It’s not a stretch to say that Philippe Melka is, right now, the hottest winemaker in all of the Napa Valley (hottest as in “most in-demand,” and not as in “most hunky,” though admittedly I’d be a pretty poor judge of the latter). He’s got a 100-point Wine Advocate review under his belt with Dana…
Category: wine review
Merlot-Bashing Is For Douchebags (A Restrained And Tempered Report From The #PNV12 Vintage Perspective Tasting)
[ Editor’s note: While the following article contains a serious view on – and producer recommendations regarding – recent Napa Valley Merlot vintages, it employs a facetious style that may or may not offend you, depending primarily on whether or not you posses a sense of humor. If you are easily offended and/or have misplaced…
#PNV12 Raises Hopes, Along With Sh*tload Of Dollars (And Oak… And Tannin…)
Premiere Napa Valley – the annual auction event in which Napa Valley Vintners members create small-quantity, one-of-a-kind wine lots that are then bid on by wine industry/retailer types – is, basically, a total zoo. And I love that it’s a zoo. It’s my kind of wine geek’s zoo: equal parts social event, fund-raiser, total chaos,…
Minerals And Mustachios (Can Muscadet Be Aged For The Long Haul)?
The short answer to the question posed in the title, for the impatient among you, is “Yes.” At least 35 years, in fact (maybe more). The long answer is considerably, well, longer… and a lot more complicated, but those who choose to brave its circuitous path will be rewarded with tidbits of French wine family…