GAYOT's Blog

• 

Price : $16

Rating: 13.5/20

Region: Zenata, Morocco

Varietal: 100 percent Syrah

Production: 450 cases imported

Tasting Notes: Founded in 1923, Domaine Ouled Thaleb is a leader in the revival of Morocco’s wine industry. The winery is located on the coast near Casablanca where it combines sustainable farming with a mix of indigenous varietals, such as Faranah, and international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah. An easy-drinking wine, the 2010 Syrah boasts spicy black fruit flavors balanced by moderate acidity and supple tannins.

Continue reading “Ouled Thaleb 2010 Syrah – Wine of the Week Review” »

• 

by Barnaby Hughes

It’s not every day that representatives of 65 Willamette Valley wineries leave Oregon, especially to come to Los Angeles. Besides distance (about 1,000 miles), Oregon wineries face stiff competition from California wineries, which tend to be older and larger and have better brand recognition. At “Pinot in the City,” a tasting event organized by the Willamette Valley Wineries Association, hundreds of Oregon winemakers and proprietors brought a selection of their finest wines to The Ebell of Los Angeles, an historic women’s club.

 

Continue reading “Oregon Pinot in the City of Angels” »

• 

Price : $75

Rating: 15.5/20

Region: Napa Valley (Oak Knoll District), California

Varietals: 58 percent Malbec, 22 percent Cabernet Sauvignon & 20 percent Petit Verdot

Production: 980 cases

Alcohol: 14.8 percent

Tasting Notes: Dragon’s Tooth is a proprietary red blend that pays homage to the Trefethen family’s Welsh heritage. Adorning the bottle label is the guardian and symbol of Wales, a red dragon. Made entirely from estate-grown grapes, the 2010 Dragon’s Tooth is bold and big-bodied. Well-structured to take Continue reading “Trefethen Family Vineyards 2010 Dragon’s Tooth – Wine of the Week Review” »

• 

Price : $45

Rating: 15/20

Region: Columbia Valley, Washington

Varietals: 94 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 4 percent Merlot & 2 percent Petit Verdot

Production: 1,913 cases

Alcohol: 14.9 percent

Tasting Notes: Located in the Walla Walla Valley, Abeja is a beautifully restored historic estate comprising an inn and a winery. One of GAYOT’s Top 10 Wine Country Inns in the U.S., The Inn at Abeja provides guests a great way to experience the region and its wines, including Abeja’s fine Cabernet Sauvignon. Sourced from four vineyards, including Sagemoor Farms, Hedges Estate, Red Mountain Continue reading “Abeja 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon – Wine of the Week Review” »

• 

The Cocktail Lab: Unraveling the Mysteries of Flavor and Aroma in Drink, with Recipes

By Tony Conigliaro

(Ten Speed Press, 2013)

 

The Chemistry of Cocktails

When it comes to instructional books, we often hear the word “art” thrown around — the art of filleting a fish, the art of screenwriting, the art of whittling — but not many are quite as literal as molecular mixology master Tony Conigliaro’s The Cocktail Lab. Not only is the book’s presentation an aesthetic delight, from the retro cover with metallic accents to the clean layout of text and illustration, but each photo is a still-life portrait of the featured cocktail, making it almost as delicious to consume visually.

Continue reading “The Cocktail Lab: Unraveling the Mysteries of Flavor and Aroma in Drink, with Recipes – Review” »

• 

Dress Up Your Drink!

 

 

 

For the last few years, we’ve been noticing large, spherical ice rounds in craft cocktails. They’re impressive looking, so at first we assumed they served a purely decorative function. Pioneered by Tokyo’s avant-garde bartenders, the round stuff actually does more than dress up your drink.

Continue reading “Stone Cask Ice Rounds – Review” »

• 

 

by Anneli Rufus

Getting into the appetite-stimulating spirit, San Francisco’s Range has launched a new “Aperitif Hour.” This innovative program includes a special menu of aperitif cocktails and exclusive sherries, amaros and vermouths along with bar snacks designed to pair perfectly with aperitifs — all served daily at the sleek, popular Mission District restaurant between 5 and 6 p.m.

Continue reading “It’s “Aperitif Hour” at Range” »

• 

Price : $22

Rating: 13.5/20

Region: Catalonia, Spain

Varietal: 100 percent Chardonnay

Production: 7,500 cases

Alcohol: 12 percent

Tasting Notes: Juvé y Camps was founded in 1921 by Joan Juvé Baqués and his wife Teresa Camps Farré. The winery produces some of Spain’s finest Cavas, which are regularly served at royal and state functions. Made from fruit grown on the winery’s oldest estate vineyard, Espiells, the 2007 Millesimé Reserva was bottle-aged for 26-28 months, resulting in a well-balanced wine. It boasts Continue reading “Juvé y Camps 2007 Millesimé Reserva – Wine of the Week Review” »

• 

by Anneli Rufus

We’ve all heard of the Napa Valley Wine Country and the Sonoma County Wine Country. Brace yourself for another one, easily reachable by public transit from San Francisco:

It’s the East Bay Wine Country.

Continue reading “Urban Wine Experience Puts Oakland on the Wine Map” »

• 

Price: $32

Rating: 14/20

Region: Napa Valley, California

Varietal: 100 percent Viognier

Production: 1,503 cases

Alcohol: 15.1 percent

Tasting Notes: At the Judgment of Paris in 1976, California wines triumphed over French wines in a blind tasting. Freemark Abbey was the only California winery to have both a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Chardonnay selected to compete. The winery’s 2012 Viognier is a crisp, full-bodied wine. Its heady tropical fruit and floral aromas entice upon entry. Citrus and stone fruit flavors in the Continue reading “Freemark Abbey 2012 Viognier – Wine of the Week Review” »

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »