“We want to have elegance be the main focus of our wines. The biggest fear for me is over-extraction.” Tenuta Argentiera winemaker Nicolò Carrara is right to be a little afraid. He is dealing with ripening and fermenting grapes in Tuscany’s Bolgheri, after all, where sunlight and the potential for big levels of ripeness—not to…
“The Difference” (A Villa Rosa Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vertical)
Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of bumping into Cecchi fourth-generation wine family icon Andrea Cecchi a handful of times at locales all over the globe, but earlier this year (2025) marked the first time that I had a virtual sit-down with him over Zoom. Not as fun as our usual face-to-face run-ins, but…
Wine Reviews: Mini Round-Up for May 26, 2025
2024 Roseblood d’Estoublon Rose (Coteaux Varois en Provence): Utterly delicious. Rose petals, wild red berries, and equal parts fun and refinement. $27 B+
2023 Domaine de Cabasse ‘Le Rose’ (Mediterranee): Floral and earthy, and very round in the mid-section. $NA B
2022 Bodegas Ontanon Tempranillo Blanco (Rioja): Lotsa honey, lotsa oranges, lotsa wood. $15 B…
“We’re Cooler Than You Think” (Livermore Valley 2025 Tasting Report @ Cristaldi & Co.)
I’m excited to share something that I’ve been working on over the past several weeks (months?), which is one of the first available tasting reports at Cristaldi & Co. Spearheaded by my longtime friend, biz partner, and super-cool Decanter writer buddy Jonathan Cristaldi, this tasting report covers 9 Livermore Valley wineries and 160+ of their…