Taylor Eason | November 22nd, 2011
Chianti is one of the classic food wines of Italy. In this wine-soaked country, regional foods are designed to pair with regional wines. [Read about my foodie trip to Italy). They’re crafty that way. Like Garanimals back in the day. In Tuscany, the locals sip Chianti, Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Reserva (what’s the difference?) with red sauces, long-simmered bean dishes and slow-roasted meats. The higher acidity of the Sangiovese grape complements the high acidity of tomato sauces but also contrasts with the delicious fat of the meat dishes. Matches made in foodie heaven.
Read more: Wine review: Castello d’Albola 2007 Chianti Classico
Taylor Eason | November 11th, 2011
It seems even the traditionalist French are caving to the new consumer tastes — producing fruity wines like their “New World” competitors that they used to deride. Perhaps the musty, dusty, fruity-free style has simply been overtaken by the up-and-coming wine buyer tastes. The Delas 2009 Cotes du Rhone Saint Esprit leads me to believe it…
Read more: Wine review: Delas 2009 Cotes du Rhone Saint Esprit
Taylor Eason | October 14th, 2011
I was a bit hesitant to write about Quivira’s Zin that I recently tasted blind, since I reviewed the 2008 vintage in April of this year. But I thought, what the hell, they deserve to get kudos twice in one year. These guys rock the Zinfandel. And, farming biodynamically, they’re stewards of the earth.
Read more: Wine review: Quivira 2009 Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley
Taylor Eason | October 7th, 2011
For a few years now, the Alto Adige wine region in northeastern Italy has been a darling of mine. With a cooler climate than the rest of the heated Italian countrysides, the Pinot Grigios taste crisper, the eclectic reds are more refined and they grow a whole slew of interesting grapes from this rich, historic soil. Like Lagrein.
Read more: Wine review: Elena Walch 2010 Lagrein Alto Adige (Italy)
Taylor Eason | September 20th, 2011
King Estate specializes in Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, and that’s what I’ve been sipping on these past eight years since I met them. Still family-owned — like most wineries in Oregon — they’ve expanded their horizons with their other, more affordable (and still tasty) Acrobat Pinot Noir and Gris. I really admire what these guys have been doing.
Read more: Wine reviews: King Estate 2009 Domaine Pinot Gris and 2008 Pinot Noir
Taylor Eason | September 6th, 2011
Red blends appear to be all the rage these days, and I’m all for it. Many times, single varietal wines can be one dimensional and flat, lacking in personality or interest. But mix in some other grapes and beautiful things happen. The Europeans, of course, have known this non-secret for eons, especially in Bordeaux, France and most parts of Spain and Italy. And Trentadue has known this for 30 years.
Read more: Wine review: Trentadue 2009 Old Patch Red Alexander Valley
Taylor Eason | August 29th, 2011
Even generic, corporate-owned wineries like Estancia can make good wine if they have great fruit from Monterey, specifically their Pinnacles Ranch vineyard. And another thing corporate wineries have to offer is lower prices. Like under $15 for a pretty decent Pinot.
Read more: Wine review: Estancia 2009 Pinot Noir Monterey Pinnacles Ranch
Taylor Eason | August 8th, 2011
When I explored the limitless wines of Italy’s Tuscany wine region during a trip last year, I became enamored of the high quality “Toscana IGT” labeled reds. These simple table wines helped salve my weary wallet, already weathered by the leather purse and jacket shops of Florence. But they weren’t just inexpensive — they were high quality sangiovese-based reds, reminiscent of the more expensive Chianti which normally cost a lot more money but often aren’t worth it.
Read more: Wine review: Banfi 2008 Centine Toscana
Taylor Eason | July 23rd, 2011
At last… a Cabernet that Napa Cab obsessives can drink everyday without opening up a new equity line on the house (if you can still get those nowadays?). Winemaker Cameron Hughes approaches wines a bit differently. He’s part of the growing trend of “traveling winemakers” who don’t own vineyards but take advantage of the bulk market to craft wines for less money.
Read more: Wine review: Cameron Hughes 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Stag’s Leap Lot 189
Taylor Eason | July 11th, 2011
Bravo to this deliciously affordable Italian red wine, made from two grapes few have heard of — Negroamaro and Primitivo (the Italian equivalent to Zinfandel) — and the ubiquitous Cabernet Sauvignon. Neprica also hails from an obscure region in Italy, Puglia — the heel of the boot — where vineyard land doesn’t fall into the ranks of the absurdly expensive. Puglia (also called Apulia) is an up-and-coming wine region, having shod their former lowly, bulk wine rep, and now competes successfully in the international red blend market.
Read more: Wine review: Tormaresca 2008 Neprica Puglia (Italy)
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