To make the Historical wine, winemaker Thomas Duroux blends barrels that were otherwise destined for Chateau Palmer with no more than twenty percent syrah from “friendly&# (but unspecified) sources in Hermitage, Cote Rotie, and Cornas. I detail more of the shortcomings of the appellation process in my book, Wine Politics.) MORE >>

Other wines seen in the room ‘66 Lynch Bages, ‘74 Spanna, ‘38 Niepoort, ‘00 Hermitage, ‘71 Beerenauslese, ‘79 Ridge Lytton Springs and dozens more. “Numerical scoring has replaced the drama, joy, pathos and excitement of wine,&# said Dan Berger last night at the Four Seasons in New York City. MORE >>

L’Hermitage. Finally we reach the the four red and three white wine areas at l’Hermitage, all with very different distinct soils. “Welcome!&# says Jeremy Steimer in perfect English, looking very fresh and crisp on this hot sunny day with his well-pressed shirt, light hair, and cheerful smile. We shake hands in the M. MORE >>

And this particular wine with this particular dinner on this particular evening with my particular wife was a good reminder that although a Verset Cornas or a Chave Hermitage is certainly a better wine, a Gonon VdP made from young vines in St. prefer an actual spring, but when life gives you summer weather, grill. Hard to argue with that. MORE >>

Today the family's six estates produces many brands of wines at various price points, from affordable quality wines to single vineyard wines that represent an incredible value compared to Bordeaux or Hermitage. Does the above picture effectively showcase the "dream" of Southern France? That blue sky, with the white puffs of clouds, is real. MORE >>