clunky glassware, red-sauce pasta, and BYOB. Wine can be part of the occasion without being the occasion. Valpolicella knows this, and is a gracious guest at almost any table. My bottle of the night is a…
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Merlot Thursday: St. Supéry Rutherford Estate Vineyard Merlot (2021)
I’ve pinched myself a bunch of times today, but it hasn’t worked. This is no dream…I really am in California. It’s the last full day of the Wine Writers’ Symposium in Napa Valley. It’s just after sundown. And there is excellent wine everywhere. Earlier today, I woke up in a cottage on the side of…