We tend to value the idea of vinifying individual plots separately, as in Burgundy, and increasingly now in Champagne. Could it really be that simple - great terroir, old vines, great plant material, good vineyard work, intelligent wine making? The company was great, and so were the food and the wines. Stirring risotto makes him happy. MORE >>

Lassaigne is not what I would call cult Champagne, like Selosse, but this is definitely Champagne for the Champagne lover. This bottle is about 90% from 2006, with 80% of that vinified in tank and 20% vinified in used Burgundy barrels. This place, known as the Montrachet of Champagne, is an island of Chardonnay in a sea of Pinot Noir. MORE >>

Not too many decades ago, nefarious producers and negotiants used inexpensive wine from the south of France to add volume to Pinot Noir from Burgundy. Guests at the 21 Club. Did you know that the U.S. is the second-largest export market for Champagne, behind the United Kingdom? Over 20 million bottles were shipped to the U.S. in 2004 alone. MORE >>

There are many answers to this question, but I decided that I would use basically the same approach that I use with Burgundy wine. In Burgundy it's this is relatively straight forward - the basic wines are regional wines, Bourgognes and the like. like the wines very much in general, but I'm still a bit intimidated. some do not. MORE >>

Of course it isn't always possible, and with the Vallana Spanna wines, there are questions and few definitive answers. If these wines were represented the way Burgundy wines are represented, as pure Pinot from one specific vineyard, that would be problematic. My concept of terroir includes people and tradition - it's not just place. MORE >>