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Cellar Favorite: Blandy’s Madeira – 2022 Bottlings
Portugal, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Sep 2022
I recently joined Blandy’s CEO, Chris Blandy, and head winemaker, Francisco Albuquerque, for a tasting of their 2022 Madeira bottlings.
Cellar Favorite: 2018 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
United States: Washington, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Sep 2022
There are very few wines that I personally seek out year after year. For a wine to become a recurring purchase for my cellar, it takes a proven track record, unparalleled quality among. peers, vintage-to-vintage consistency and. relative value. The Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon is such a wine, even with steady price increase over the past ten years.
Cellar Favorite: 1997 & 2009 Kanonkop Paul Sauer
South Africa, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Sep 2022
The secondary market for South Africa’s most desirable top cuvées continues to see increasing numbers of collectors chasing diminishing supply. Buoyant interest in the Cape’s blue chips is a relatively recent phenomenon that has grown organically, pulled by demand rather than forced by supply. One coveted label is Kanonkop’s Paul Sauer.
Cellar Favorite: 2010 & 2011 Porseleinberg
South Africa, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Sep 2022
Porseleinberg leads an impressive and growing fleet of world-class Syrah/Rhône blends from South Africa.
Cellar Favorite: 1940 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
France: Bordeaux, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Aug 2022
On a recent visit to the estate, director Nicolas Glumineau probably risked his own job when he invited me down to the cellar to choose a bottle. I decided upon an esoteric and forgotten vintage, one that Glumineau himself had never tasted before.
Cellar Favorite: 1920 Clarets
France: Bordeaux, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Aug 2022
Each year I attend a dinner at Domaine de Chevalier hosted by Olivier Bernard. It’s been held for many years, long before I joined the table. The theme is always the numerical vintage, for example in 2022, all the vintages ended in two.
Cellar Favorite: 2009 Royal Tokaji Company Tokaji Essencia
Hungary, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Aug 2022
Hail, hail the wonderment of Essencia! Drop-by-drop, by mere pressure of gravity alone upon heavily-botrytised aszú grapes, a dribble of ultra-sweet, unctuous nectar so extreme that it challenges the definition of wine ekes out.
Cellar Favorite: Lune d’Or 2012-2020
France: Bordeaux, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Aug 2022
This Cellar Favourite takes a look at the Bordeaux dry white, Lune d’Or, an increasingly important part of Olivier Bernard’s portfolio. Prior to tasting the Domaine de Chevalier proprietor’s latest releases at en primeur, he opened every vintage since the debut to demonstrate the quality of dry whites from Sauternes and its ageing potential.
Cellar Favorite: Raiding the Cellar at Inspire Napa Valley
France: Burgundy, France: Champagne, France: Alsace, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Aug 2022
I was thrilled to open this eclectic collection of wines from my cellar during this year’s Inspire Napa Valley dinner at Staglin. It’s a rare treat to take a break from the hectic pace of tasting wines for review and actually drink a few things for pleasure.
Cellar Favorite: Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 1991-2019
South Africa, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Jul 2022
Winemaker Matt Day, together with co-proprietor Hans Astrom, flew from South Africa recently to present a rare vertical tasting of their Vin de Constance that included the forthcoming 2019 vintage.