Apologies for the all caps in the title. You’ll soon see why. Volatus had the best pinot at this Garagiste. Added bonus: they also have a chardonnay. Hal Schmitt, owner and winemaker, is a TOPGUN instructor. We thank him for his service, but are very happy he started making wine. Somehow he’s still an instructor. Here’s why it’s TOPGUN: And here’s Hal in his day job. The...
And not a minute too soon! In the last few months we’ve managed to break two of our Garagiste glasses. That made attending the Paso Robles event an imperative. So we did. This is our overview. We...
The Darwin Awards are awarded to people who have died because they made an incredibly stupid mistake. They have essentially removed themselves from the gene pool, giving evolution a big assist...
As regular readers know, RN Estate Winery in Paso Robles is one of our favorites. We have been wine club members there for longer than we can remember. Last night I discovered two 2019 pinots from...
What wine pairs with pickled beets? That question came to mind when I fielded a request for a pickled beet recipe. I’d say a zinfandel, preferably something that can stand up to the acidity...
Our friends at Maggy Hawk were kind enough to forward an invitation to this event. So on January 7 we checked into the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert right next to Palm...
Here’s the list of wineries we plan to write about. If you’re really curious about a specific entry, e-mail us and we’ll try to move it up our priority list.
We were greeted by Sam Lando, founder, owner, and winemaker at Lando Wines. These folks only make Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley pinot noirs. Our bliss point! Sam was pouring three pinots:...
Domaine Della uses the allocation system. There is no wine club per se. Sign up for their e-mail list and they will notify you when wines are available. There is a deadline for ordering. We ordered...
From the website: Beau Marchais Winery began on a summer evening in July of 2018 in the town of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. I was fortunate enough to be invited to Philippe Cambie’s home for dinner and...
On April 30, we made the trek to the town of Sonoma for the Garagiste Sonoma 2022. It had been a few years since we covered this marvelous event. And we were not disappointed. Here’s a...
Give this one some time to open up. Decant if you’re impatient. On the nose dense black fruit with a hint of forest floor. On the palate milder than you would expect from the aroma. But still black...
We drank this for Thanksgiving. The Patz and Hall 2017 Sonoma Coast pinot noir ($48) is excellent. We’re usually reluctant to recommend a blend from an AVA. But Sonoma Coast is home to some...
A story in the New York Post had this screaming headline:[1] The story was based on a statement from (deep breath) Director General Pau Roca of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV)...
I developed this fusion recipe quite a few years ago. Lots of work, but worth it. You will need actual chipotles, not just chipotles in adobo. Enjoy my chipotle kung pao chicken!
