With the In Pursuit Of Balance tasting (which recently hit NYC), co-creators Parr and Jasmine Hirsch (of Hirsch Vineyards) have brought together some of the most exciting – and highest quality – producers of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in California (many of which hail from the West Sonoma Coast, where those wines are rapidly reaching…
Category: wine review
Young Guns, Part Deux: Porch Wines And Porch Rock With Karl Wente
Standing in between fifth generation Livermore wine producer Karl Wente (who is light, with executive-style, thick brown hair, and built like an NCAA basketball player) and his best friend (who is dark, soft-spoken, and built like an NCAA basketball player) is a bit like what I imagine standing at the bottom of a well might…
Ma(i)n Of La Mancha (Airén It Out With The World’s Most-Planted Grape)
In Spain’s La Mancha winegrowing region, there is a saying (and no, it’s not “Don Quixote slept here,” though that’s a reasonable guess): “Nueve meses de invierno y tres meses de infierno.” Which means, “nine months of Winter, and three months of hell.” This is how the locals describe the climate of La Mancha, where…
A Champion Is Crowned: The 2012 1WD Petite Sirah Taste-Off Finals
In a thrilling, tightly-fought contest, the 2009 Frank Family Vineyards SJ Vineyard Reserve Petite Sirah was crowned Champion of the 2012 1WineDude.com Petite Sirah Taste-Off tournament, edging out its Napa neighbor rival in the finals, the 2007 Stanton Vineyards Petite Sirah. The contest was widely dubbed “The Slapper Down In Napa” by the press, since…