We tend to value the idea of vinifying individual plots separately, as in Burgundy, and increasingly now in Champagne. Verset's wines smell and taste right, like the essence of Syrah from that part of the world - Meaty, savory, funky, darkly fruited, olive-y, and vibrant with minerality and acidity. Stirring risotto makes him happy. MORE >>

Peter brought a red wine that he wanted me to taste, and he decanted it and poured it blind. love blind tasting. began to try in my mind to make the wine fit within some Burgundy compartment. kept trying to make it a Burgundy. In blind tastings past I've tried to turn Châteauneuf du Pape into Burgundy. MORE >>

And they taste so very good. This wine is all Bouzy, a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, but it reminded me of a wine I tasted a few years ago by Moutard that is made with the obscure grapes of Champagne, things like Arbanne and Petit Meslier. cannot tell you how excited I am about this. This neighbor raises pigs. MORE >>

When I think of most of the wines that I love, be it Burgundy, Loire Valley wines, Beaujolais, and even Champagne, I think of those wines as representing a specific place. And I don't mean Burgundy as a place, for example. And there is a difference between Olga Raffault's 1989 Chinon Picasses and 1990 Chinon Picasses. MORE >>

Then again, you might be influenced by the way experts taste in Burgundy, which is red first and then white. was able to have an early, more private tasting and seminar with Martin Tesch , whom I met a few years back when Wines of Germany organized a tour. Martin Tesch. Riesling fans know it is the soil that makes the wine. MORE >>