Wine Recommendations

I’ve long held that the Rector Creek Vineyard within the Duckhorn portfolio is an exceptional piece of land, and this wine makes the case for it, yet again. Comprised of all petite verdot with 25% zinfandel Paraduxx has created another wine that offers intensity, creativity and a flat out enjoyable...

“Our goal was to make the America’s finest cabernet and chardonnay,” Far Niente owner Beth Nickel told me during a recent tasting. We were tasting four Far Niente chardonnay’s: 2016, 17, 18, and 2019 to get a sense of what Far Niente has accomplished, as well as celebrating 40 years in the wine...

This wine, designated as a “micro lot,” meaning less then four barrels were produced, elevates humble sauvignon blanc. Most obviously, the nose is unlike most sauvignon blanc in that there is an herbal, grassy, viscosity to it. It was aged 11 month in French oak cigar barrels, hence the name. And...

The fruit for this wine was sourced from the Hein Vineyard located in the “Deep End” of Anderson Valley near the town of Navarro, in Mendocino. Hein’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean encourages brighter, more citrus-focused flavors and acidity. The fruit was whole cluster pressed to tank and settled...

To be honest, there is not such thing as “rose’ season,” as a good rose’ can and should be enjoyed all year long. Since the epicenter of rose’ is France, you need look no further. Comprised of 50% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, 10% syrah and 10% Vermentino, this offers up vibrant strawberry and cherry...

The Stags Leap District is one of the true gems of growing areas in the Napa Valley, and Shafer, one of its stars. Comprised of all cabernet with a mere 2% malbec, this 2018 was then aged for 20 months in new French oak barrels. This is both elegant and silky contrasting with shy and subtle. The...

Chardonnay is ubiquitous and there are more iterations of it than probably any other grape, considering it’s the most widely planted grape on the planet. Therefore, a chardonnay needs to stand out, and that’s exactly what winemaker Bibiana Gonzalez Rave has done with her 2019 chardonnay. From the...

If you’re a fan of Siduri you know their focus has always been pinot noir. That has changed. They have just released their first chardonnay coming from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. This is a mild chardonnay, subtle, subdued, not a big overwrought chardonnay. There is very much a lively quality...

Napa’s Rutherford district was recognized by Gustav Niebaum, who planted roots in the region in the 1870s hoping to produce wines to rival Bordeaux. Most cabernet sauvignon has become predictable. What we look for then is the unpredictable, the interesting and unusual. The 2017 Coeur de Vigne (...

Former basketball star Yao Ming turned to wine with the release of his first vintage in 2009. He is well known in China and America and his winery significantly crosses the bridge between the two countries. “Chinese people knew French wines first,” Yao says. “They learned that French wines had a...