Premature oxidation of dry, age-worthy white wines–be they from Burgundy, Bordeaux or California–is a tremendous problem today, and at this point in time it does not look to me as if any meaningful progress has been made since the scourge first became readily apparent when the 1996 white Burgundies began to tank. think not. MORE >>

Do you recall the California gold rush from your fourth grade history class? At the time, people from all over the world headed to Northern California to make it big. Today, Argentina is the "new California" and the new "gold" are vineyards planted in regions with the right soil, exposure, and access to water to assure quality wine. MORE >>

You won't spend more than $40 on recent vintages, and that's a pretty good deal for what I would say is among the very finest California Chardonnay. 1996 Didier Dagueneau Pouilly Fumé Pur Sang , price unknown. 1996 Cims de Porrera Priorat Classic , price unknown. If you haven't tried Stony Hill, you should. MORE >>

Everyone enjoyed the wine, and everyone was surprised when it was revealed to be a California Pinot Noir from 1976, a time when a lot of great wine was being made in California in the gently extracted and low alcohol old-world style. This past weekend I participated in one of the greatest wine events of my life. MORE >>

Organic" WAS conventional, in that it was just-the-way-things-were-done, up until about a half century ago when chemical companies began calling on farmers (I interviewed one of the patriarchs of California agriculture recently, and he was the one who turned on that lightbulb for me. Main | Hearty Burgundy at Sanford? Do check it out. MORE >>