Archive

Yesterday, local wine guru/Vintner Select rep Gary Boswell came by with Bob Lynde, owner of a new line of wines called Fat Barrel from South Africa. I’ve known Gary for awhile, and trained under him (steer clear gutterheads) at the now defunct Pho Paris restaurant in Oakley (Cincinnati), one of Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel’s amazing [...]

Yesterday, we met with Lowell Land, owner of Acres of Land Winery, located in Richmond, KY (maybe an hours’ drive from here): Acres of Land Kentucky Chardonnay 2008. Grade=Outstanding. I was pretty shocked at how good this was. Never really expect Chardonnay to taste like it would from California here in KY but this does. [...]

Our new guy on the block, Martin from Martin & Co. came by with two new additions to his portfolio: Claudia Springs Pinot Noir Klindt Vineyard Anderson Valley 2007. Grade=Outstanding+. This is a full-bodied Pinot Noir, that both Shannon and I swore possessed a bit of Petite Sirah or something to beef it up. Really [...]

I’ve been getting a lot of emails concerning unsolicited story ideas for my blog. I am not sure how to really receive the notion that people think I am in anyway capable of using their ideas and PAYING THEM for said ideas. I certainly can’t use them and NOT PAY THEM, that would be pretty [...]

Our Heidelberg rep and favorite wine mama, Wendy+1 was back in Thursday afternoon with her long-time friend Jaime from the Sorting Table, a fairly new importer of wines from all over, and they were in to give us the business: Russian Jack Sauvignon Blanc Martinborough 2009. Grade=Outstanding. A kinder, gentler version of NZ SB, with [...]

Our Bryant rep and good friend Jimmy Carpenter came by Thursday with some really cool wines: Three Winds Sauvignon Blanc VDP 2008. Grade=Outstanding. Crisp, tart, with loads of acidity, this white shows off nice lemon/lime, guava and gooseberry notes with a lively, racy finish. Three Winds Chardonnay VDP 2008. Grade=Outstanding. Light-bodied Chard with lots of [...]

Part One of the Wendy+1 doubleheader on Thursday featured our favorite Wine Mama/Heidelberg rep Wendy and her guest, Peter Carp from Orbis Wines: F. Martenot Macon-Villages Grad Pres 2007. Grade=Outstanding. Light-bodied with some Granny Smith apple, ripe pear, hints of key lime, mineral and toasted brioche. Very nice white Maconnais. F. Martenot Pouilly-Fuissé Clos Reyssier [...]

Two things really blew my mind today. The first was hearing that James Suckling has left Wine Spectator. I’ve not really been a fan of his Italian beat – his tastes were a bit too “New World” for me (being an Italian wine purist and all) – but his influence on the world of wine [...]

Thursday, our RNDC/Cumberland rep (and my first true protégé) Jen, came by with old friend, winemaker Michael Honig. I’ve known Michael for a long time, and having him stop by is like seeing faraway family dropping in. We caught up on things, acclimated Michael to the burgeoning presence of the Depenbrock family around here and [...]

Our good friend/maniac/SWS-Crown rep Dr. Gonzo came in Wednesday with a few new things from Cupcake Vineyard and Fish Eye: Cupcake Pinot Grigio Trentino 2009. Grade=Average. There’s nothing wrong with this PG: it’s light, lemony, and shows some bright acidity and minerality. Only problem is that the amount of PGs in this price point are [...]