In what has become an annual tradition within a tradition (which I suppose makes it some sort of Postmodern meta-tradition?), I’ve once again used my band’s appearance at the annual Summer Solstice music festival as an excuse to sneak in some “work.” The work, such as it is, involves grabbing samples of wine in alternative…
Category: wine review
Wined Down: Gulping With A Mastodon For Playboy.com
In what’s become a surreal state of affairs, the list of California cult wines that I’ve yet to try in some way/shape/form is dwindling. Quickly. The surreal part is that there is no way that I could afford these wines on my own, and in some cases I wouldn’t want to pay the money for…
Auction Napa Valley 2012: One Dude’s Tasting Notes
Part of the madness of Auction Napa Valley (the annual over-the-top charity shin-dig that this year raked in about $8 million) – and the fun – is that both the one-percenters and the rest of us can bid on barrels of upcoming Napa Valley wine releases (and, in some cases, special one-of-a-kind lots) during the…
Roots, Reconnected (Tasting Inglenook’s 1960 Cabnernet)
Jeff Smith, of Hourglass wines (and who, incidentally, just took the rather bold move of parting ways with long-standing and celebrated consulting winemaker Robert Foley, and bringing on Cade and Plumpjack alumnus Anthony “Tony” Biagi), knows his Napa Valley wine history. Fortunately for me (more on that in a minute or two). Smith’s roots are…