Tried these three from Melville, in Sta Rita Hills (It’s no longer allowed to be Santa Rita Hills on the label, because of a complaint by a well known Chilean…
Gamay 34, Edmunds St John Bone-Jolly Gamay Noir 2015
This Californian Gamay comes from Barsotti Ranch, a high-altitude (1000 m) vineyard in El Dorado County, with decomposed granite soils. Vines were planted in 2005, but there are also some…
New releases from Kutch: truly elegant Californian Pinot Noir
The new releases from Jamie Kutch are out. You can read more about him here: he’s making particularly elegant expressions of Pinot Noir from northern California, and also a lovely…
Lokoya, high-end Napa mountain Cabernets, with winemaker Chris Carpenter
Chris Carpenter, winemaker, introduced this tasting of the four Lokoya wines, after taking us for a quick tour of the beautiful WE Keyes Howell Mountain property that’s the source for…
Gamay Focus 29: B Kosuge Wines Gamay Noir 2015 Carneros, Napa, California
I’m in the Napa Valley for a few days, and on my first morning here I found myself at Oxbow Public market for some Ritual coffee. I couldn’t help browsing…
Video: Alternative America – three producers from the USA doing something a bit differently
At the Real Wine Fair I caught up with three producers from the USA who are doing something a bit different, and making excellent wines in the process. Scott…
A couple of lovely Chardonnays: Kutch and Bachelet-Monnot
Had a couple of lovely Chardonnays side by side: one from Burgundy, the other from the cool Sonoma Coast. Bachelet-Monnot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts 2011 Burgundy, France Lemony and…
Wines of the year (7) top wines from California and Oregon
Arnot Roberts Peter Martin Ray Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014 Santa Cruz Mountains, California This vineyard was planted in the 1940s by Rusty Ray, and the vines that make this wine…
Holus Bolus Blanc Roussanne 2014 Santa Maria Valley, California
This is a lovely Roussanne from California’s Santa Maria Valley. It’s made by Peter Hunken and Amy Christine, the duo behind Black Sheep Finds, based in Lompoc’s famous wine ghetto….