Blog Index

James Laube

Another California Zin to Keep Your Eye On

Posted: 04:31 PM ET, 12/18/07

We like turnarounds, and one of the wineries we noticed that had stepped up quality in the past go-round of reviews is Mazzocco, based in Sonoma’s intersection of Dry Creek and Alexander valleys.

All four of Mazzocco’s 2005 Zinfandels hit the jackpot in our blind tastings and I say "we" and "our" because Tim Fish, my colleague and associate editor, is now covering the lion’s share of Zinfandel reviews, and he first came to notice the improvement. Read more

Harvey Steiman

An Australian Winery Takes a Stand

Posted: 02:10 PM ET, 12/18/07

Savvy wine drinkers know that words such as "reserve" and "old vines" mean something only in places where regulations define them. That's pretty much Europe, where the rules often require wineries to use riper grapes and age them longer to use "reserve" on the label, and specify minimum vine age for "old vines. Read more

Bruce Sanderson

A Brief (and Humorous) History of Wine

Posted: 12:50 PM ET, 12/18/07

Looking for a gift for the wine geek who has everything? Forget about crystals that automatically reset the wine’s inner biological clock at its peak, or the latest gadget to preserve any precious drops of the latest cult wine (at my house, there are no leftovers). Read more

James Laube

Drive to Compete Sets Some Vintners Apart

Posted: 12:41 PM ET, 12/17/07

What do Robert Mondavi, Paul Draper, Bob Travers, Ed Sbragia, Craig Williams and Jeffery Patterson have in common? They’ve each made significant contributions to our wine world.

And one of the reasons they—and others of their mindset, including Diamond Creek and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars—are successful is that they are fearless competitors. Read more

James Laube

Why There Will Never Be Another Robert Mondavi

Posted: 01:42 PM ET, 12/14/07

Robert Mondavi’s induction into the California Hall of Fame last week recognized his passion and vision for the state’s wine industry, and at times like this, the thought arises: Will there ever be another Robert Mondavi, and who could replace him as an undisputed champion of wine?

There is no correct or easy answer. Read more

James Molesworth

Heading Home, the Long Way

Posted: 01:25 PM ET, 12/14/07

After spending most of the week in Chicago, it was time to finally head home. Scheduled to fly from Chicago to New York, Nancy and I had our first flight cancelled due to the weather in New York, but we managed to get on another flight heading to Westchester instead. Read more

Bruce Sanderson

A Historic House in Alba

Posted: 12:15 PM ET, 12/14/07

My last visit in the Langhe was to the venerable house of Pio Cesare, founded in 1881. Pio Boffa, the company’s current owner and the fourth generation of the family to run the winery, picked me up at my hotel in La Morra. We visited some of the estate vineyards on the drive to Alba, where the historic winery is located. Read more

Harvey Steiman

Will Oxbow Be Ready for Prime Time?

Posted: 11:00 AM ET, 12/14/07

I can think of about a dozen reasons why the new Oxbow Public Market in Napa will succeed, and another dozen why it will fail, which is why it will be intriguing to watch what happens over the next year or so.

It will take that long before it's finished, even though the official opening takes place this weekend. Read more

James Laube

Bob Foley's Not Just a Wine Rock Star

Posted: 01:04 PM ET, 12/13/07

There are times when you wonder how someone like Bob Foley gets it all done.

He seems the quintessential wine man in motion, with a plate full enough to feed three Bobs.

Yet for all his enological dynamics—Robert Foley Vineyards, Hourglass and Switchback Ridge wines, which he makes at his winery on Howell Mountain—and still playing a consulting role with Pride Mountain Vineyard, he makes time for what looks like a full-time gig as an aspiring rock star. Read more

James Laube

Ubuntu, Napa's Dining Yoga Studio

Posted: 02:41 PM ET, 12/12/07

We enjoyed our holiday luncheon yesterday at Ubuntu on Main Street in downtown Napa. It’s one of the new hot dining spots in Napa, a two-for-one vegetarian restaurant and yoga studio. Don’t ask me why the combination, but it’s there nonetheless, so you can watch stretching classes upstairs through translucent glass in the mezzanine while you eat. Read more

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