The 2017 vintage represents the 40th anniversary of I Sodi di S. Niccolò, a truly iconic Italian wine. It was likely the first Super Tuscans from Chianti Classico area using autochthonous grapes. It showed—and continues to show—the extraordinary heights the wines from the Chianti Classico region can reach. … Read more
Category Archives: WRO Articles
Rosé-Nothing but Rosé
Readers may find it odd that I, who am generally unenthusiastic about rosé, should be writing about that category. And enthusiastically at that. However surprising that may be (even to me), I stumbled across a category of rosé, Bardolino Chiaretto DOC, that is stunning. … Read more
Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato: An Overlooked Gem in Piedmont
Granted, Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato is not the first wine people think of when they think of Piedmont. Well, Agricola Ferraris shows us why it’s time to broaden our horizons.
First, let’s untangle the nomenclature. Ruché (spelled Ruchè in Italian and pronounced roo-kay) is an aromatic red grape with excellent levels of malic acid that accounts for the wines’ freshness and vivacity. … Read more
Costières de Nîmes: Overlooked Southern Rhône Gem
Even those who know little about wine recognize the name Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Wine enthusiasts can name other important appellations in France’s southern Rhône Valley, such as Gigondas, maybe even Vacqueryas. Really savvy consumers know that Vinsorbres, Rasteau and Cairanne, previously included under the Côtes du Rhône-Villages umbrella, have achieved their own appellations, and that Sablet and Seguret are two of the 21 named villages that remain under that umbrella. … Read more
Look to Collio for White Wines for Summer
Regardless of what you’re eating this summer, a white wine from Collio will fit the bill. This small region with fewer than 4,000 acres makes a broad range of white white wines extending from lively and fresh examples to ones substantial enough to stand up to a steak. … Read more
Look to Collio for White Wines for Summer
Regardless of what you’re eating this summer, a white wine from Collio will fit the bill. This small region with fewer than 4,000 acres makes a broad range of white white wines extending from lively and fresh examples to ones substantial enough to stand up to a steak. … Read more
Etna Erupts
One of the great things about Italian wines is that so many notable ones, both white and red, fly under the radar. Everyone’s familiar with the great wines of Tuscany, Chianti Classico and Brunello, to name just two, and from Piedmont, home to Barolo and Barbaresco, but these wines often command triple digit prices, commensurate with their reputations.
… Read more Terroir is Alive and Well in Barolo
With three wines, all made from Nebbiolo grape, the Marchesi di Barolo, a top producer in Piedmont, shows the importance of terroir. The French, especially the Burgundians, have long insisted that the idea of terroir—where the grapes grow—is fundamental to the character of the wine. … Read more
2016 Brunello di Montalcino: Don’t Miss Them
The great success of the 2016 vintage throughout Tuscany suggested that the just-released 2016 Brunello would be memorable. Is it ever! To my mind, it is, by far, the best vintage since 2010. I certainly prefer the 2016s in general to the more powerful and overdone Brunello from the much-hyped 2015 vintage. … Read more
The Joys of Exploring Italian Wines
One of the many things I adore about Italian wine is its seemingly limitless depth. You can always uncover a wine area or category unbeknownst to you, even if it’s been known to the Italians themselves for decades. Take, for example, Albana Romagna. … Read more
New Bordeaux Varieties
If this keeps up, the French will need to stop complaining about bureaucratic delays. In just two years, the Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité (INAO), the regulatory body for French wines, has approved six new grape varieties that can be planted in Bordeaux and included in the blend of the wines. … Read more
A Guiltless Way to Enjoy Sauternes
I love Sauternes, but rarely drink that sweet wine. One reason is that the classic combination of foie gras and Sauternes hardly ever comes up these days. But the major reason is that a little goes a long way. One glass as dessert is divine. … Read more
Changes and Consistency at Merry Edwards
Changes abound at Merry Edwards Winery, one of California’s leading Pinot Noir producers. In 2019, Louis Roederer, the Champagne house, purchased the winery, adding it to their already impressive group of California properties. With the 2018 vintage, Heidi von der Mehden took over from Merry Edwards herself as winemaker after working with her since 2015. … Read more
