Buongiorno Amici, Sicily’s Mt Etna has exploded…..no, not a volcanic eruption, which is very possible for this still active cauldron.  Rather, the renewed interest and investment that has taken place over the last 10 years has allowed the wine growing culture on Etna’s slopes to pass from ancient obscurity into the modern limelight of wine … Continue reading →

Bonjour aux amateurs des vins du Rhone, The various satellite villages of the southern Rhone valley of France are a treasure trove of rich and satisfying wines, chock full of Provencal character.  One of the northern most towns of the Cotes du Rhone villages appellation is the picturesque town of Seguret, pictured here.  Settled almost … Continue reading →

Bonjour et joyeuses fetes a tout le monde! Of the growers that I work with, there are a few elder statesmen whose depth of knowledge/experience, serene grace, stirringpresence, and masterful craft invoke a feeling of being with a true Jedi: Michel Lafarge of Volnay and Philippe Foreau of Vouvray come to mind…. Of the younger … Continue reading →

San Gimignano rising out of the mist Buongiorno agli amici della vigna, Nestled in the Tuscan hills between Firenze and Siena, just outside of the idyllic medieval hilltop town of San Gimignano, there lies a special place, cared for by some special souls.  This is the land of Vernaccia, a unique & intensely perfumed white … Continue reading →

Bonjour les amis du vin, This is an image of the heart of Savigny les Beaune of Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune. Map of Savigny The purple colored parcels are village level vineyards; the darker red parcels are 1er cru vineyards. The photo is from standing in aux Serpentieres, looking south across the valley towards les Jarrons … Continue reading →

Bonjour a tout le monde, There is only one Cote Rotie.  The “roasted slope” of the Northern Rhone is defined by its schist soils (flaky limestone and granite), STEEP terrain, and perhaps the most savory, mineral, taut, and complex dimension of Syrah on Earth.  For a brief overview, check out this wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%B4te-R%C3%B4tie_AOC Or is … Continue reading →

Bonjour aux amis du vin, I first met Jean-Michel Deiss about 7 years ago.  I had heard a great many things about this controversial inconoclast, but had very little hands on experience with his wines.  I had heard that his wines were unique not only to Alsace, but the world.  I had heard that he … Continue reading →

Bonjour mes amis, Imagine, if you will, that it’s the middle of the night in a sleepy alpine hamlet, the moon and stars shining brightly down upon the surrounding mountains.  The only sound to be heard is the nocturnal chorus of the wind and insects, playing their timeless tune.  Out of this familiar calm and … Continue reading →

Bonjour aux amateurs de la Bourgogne! I too often hear people bemoan the lack of value to be found in Burgundy, that it is an overpriced minefield whose true beauty is frustratingly elusive.  Well to those folks I put forward the wines of the Belland family, grape growers in Santenay for the past six generations. … Continue reading →

Buongiorno agli amici della vigna, The mountainous reaches of northeastern Italy’s Alto Adige region have witnessed the ebb and flow of civilization and its ambitions, all of which pass away as steadily and quietly as glacial melt.  Many settlers have left their mark, from Otzi the Neolithic Iceman (www.iceman.it; clearly a relative of mine…), to … Continue reading →

I’m thrilled to announce the beginning of my relationship with the family of Anne-Francoise Gros and Francois Parent. As an intro, I think it is important to clarify the various branches of the Gros Family.  Domaine Jean Gros of Vosne Romanee was split into three parts in 1996, among their three children: Michel, Bernard, and … Continue reading →

Ah, where to begin to introduce the Glory of German Riesling…..soooo misunderstood, sooo incredibly delicious….. Today’s introduction takes us to the hauntingly sleepy town of Bockenau, in the seemingly ‘outside of the world’ Nahe valley.  In stark contrast to the storybook dramatic majesty of the much celebrated Mosel river, the Nahe feels like a hushed … Continue reading →

Bonjour a tout le monde! It was an honor and a pleasure to meet, taste, and walk the vineyards with Gerard Boulay this past June.  I can only imagine what it must be like to farm the same land that your family has farmed since 1400!!! The image above is Gerard standing in the Clos … Continue reading →

Bonjour les amis du vin, (hello friends of wine) The highest peak of the European Alps is the monumental Mont Blanc, a year round glacier that is one of the most iconic vistas in all of Europe.  The dramatic 4,000+ meter high peak has been celebrated by mountaineering and ski enthusiasts the world over for centuries. … Continue reading →

Of my many visits with some of the greatest wine producers on the planet, there have only been a few occasions where I have found myself in awe of the presence of a genuinely special soul, one who is both thoroughly masterful in the depth of knowledge of their craft as well as so plainly … Continue reading →

This is a view of the gently sloped vineyards of the Rabaja cru of Barbaresco, near the town of Neive in Piemonte.  Vineyards descend both on this side of the ridge, as well as the behind me, the shadow man pictured. This type of view shows exactly why the various single parcels of the Barbareschi … Continue reading →

Ah, where to begin……. I first met with Mounir and Rotem Saouma at their cellars in Beaune, to taste their 2006 vintage from barrel.  I had heard exciting things about these up-and-coming micro-negociants.  They had met in Burgundy, and after several years of working with several producers on the Cote and abroad, they decided to … Continue reading →

This is the moderately sloped Giachini vineyard of La Morra in the Barolo zone of Piemonte.  It is a chilly January morning, about 9am.  In the distance, down the hill a bit, you can see a figure, diligently and methodically performing some of the winter pruning needed.  His name is Giovanni Corino, and he planted … Continue reading →

This is the entryway to the Clos Salomon of Givry, in Burgundy’s southern Cote Chalonnaise.  History has seen the waning tides of fashion come and go, but the gently sloped, southeast facing limestone and clay driven soils of this patch of Givry has produced wines that have always been recognized for their excellence.  A Domaine … Continue reading →

As I wind my way into the valley directly behind the much heralded villages of Puligny and Chassagne Montrachet, I am struck by a sense of entering a more pastoral landcape;  it feels as though I have entered humbler farm country, without the regal trappings garnered over the millenia by Chassagne and Puligny, the most … Continue reading →

……And in a jar, that’s Terroir! The concept of terroir, as defined by wikipedia here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terroir, can briefly be summarized as a ‘sense of place’.  Among wine lovers, it seems to be polarizing: it is either the pinnacle of wine’s transcendent expressiveness, or utter hogwash.  For me personally, this singularity of character that emerges from the … Continue reading →

I’m thrilled to announce the arrival of the first step of my relationship with the Altare family of La Morra, Piedmonte in Italy.  This modernist Barolo legend enjoys a heralded following due to the impressive richness and finesse that all of the family’s wines enjoy.  For our first step together, we’ve started with: 2010 Dolcetto; … Continue reading →

Chateauneuf du Pape is the emblematic royalty of the Southern Rhone.  Within its large appellation acreage, there are many house styles and microclimactic differences that connoisseurs are recognizing in increasing detail.  Having followed Chateauneuf for almost a decade now, I can say that there seems to be a sweet spot to my palate: the North/Northeast … Continue reading →