GAYOT's Blog

• 

Price: $32

Rating: 15.5/20

Continue reading “Elizabeth Chambers Cellar 2011 Winemaker’s Cuvée Pinot Noir – Wine of the Week Review” »

• 

Price: $55

Rating: 15/20

Continue reading “Prunotto 2008 Barolo DOCG – Wine of the Week Review” »

• 

Price: $24

Rating: 13.5/20

Continue reading “Chamisal Vineyards 2013 Stainless Pinot Noir – Wine of the Week Review” »

• 

Price: $17

Rating: 14/20

Continue reading “Canoe Ridge 2010 Reserve Cherry Street Red Blend – Wine of the Week Review” »

• 

Price: $18

Rating: 13.5/20

Continue reading “Lieb Cellars 2013 Bridge Lane Rosé – Wine of the Week Review” »

• 

Price: $50

Rating: 14.5/20

Region: Willamette Valley (Yamhill-Carlton District), Oregon

Varietal: 100 percent Pinot Noir

Production: 1,200 cases

Alcohol: 13.7 percent

Continue reading “Soléna 2011 Pinot Noir Domaine Danielle Laurent – Wine of the Week Review” »

• 

Price: $95

Rating: 16.5/20

Region: Napa Valley (Spring Mountain District), California

Varietals: 95.5 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 3 percent Cabernet Franc & 1.5 percent Petit Verdot

Production: 1,606 cases

Alcohol: 14.1 percent

Tasting Notes: Hal and Fiona Barnett founded their eponymous vineyards in 1983 on the top of Spring Mountain on the west side of Napa Valley. With steeply sloped vineyards and an altitude of 2,000 feet, the region produces distinctive mountain wines. First released in 2006 and now aged nicely, the 2003 Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon boasts incredible balance Continue reading “Barnett Vineyards 2003 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon – Wine of the Week Review” »

• 

A Tour of Portugal’s Wine Regions

by Michelle Kwan

Portugal, surrounded by its venerable neighbors of wine making, has long been overshadowed by France and Spain when it comes to the ubiquity and prominence of its wines. Even paella and tapas (or petisco as it is known in Portugal) was until recently thought of as primarily a Spanish tradition with a Spanish heritage. But like Portuguese cuisine, Portuguese wines have a distinct character and quality that is worthy of discovery. Moreover, as the Fifty Great Portuguese Wines Tasting held at the New York Public Library recently demonstrated, there is no better complement to Portuguese fare than Portuguese wines. The diversity of flavors in its 250 grape varietals also make them good candidates for pairing with other cuisines; an array of cheeses, tapas and fruits at the tasting paired well with the vinho verdes, whites and reds on offer.

Continue reading “Fifty Great Portuguese Wines” »

• 

Price: $22

Rating: 13.5/20

Region: Dry Creek Valley, California

Varietals: 91 percent Zinfandel & 9 percent Petite Sirah

Production: 1,700 cases

Alcohol: 14.5 percent

Tasting Notes: One of the labels owned by Truett-Hurst, Inc., Bradford Mountain was founded in the late 1990s and produces about 3,000 cases of wine per year. It lies on the western side of the Dry Creek Valley (Sonoma County), a region renowned for its Zinfandels. Some of the fruit that goes into the 2011 Dry Creek Zinfandel comes from the winery’s historic Grist Vineyard, which was replanted in 2005 and is now certified organic. The wine boasts fragrant raspberry and Continue reading “Bradford Mountain 2011 Dry Creek Zinfandel – Wine of the Week Review” »

• 

Price: $95

Rating: 16/20

Region: Priorat, Spain

Varietals: 70 percent Cariñena, 15 percent Cabernet Sauvignon & 15 percent Merlot

Alcohol: 15 percent

Tasting Notes: In 1992, Catalan singer Lluís Llach and his childhood friend Enric Costa founded Celler Vall Llach. The winery’s flagship bottling, Vall Llach is made from a combination of old vine Cariñena (Carignane) and newer plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. A big, powerful wine, the 2007 Vall Llach boasts heady blackberry, plum and mineral aromas. In the mouth, it reveals rich, concentrated fruit Continue reading “2007 Vall Llach – Wine of the Week Review” »

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »