TaylorEason.com: Foodies unite » Red

Wine reviews: Hogue Cellars 2008 Genesis Riesling and 2007 Meritage

Taylor Eason — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:42:49 +0000

On a recent trip to Hogue Cellars in Eastern Washington State, I tasted pretty much every wine they make. The 2008 Genesis Riesling -- they have three tiers of wines: Hogue, Hogue Genesis, Hogue Terroir -- impressed me like the cured salmon and crème fraiche they paired it with. But when I blind-tasted the red blend Meritage a few weeks ago (and again during the trip), I knew things had

Wine review: Dry Creek 2009 Dry Chenin Blanc and 2006 Mariner

Taylor Eason — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:16:50 +0000

Dry Creek Vineyards isn't one of those jump up and down, shouting "look at me!" wineries. They thankfully haven't gone down the animal-on-the-label road nor have they succumbed to posting promotional drivel on Facebook and Twitter. They're thoughtful, consistent and course-stayers like the tortoise in the fable. Dry Creek's tasty juice remains solid year after year, their marketing conservative, and their prices stay pretty reasonable. Not to mention that they're still family-owned (since 1972), a marvelous feat in an industry that keeps consolidating as the recession crushes sales.

Wine review: Sea Smoke 2007 “Ten” Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills

Taylor Eason — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:40:19 +0000

It's rare that I review expensive wines. But occasionally one runs across my tongue that sends tingles through my nervous system that channel through my fingers. Happened recently when I popped open a Sea Smoke, a cult winery from the Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County in southern California.

Wine review: Clos la Coutale 2007 Cahors (France)

Taylor Eason — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 14:20:37 +0000

From the other place where Malbec grows free and is celebrated, Cahors in Southwestern France, comes a Malbec unlike any you've tried from the warm climes of Argentina.

Wine review: Apothic Red Wine 2008 California

Taylor Eason — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:13:04 +0000

One word: Delicious. If you're one for lovin' on sweet-ish, juicy smackin', full-bodied reds, RUN, don't walk, to pick up this bottle.

Wine review: Palarea 2005 Tinto Tierra del Castillo w/winemaker interview

Taylor Eason — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:14:11 +0000

Paul Clear is a brave, passionate man. He's been in the wine business since he was 18 and it only took him ten years to realize he wanted to make his own wine. But it wasn't like he jumped a plane to Cali, pumped some juice into a bottle and slapped his name on it. He's a hands-on, particular kind of guy.

Italy’s vino reinvention: How wine has changed in the old country

Taylor Eason — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:00:29 +0000

The Italians love their traditions. Multi-course, carb-laden lunches scattered with wine bottles give way to the traditional mid-afternoon nap. It’s an enviable way to live and they’ve done so for millennia. But things are changing.

Wine review: Los Alamos 2009 Malbec Mendoza

Taylor Eason — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 14:49:44 +0000

A darling of the critics for a few years now, this Los Alamos Malbec from Argentina's Mendoza region has one great thing going for it: It costs under $12, sometimes even under $10.

Wine review: Luchador 2007 Shiraz South Australia

Taylor Eason — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:37:01 +0000

I'd heard rumors about this wine before encountering it in my glass. Shazam, this is a BIG wine. Concentrated and inky (almost opaque) like a cup of espresso, except made with grapes. I think.

Wine review: Hayman and Hill 2009 Pinot Noir Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands

Taylor Eason — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 16:38:47 +0000

When I first cracked open this bottle and smelled it, I knew something was different. Yes, it had the aromas of Pinot Noir but there was another layer of sum'in sumin'. Familiar yet not placeable. Along with the expected earthy mushrooms and tart cranberry were black pepper spiciness, red raspberry and full frontal fruit. Hmm... cool climate area. How odd.

Wine Review: Carina Cellars 2007 Clairvoyant

Taylor Eason — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:29:49 +0000

I met Carina Cellars during a trip to Santa Barbara wine country back in 2003 after they'd just started. Founders David Hardee and Joel Tensley knew their wines weren't sold in the states where my column was published but they wanted feedback. So I gave it to them, as my friends know I'm apt to do. This wine lets me know they haven't changed.

Wine reviews: 2006 Dead Letter Office Shiraz and Pillar Box White 2008

Taylor Eason — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:34:52 +0000

Unless you're a rabid fan of wine critic Robert Parker (who loves them), you may not know these wines...but you should. Made by a winery called Henry's Drive in Australia, owner Kim Longbottom paid a visit last week (as many Aussies are wont to do in their wintry off season) to show off her most recent vintage. She and her husband Mark founded Henry's Drive in 1992, borne out of a passion for the grapes in Southeast Australia's Padthaway region. Her husband tragically passed away 18 months ago from leukemia, but Kim's dedication to the winery they established together lives on.

A New Pinot in Town: Cru Wines

Taylor Eason — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:31:37 +0000

I, like so many others, am in love with pinot noir. Its finickiness, its ability to reflect its roots and deliver varying styles remind me of, well, me (in a cute, lovable way of course). One thing I've noticed in my nine years of writing about wine is that the best pinot comes from boutique wineries. It's not that larger entities can't make good pinot (Erath, Bogle, La Crema) it's that making good pinot on a large scale requires steadfast patience, a trait many large, profit-hungry companies don't possess. This grape is belligerent to grow, difficult to make and expensive to produce. It resists any attempt at mass production, thus smaller batches generally turn out better juice. So that's why I was excited to find Cru Wines.

Wine review: Casali di Bibbiano 2005 Argante Rosso IGT

Taylor Eason — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:56:28 +0000

A small, family-owned winery tucked into the hills of Tuscany, Casali di Bibbiano is the dream of Alberto Guadagnini, an Italian native who spent much of his career in New York City running Italian restaurants. He purchased the Casali property in 1995 and transformed it into a vacation destination that also makes wines. They've only just begun to distribute the wines -- which range from a light-hearted Toscano sangiovese red blend called Casalone to this Super Tuscan (what's this?) cabernet blend -- and I sat down with his son, Marco and partner, Justin Pecka, to try them out. I was impressed with the variety and their high quality, especially the Argante Rosso.

Corporate wineries: The best of the worst

Taylor Eason — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 23:13:59 +0000

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with wines produced by massive corporations, but as I've harped on before, the little guys generally make better wine, displaying more heart and soul. Both attempt to produce income but corporations exist solely to do so. So I already have a prejudice against them... their practices make my fave beverage so... so... crass. Which is why my sneaky husband recently (and unbeknownst to me) set up a blind tasting of my most harshly judged, corporately-produced wines. My report:

Poll: What do you drink in the summer?

Taylor Eason — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:16:51 +0000

Around this time of year, I find myself with a dwindling supply of white wine in my house. The mack daddy cabs and merlots tend to gather dust (and cat hair) while I'll occasionally reach for a pinot noir (after I chill it down). Although intellectually and professionally, I feel compelled to buck my intrinsic desires and drink whatever is "appropriate", chardonnay tastes pretty darn good with a grilled burger.

Sam’s Club releases its own wine label: Infinite 2008 Spanish Red

Taylor Eason — Thu, 13 May 2010 15:35:01 +0000

I suppose it was bound to happen. That partytrain known as wine sales had to arrive in Generica, stopping at the Sam's Club station. Like the last guy at a party to realize his fly is open, Sam Walton's masterminding crew has released its own private wine retail label. I should've expected it... I should've sensed it in the air. But the moment the press release entered my inbox offering up a sample of this new Spanish red blend, I HAD to try it.

Is a $6.99 wine worth buying?

Taylor Eason — Mon, 10 May 2010 16:17:14 +0000

In the U.S., more has always been better. More expensive, nicely-packaged anything tastes/looks/feels better and a low cost product cannot possibly be better than the one $4 more, right? Sometimes, in wine, that's true. But the recession is converting less-is-more into more-for-us. Coupon-ing is shabby-chic (not shabby-cheap), grocery store private labels sales are on fire and finding bargains isn't just something starving students celebrate. Retailers are happily obliging. So do you walk past a $6.99 wine stacker at a grocery store fearing of what lurks in the bottle? A few years ago, you should probably have, but retailers are clamoring for their share of your dollar.

Wine review: Erath 2008 Pinot Noir Oregon

Taylor Eason — Sat, 08 May 2010 15:00:53 +0000

This pinot pioneer winery was started by Dick Erath in the early 70's. I visited Erath early in my wine career and had the fortune of staying at their winery guesthouse while in Oregon's Willamette Valley. On the Saturday we stayed there, the toilet backed up and Dick Erath himself (a true rock star legend at this point) showed up to fix it. Jaws dropped, swooning ensued and a pride overcame me. You have GOT to respect that.

Wine review: Abadia Retuerta 2007 Rivola Sardon de Duero

Taylor Eason — Mon, 03 May 2010 16:45:29 +0000

Supply and demand rules the wine world too... the best deals on tasty wine right now are coming from unknown regions, like Sardon de Duero in Spain. This take-no-prisoners tempranillo-cabernet sauvignon blend from the modern, rising-star winery of Abadia Retuerta truly astounds with its quality-price ratio.