May 2008
Posted: May 29, 2008 2:08pm ET
A couple of weeks ago I shared some of the superlatives I typically use in tasting notes to describe outstanding wines, those that score 90 points or higher. A reader asked for and shall now receive some of the terms that typically show up in reviews for wines that dip below the 80-point mark.
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Posted: May 28, 2008 1:31pm ET
Filmmaker Sydney Pollack was one of the first artists I heard discuss his works in person—what he intended to portray on the big screen and how they were interpreted. Pollack, who died yesterday, directed and starred in many great films, among them They Shoot Horses Don’t They , Jeremiah Johnson , Tootsie and Out of Africa.
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Posted: May 27, 2008 2:28pm ET
Shiners are a big part of the wine business. But most people have never heard of them, even though they drink shiners all the time. That’s because shiners get a complete makeover and these otherwise often undistinguished wines are disguised by their labels.
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Posted: May 21, 2008 1:13pm ET
As I’ve driven around Napa and Sonoma counties the past few days in the wake of Robert Mondavi’s death , I’ve noticed how many American flags have been hanging at half mast. It’s impossible to know whether these flags have been lowered in his memory or to honor fallen soldiers or in tribute to anyone else, but I’m heartened by how many of the people I’ve talked to about Mr.
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Posted: May 19, 2008 4:49pm ET
Craig Williams and Tom Shelton, winemaker and president/CEO, respectively, of Joseph Phelps Vineyards, resigned from the Napa winery on Friday afternoon, according to their attorney. The two longtime executives' departures from the famed Phelps winery was not a surprise, sources said, since they had been been mired in a drawn-out dispute over compensation.
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Posted: May 16, 2008 2:25pm ET
We knew this was coming. Still, when Rob Mondavi called today at 9:53 a.m., with word that his grandfather Robert Mondavi had passed away quietly and peacefully this morning, chills ran up my spine. As I set the phone down, I felt an eerie mix of loss and sadness.
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Posted: May 15, 2008 5:19pm ET
One of our readers, Emily, asked a good question about yesterday’s blog , and I’m glad she did. I’m going to offer an extended reply, since this subject comes up periodically “Many people accuse you of only liking very young ‘over blown,’ very tannic styles of wines.
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Posted: May 14, 2008 4:43pm ET
It’s been a long-time ritual of mine. Like so many customary habits that become simple routines, whenever I buy a new wine, I open a bottle that same night. It doesn’t much matter if the winemaker warns not to touch it for four weeks or for four months.
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Posted: May 13, 2008 1:04pm ET
I enjoyed the exchanges about my wine reviews blog as much as any and want to address a couple of questions, queries and, perhaps, concerns. We know our reviews carry weight and we take that responsibility seriously.
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Posted: May 9, 2008 1:55pm ET
Readers, and for that matter vintners as well, often wonder how we decide which wines we review. There is no simple answer, except to say we try to taste as many wines as we can and target the wines we think will be of the most interest to you.
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Posted: May 8, 2008 2:35pm ET
Wineries hoping to keep their business in the family can’t start planning too soon, says Carissa Chappellet. Communication is crucial. “Once you start having the discussions, you’ve only begun,” she explained, and “when you think you’ve talked it out, even in the abstract, you’re only at the stage when you’re starting.
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Posted: May 7, 2008 3:06pm ET
The sale last year of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars put the spotlight on the fate or fortunes of family-owned wineries. In coming years more of these wineries, which typically annually sell 3,000 to 50,000 cases of wine, will decide whether to sell or transition to heirs.
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Posted: May 6, 2008 1:23pm ET
We’re heading down the homestretch with our Pinot Noir tastings for our annual report, due in September. Nearly 500 wines have been reviewed, with another 100 to 150 still in bags. Most of the best wines will be featured on WineSpectator.
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Posted: May 1, 2008 4:31pm ET
It was my first vertical of Château Lafite Rothschild and I wasn’t about to spit out anything. A formal sit-down tasting at one of the early California Wine Experiences, the host, Baron Eric de Rothschild, had chosen 10 great vintages of this famous first-growth, dating to the 1940s, to share with about 1,000 of us.
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