Truchard Chardonnay 2024 Review

Truchard Chardonnay 2024. <a href="#taste">Click here for tasting notes.</a>
Truchard Chardonnay. Click here for tasting notes.

Truchard Chardonnay 2024 

Truchard Vineyards was established in 1974, when native Texans Tony and Jo Ann Truchard purchased a 20-acre parcel of land in Carneros. They transformed what was an abandoned prune orchard into a vineyard, and began selling the fruit to a local winery. Because of the difficult clay soil he had to work with, as well as a dearth of groundwater, Truchard was one of the early adapters of drip irrigation, a practice that was used in Israel for desert farming but not known in California yet. The Truchard Estate Vineyard has since grown to 400 acres, of which 280 are planted.

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Haut-Batailley 2022 Review

Chateau Haut-Batailley Pauillac. <a href="#taste">Click here for tasting notes.</a>
Chateau Haut-Batailley Pauillac. Click here for tasting notes.

Château Haut-Batailley is a Fifth Growth (Cinquième Cru Classé) from Pauillac, one of Bordeaux’s most prestigious appellations. It is a classic Left Bank Cabernet Sauvignon–dominated wine, known for its combination of blackcurrant fruit, cedar, graphite, firm but polished tannins, and considerable aging potential.

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Simon Creek Viognier Review

Simon Creek Simon Creek Viognier. <a href="#taste">Click here for tasting notes.</a>
Simon Creek Viognier. Click here for tasting notes.

Simon Creek American Viognier

Wisconsin native Thomas J. (Tim) Lawrie had a 26-year career in the U.S. Army, including two tours in Vietnam as a combat officer, and was awarded the Purple Heart. He served as an Army Infantry Airborne soldier before finally retiring with the rank of Colonel. After which, he was almost universally referred to as, “The Colonel,” a somewhat surprising affectation for a Northerner, I think. As with most military personnel, he had assignments throughout the country, including California, where he acquired an interest in wine and wine production. Continue reading “Simon Creek Viognier Review”

Baricchi Barbaresco Riserva 2018 Review

Cascina Baricchi "Rose delle Casasse" Barbaresco Riserva 2018. <a href="#taste">Click here for tasting notes.,</a>
Cascina Baricchi Barbaresco Riserva. Click here for tasting notes.,

Baricchi Barbaresco Riserva

Cascina Baricchi is a small family estate based in Neviglie, just outside the Barbaresco appellation, although its Barbaresco vineyards are within the denomination, principally at Neive and Treiso. Giovanni Simonetta purchased the property in 1979; his son Natale took over and developed the estate, with the first commercial release under Natale coming in 1996. Early in his career he spent several years working with the legendary Bruno Giacosa, which helps explain the traditional orientation of the wines.

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Austin Hope Graciano 2024 Review

Austin Hope Graciano 2024. <a href="#taste">Click here for tasting notes. </a>
Austin Hope Graciano. Click here for tasting notes.

Austin Hope Graciano is an unusual Paso Robles red made from a Spanish grape variety rarely encountered in California. Part of Hope Family Wines’ limited-production Cellar Select collection, it offers concentrated dark fruit, vibrant acidity, and substantial tannins. Its origins involve a vineyard planting mistake that turned into a fortunate discovery.

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Anchored Roots Itasca 2025 Review

Anchored Roots Itasca 2025. <a href="#taste">Click here for tasting notes. </a>
Anchored Roots Itasca. Click here for tasting notes.

Anchored Roots Itasca 

Eric and Amy Gale are the owners and sole full-time employees of Anchored Roots in Door County, Wisconsin, founded in 2020.

The couple make an ideal front-of-house/back-of-house duo. Amy grew up in Milwaukee, with hospitality at the forefront of her career path. Her initial focus was event planning, from non-profit fundraisers and catering, to corporate events and weddings. This was followed by experience in tasting room management at Airfield Estates in Prosser, Washington.

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Anchored Roots Syrah 2024 Review

Anchored Roots Syrah. <a href="#taste">Click here for tasting notes. </a>
Anchored Roots Syrah. Click here for tasting notes.

Anchored Roots Syrah

Eric and Amy Gale are the owners and sole full-time employees of Anchored Roots, in Door County, founded in 2020.

The couple make an ideal front-of-house/back-of-house duo. Amy grew up in Milwaukee, with hospitality at the forefront of her career path. Her initial focus was event planning, from non-profit fundraisers and catering, to corporate events and weddings. This was followed by experience in tasting room management at Airfield Estates in Prosser, Washington.

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Gran Gala Orange Liqueur Review

Gran Gala. <a href="#taste">Click here for tasting notes.</a>
Gran Gala. Click here for tasting notes.

Gran Gala Orange Liqueur belongs to the same general family as Grand Marnier: rather than putting orange flavor into a neutral alcohol base, such as Cointreau, it combines orange with aged brandy. Sazerac describes it as VSOP Italian brandy infused with fresh-orange flavors, producing a full-bodied, sweet, velvety orange liqueur. It’s a substantial 40% ABV, unusually high for an inexpensive liqueur.

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Ham and Cheese Soufflé Recipe – Easy & Elegant

Homemade ham and cheese soufflé baked until golden and fluffy

Few dishes are as elegant, or as surprisingly easy, as a soufflé. This ham and cheese soufflé recipe combines fluffy eggs, savory ham, and melted Cheddar or Swiss cheese in a beautifully risen dish that’s equally at home at breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. I adapted it from a recipe in Craig Claiborne’s The New York Times Cookbook, the first cookbook I ever owned and still one of the best.

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Lautenbach Old Barn Red Review

Lautenbach Old Barn Red
Lautenbach Old Barn Red. Click here for tasting notes.

Lautenbach’s Market, Winery & Cider Co. is one of the older surviving wineries in Door County, Wisconsin, but it really makes more sense when you think of it as a working Door County fruit farm that evolved into a winery, rather than a conventional winery that later planted an orchard. Lautenbach Old Barn Red is one of their dry wines.

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Anchored Roots Ridgetop Rosé 2023 Review

Anchored Roots Ridgetop Rosé
Anchored Roots Ridgetop Rosé. Click here for tasting notes.

Anchored Roots Ridgetop Rosé

Eric and Amy Gale are the owners and sole full-time employees of Anchored Roots, in Door County, founded in 2020.

The couple make an ideal front-of-house/back-of-house duo. Amy grew up in Milwaukee, with hospitality at the forefront of her career path. Her initial focus was event planning, from non-profit fundraisers and catering, to corporate events and weddings. This was followed by experience in tasting room management at Airfield Estates in Prosser, Washington.

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