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Review: Château La Gaffelière “Dame de Gaffelière” Saint-Emilion (2020)
I sure do love Bordeaux, but I’d like to retire at some point–hopefully within the next 25-30 years. I really cringe at spending more than $40 retail on a bottle. That means many of the famous Bordeaux producers are a no-go, except for a small taste here or there. Lately, I’ve been really into second…
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Rombauer Vineyards tasting at The Wine Authority (Richardson, TX)
It was a Rombauer power hour at The Wine Authority last Tuesday. A Rombauer Vineyards rep stopped by to pour a whole slew of their wines to a thirsty afternoon crowd. Picks included their well-known Napa Valley Cabernet, along with a super-premium version of the Carneros Chardonnay and the single-estate “El Dorado” Zinfandel. (Apologies for…
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Review: Maison Sonoma Chardonnay (2023)
I don’t host a lot of wine-drinking friends at the moment–and while there are downsides to that, there are upsides, too. One of the best parts is that I can buy wine that I like. Rather than stocking the fridge with crowd-pleasing bottles that won’t offend anyone’s palate, I get to indulge a penchant for…
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Review: Regaleali Lamùri Nero d’Avola (2021)
The French Paradox has been mostly debunked, but has anyone figured out the Italian Paradox? Logic dictates that cheap Italian food and mediocre Italian wine shouldn’t add up to something spectacular. Bad wine usually makes an even worse pairing…but somehow Italy doesn’t have to play by those rules. You know how it is. You get…
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Review: Visionario Bianco Trevenezie (2023)
I made a promise back in April to review all 13 of the wines I got in a mixed Italian case from the Wall Street Journal’s wine club. Lucky me! I’ll be grabbing these bottles one by one, finding something in my pantry or freezer to pair with them, and giving you my honest thoughts…
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Bordeaux + Tuscany Tasting with Château Giscours and Caiarossa
Wine Wednesday got a serious upgrade with a selection of bold blends from Bordeaux’s Château Giscours and Tuscany’s Caiarossa. Reps from both estates were in Dallas this week and swung by The Wine Authority with some crates of their marvelous red elixirs. Giscours and Caiarossa had just been featured in a “Bordeaux Meets Toscana” winemakers’…
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Review: Berlucchi ’61 Extra Brut Franciacorta
Celebrations require bubbles…even if all you’re celebrating is that it’s finally 5 PM. For At-Home Happy Hour today we have a lovely bottle of ’61 Extra Brut Franciacorta by Guido Berlucchi & C. Franciacorta–as I’m sure many of my readers already know–is Italy’s answer to Champagne. It’s made in a similar style/method to French fizz,…
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Unboxing the WSJ Wine Club – Wine World Tour Italian Collection
I recently tried a new “flavor” of the Wall Street Journal Wine Club–the Wine World Tour. In this blog post, I share a peek inside the box, as well as my honest review. The WSJ Wine club sends me reams of direct mail offers. You know, the ones that look like this: They usually go…
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Review: Clare Wine Co. Watervale Riesling (2020)
Back in college, there was a bar in the old part of town called “Bar.” It’s still there–and the official name of it is (and was) Tavern on Main–but the sign out front just said “Bar” so that’s what everybody called it. Where’s the karaoke tonight? Bar. Where did you park? Bar. The name was…
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So Many Ways to Chardonnay (Total Wine class review)
Total Wine’s West Plano classroom holds 40 people. It’s usually stuffed to the rafters with eager wine learners. But on a recent Thursday evening, only about a dozen folks showed up for “So Many Ways to Chardonnay.” Maybe it was the bout of late-spring thundershowers keeping people away. But more likely, it was another sign…
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Balletto Vineyards tasting at The Wine Authority (Richardson, TX)
I love my Wine Authority membership because I get to try all kinds of stuff I wouldn’t find on my own. Premium wines, small-production wines, overlooked grapes and regions–you never know what’s going to be on the tasting bar. This week was a Russian River Valley tasting. I order a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir…
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Review: De Chanceny Crémant de Loire Brut
I can’t afford to drink Champagne every day, alas–but at least there’s Crémant. I always keep a Crémant or two in the fridge, and open them without a second thought. If Champagne is designer evening gown, hanging in a closet and awaiting a gala occasion, then Crémant de Loire is like a favorite sundress: Floral,…