Comeback Merlot

in the latest April issue of Wine & Spirits Magazine, somms report a “modest uptick” in Merlot, the first since 1997. They cite Dan Davis of Commander’s Palace who said “the merlot comeback is coming. Now they just need to make a movie about it.”

Revelations From the Napa Valley Vintage Tasting: 2013, 2014 and 2015

During Premier Napa Valley, the trade have an opportunity to blind taste through three different vintages of 15 Napa Valley producers’ Cabernet Sauvignon wines. My original interest in attending this tasting in the past was to see if there was discernible vintage character, but now I also seek out brand styles, consistency and quality as they leap out of the glass vintage after vintage, and back-to-back.

The Wine Lover’s Grape Jelly

The 2016 Napa Harvest is underway. At home, I hand-harvested my own single-vineyard, dry-farmed Zinfandel grapes last week and wanted to make a jelly with a little more distinction and less sugar than most. So I thought like a winemaker. I fermented them.

Standing On The Shoulders of a Giant: Robert Mondavi

Robert Mondavi left a great legacy to the Napa Valley but one of his most enduring gifts may be the core values he drove into his own team of successors, each of whom have also changed the world of wine in their own way

Beyond Big Chardonnay: Rombauer Uncorked

Rombauer Vineyards still makes those rich, full-bodied and buttery Chardonnays that many people love but at a tasting yesterday, I found that they do so much more. If you haven’t visited them lately, it’s time to revisit and discover their wines all over again.

Judgment of Grgich

Mike Grgich is renowned for having crafted the Judgment of Paris Chardonnay but what sets apart award-winning wines from truly great wines? The ability to age. I recently attended a vertical of Grgich Chardonnay from the 1970s to today, and this is what I found.

Tasting Notes: The 2012 Vintage Bordeaux of The Unions Des Grands Crus

The annual Unions des Grands Crus Bordeaux tasting in San Francisco is one of my favorite tastings of the year. It is where I can discern the true potential of any vintage including the challenging 2012 season, which saw a cool, wet spring, a dry, sometimes hot summer and wet autumn.