July 2008
Posted: Jul 31, 2008 4:02pm ET
E. Guigal doesn’t need an introduction—anyone who follows wines even casually knows that this is the dominant négociant house in the France's Northern Rhône Valley. In particular, E. Guigal’s Côte-Rôtie bottlings, led by it’s famed "La La" trio, have brought the house its greatest recognition.
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Posted: Jul 22, 2008 1:51am ET
Normally, yet another small-production wine (even one with outstanding quality) would be just another entry to an already crowded playing field. Add in the fact that the wine comes from the still-overlooked South Africa, and most folks probably wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow.
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Posted: Jul 16, 2008 10:48am ET
In this year's annual Restaurant Awards issue , Wine Spectator conducted a poll via our website that netted some very interesting consumer feedback in regard to today's level and style of restaurant wine service.
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Posted: Jul 14, 2008 1:24pm ET
When I first met Marco Puyo, it was several years ago, while he was still working at Los Vascos. At the time, he was part of a growing generation of young winemakers who seemed destined to help shape the Chilean wine industry in the coming years.
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Posted: Jul 11, 2008 1:58pm ET
Though work comes first (breakfast is usually skipped and lunches are light), I do get time to take in a few meals during my semiannual tours in the Rhône Valley. For those of you looking for a decent meal in the region (sometimes tougher than you might think), here are my casual thoughts on a few newcomers, as well as some more established faces.
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Posted: Jul 9, 2008 8:54am ET
On my final day in the Rhône, I finished up with two visits in Ampuis, with two vignerons who are polar opposites. René Rostaing is formal and restrained; his wines loaded with black fruit, violet, white pepper and garrigue notes.
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Posted: Jul 7, 2008 8:02am ET
Whenever I visit the Rhône, I try to set aside some time for a retrospective tasting (you can reference my past reviews of the 1995 and 1998 vintages in Châteauneuf-du-Pape). On this trip I wanted to focus on Côte-Rôtie a bit, so I rounded up nearly two-dozen samples from the superb ’99 vintage.
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Posted: Jul 3, 2008 7:42am ET
“L'été est arrivé,” was the joyous refrain of every vigneron I visited. With sunny, dry, hot weather helping to make up for the cold, wet spring, folks in Cote-Rôtie were just as happy as those down in Chateauneuf.
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Posted: Jul 1, 2008 7:24am ET
Dinner ended well after midnight at Regis & Jacques Marcon, plus it was Sunday, so I was moving a little slower than usual. I was finally able to motivate by 11 a.m., got in my car and drove back down the gorgeous, winding mountain road from St.
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