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November 2006
Hanging with Barolista Legends
Posted: 03:51 AM ET, November 30, 2006
I spent some time yesterday with two legends of Barolo – Bruno Giacosa and Aldo Conterno. I visited both of their wineries and tasted some of their 2004 Baroli. I have to say that I was surprised by how good their 2004s are! There has been very little talk about 2004 in general, but the wines I tasted in their cellars were dark-colored, extremely aromatic and rich in fruit and tannins. Read more
1997 Italian Dinner Following the Battle of the Cults
Posted: 05:30 AM ET, November 28, 2006
Following the awesome cult wine tasting last Saturday, the group of tasters met up a few hours later at Cibreo for a fantastic dinner. I supplied most of the wines, which were all 1997s in magnum. The Fonterutoli Siepi was there as I mentioned yesterday, but I also brought Castello dei Rampolla Sammarco, Tenimenti Luigi d’Alessandro Syrah Podere il Bosco, Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva and Tenuta di Trinoro Palazzi. Read more
Florence Tasting: Cults Versus Cults or California Versus Tuscany
Posted: 11:11 AM ET, November 27, 2006
It was an amazing tasting to say the least. I was invited to a tasting last weekend of California cult wines versus Tuscan cult wines at Cibreo restaurant in Florence, Italy. The American wines came from the cellar of Swiss collector Silvio Denz, who also owns Bordeaux’s Château Faugères in St. Read more
Thanksgiving Dinner
Posted: 06:42 PM ET, November 23, 2006
I just finished my Thanksgiving dinner with 25 producers of Brunello di Montalcino. We had dinner at the restaurant near my house and we drank all of their 1997 Brunellos. There was not a bad wine in the group. Moreover, most of their wines were beautiful. Read more
Fresh Oil and Global Brunellos
Posted: 10:28 AM ET, November 22, 2006
I'm back in Tuscany. It started as a cold and wet day, but the sun has finally broken through the clouds. The forest below my house is brilliant shades of yellow, orange and brown. The air is fresh and clean. It makes me want to light a fire and cuddle up with a warm red and someone special, like the Fox. Read more
London Calling
Posted: 08:18 AM ET, November 21, 2006
I got off an American Airlines flight from New York to London last night just in time for a late supper with my friend Thomas in the West End. We met at a cool high-end grand brasserie called the Wolseley. It reminds me of places like La Coupole in Paris. Read more
Lafleur Is the Real Deal
Posted: 10:50 PM ET, November 19, 2006
Fake wines came up yet again in conversation during a Lafleur tasting, this time on Saturday in New York City. It was sort of a shame considering it was one of the most impressive dinner tastings I had encountered in my career. Wine merchants Jon Rimmerman of Garagiste and Andy Lench of Bordeaux Wine Locators organized the event. Read more
Italy Wins Another World Cup
Posted: 03:58 PM ET, November 17, 2006
I just got off the telephone with Giacomo Neri of Casanova di Neri and it sounded like he personally won this year’s World Cup. In a sense, he did. He said that his phone has been ringing off the hook congratulating him for his 2001 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova being chosen as Wine Spectator’s Wine of the Year. Read more
The Curse of Beaujolais Nouveau
Posted: 04:21 PM ET, November 16, 2006
I just dropped a Zantac. Heartburn. Burping. Sour stomach. It must be Beaujolais Nouveau.
Luckily, I was only tasting. If I had to drink a glass or two of the stuff ….
It’s always been a little like that. I remember living in Paris when the raw, young wines would come out on the market and I felt inclined to drink some of the year’s newest wine. Read more
That Little Black Dress
Posted: 03:53 PM ET, November 15, 2006
I'll admit that my lunch with the owners of Chanel was under false pretense. As much as I like their wines, I love their clothes even more. "The Fox" looks good enough to eat, or maybe I should say drink, decked out in her Chanel for a night out. Read more
When Friendship Means Too Much
Posted: 05:49 PM ET, November 14, 2006
Are two dinners in one night over doing it? Yes! I’ll be honest.
And – ouch -- I have a slight hangover.
But it was worth it. I wanted to see a good friend from Mexico City and he was only in Manhattan for one night. Read more
Family Sunday Dinner
Posted: 12:35 PM ET, November 13, 2006
I had dinner with my father, stepmother and sister at her house in Ridgefield, Conn. My dad was visiting from San Diego, and he was really excited to try a couple of wines that he bought at the local wine shop, which apparently had “shelf talkers” with my scores attached to them. Read more
High Priced Wine Life in LA LA
Posted: 01:14 PM ET, November 10, 2006
From your comments on yesterday’s blog, I am carrying on the genre in the spirit of all good and bad writers in Los Angeles. So this is how my day began.
I decided to forgo Starbucks this morning in LA and head down to a coffee shop on Beverly Boulevard called Swingers. Read more
Good Morning Bordeaux First Growths
Posted: 10:22 AM ET, November 09, 2006
I woke up this morning to offers of more than 500 cases of first growth Bordeaux, and that was only in three e-mails. I am in Southern California visiting my parents, so I haven’t even had my morning wake up java from Starbucks yet! And I feel a bit down. Read more
Changes at Lynch-Bages
Posted: 10:42 AM ET, November 08, 2006
I just heard word from Jean-Michel Cazes, the patriarch of the family who owns Bordeaux’s Lynch-Bages among others, that he has decided to pass the reins of his wine operation to his 32-year-old son, Jean-Charles. It’s sad to see Jean-Michel do this in a way but at the same time, I think it is justified and exciting that he has done so, especially to the young new generation at a relatively early stage. Read more
The Frustration With Fake Wine
Posted: 12:06 PM ET, November 07, 2006
One topic of conversation during a Lafleur tasting last Sunday in Beverly Hills was fake bottles. Many of the two dozen or so wine collectors at the tasting were upset over what they perceived as an increase in the trafficking of fake, high-end bottles. Read more
Dream Come True
Posted: 10:07 AM ET, November 06, 2006
Are there some wines that you have always wanted to taste in your life but never have? One for me is the legendary 1947 Château Lafleur, the small-production Pomerol made from Merlot and Cabernet Franc. I have always heard how legendary this wine was and how it was an icon for lovers of great Pomerol. Read more
Reefer Madness
Posted: 01:19 PM ET, November 03, 2006
I think it is scandalous for wine importers not to use refrigerated containers when they are shipping. It only costs a few dollars a case more, and it is the best way to maintain the quality of the wine. Yet some continue not to use “reefers,” and wines are literally cooked in transit. Read more
BYOB in Vegas
Posted: 04:08 PM ET, November 02, 2006
I wasn’t sure how my bottle of 2004 Petrolo Galatrona was going to survive my American Airlines flights from London to Las Vegas via Chicago yesterday. But I had to bring a bottle to my dinner last night at Lotus of Siam with some wine friends, and I couldn’t take the wine in my handbag. Read more
Wine Fit for a Prince
Posted: 03:29 PM ET, November 01, 2006
I went to an Haut-Brion and La Mission-Haut-Brion dinner last night in London, which wine merchants Farr Vintners organized, and it reminded me of a debate that occurred very early in my career concerning the two wine estates. The owners of the former bought the latter in 1983, and at the time, I remember that many people in the fine wine world—particularly in Bordeaux—said that La Mission would simply become the second wine of Haut-Brion, or lose its identity and special character all together. Read more
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