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Explore our almanac for more information…
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At W&S, our critics turn the process around and recommend wines first, then rate them. The rating is just an index of how strongly we want you to know about the wine. That might seem like a subtle distinction, but it’s a completely different way of approaching the process. It means that we focus our anenlion on a small fraction of the wines we taste, describing them as clearly as possible and providing specific reasons for each recommendation.
The road twists and turns along the coast, rising and falling, tossing up spectacular scenery around every curve, the Pacific undulating below. This is California as you always pictured it−except it’s purely the untamed version, not the California of Malibu and the Beach Boys. We’re taking the coastal road rather than the highway north from San Francisco to the Sonoma and Napa wine regions, drinking in the seaside sights before we get down to the serious business of winery touring and wine tasting.
“Where Napa Valley and Dry Creek Valley represent warm growing regions for Zinfandel the Russian River Valley – most of it, anyway – is cool. Russian River Zins tend to be lower in alcohol and higher in acidity, especially in our recent run of cool vintages (2010-12)…”
“There is something magical about an early summer sunset. As long, bright days evolve into cool, refreshing evenings, the play of light from the low-hanging sun splashes a dramatic array of pink tones across the sky. While others see images in the clouds, we take our inspiration from the myriad shades of pink and dream of a long summer filled with many bottles and glasses of rosé wine…”
The ultimate winner in the first annual Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, held last week in Santa Rosa, was the Beaulieu Vineyard 2009 Tapestry Reserve, a classic red Bordeaux blend.
Two dozen judges sifted through 930 wines in the blind tasting, then voted to find the best from throughout the heart of Wine Country. When their scores were tabulated, a total of 121 wines received gold medals, six won Best of County awards, five won Best of Class and the Beaulieu red was judged to be the biggest winner of all, the “Best of the Best…”
“Senior editor Tim Fish has been pouring his way through flights of California Zinfandel as we gear up for our annual report on the varietal, scheduled to run in the June 30 issue of Wine Spectator magazine. This week’s selection focuses primarily on single-vineyard Zinfandels throughout Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties…”
In 2012, members of our tasting panel reviewed more than 15,500 wines from around the world. Tasting that many wines isn’t easy, but keeping track of them all and remembering what to buy next time you’re at your favorite retail shop is an even more difficult task.
The year 2012 had its fair share of great wine values due in large art to the influx of new and original domestic blends. And, as always, Europe continued to export extraordinary values geared towards food lovers. Sit back and enjoy, for these are the best your dollar could buy this yea
Thanksgiving can be D. R. A. M. A. Trying to choose ” the perfect wine” to go with your Thanksgiving feast can add to that drama. Trying to find a single wine to please everyone from grandmother to the newly minted drinking-age college boyfriend your daughter has brought home is a challenge.
Harvest is a magical time in Sonoma. Straw-coloured hills are bathed in a golden light and the lush landscape of wine country is bursting. Tractors hum between manicured rows. Trucks, weighed down under bins of grapes, amble along rural roads.
Pickers work late into the night under the glare of artificial floodlights to pluck grapes cold from their vines. And cellars smell of newly fermenting juice…
Visiting Sonoma County during grape harvest in late summer and early fall is a prime time to connect with the beauty of this sprawling California Wine Country area (bigger than Rhode Island), the rhythms of agricultural life, the fabulous food, and the passionate professionalism of its grape farmers and winemakers. To go behind the scenes and meet the people who make the wine, I joined 24 people from around the country at Sonoma County Grape Camp for two and a half days of immersion in grape harvesting, winery touring, cooking and wine pairing, and blending.
In a world of fast food and one-size-fits all sensibilities, how often does something feel made for you? The “Made for You” section celebrates those itesm that are created with such high quality of hand workmanship and degree of customization that they become individual to you.
We’ve found a fantastic spot just over an hour from San Francisco featuring great wines, Michelin star food, boutique hotels with a river running through it… that’s right… the Russian River! Come along as we discover the great businesses transforming this once sleepy resort destination!
Our Wine of the Week, DeLoach Vineyards 2009 California Heritage Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($13) is earthy, spicy and brambly yet delicate at the same time…It’s a good party wine, especially when paired properly at the table. Buy two bottles and invite friends to dinner.
Youth is revered in our culture and sometimes even in our wine
culture. Our wine-of-the-week winner is the DeLoach Vineyards, 2009 California Cabernet Sauvignon Heritage Reserve at the budget-savvy price of $13.
Some of us might still be reluctant to open a bottle of wine when we just want one glass, despite the wide availability of vacuum pumps, stoppers and all sorts of preservation systems (see my picks for best wine preservation methods here). The availability of premium wine in bag-in-box format greatly resolved this issue enabling us to pour just the one or two glasses we needed.