Domaine Perrault-Jadaud Vouvray Pétillant Haut Les Choeurs 2014
A charming and expansive nose of baked apple, brioche, white flowers, and acacia honey graces this lemon-yellow Vouvray. Full and voluptuous on the palate, with a laser thin beam of acidity cuts a wide swath through orchard fruit, fine lees, and dried honeycomb. It’s slightly sweet, but well balanced. Overall a delight on a brisk […]
Vietti Moscato d’Asti Cascinetta 2015
An affordable holiday bubbly—Vietti’s 2015 Moscato d’Asti Cascinetta has a classic profile for the varietal. Lovely notes of baked apple and poached pear lie well beneath granulated honey, star gazer lilly and chamomile. At 5% ABV, it’s quaffable and charming. — August 11, 2017 I have a weakness for Vietti’s Moscato d’Asti Cascinetta, the 2015 […]
Petro Vaselo Kotys Blanc de Noirs 2012
This multidimensional, zero dosage sparkler from Petro Vaeselo winery is from an winery is the product of a substantial Italian investment in the Romania’s bucolic Recaș DOC. Composed of 100% Pinot Noir grown in clay soils banded in limestone, it spends three years en tirage. Alluring aromas of buttered scone, baked apple, and pear waft […]
Golan Heights Winery Yarden Blanc de Blancs 2009
Another jewel from Golan Heights Winery—the 2009 Yarden Blanc de Blancs is made from 100% Chardonnay sourced from the Galil (Galilee) appellation, Israel’s coolest viticultural area. Aged five years en tirage, the 2009 boasts an orchard fruit and citrus mélange of yellow skinned apples, poached pear, pineapple cake, clover honey, and a kiss of brioche. […]
Champagne Drappier Rosé Brut Nature Dosage Zero NV
In honor of #ChampagneDay, though really isn’t every day well suited for a bubbly pink such as this? Drappier’s Brut Nature Rosé is a merry kaleidoscope of red berries, blood oranges, pink grapefruit, wet chalk, and oyster shell. There’s no dosage in this bottle and, of note, it’s unfiltered—the sort of deep pink that is […]
Jean-Charles Boisset Haute Couture French Bubbles Rosé NV
If you’ve met Jean-Charles Boisset, you will instantly understand his wines. On the day that I met him, filming an interview for WineVine.tv, he was resplendent in a long, black crushed velvet coat and shirt with ruffles underneath. The ultimate showman and ringmaster, his wines are consistent in their theme of boisterousness and hedonism. Indeed, […]
Fattoria Moretto Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Monovitigno 2014
On a quest to find the perfect wine to pair with Pho, I picked up this lively Lambrusco from Kermit Lynch…two years ago. I found it while moving around bottles, happily, though the jury is still out as to the pairing. My beef bone broth is still reducing as I type this. As to the […]
Mistinguett Cava Brut Nature NV
Another winery visited on a recent press trip to Catalunya, Mistinguett is one of the larger Cava producers in the region, turning out values like this Brut Nature. The arrow of their marketing is squarely aimed at youth and celebration, indeed, it was hard to glean anything about the technical aspects of this wine since […]
King Estate Limited Edition Blanc de Noirs 2008
Aged Sir Lee for 26 months, King Estate’s 2008 Limited Edition White Black is finely wrought, with a delicate bead that gives rise to baked apples and orchard fruit notes, followed by buckwheat, dried marjoram, and whipped butter. Nice concentration on the palate, with eccentric rings of kumquat, sea foam, and sandstone, which impart a […]
Laurent-Perrier Champagne Brut Cuvée Rosé NV
The color of this pretty brut rosé exactly matches the label, I’m sure that’s intentional. It’s fine-boned and delicate with convivial seed pearl bubbles and aromas of ripe raspberries, tart red currants, blood orange and rose petal. Lively and fresh on entry, Laurent-Perrier’s pink shows very little yeast, the merest suggestion wet dough, fleeting and […]