Points aren’t the only thing that sell wine. Good stories also sell wine and the story of Baker Lane caught my attention and sold me on trying a few bottles of their Syrah. The owner of Baker Lane is Stephen Singer. Singer’s first wife was the legendary Alice Waters, chef and owner of Chez Panisse [...]
Archive for August, 2008
Baker Lane Sonoma Coast Estate Vineyard Syrah
Posted in California, Recommended, tagged Alice Waters, Baker Lane Estate Syrah 2005, Baker Lane Estate Syrah 2006, California Syrah, Kermit Lynch, North Coast Syrah, Schott Zwiesel Pure Tritan Crystal, Stephen Singer on August 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Pax Syrah Sonoma Hillsides Russian River Valley 2006
Posted in California, tagged Joe Donelan, Pax, Pax Mahle, Pax Syrah Sonoma Hillsides Russian River Valley 2006, Tyler Thomas on August 19, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Pax Mahle is considered to be an ultratraditionalist. “We take a very pure approach,” explains Mahle, “one that was more commonplace 100 years ago in France than it is today.” That approach includes organic farming, foot-crushing the grapes, natural fermentations and absolutely no fining or filtering. As widely reported and detailed in a recent Wine [...]
Message from Sean Thackrey
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Pleiades XVI, Sean Thackrey on August 15, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I’m a fan of Sean Thackrey and his wines — and have posted about him previously. I received an email sent out to his mailing list and thought I would post it here as you might want to pick up some Pleiades XVI. He says he will not be making that again for a while, [...]
Quintessa 2000
Posted in California, tagged Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Napa Valley, Quintessa, Rutherford on August 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
This wine is a Napa red meritage blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc). The Quintessa estate is comprised of a total of 280 acres of which 170 acres are planted to the classic Bordeaux grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon (129 acres), Merlot (26 acres), Cabernet Franc (7 acres), Petit Verdot (4 acres), and Carmenere (4 [...]
Chateau D’Esclans Whispering Angel Rosé 2006 — In Stock!
Posted in France, Recommended, Retailers and Websites, tagged Calvert-Woodley, Chateau D’Esclans Whispering Angel Rosé 2006, French Rosé on August 14, 2008 | 2 Comments »
I have been trying to manage my dwindling inventory. I have been having a hard time imagining the day when I didn’t have this on hand — it brought a sense of panic. My separation anxiety is now under control, at least for the time being… I stopped in at Calvert Woodley tonight as they [...]
Melville Estate Verna’s Viognier 2007
Posted in California, Recommended, tagged California Rhône, Melville, Melville Estate Verna's Viognier 2007, Viognier on August 11, 2008 | 4 Comments »
Robert Parker stated this might be the finest example of the Viognier from California he has tasted. The points didn’t matter, but with that endorsement I set out to see what I could find. I love me some Viognier and my home does double duty as a hospice for stray California Rhônes — so deciding [...]
Restaurants | Seattle: Salumi Artisan Cured Meats
Posted in Recommended, Restaurants | Seattle, tagged Armandino Batali, Babbo, Bill Buford, Dario Cecchinni, Mario Batali, Mole Salami, Salami, Salumi, Seattle on August 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I recently tried to place an order with Salumi. It had been a good 6-8 months since I last had any of their cured meats and I started to get some serious cravings for Salumi when contemplating a trip to Seattle. I placed my order a couple of weeks ago only to find out that [...]
McPrice Myers Viognier Larner Vineyard 2006
Posted in California, Recommended, tagged California Rhône, California Wine, McPrice Myers, Viognier on August 6, 2008 | 8 Comments »
I have had a number of wines from McPrice Myers and recently wrote about Barrel 27′s High on the Hog, a joint venture between McPrice Myers and Russell From. The wine was a bit hot for me at 15.1% alcohol, so I was a little concerned when I saw his Larner Vinyeard Viognier weighed in [...]
Montirius Vacqueyras Garrigues 2005
Posted in France, Recommended, Value Pick, tagged Biodynamic Wine, Grenache, Montirius, Rhône wine, Saurel, Syrah, Vacqueyras on August 4, 2008 | 2 Comments »
This wine is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah. The vines average 40 years of age, though some parcels date to 1925. The Montirius domaine is in the south of the Vacqueyras appellation and has been under the ownership of the Saurel family for 5 generations. In 1996, they fully converted the vineyard [...]
