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September 2007
Expensive Trial Balloons
Posted: 03:36 PM ET, September 28, 2007
Last week I tasted a flight of California Tempranillos, and pursuant to our discussion about value wines and the lack thereof from California, what struck me about this tasting was the prices.
For the most part, Tempranillo is a new grape in California, and therefore, most of these are new wines. Read more
A Flashy New Pinot Noir from De Loach
Posted: 12:15 PM ET, September 27, 2007
When a winery turns itself around, and gets back into a groove with its new wines, it’s one of those happy win-win situations.
The 2006 De Loach Russian River Pinot Noir ($20, 17,000 cases) reflects this winery’s renewed focus on higher quality wines. Read more
Harvest 2007 Shifts Gears in California
Posted: 12:47 PM ET, September 26, 2007
In nearly 30 years of observing harvests in California and elsewhere, I’ve come to count on two things to be true. The first is that it takes a lot of beer to make good wine; the second is that no two vintages are alike.
In the past few days vintners I’ve talked with are describing 2007 in California as one of those years where it’s more like two harvests instead of one (and you can follow the harvest from the winemaker’s view elsewhere on our site. Read more
Remembering Phil Frank's Saga of Chateau Daffite
Posted: 01:01 PM ET, September 25, 2007
Phil Frank, the witty, enterprising cartoonist best known for his Farley and Elderberries comic strips, died Sept. 13 from a brain tumor. He was only 64.
Aside from being a huge fan of his works, I knew Phil. Read more
A Winery That's a Throwback to Old Napa
Posted: 01:16 PM ET, September 24, 2007
I seldom tour wineries these days, work being what it is, but on Sunday I rode my bike from Rutherford to Calistoga with a friend and we stopped and tasted at Dutch Henry winery.
I’ve driven by this tiny winery on Silverado Trail hundreds of times in my car, but never pulled over to visit. Read more
When It Comes to Values, California Is Lagging
Posted: 12:19 PM ET, September 20, 2007
September is California Wine Appreciation month, which is the Golden State’s annual self-promotion, courtesy of the wine industry. And since most of the wine consumed in this country comes from California, it’s worth noting a couple of things. Read more
100-Point Rating: Curse or Blessing?
Posted: 12:31 PM ET, September 19, 2007
Recently I got into one of those circular-cum-rhetorical exercises with friends about whether it's a curse or a blessing for a winemaker to earn a 100-point rating on his or her first wine.
Maybe there’s an easy answer and maybe there isn’t. Read more
This Grenache Needs Time to Breathe
Posted: 12:44 PM ET, September 13, 2007
I had one of those 24-hour wines yesterday in my regular blind tasting, and again it was an Alban Grenache, this time the 2005 edition from the winery’s Edna Valley estate.
I’ve written about my experiences with Alban Grenache in the past. Read more
Are Wine Clubs Worth It?
Posted: 12:18 PM ET, September 11, 2007
One of those frequently asked questions is whether wine clubs are worth joining.
Wine clubs come in many different shapes and sizes, so it’s impossible to generalize. Many are sponsored by a winery, where wines—sometimes exclusive offerings—are sold directly to members, usually at some sort of discount. Read more
Desperate Housewines: More Home Winemakers Turn Pro
Posted: 12:36 PM ET, September 10, 2007
I returned to Napa after a week's hiatus from Winedom this weekend, happy to find harvest in full swing and the roads populated by those weekend warriors who make wine purely for the fun of it.
I’m talking about the hordes of home winemakers, those hearty souls who pick their grapes in tidy boxes and pile them in the backs of pickup trucks and occasionally a station wagon. Read more
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