Over the last 15 years Sylvain Pataille has built up his domaine from scratch. He first made wine in 1999, while he was still employed in an enology laboratory in…
Mac Forbes EB18 ‘P3’ Pinot Gris/Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier 2015
Mac Forbes is a bit of a legend. He’s been a pioneer of lighter, lower alcohol, naturally made wines from the Yarra Valley. As well as his regular wines, he…
Underwood: Oregon wine in a can
Underwood wines come in 375 ml cans. It’s striking packaging. I was curious, so I bought a pair to try, for $5.99 each from World Foods in Portland, Oregon. They…
The 2014s from Evening Land: Oregon’s new pacesetter
Yesterday I got to taste the as yet unreleased 2014s from Evening Land Vineyards. This is the first step in a new phase of the project, which is based on…
Extended tasting note: Brooks Ara Riesling 2008 and Brooks Janus 2008, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Sometimes, short tasting notes don’t really tell you all that much about a wine. So, in the past, I’ve tried to write the occasional extended tasting note, bringing in the…
In Oregon: Goodfellow Family Cellars
I visited Matello/Goodfellow Family Cellars last a couple of years ago (see report here), and it was great to go back on this trip to catch up with Marcus Goodfellow…
Tesselaarsdal: a brilliant new Pinot Noir from South Africa
There’s a nice story behind this Tesselaarsdal Pinot Noir, which I drank with Greg Sherwood and Higgo Jacobs on Saturday. It’s made by Berene Sauls, who is an employee of…
Seven older red Burgundies
JF Mugnier Chambolle Musigny 2003 Burgundy, France Ripe and sweet with bold, textured sweet cherry fruit backed up by spicy warmth. Rich and broad with nice silkiness and good structure….
Tolpuddle Vineyard 2014 Pinot and 2013 Chardonnay
I wrote up the first releases of these wines – the 2012s – just over two years ago. Now it’s time to look at some more recent releases. Seriously impressive…