Reviews of wines and spirits for the curious drinker.
Gainey Vineyard
Fifty-seven years ago, in 1962, Dan Gainey purchased 1800 acres in the Santa Ynez valley of California’s central coast region, directly west of Santa Barbara. After twenty-two years of farming and ranching, Gainey became convinced of the area’s potential [and profitability] as a vineyard.
In this post I sample two uncommon wines that only have one thing in common: they both come from Australia’s McLaren Vale.
Continue reading “Cockfighter’s Ghost Shiraz and Tapestry Chardonnay”
Shellback Rum
Historically, ‘shellback’ was a title bestowed on mariners who crossed the equator, a risk-filled achievement in the days of wooden ships under sail.
Maison M. Chapoutier is a winery and négociant business located in Tain-l’Hermitage in the Rhône region in southeastern France. (Négociant is the French term for a wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name.) Chapoutier produces wine from appellations across the Rhône region, in a wide spectrum of varietals, styles, and price points. The house has holdings in Portugal and Australia, as well.
Dakota Shy Cabernet Sauvignon
Dakota Shy was founded by industry veterans Todd Newman and Tom Garrett in 2008, determined to ultimately create a world-class estate of their own. They began by sourcing Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from a range of vineyards throughout Napa Valley.
Le Creuset Wine Opener
Is this really the best corkscrew? With hundreds of devices on Amazon alone for opening wine bottles, some costing hundreds of dollars, I realize this is a bold claim. But yes. For the money, this corkscrew simply can’t be beat. It’s dead-simple to use, and works correctly every time. The Teflon-coated worm pierces the cork with ease, and simply continuing to turn the handle then extracts it smoothly.
This corkscrew was originated by Hallen International Inc., and sold for years under the Screwpull trademark. In 1991, Le Creuset acquired the Screwpull line, but didn’t rebrand it until the early 2010s. Le Creuset makes a number of other corkscrews, including a cheaper model that resembles this one. Although it operates on the same principle, it is flimsier, prone to breakage, and gets mixed reviews on Amazon.
Although nothing lasts forever, in 30 years I’ve only owned three copies of this corkscrew, one of which was broken by a rowdy party guest.
UPDATE: It would appear that Le Creuset discontinued the more robust original Screwpull design in favor of their cheaper model. Still worth having. Buy it on Amazon.
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The Stags Leap District AVA is in the very heart of Napa Valley. It runs from north to south for about three miles along the Silverado Trail, and its 1,350 [very prized] acres were first planted with Cabernet Sauvignon in 1961, for which it would soon become renowned. The name comes from an outcropping of red rocks at the area’s eastern boundary, where a stag supposedly escaped his pursuers by leaping across the treacherous gap.
Food Saver Bottle Stoppers
If you have a Food Saver vacuum sealing machine, these bottle stoppers are indispensable. They work on the same principle as the better known Vacu Vin sealing system, but are far more effective.
They are made to fit standard wine bottles (and many other standard-size bottles or containers). The stoppers are BPA-free for food safety and non-toxic storage.
The core idea is that once you open a bottle, oxygen (i.e. air) is your enemy — it causes oxidation, which degrades wines (and many oils/infusions) over time. Vacuum-sealing removes a lot of that air (or at least reduces oxygen exposure), which slows down the deterioration process.
Once vacuum-sealed correctly, the bottle is more airtight than with a simple cork or cap, which helps maintain flavor and quality.
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Cork Pops Ratchet Corkscrew
Many people, including some servers themselves, are intimidated or bewildered by so-called waiter’s corkscrews. That’s too bad, because once mastered they can be highly portable and simple to use.
Since its founding in 1974 by Damaris Deere Ford, great-great granddaughter of John Deere, Landmark Vineyards has called Sonoma County home. Originally located in Windsor, California, in 1989 Landmark moved to the heart of Sonoma valley to escape the encroaching urbanization to the north.
Matchbook Wines
Founded in 2006, Matchbook Wine is owned and operated by a pair of proprietors with impressive resumés in the wine business.
John Giguiere, with his wife Lane and brother Karl, started R.H. Phillips Winery in 1983 on land that was part of their family farm in the Dunnigan Hills of northwestern Yolo County, 30 miles east of the more-famous Napa. Over the course of 20 years, the Giguieres grew R.H. Phillips from a family winery of 10 acres and a few cases into a publicly-owned behemoth producing 900,000 cases of wine on 2500 acres, including the best-selling Toasted Head and EXP as well as R.H. Phillips.
Arrowood Vineyards was founded by Richard and Alis Arrowood, the culmination of what up until then had been twenty-one years of winemaking.
Simi Wines
Although Napa Valley is considered by many to be California’s preeminent winemaking region, Sonoma County just to the west offers many pleasures as well, particularly the wines from Alexander Valley, which is one of my personal favorite regions.
Philipponnat is one of Champagne’s most historically significant houses—famous among collectors, sommeliers, and serious Champagne lovers.