October 2006
Posted: Oct 31, 2006 7:55am ET
I don’t like to bother people on their holiday, but I had to know what was going on with Château Pichon Longueville Lalande , following the various reports on a deal involving the property and the owners of Louis Roederer.
Read More
Posted: Oct 30, 2006 2:50pm ET
I spoke to Stefano Chioccioli over the weekend at home in Tuscany on the telephone. Stefano said he was exhausted from this year’s harvest in Italy. It was one of the longest in memory, lasting almost two months.
Read More
Posted: Oct 27, 2006 5:53am ET
The British wine market loves screw caps. This is mostly due to the dominance of supermarket chains such as Tesco and Sainsbury, which sell masses of wine with screw caps. Most of their wine is around $5 or $6 a bottle and is consumed immediately.
Read More
Posted: Oct 26, 2006 5:47am ET
I was thinking again today about the Grand Tasting during the California Wine Experience last week, and how some of the most interesting wines I tasted were Rhone blends, in particular the 2005 M5 from the Margerum Wine Company and the 2004 Esprit de Beaucastel from Tablas Creek Vineyard.
Read More
Posted: Oct 25, 2006 2:52pm ET
I was tasting a couple dozen 1996 Barbarescos for a coming story on the 10-year anniversary of the vintage for the magazine, and I decided to bring a half-full bottle of the 1996 Gaja Barbaresco to lunch at the restaurant below my house at Il Borro.
Read More
Posted: Oct 24, 2006 1:45pm ET
I am not sure if it was realized or not, but one of the most extraordinary tastings during this year’s California Wine Experience was the small lineup of Montrachets presented by Beaune négociant Robert Drouhin of Maison Joseph Drouhin.
Read More
Posted: Oct 23, 2006 2:11pm ET
I am writing this while I wait for a connection from Madrid to Pisa. I am jetlagged already. But I was thinking about this past weekend's California Wine Experience, and I think one of the most interesting tastings was the Napa Valley Cabernet Tasting, moderated by James Laube, our lead taster in California.
Read More
Posted: Oct 20, 2006 11:42am ET
This blog and the Grand Tasting at the California Wine Experience have a lot in common. I don’t have enough time for both of them! Last night was fantastic, with so many outstanding wines to taste, but I just didn’t have time to try all of them.
Read More
Posted: Oct 19, 2006 1:01am ET
I had dinner the other night in Los Angeles with some friends at a restaurant called Carlitos Gardel that specializes in Argentinean cuisine. I was impressed with the selection of Argentinean wines. I have noticed a number of restaurants, particularly in L.
Read More
Posted: Oct 18, 2006 12:42pm ET
I had dinner at my father’s the other night in San Diego. He is a keen Bordeaux lover but doesn’t buy much of the stuff because he is semi-retired and thinks it’s too expensive. He still remembers drinking Lafite and Mouton for $10 or $15 a bottle back in the 1970s, so he doesn’t like to drop hundreds of dollars on a bottle of fine wine.
Read More
Posted: Oct 16, 2006 4:25pm ET
I went to a vertical tasting of Château Pichon-Longueville-Lalande in London a few weeks ago. London wine merchants Farr Vintners organized the event and Gildas d’Ollone, general manager of the estate, was there.
Read More
Posted: Oct 13, 2006 11:00am ET
Why isn’t there much Bordeaux on wine lists in America? Bordeaux wine merchant Pierre Antoine Casteja asked the question when we were having dinner with another Bordeaux négociant, Pierre Lawton, and New York wine merchant Jeff Zacharia and their wives.
Read More
Posted: Oct 12, 2006 4:48pm ET
The sommelier at one of New York’s newest steak houses, Porter House New York, knew right away something was up when James Laube and I arrived at the table with an editor of Cigar Aficionado , David Savona, and we asked for two wine lists.
Read More
Posted: Oct 11, 2006 2:05pm ET
I am in Manhattan and just got back from lunch with the senior editors of the magazine. We went to a place across the street called Blue Smoke. It’s a barbecue joint and always provides good-quality eats.
Read More
Posted: Oct 9, 2006 9:01am ET
I went to a friend’s house for dinner over the weekend in Mexico City and he invited some people over for cheese and wine. It’s funny--I haven’t done that in ages and it was great fun. I guess in Italy and other parts of Europe few people think about having just cheese for dinner, although I do enjoy mozzarella with fresh tomatoes and basil from my garden in the summer for a light supper.
Read More
Posted: Oct 6, 2006 11:58am ET
I went to dinner in Mexico City last night at Becco, a popular Italian restaurant with a very good wine list. Loads of interesting wines are available, from Roberto Voerzio ’s single-vineyard Barolos to Valpolicellas and Amarones from Dal Forno.
Read More
Posted: Oct 5, 2006 5:37pm ET
I was sad to read yesterday about the death of R.W. Apple Jr. of the New York Times. Not only was Johnny, 71, one of America’s great journalists, he was a great wine and food lover and a friend. I hadn’t seen Johnny in years, but I always kept up with his whereabouts through English wine merchant Bill Baker.
Read More
Posted: Oct 4, 2006 9:41am ET
I had dinner the night before I left Cuba in a big outdoor restaurant called El Aljibe in Havana. The food is simple roasted chicken, fried pork, black beans and rice. It all comes out on the table family style and everyone digs in.
Read More
Posted: Oct 1, 2006 11:51am ET
A couple of friends threw a birthday party for me in the coolest restaurant in Havana, La Guarida. For those who saw the Cuban movie Fresa y Chocolate , this is the restaurant where it was filmed. It is probably the best restaurant in Cuba, and it is also privately owned.
Read More
