And now we return to our story, featuring Deetrane, guest-poster and pal extraordinaire: At the end of the first installment I had just told the Esca staff that I had been buying their wine - stolen from their cellar. have last 7 btl mix Barolo + Brunello. When the time came to leave, we were told that the check had been taken care of! MORE >>

was babysitting for my pal Deetrane and we have this rule that when we babysit for each other, we get to open wine from the other guy's cellar. It's July 4th folks, and as an American, a Brooklynite, I feel compelled to write a little sumpthin about an American wine. recently discovered a Napa Valley Chardonnay that I really like. MORE >>

It was an especially pure test for me because I have no idea what this guy keeps in his cellar, no clue about what he likes to drink. It turned out to be a 1997 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino. I've never had a Banfi Brunello before, or a Jaboulet Hermitage, or a Prunotto Barolo. Here are five red wines. I'm the idiot. MORE >>

Over the past few years he bought approximately $800 worth of Brunello, mostly modern style wines in the $30-$60 range, mostly on the secondary market. Would he accept $2,000 for the whole lot of Brunello? Listen - I don't always have time to write something grand for this blog. Very busy times lately, as you know. Then it shut down. MORE >>

This bottle was purchased for me in Tuscany on release and was stored in my cellar since. Considering all the hoopla surrounding the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG recently, I didn't know what to expect of this wine. But even if that was true, this was just too good to ignore. It displayed punchy acidity and a tart 30-second finish. MORE >>