Review: 2020 Domane Wachau Loess Gruner Veltliner
Want to enjoy a fun white wine with an even more fun price tag? You have to try this 2020 Domäne Wachau Loess Gruner Veltliner. This wine, hailing from Austria, is an easy drinking and dry, but not completely dry, white wine. It’s deliciously juicy, with citrus notes of lemon, and lime, and also subtle…
Review: Chateau Arton Armagnac – Blanche, La Reserve, and 2009 Millesime
Chateau Arton makes both wine and brandy, where Patrick de Montal has been producing Armagnac for a relatively young 30-some years. The brand focuses heavily on single-vintage bottlings, one of which we review here along with its unaged fine blanche expression and its more readily available La Reserve expression. Chateau Arton Armagnac Fine Blanche –…
Review: Wines of Ancient Peaks, 2021 Releases
Ancient Peaks is a Paso Robles winery with a collection of wines that run the gamut of classic California styles. Today we look at two recent bottlings, including one from its second label, One Stone. 2020 Ancient Peaks Chardonnay Paso Robles Santa Margarita Ranch – A clean and classic representation of California chardonnay, this wine…
Review: 2019 Quinta de Fonte Souto Branco Alentejo DOC
This is our third round (and the third ever vintage) of Symington’s Quinta da Fonte Souto, a white blend (75% arinto and 25% verdelho) from the Alentejo region in southern Portugal. it has taken its first steps into southern Portugal. It remains an expressive and particularly food-friendly wine, this year offering a bolder melon note…
Review: Dewar’s The Champions Edition 19 Years Old (2021)
Dewar’s latest bottling is a 19 year old blend aged in American bourbon casks — which is fitting, since it’s bottled in honor of the 121st edition of the U.S. Open. I’m not sure this is an effective substitute for being at Torrey Pines, as Dewar’s suggests, but if your TV is large enough, maybe…
Review: 2019 Fort Ross Winery Sea Slopes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Sea Slopes is a second label for Fort Ross Winery, which can be found in the far western coastal reaches of Sonoma County. The pinots and chardonnays under this label are more widely available — and more affordable. We recently tried two from the newly released 2019 vintage. Let’s dig in. 2019 Fort Ross Winery…
Review: Wines of Stone Castle, 2021 Releases
Stone Castle is a winery from a region that’s new to me: Kosovo. The Balkan operation has been producing wines here in the Rahovec Valley since 1953, though many of its varietal choices tend to run toward offerings that American drinkers may find quite familiar. Let’s taste three new releases. 2018 Stone Castle Chardonnay Reserve…
Review: Poli Marconi 42 Gin
Most folks’ first pass with Italian genius Guglielmo Marconi came courtesy of a rather inane (but singable) lyric by Starship, located in the pre-chorus of the band’s hit “We Built This City.” The scientist is largely considered to be the founding father of the radio telegraph, winning him the Nobel prize for Physics. Marconi street…
