July 2011
8 posts
Sweet Wine Drinkers, (A Lack Of) Panties, And How... →
According to a recent survey of wine drinkers, headed up jointly by Cornell professor Virginia Utermohlen and controversial wine guru Tim Hanni, wine consumers who prefer sweet wines often…
Weekly Twitter Wine Mini Reviews Round-Up For July... →
Uhm, like what is this stuff?
I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine sample tasting notes via twitter (limited to 140…
Wake Up, Wine People: Boomers Won’t Be Buying Your... →
Although the conclusion implied in the title of today’s post probably seems obvious to many (i.e., a company/brand has to eventually court younger customers because older customers will not be able…
Weekly Twitter Wine Mini Reviews Round-Up For July... →
Uhm, like what is this stuff?
I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine sample tasting notes via twitter (limited to 140…
Dance On A Volcano: Grapegrowing At The Edge Of... →
“This…. this was all vineyards of Malbec…”
They say the Italian influence runs strong in Argentina, and nowhere does it look stronger than in the face of our driver, Carlos…
The PLCB’s Version Of “Innovation” (or “God Help... →
The recent news of perpetually-hip grocery company Wegman’s pulling out of the troubled PA Liquor Control Board’s wine kiosk program has caused a bit of a stir in the wine world,…
Weekly Twitter Wine Mini Reviews Round-Up For July... →
Uhm, like what is this stuff?
I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine sample tasting notes via twitter (limited to 140…
The Long View Of Long Island Red (Tasting Through... →
“No one really gets to try older Long Island wine… because, well, there really isn’t any!”
James Silver, General Manager of Peconic Bay Winery, was telling me about the dearth…
June 2011
1 post
A Search For The Soul Of North American Wine... →
I think traditional American wine-writing may have totally jumped the shark.
Yeah, I am actually going there. And yeah, it will probably take around 1100 words.
You see, last week…
May 2011
10 posts
Is Great Malbec Born, Or Made? (Taste Testing –... →
Visit Familia Zuccardi, in the Maipú region of Mendoza in Argentina, and any (or all) of three things are likely to happen:
You get stuffed like a veal calf, mostly on splayed goat,…
Want Some Wine With That Booze? (The “Parker... →
The Center for Wine Economics released a report of a recent study on the sugar levels of wine grapes in California, titled “Too Much of a Good Thing? Causes and Consequences of Increases in Sugar…
Weekly Twitter Wine Mini Reviews Round-Up For May... →
07 Twisted Oak “The Spaniard” (Calaveras County): Savory, inspired red blend that is most certainly not “unemployed in Greenland.” $49 A- #
08 Bonny Doon “Le Cigare Blanc” (Arroyo Seco): The lady’s…
Short Answers, Long Finishes And Seesaws (Tasting... →
You don’t really know a winemaker until you’ve shared a seesaw ride with him. That’s my new mantra after visiting Viña Morandé’s “House of Morandé” restaurant and tasting bar…
Georges Duboeuf Wine Book Of The Year Awards,... →
Last week in my continuing saga as judge in the Georges Duboeuf Wine Book of the Year Awards, we took a look at the finalists that didn’t make my cut into the “top three” votes for the award…
Hey Winemakers In Emerging Wine Regions: Stop... →
“Doesn’t mean you should Just because you can It doesn’t mean you should Just because you can Like Abraham and Ishmael Fighting over sand It doesn’t mean you should Just…
Georges Duboeuf Wine Book Of The Year Awards,... →
For the next act in my continuing saga as judge in the Georges Duboeuf Wine Book of the Year Awards, I wanted to detail the awards finalists that didn’t make the cut for my top…
Born Digital, Buried In Content (The 2010 Born... →
The good news for wine lovers is that there’s a ton of wine-related content on the ‘global interwebs,’ much of it available for free (because content is a commodity now, people). The bad
Weekly Twitter Wine Mini Reviews Round-Up For May... →
09 Ludwig “Hammerklavier” Pinot Noir/Dornfelder (Santa Lucia Highlands): Has more character than any primetime police drama out there. $28 B #
08 V. Sattui Glisson Vineyard Zinfandel (Russian…
PR Jonesin’ And The Temple Of Parker Scores... →
Quick quiz for you: How many times can you listen to a winery’s PR guy mention Robert Parker scores before you want to shove wine barrel bungs into your ears to drown out all…
March 2011
9 posts
No Limits, No Excuses: Trinchero Goes For Broke →
As in, almost literally going for broke, because I don’t think they’re actually profitable yet. And that’s just fine with the people footing the bills. Sounds nuts but it will all…
Has Holiday Wine Pairing Jumped The Shark? (Have... →
Is the holiday wine pairing idea totally over-and-done? Did it, in fact, jump the shark full-on in Arthur Foazerelli leather jacket and scarf? Is it deader than Aunt Martha’s Christmas fruitcake?
…
08 Morande Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc (Casablanca): A touch too sweet, but with botrytis at this price I should stop my bitching. $10 B-
10 Emiliana Natura Chardonnay (Casablanca): Your food will like you for pairing it with this papaya, peach & slightly creamy good buy $10 C+
08 Emiliana Coyam (Colchagua): 8 red varities, 1 vineyard, 2 oak profiles, a ton of dark red fruits, & just touches of grit & green. $32 B+
10 Vina Leyda “Lot 21” Pinot Noir (Leyda Valley): Amazingly fresh & textbook red-berry PN. Beats the pants off more pricey CA stuff $38 B+
Lessons In Longevity: Tim Mondavi’s Continuum, And... →
Tim Mondavi’s eyes betray almost everything in their expressiveness; probably more than he realizes.
One moment, when recalling some memory or detail of spearheading the development of…
08 Trinchero Chicken Ranch Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Rutherford): “Overachiever” written all over it in its mineral-driven dust. $40 B+
06 Hall “Bergfeld” Cabernet Sauvignon (St. Helena): Tense structure belies some seriously delicious, velvety, fruity complexity. $100 A-
February 2011
12 posts
Wines Of Place (For Obligatory Valentine’s Day... →
Let’s get the Valentine’s Day mention out of the way first thing – my views on this most Hallmark© of upcoming holidays are akin to those recently espoused by my friend W. Blake Gray….
Going Pro: Workin’ For The Man (In Portugal) →
There are worse places to be than where I’m camped out this week – Portugal (again, and I feel blessed to be back), where this time I’ll get to spend some time in Reguengos de Monsaraz, Lisbon, as…
99 Smith Woodhouse LBV Port (Porto): Trad. & needs decanting, but the peppery spice & blackberry are worth the extra effort involved. $29 B
A Feast At The Bookshelf (William Widmaier’s “A... →
It’s been months since the most recent “official” book review on the virtual pages of 1WineDude.com. This hasn’t been due to a paucity of book samples coming my way – I’ve just sadly had little…
The Kick-Ass-ness Cometh (Tasting Two Napa Valley... →
Seventh Lombardi trophy, that is.
See, I’ve been a Steelers fan for over 30 years, which places the activity in rare company when it comes to my lifetime activities, bested only by…
08 90+ Cellars Lot 15 Pinot Noir (Carneros): Bright cherry fruit survives the oak attack w/out getting overblown about the achievement $16 B
1WineDude Radio: Demystifying the Asian Wine... →
Much has been written on the subject of how Asian markets are affecting the wine world, most of it concentrating on the impact of Hong Kong auctions on the scarce availability and…
08 J Keverson Haas Family Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sonoma Mountain): Brutally big (as in “some of my fruit got brutally murdered!”). $32 C+
06 La Jota Heritage Release Howell Mtn Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Cassis, spice, blackberry - just focused, pure, & brilliant. $90 A
08 Rodney Strong Reserve Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley): French oak dukes it out with bright red fruit & spice. Oak wins by TKO. $40 B
The Biodynamics Debate: The Aftermath →
Over the past two weeks, I’ve posted podcast interviews with leading voices on both sides of the debate over the merits of biodynamic viticulture (if you’re interested in why I chose…
08 Sanford La Rinconada Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills): Get past the sizable heft & spicy raspberry/cherry & earthiness awaits $50 B+
January 2011
26 posts
08 Santa Ana Reserve Malbec-Shiraz (Mendoza): Pepper & Plum have a happy marriage, then give birth to velvety, easy-going offspring. $13 B-
08 Hugel “Cuvee Les Amours” Pinot Blanc (Alsace): Living up to its namesake with flowers when you meet & a citrusy kiss when you part. $15 B
Weekly Twitter Wine Mini Reviews Round-Up For... →
07 Trivium “Les Ivrettes Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Tiny production; big-time concentration & complex, juicy flavor. $65 A- #
07 Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay (Napa Valley):…
08 August Briggs Old Vines Zinfandel (Napa Valley): Blackberry in a bit of a smoky haze, but still a friend indeed to game meats. $34 B
07 Trivium “Les Ivrettes Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Tiny production; big-time concentration & complex, juicy flavor. $65 A-
09 X Winery Nova Vineyard Zinfandel (Lake County): You’ll get cedar & jammy blackberry, but will feel every % point of its 14.5% abv. $19 B-
06 Twisted Oak Murgatroyd (Calaveras County): Prune, vanilla & currants make for the most fun U can have since Snagglepuss’ retirement $24 B
1WineDude Radio Episode 5: Stu Smith’s Quest to... →
Offering the counterpoint to last week’s discussion of Biodynamic viticulture with consultant Alan York, we continue the coverage of Biodynamics by talking to its most vocal critic…
Win a Pair of Tickets to the Dark & Delicious... →
I’ve got a pair of tickets to give away to the upcoming Dark & Delicious Petite Sirah event in Alameda, CA on February 18th – and they might just have YOUR name on ‘em!
The Dark &…
Attend the 2011 New York Wine Expo With a... →
Hey East Coast Wine Peeps!
It’s that time of year again – the time when I miss the annual NY Wine Expo because I’ll be in Napa. Doh!
But just because I won’t be there doesn’t mean…