Gifts for Wine Lovers…or for Those Who Want to be Wine Lovers
At this time of the year, people can be understandably fearful of giving wine to their wine-loving or worse, wine-geek, friends. So, here are some fail-safe suggestions, both vinous and educational. Plus, an essential but inexpensive gift item that would be a perfect as a stocking stuffer.… Read more
Castello di Fonterutoli, Leading the Way
With the release of a trio of 2017 Gran Selezione wines, Castello di Fonterutoli is leading the way, showing the importance of terroir—site specificity—in Chianti Classico. Chianti Classico producers have long proclaimed that there are major differences among the wines produced in the region’s nine subzones. … Read more
In Praise of Regional and Village Burgundy…or, Where to Find Value
Simple economics explains why the wine from Burgundy, or Bourgogne, as the French would now like us to call it, has become expensive. Really expensive. French wine regulations limit what can be planted where (a.k.a. the supply) and demand has increased as new markets around the world, such as China, Japan, and Russia, to name just three, discover Burgundy’s allure. … Read more
A Rogue in Oregon
One definition of rogue is “something out of the ordinary.” It is fitting, then, that the Naumes Family Winery is located in Oregon’s Rogue Valley, because they certainly do something out of the ordinary. Ordinary, in terms of Oregon wine, is pretty clear: superb Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and notable Pinot Gris. … Read more
Pouilly-Fuissé Vineyards Finally Get Premier Cru Status
The Nazis were responsible for the lack of Premier Cru vineyards in Pouilly-Fuissé. As Frédéric Burrier, the head of the Pouilly-Fuissé growers’ organization, explains: In the 1940s, in Occupied France, the Germans could requisition village wines, but had to pay for ones, at least theoretically, from a higher classification.
Site Trumps Everything
Tasting a line-up of the 2016 Gary Farrell Pinot Noirs shows why Theresa Heredia, the winemaker for wines, is adamant about the importance of site. Same grape variety, same vintage, same winemaking, so how else to explain the wonderful difference between the Pinot Noir she made from grapes grown in the Fort Ross Vineyard in the Fort Ross—Seaview AVA and the one made from those in the Toboni Vineyard, located in the Russian River Valley?
… Read more A Winery in…L.A.?
California red wine selling for $150+ a bottle is not a rarity anymore. But who’s heard of a Los Angeles winery selling one for that price? For that matter, who’s heard of Los Angeles wineries at all? If you haven’t, you’re not alone. … Read more
Bichot is Back
If I needed any convincing—and I did not—that Bichot, the venerable Beaune-based Burgundy négoçiant, is back, it was after tasting a line-up of their 2018s. That vintage was precarious for winegrowers because the weather provided the potential for both fabulous wines or over-ripe ones with high alcohol levels depending on harvest date, location of the vineyards, and viticulture practices.
… Read more Focusing on Terroir, Following Burgundy’s Lead
If terroir—that French concept that where the grapes grow determines the character of the wine—is so important, why haven’t American consumers embraced it? Maybe wine appellations, which should define terroir, are just not all that important. That could be, but I doubt it.… Read more
Case for Quarantine 2.0
Times like this remind us of the things that are really important in life. In the big picture, wine, though it plays a significant part in my life, is not among them. Compared to the death and disease around us and the prospect of a looming economic recession, and maybe a depression, writing about wine seems trivial. … Read more
Case for Quarantine 2.0
Times like this remind us of the things that are really important in life. In the big picture, wine, though it plays a significant part in my life, is not among them. Compared to the death and disease around us and the prospect of a looming economic recession, and maybe a depression, writing about wine seems trivial. … Read more
Dr. Apstein’s Case for Quarantine
I’ll leave the medical advice concerning the need to quarantine to your personal physician and public health experts. My advice is for a case of wine you’ll need for those two weeks. Of course, depending on how many other adults are with you in quarantine, you may need more than a case.… Read more
Brunello 2015: Less is More
The 2015 vintage of Brunello di Montalcino is being heralded as a 5-star vintage (the top rating) by the notoriously easy-grading Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino, the trade group that represents producers in Montalcino. Retailers around the country have jumped onto the bandwagon with enthusiastic praise for the 2015 vintage. … Read more
Burgundy’s 2018 Vintage: The Importance of Harvest Date
During the annual press conference in November, 2018 at which various Burgundy luminaries discussed the recent vintage, Françoise Labet, President of the organization that represents Burgundy wine, proclaimed that the recently completed vintage was, “Close to 1947,” which was a legendary year. … Read more
Holiday Gifts for Wine Lovers
The obvious choice for gifts for your wine loving friends this holiday season is a bottle—or two—of wine. Sadly, too many are intimidated to give wine to a so-called wine expert. We’ve all heard the excuses: I don’t know anything about wine; I don’t want to embarrass myself by giving an ordinary wine; I don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a prestigious one. … Read more
Mixed Vintage News from Burgundy
BEAUNE, Burgundy, November 19, 2019: First the good news. The 2018 vintage produced large quantities of high-quality wines, both red and white. It’s unusual to see good yields of high-quality wines in Burgundy, but that’s what happened in 2018. Unlike the 2015 vintage, which I characterized as a “point and shot” vintage for the reds because the quality was so consistently 
high that you practically couldn’t miss picking a fine wine, there is considerable variability among the 2018s that I’ve tasted. … Read more
Tuscany’s Maremma: Italy’s Wild West, in More Ways Than One
Despite being home to Ornellaia, Sassicaia, Grattamacco, and Masseto, some of Italy’s most expensive and sought-after wines, the Maremma remains obscure to most wine lovers. Though none of the above-mentioned wines carry the word Maremma on their labels, geographically their home is in that region. … Read more
Age Matters
Winegrowers around the world speak lovingly of old vines. Though the definition is never official, nor even clear, many bottles still carry the moniker, Vieilles Vignes, Vecchie Viti or Viñas Viejas, depending on whether you’re talking about French, Italian or Spanish wines. … Read more
A Star on Long Island
Recently, I happened to mention to my friend, Howard Goldberg, the longtime The New York Times wine writer, that I was writing a column about Loire wines made from Chenin Blanc. Howard suggested that I visit Paumanok on Long Island’s North Fork because, he said, they made great Chenin Blanc. … Read more
An Amber Standout from Georgia
Mosmieri (Kakheti, Georgia) “Kakhuri” 2017 ($20, Corus Imports): Georgian wines seem to be the rage these days, and there are plenty of possible reasons for that. Consumers are intrigued that archeologists have figured out that wine has been made in that Caucasus-region country for 8,000 years, putting it among the oldest wine producing areas in the world. … Read more
Saumur: Home to Fabulous Dry Chenin Blanc
The Chenin Blanc grape can be transformed into fabulous wine. It makes sensationally riveting dry wines and lusciously sweet ones. In this column, I want to focus on the dry ones. They are exceptionally versatile, equally well suited to stand-alone as an aperitif or with a meal, especially with those foods that can pose a challenge for matching with wine, such as sushi, spicy Asian fare or roast pork. … Read more
Beaujolais: A Versatile Wine
One of the many things I love about Beaujolais is its variety and versatility. There’s Beaujolais Nouveau, a beverage that’s almost closer to alcoholic grape juice than to wine, and which many in the American wine press deride regularly. Released on the third Thursday of November, it can be a refreshing, all-purpose wine for the Thanksgiving table. … Read more
Update from Burgundy: Hot, But Not 2003…At Least Not Yet
Record-breaking temperatures hit France and elsewhere in Europe recently with Beaune, in the heart of Burgundy, recording temperatures of over 100 degrees. While those kinds of 
temperatures are common in California wine country, they are rare in Burgundy and immediately raise the question: How the vines and grapes faring?… Read more
A New Designation for an Established Star
Ruffino, Chianti Classico Gran Selezione (Tuscany, Italy) “Riserva Ducale Oro” 2014 ($41): Gran Selezione is a new category of Chianti Classico that is supposed to represent the pinnacle of a producer’s bottling. Whether it does is a matter of debate because some producers’ top wine
from Chianti Classico region is not a Gran Selezione.… Read more
Surprising Whites for the Rosé Season
It’s well known that the red wines from the south of France can provide great pleasure, especially for the price. The whites, in contrast, have received far less attention, in part, because they can be a touch heavy. That may be changing, at least judging from my experience earlier this year.
