am very excited to see the property during the Napa Valley auction, especially since the pictures -- and the description of the terroir and winemaking -- on the web site are so enticing. So you know all about the e-auction that opens May 29, 2011 in alignment with the Auction Napa Valley 2011, yes? Today the focus is on Signorello Estates. MORE >>

Simple, straight and no-nonsense writing - a thought provoking look behind the scenes - backed up by terroir -driven, well-priced wines, and I don't bandy about the term terroir for just anyone. Innocent Anden Vineyard Chardonnay Gold color. when he said this would cellar for 10 years. as well. It's hard to get right. MORE >>

As an example, I did not know during the tasting that Roland Velich of Moric is a superstar that Peter Liem compared to the wine maker at DRC in his ability to coax greatness out of his terroir and his grape. The other white was a Pannobile Chardonnay that I thought was completely overwhelmed by vanilla oaky aromas. was a clean slate. MORE >>

In a very ripe vintage like 2005, the character of the vintage can easily overshadow the expression of terroir. drank one of these bottles not too long ago and although the wine was very nice, it was nice as a good Chardonnay, not as Le Clos. It's not that I don't like Fèvre's wines, I haven't had enough of them to know for sure. MORE >>

I'm not sure yet where I stand on 2005, as I've had some wines that are more about ripeness and grape character than they are about terroir. The 2005 Vincent Dauvissat Chablis , about $25, imported by Wine Cellars (acquired from a private collection) was a ripe and fleshy wine that showed lots of flesh and interest for a regional wine. MORE >>