Wine Reviews

1 min read

Deep rich purple in color with an exceptional dark stone fruit nose on this GSM blend. Dense blackberries and dark...

2020 One Flock Sauvignon Blanc

1 min read

Light straw in color with a bright nose with subdued white stone fruits. Solid fruit on the palate and well...

2020 One Flock Red Wine, California

1 min read

Densely purple in color with blackberry fruit on the nose. A delightful blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah...

Bellenda San Fermo, Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco Superiore, Brut

1 min read

This wine is a new classic style: Prosecco Brut. It has a balanced aroma with some light florals, and a...

2021 David Frost Sauvignon Blanc, Western Cape, South Africa

1 min read

David Frost is a world class golfer who grew up in a winemaking family in South Africa and now he...

2019 Vinea Domini “Roma DOC Rosso”

1 min read

This wine is a combination of ancient land and modern technology. It’s from the more upscale line of wines called...

2020 La Crema Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc

1 min read

This wine turned out to be a great choice to crack open on a Monday: relaxing and energizing at the...

2017 Markham Vineyards Napa Valley The Altruist

1 min read

Jean Laurent, the founder of what is now called Markham Vineyards, came over from Bordeaux in the 1850s, during the...

2017 Black Stallion Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Wine Reviews

1 min read

PRODUCED BY: Black Stallion Estate Winery This wine is best served as an aperitif, with a very slight chill (under...

2020 Le Vie Angarano Brenta Breganze Vespaiolo

1 min read

This is the time of year to go full-on Italian for lunch or dinner: a glass of this white wine...

2018 Geodesy “Sage Ridge Vineyard” Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

1 min read

If you’ve never heard of Geodesy wines, the most important thing you need to know is that the company was...

2017 Handley Water Tower Chardonnay, Anderson Valley

1 min read

I found myself charmed by this Northern California Chardonnay – which turned out to be anything but typical. The wine is clean and crisp with a touch of fruit. It’s actually a great introduction to the Chablis style of Chardonnay. Minerality jumps out at you in the aroma and persists Read More

2018 Monte del Frà – Cà del Magro Custoza Superiore

1 min read

This wine is a star of the very small Custoza DOC appellation in the western part of the Veneto region, near Lake Garda. Opening the bottle is like plunging into a wonderful garden of aromatic white flowers. A couple years of age on this “Custoza Superiore” does amazing things in Read More

2019 The Vice Saint Laurent, “Majorelle”, Napa Valley, Single Vineyard

1 min read

I was surprised to find the St. Laurent grape grown in the Napa Valley, since I usually encounter it only in Austria. In fact this wine is made from the grapes of one single vineyard in Napa. The wine has heady, sharp, boysenberry aromas and a bright flavor, light and Read More

2017 Gary Farrell Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, Martaella Vineyard

1 min read

After my one night stand with Gary Farrell’s Pinot Noir from McDonald Mountain Vineyard, I was ready to settle down by the time I got to Martaella Vineyard. And it is a more settled type of wine, with more body and gravitas. This is pinot noir with many of the Read More

2020 Gorgo San Michelin – Custoza DOC, Vino Biologico

1 min read

A classic white wine blend from a little-known area near the famed Lake Garda, in the Veneto region of Italy. The wine is medium-light bodied, with a whisper of pineapple in the aroma, more light tropical & citrus notes on the palate, and a lightly-mineral, crisp finish. This is an Read More

2017 Gary Farrell Russian River Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, McDonald Mountain Vineyard

1 min read

Drink up, and move on. Have you ever fallen in love with someone’s beauty and vitality, enjoyed them to the hilt all evening – only to find the attraction had dissipated by morning? That’s the experience I had with this Pinot Noir by Gary Farrell Winery, wonderful as an aperitif; Read More

2019 Los Vascos Cromas Carmenère Gran Reserva

1 min read

You’re going to need a bigger glass. Not just because you’ll want to drink more of this wine, but because it shows much better in a glass with a large bowl. Though the carmenère grape in this Chilean wine originally came from Bordeaux (as does the parent wine company, Barons Read More

Wines of the Past and Future in Alsace (Alsace – Part 5)

3 min read

(Click here to read Alsace – Part 1) (Click here to read Alsace – Part 2) (Click here to read Alsace – Part 3) (Click here to read Alsace – Part 4) Domaine Jean-Luc Mader in Alsace, France What is it like to grow up in a winemaking family? Do Read More

A Traditional-Style Small Farmer – That’s What Winemaker Agathe Bursin Would Call Herself (Alsace – Day 4)

3 min read

(Click here to read Alsace – Part 1) (Click here to read Alsace – Part 2) (Click here to read Alsace – Part 3) Here is someone who has known what they wanted to be since the age of three: Agathe Bursin, winemaker of The Agathe Bursin Winery, in Alsace, Read More

2018 Ghost of a Chance Wines “Gangster of Love” Red, Sierra Foothills

1 min read

Deep rich purple in color with an exceptional dark stone fruit nose on this GSM blend. Dense blackberries and dark...

2020 One Flock Sauvignon Blanc

1 min read

Light straw in color with a bright nose with subdued white stone fruits. Solid fruit on the palate and well...

2020 One Flock Red Wine, California

1 min read

Densely purple in color with blackberry fruit on the nose. A delightful blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah...

CASA DEL SOL 11:11 ANGEL’S RESERVE TEQUILA

Spirits Spotlight

1 min read

Casa Del Sol is a celebrity tequila that has been done correctly and thoughtfully. 11:11 Angel’s Reserve is their pinnacle...

Bellenda San Fermo, Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco Superiore, Brut

1 min read

This wine is a new classic style: Prosecco Brut. It has a balanced aroma with some light florals, and a...

Champagne Billecart-Salmon 2008 Louis Salmon Brut Blanc de Blancs

1 min read

Champagne Billecart-Salmon is always one of our favorite makers of astounding bubbly. Year after year their creations wet our lips...

Carta Coffee Merchant Shines A Kona Light On Coffee Cocktails

Deborah Grossman

1 min read

Cocktails featuring coffee are nothing new. A bracing Irish coffee with whiskey may be welcome in winter. A Dublin Iced...

Izzy’s Steak House, San Francisco