… Read more Terroir in Bordeaux
Part of my enthusiasm for wine, and I’m sure other’s as well, is that the character of the wine is, or at least should be, a reflection of where the grapes were grown. For me, this is a fabulous expression of Nature and an almost magical one at that. … Read more
Guigal: The Birth of a Star in Châteauneuf-du-Pape
It’s rare for a winery to go from nothing to the top in its category quickly. Bordeaux’s premier châteaux, such as Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Latour, and Château Haut-Brion, to name just three, were founded centuries ago. Similarly, in Burgundy, leading producers such as Maison Louis Jadot, Maison Louis Latour, and Maison Joseph Drouhin, date back to the 19th century. … Read more
Chianti Classico: The Tale of Two Vintages
Consumers are lucky and should be thrilled that there are two stunning vintages, the 2015 and 2016, of Chianti Classico on retailers’ shelves now. Although both vintages are outstanding, the character of the wines is very different. In a word, so to speak, the 2015s are riper and fleshy while the 2016s are racier.
… Read more Brunello di Montalcino 2014: Not as Bad as it Sounds
Despite the sour mood in Montalcino caused by the “difficult” 2014 vintage for Brunello (vintages are never poor, they’re just difficult), it is definitely a vintage that consumers should investigate closely because some producers made very good wine. To be sure, the talk is all gloom and doom regarding the 2014 vintage in Tuscany, including Montalcino. … Read more
Léoville-Poyferré: Another Super Second?
A vertical tasting of 15 vintages of Château Léoville Poyferré paired with food at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. earlier this month was proof that this venerable St. Julien property is on the rise. And while Cru Classé Bordeaux is never inexpensive, recent vintages of Léoville Poyferré are well-priced, especially compared to neighboring Château Léoville Las Cases.… Read more
It’s not a Gambal…It Works
The newly established Gambal-Work partnership in the Sta. Rita Hills of California has just released their first wines, a pair of exquisitely exciting Chardonnays–some of the best I’ve had from California. The enterprise draws on Alex Gambal’s 25 years of experience in Burgundy, where he is still making wines under the Alex Gambal label and that of Peter Work, a Dane who has considerable experience with vineyards in the Sta.… Read more
The Mother of All Wine Auctions
All hospitals have a Director. But only one–Les Hospices de Beaune–has a Director of Winemaking. (As a physician, I am especially interested in seeing that organizational chart.) The hospital needs a director of winemaking because it owns vineyards–over 150 acres of them, 85 percent of which are classified as Premier and Grand Cru, making it one of the largest vineyard owners in Burgundy. … Read more
The 2017 Burgundies
Everyone was smiling during my visit to Burgundy last month. The cellars were, after all, chock full of wine after two good-sized vintages. At Maison Louis Jadot, the barrel cellars were filled to the brim. For the first time ever, barrels were stacked three high in a cellar designed for just two tiers.
… Read more Chianti Classico: The Times They are A-Changing
With apologies to Bob Dylan, “The Times They are A-Changing” in Chianti Classico. Three decades ago, producers were embracing the use of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and other so-called “international varieties,” to bolster Sangiovese. But now, with dramatic improvements in the vineyards, growers have shown the heights that Sangiovese can achieve in Chianti Classico. … Read more
Meerlust’s Rubicon: A South African Icon
“He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse,” quipped Hannes Myburgh, the 8th generation of the family that owns Meerlust, in response to a potential conflict with Francis Ford Coppola over names. Coppola and his wife own the legendary Napa Valley Winery, Inglenook, whose flagship red wine is also labeled Rubicon. … Read more
The Conundrum of Assigning Points
Maison Louis Latour’s 2015 Domaine de Valmoissine Pinot Noir (IGP Var, $14) epitomizes the difficulty of assessing wines by assigning a number to them. Do you judge them among their peers or on an absolute scale? And how does value–ratio of enjoyment to price–figure in the final number?… Read more
Marchesi Frescobaldi: ‘When you prune, you get to know the plants’
Lamberto Frescobaldi, tieless in a casual sports jacket, has a down-to-earth demeanor and a twinkle in his eye that belies his nobleman status. He is the 30th generation of that famed winemaking family, which in the past traded wine for paintings with Renaissance artists. … Read more