wine

getting emotional with 2007 La Bastide Saint-Dominique Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Secrets de Pignan

October 19, 2011

Les Secrets de Pignan is the first Châteauneuf-du-Pape that Hegui and I tried and really noticed, if you know what I mean. It was the 2004. We were with these lovely friends who grew up in a French speaking part of Africa, so to show off a bit, we went to a little French bistro [...]

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The Emperor of Wine: the Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr. and the Reign of American Taste by Elin McCoy

October 5, 2011

This biography of the famous American wine critic, Robert Parker, best known as the creator and power behind Wine Advocate, has been out for a while now. I’d been hesitant to read it, to be honest. Frankly, biographies often leave me a bit numb. Generally their writers are either so enamored by their subject that [...]

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Littorai Wines dinner at the Fifth Floor Restaurant in the Palomar Hotel, San Francisco

September 28, 2011

I’m thrilled to report to you all in blog-landia this super fun dinner, meet-the-winemaker experience that Hegui and I enjoyed last week. Littorai has become famous in California for Burgundian-styled Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. Just this month, they were given high praise in Wine Spectator’s annual California pinot noir run-down. And the Fifth Floor Restaurant [...]

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Noble Rot: a Bordeaux Wine Revolution by William Echikson

September 21, 2011

I came across this book by chance while wandering the quaint touristy downtown section of Half Moon Bay, where they have the famous pumpkin harvest festival every autumn. Published a few years ago, this is not one of those stuffy-Oh-Lafite-Oh-Latour-can-do-no-wrong Bordeaux snoozers. Instead here Echikson examines the region from the Left Bank perspective of garagistes, [...]

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2010 Saint Cosme Côtes du Rhône

September 7, 2011

The 2010 Saint Cosme has arrived! Hurrah! This wine is always such a delightful crowd pleaser. We finished all of our 2009 a few months back, so you can imagine how excited I was to spy the 2010 at K and L recently. I bought a test-bottle which we drank that very night. And you [...]

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interview: at home with Jennifer Waits and Brian Mast of Waits-Mast Family Cellars

August 31, 2011

Some of us from the weirdcombos tasting crew had the distinct pleasure of catching up with Jennifer Waits and Brian Mast of Waits-Mast Family Cellars for a fun Q and A and wine tasting. We’d been trying to plan this meeting for several weeks following the recent San Francisco PinotDays, but had been stymied by [...]

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2007 Calera Pinot Noir Reed Vineyard

August 17, 2011

I’m all about Calera pinot lately. Their 2008 central coast pinot was a delight, and a real bargain. The 2007 Ryan Vineyard was breathtaking. I’ve heard that 2007 was an especially good year for California pinots in general. It shows here in this Reed Vineyard bottle, also from Mt. Harlan. My fascination with pinot noir [...]

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2010 Hillgate Roussanne Lake County

August 10, 2011

It is not every day that we’re in praise of a white wine here at weirdcombos. But we’ve always had a soft spot for Southern Rhône whites. Hence our annual multi-case purchases of Domaine de la Becassonne. What a surprise, then, to come across this really good and very affordable bottle of Hillgate Roussanne at [...]

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interview with Nicholas Miller from Bien Nacido Vineyards, Santa Barbara County

August 3, 2011

We had the distinct pleasure of meeting Nicholas Miller from Bien Nacido Vineyards while attending PinotDays in San Francisco a few weeks ago. BNV is a family owned and operated fine wine vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley of Santa Barbara County. The Miller family purchased the land in 1969 and began growing grapes by [...]

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anguish in the cellar: to drink, to hold or to collect?

July 27, 2011

Did you read the article about tips for attending wine auctions in the most recent edition of Wine Spectator? I did. I’m always amazed by the prices that folks are willing to pay for wine. Easily thousands and thousands of dollars or even more for a case or two; or occasionally for just a few [...]

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