2018 Yalumba Bush Vine Grenache (Barossa): Friendlier than your neighbor’s Labrador retriever. $20 B+ 2018 Cantine Argiolas Serra Lori Rose Isola dei Nuraghi (Sardinia): Fun-loving, seeking salmon burgers, prefers bitter, sarcastic jokes. $18 B 2016 Chateau des Capitans Julienas (Beaujolais): Perkiness that belies a decent amount of backbone grit. $22 B+ 2016 Georges Duboeuf Domaine…
Sweet Sixteen (Highlights From The 2019 Critics Challenge Wine Competition)
A few weeks ago, I visited San Diego for yet another stint of judging at the annual Critics Challenge International Wine Competition, now in its sixteenth year. As is always the case with CC, the organization, staff, and execution were all top-notch, allowing us critic-judge-types to give the wines their fair due under the palate…
Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For July 1, 2019
2017 Duchman Family Winery Trebbiano (Texas): Crowd-pleasing perkiness from where you might just have least expected it. $20 B+ 2017 Duchman Family Winery Viognier (Texas): Oily breadth, citric bounce, and floral breath. $18 B+ 2016 Pedernales Cellars Texas Albarino (Texas): Topping off your tropical fruits with candied ginger and honey? Count me in. $30 B+…
Texas Four-Step (A Deeper Dive Into Texas Hill Wine Country)
While I enjoy the thrill of the new, in some ways I am a creature of habit. Specifically, I have both a habit of getting invited to wine regions that don’t make the usual list of media darling locales, and I have a habit of accepting those invitations because, well, new. And so it was…