Chenin Blanc Archives | Palate Press

1 min read

I approached this sparkling wine with a bit of skepticism – but it was completely unfounded. First, I was leery of the name “Faire La Fête” which means “to party.” Second, I have never heard of this producer, and there’s essentially no information online. Third, this wine comes from the Read More

Dry Creek Vineyard Dry Chenin Blanc

David Honig

Wine Reviews

1 min read

Sweet citrus aromas erupt from the glass, navel oranges, Meyer lemon, and Key lime. The palate is a bit more subdued, but more complex as well. Tangelos, mango, and key lime pie with graham cracker crust come through in waves. A mineral undercurrent runs throughout. Key lime lingers. This is Read More

What We’re Drinking: 2016 Cave Robert et Marcel Saumur Les Pouches

Becky Sue Epstein

Wine Reviews

1 min read

An easy summer wine: mineral with a touch of lime and apricot. A hint of fruit-sweetness on the palate but with grapefruit around the edges. Flavors round out a bit as it warms in the glass; also good the next day! A finish of apricot skin and lime. Screwcap: take Read More

Napa’s Vanishing Varietals

Roger Morris

Features Wine Spotlight

6 min read

It isn’t difficult to imagine that a visitor to a Napa Valley tasting room in the late 1970s would see a much different world than exists today. There would no traffic jams along Highway 29, and no crowds queuing up waiting for winery doors to open. Walk inside, and the Read More

Big country biodynamics in South Africa

Simon J Woolf

Features Wine Spotlight

4 min read

It's been said that you shouldn't trust a vigneron if they don't have soil under their fingernails. By that notion, I'm not sure what to make of Waterkloof's head winemaker Nadia Barnard when we meet at their commanding property in the windswept hills near Stellenbosch. Not only are her fingernails Read More

Best of 2015: Winds blow South African terroir in the white direction

W. Blake Gray

Features

7 min read

Never one to mince words, W. Blake Gray visited South Africa this year and in this and a companion piece on his own site, explored the effect of wind on terroir and wondered how much progress has been made in South African wine post-apartheid. South Africa makes 4.2% of the world's wine. Read More

Winds blow South African terroir in the white direction

W. Blake Gray

Features

7 min read

South Africa makes 4.2% of the world's wine. But in the U.S., its wine world is a dark continent. You see some under-$10 South African wines, but I have never seen a South African wine over $30 in a California restaurant. I'm not sure I've seen one in a store, Read More

No Dessert, Please: Chenin Blanc is the Loire Valley’s Sweet Rock Star

Qin Xie

Features

8 min read

(Almost) Everything you've ever wanted to know about sweet wines in the Loire Valley When it comes to sweet wines, those from the Loire Valley are something of an unsung hero. You will note that the term “sweet wine” is being carefully used here instead of dessert wine because in Read More

NV Faire La Fête Brut Crémant de Limoux

Dry Creek Vineyard Dry Chenin Blanc

What We’re Drinking: 2016 Cave Robert et Marcel Saumur Les Pouches

Napa’s Vanishing Varietals

Big country biodynamics in South Africa

Best of 2015: Winds blow South African terroir in the white direction

Winds blow South African terroir in the white direction

No Dessert, Please: Chenin Blanc is the Loire Valley’s Sweet Rock Star

2019 Sassotondo Ciliegiolo Maremma Toscana, Tuscany, Italy

2019 Red Electric “Alpine Lily” Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Oregon

2017 Valle Dell’Acate ‘Il Moro’ Nero d’Avola, Sicily

2018 Notturno Drei Donà Romagna DOC Predappio Sangiovese

2019 Jordan Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County