GAYOT's Blog

• 

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” »

• 

Price: $30

Rating: 14/20

Region: Rías Baixas, Spain

Varietal: 100 percent Albariño

Production: 3,400 cases

Alcohol: 13 percent

Tasting Notes: This sleek-bottled Albariño comes from the historic Pazo Baión vineyard in the Salnes Valley. Purchased by Adega Condes de Albarei in 2008, Pazo Baión boasts 55 acres of 40-year-old vines. Its hand-harvested grapes produce intense aromas, including orange blossom and jasmine. In the mouth, it displays lemon, pear and apricot flavors supported by a vibrant acidity and a small amount of residual sugar.

Continue reading “Adega Condes de Albarei 2011 Albariño Pazo Baión – Wine of the Week Review” »

• 

 

by Becky Sauer

If a tropical retreat is not in your near future, you can still pretend you’re in paradise with help from the new cocktail book “Liquid Vacation: 77 Refreshing Tropical Drinks from Frankie’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas.”

Continue reading “Escapism in a Glass” »

• 

Price: $80

Rating: 14.5/20

Region: Napa Valley (Yountville), California

Varietals: 71 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 21 percent Merlot, 4 percent Petit Verdot, 4 percent Cabernet Franc

Alcohol: 15.4 percent

Tasting Notes: Gemstone, a small, family-owned vineyard, concentrates on making red wines from Bordeaux varietals. The winemaker, Philippe Melka, consults on many estate wineries including Vineyard 29 in addition to running Melka Wines (makers of Métisse and CJ Cabernet Sauvignon) with his wife Cherie. The fruit for this red blend was grown on six small estate blocks on the sixteen-acre Gemstone vineyard along the Silverado Trail near the town of Yountville in Napa Continue reading “Gemstone 2009 Estate Red – Wine of the Week Review” »

• 

 

by Sophie Gayot

 

A few days ago I talked to you about the 738 decanters of Rémy Martin’s Louis XIII Rare Cask 42.6 Cognac priced at $22,000 (+ tax). Well, if you can’t get your hands on one of them — there is a waiting list to become an owner — but you still want to enjoy this precious beverage, I’ve found the solution for you: Get on your jet, into your Bentley and head to the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. The famous bar, Windows Lounge, is the only public place in North America where you can get a pour.

 

Continue reading “A Pour not for the Poor” »

• 

Big Bear, the Southern California mountain destination known for its lake and ski resorts, now offers a new adult attraction: Stone Summit Vineyard. At 6,750 feet above sea level, the winery claims to have the highest altitude commercial vineyard and winery in the northern hemisphere. Planted in May 2012, the vines won’t be mature enough to produce wine for a few years, so Stone Summit has begun sourcing grapes from the Napa Valley and Central Coast regions. The winery’s first release, a Moscato, can be sampled at its new tasting room, The Wine Room at Wolf Creek Resort, 41421 Big Bear Blvd. Stone Summit plans to follow the Moscato with releases of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling and Merlot.

For more information, visit www.wolfcreek-resort.com

Continue reading “Big Bear Claims Highest Altitude Vineyard in Northern Hemisphere” »

• 

 

by Anneli Rufus

The foodfest known as SF Chefs has outdone itself yet again, lifting San Francisco ever higher into the culinary stratosphere with a wildly creative span of events ranging from an all-female-chefs deluxe dinner to a Portuguese wine intensive to a Nutter Butters cook-off between top local chefs.

Continue reading “SF Chefs 2013 Outdoes Itself — With Gelato Sandwiches and 25-Year-Old Scotch” »

• 

Price: $44

Rating: 14.5/20

Region: Marlborough, New Zealand

Varietals: 100 percent Chardonnay

Alcohol: 13.5 percent

Tasting Notes: Founded in 1961 by George Fistonich, Villa Maria is one of New Zealand’s largest family-owned wineries and a leader in sustainability. In 2009, Sir George was honored with a knighthood, the first ever granted to a Kiwi winemaker. One of Villa Maria’s top-of-the-line Single Vineyard bottlings, the 2011 Taylors Pass Chardonnay shows complex flavors and a crisp mouthfeel. On the nose, its aromas are of citrus and tropical fruits. Flavors of gooseberry and guava in the mouth are complemented by mineral notes, a vibrant acidity and a clean finish.

Food Pairings: Grilled fish, oysters, garden salad

For more information, visit www.villamaria.co.nz

Continue reading “Villa Maria 2011 Taylors Pass Vineyard Chardonnay – Wine of the Week Review” »

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »