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Cellar Favorite: 1978 Ridge Petite Sirah York Creek
Cellar Favorites
, Nov 2016
Ridge’s 1978 Petite Sirah York Creek represents old California at its best. Still impressively dark in hue, this timeless wine offers a complex nose of sweet black currants, shoe polish, sandalwood, leather, rosemary and a hint of violet.
Cellar Favorite: 1978 Maison Leroy Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Oct 2016
The 1978 Maison Leroy Mazis-Chambertin is one of the most profound wines I’ve had in recent memory.
Vinous Table: Hazelnut Kitchen, Trumansburg, NY
Vinous Table
, Oct 2016
On my recent trip to the Finger Lakes I made the gross miscalculation of flying in to New York City, which left me with a near 5-hour drive to my hotel. Somewhere around Ithaca I began to get hungry. By the time I hit Trumansburg I was famished. Driving down the main street I happened past Hazelnut Kitchen, which had been recommended by multiple people. Bedraggled from the long drive, I shuffled inside and sat down to the best meal of my trip.
Cellar Favorite: 1986 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon
Cellar Favorites
, Oct 2016
As always, Philip Togni’s Spring Mountain Cabernets present Napa Valley at its most stoic and profound. This particular vintage is just hitting its stride, and while it certainly displays a certain level of maturity, the wine clearly has a long life left ahead of it.
The Rutherford and Oakville AVAs - Early Days
United States: California, featured
, Sep 2016
In this excerpt from his book Appellation Napa Valley – Building and Protecting an American Treasure, Richard Mendelson shares his first-hand account of the early days in the creation of the Rutherford and Oakville AVAs and the many untold stories that took place during this important and formative period in Napa Valley’s history.
Finger Lakes Rising
United States: New York, featured
, Jul 2016
As a former New Yorker, I’ve been excited to watch from afar as an increasing amount of acclaim has been lavished on the Empire State’s wine regions. In particular, the Finger Lakes has undergone an enormous transformation in the past 10–15 years as the quality of the wines has taken a gigantic leap forward.
Meet the Mahers: Two Premier Grape Growers in One Household
United States: California, featured
, Jun 2016
Given that the quality of a wine can only be as high as that of its raw materials, the selection of a vineyard manager is one of the most critical decisions a winery owner can make. The vineyard manager is the person who is arguably most directly responsible for translating terroir, and for transforming the potential of a vineyard site into something tangible. Kelly and Mary Maher, two of Napa’s top vineyard managers who also happen to be married, came up in the industry together, but ultimately took different career paths.
Book Excerpt: A Brief History of Napa Valley, Part II
United States: California, featured
, Jun 2016
In the American imagination, the 1920s were a boozy, riotous era when flapper girls and gangsters commingled in underground speakeasies. While the extent of this licentiousness is likely exaggerated, one thing is certain: all that wickedness was born of Prohibition, a legislative attempt to promote sobriety and lawfulness.
Vinous Table: Dano’s Heuriger on Seneca
Vinous Table
, May 2016
Anyone fortunate enough to have traveled through the wine regions of Austria is familiar with the concept of a Heuriger. They are - generally speaking - seasonal restaurants, often appended to a winery, and many are only open for the few weeks or months surrounding harvest. The fare tends to lean towards a rustic, hearty direction- typically centered around sausages or schnitzel- intended to sate the massive hunger garnered by a long day of working in either cellar or vineyard. Local wines are the only libation on offer, and a vintage will sometimes be served after only a few weeks of age (heurig effectively translates to "this year's").
Vinous Table: Sturehof, Stockholm, Sweden
Vinous Table
, Apr 2016
This past December, following a particularly busy day promoting my book in Sweden, I joined a group of friends for a late dinner at Sturehof – a Stockholm fixture that was originally established in 1897. Though assuredly among the oldest restaurants I have ever stepped foot inside, there were no cobwebs on this place. On the contrary, Sturehof was the gastronomic embodiment of vigor.