Well, the consensus is in from all of the powerhouse wine critics/writers and industry insiders who were able to attend tastings of barrel samples from some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Cabernet Franc producers on the planet. I happened to miss out on the fun because the DamnGoodWine executives decided to spend my airfare on some recent excursions to Morton’s and Ruth’s Chris Steak House, but enough about us, lets get into some wine.
Read the rest of this entry »

Shiraz is Happenin

It is a happenin’ wine varietal now and it has been for the last five years in the retail sector (it has won over many California Cabernet, Zin, and Merlot drinkers) and on fine wine lists nation wide. Shiraz is the most widely planted red grape in Australia and the selection offered to the world market has been growing over the last few years. Shiraz is a great wine grape. Get to know it if you enjoy red wine, and get used to talking about Australia when you are talking wine with your wine-appreciating friends. If you have any; wine drinking friends that is.

Shiraz is a nice blackberryish, plummy, full-to-medium bodied, peppery, dark purple mouth filling, intensely interesting red wine. It is age-worthy in many cases but mostly ready to drink on arrival. Shiraz gets a lot of coverage now and I think it will keep emerging as one of the main players fighting for shelf space in the next ten years.
Read the rest of this entry »

It’s that time of year again folks, so feel free to read this article and take from it what you can. This is one huge meal that always gets a lot of people wandering the wine aisle’s trying to pick out that one perfect wine. Don’t do it. Don’t think that there is one perfect wine. There are hundreds and hundreds. This is a feast that can accommodate so many wines that I could walk blindfolded through my wine store and come up with wines that match.

If you try the blindfolded thing just bring someone along to steer you clear of the wine displays, and if you try it out with your eyes wide open, give these varietals a look. Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. So you are getting the picture, right. Lots of options and nothing to stress out about.

The reason all these wines can work is because they all have something different to offer the main course and all the accompaniments.
Read the rest of this entry »

I have been put to sleep by so many Merlots in the past that when I get my hands on a kickin’ bottle like this I can’t help but go back to the store, buy 6 more bottles and tell everyone about it.

1999 “Walla Walla Valley” Merlot
Is there a varietal that L’Ecole does at the moment that isn’t at the top of its class? Come on; answer me when I ask a question of you. Oh, you said “No”, sorry for yelling. That seems to be the answer I was looking for. Their Semillon: Excellent. Their Cab: Awesome. Their Chard: very, very nice stuff. This ’99 Merlot in front of me right now: simply “jacked”. Or maybe I should clear that up by saying it is brilliantly delicious and has jaw dropping flavor and balance, and I rarely say that about a Merlot.

I have been put to sleep by so many Merlots in the past that when I get my hands on a kickin’ bottle like this I can’t help but go back to the store, buy 6 more bottles and tell everyone about it. Who cares if they run away from me and call security. At least I can get out in the morning and open up another bottle.
Read the rest of this entry »

When we say “Fogarty”, you think of a reefer-smoking hippie singing Born on the Bayou, right? Well stop it. As much as we love doobie hittin’ singers from CCR (John Fogerty, see they aren’t even spelled the same), we love winery-owning doctors named Thomas Fogarty even more. Why? Because the good doctor has a winery located up in the Santa Cruz Mountains that puts out a plethora of good juice, and it’s all handcrafted by a damngood and seasoned wine making all-star; Mr. Michael Martella.

The Thomas Fogarty Winery and Vineyard is located about 2000 feet up in them there hills and has been there since 1981. The Estate sits on 325 acres, with about 25 acres dedicated to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and small lots of Merlot and Sangiovese. Right now the good doctor and Mr. Martella are producing 13 different wines and case production is rather limited on many of their offerings and reaches the 3500+ case boundary with just a few of their wines.
Read the rest of this entry »