The wines from El Enemigo are some of the very best from Argentina—and, I would say, in the world. The easiest way for me to justify this statement is to make a sports comparison. When athletes are at the pinnacle of their sport, they make what they do seem effortless and simple. And the very best can take that to the next level—to me, it is almost like magic. All the wines from El Enemigo are like that for me, they are elite!
Read MoreEvery year, Krug announces an ingredient of the year to inspire the chefs of the world to create dishes to go with their spectacular champagne. Not wanting to be left out, Cinnamon and I make something for the home kitchen as well—it is an excellent excuse to drink Krug on a weeknight. This year, the ingredient is flowers, and luckily for us, nasturtiums grow wild in the Willows neighborhood of Menlo Park where we live. It only took a short walk to forage a little bag of these edible flowers—in June they practically pour out onto the sidewalk!
Read MoreLaberinto is without a doubt one of the most exciting producers in Chile. If you have been following our South American wine program, you’ll know that I have dedicated a rather large number of words to the wines of Rafael Tirado, founder of this Maule Valley winery. And, because I am so enthusiastic, I cannot help myself from putting more words towards this cause! I love when a wine/producer/region is so connected ideas and threads that can enrich the experience of a wine. That is what I am looking for. There is so much good wine out there that interesting and delicious beat out just delicious for me, always.
Read MoreWe are thrilled to invite you to K&L Wine Merchants Culver City’s Grand Opening Gala on June 29, 2024. We’re doing this in true K&L style—with a deluxe walk-around tasting featuring 23 tables filled with some of the best wines being made today. We’ve been in the wine business for almost 50 years, and we’ve called on friends near and far to help us build a killer lineup
Read MoreJust a few months after February’s Napa Valley Premiere event, the influential non-profit organization Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) hosted their second and final major fundraising auction of 2024 as May segued into June. The annual auction included a barrel auction and a live auction event, featuring wines from 2023, 2022, and 2021—all still in barrel.
Read MoreToday brings the highly anticipated release of the potential wine-of-the-vintage Château Canon as well as my personal favorite, Pavie Macquin, along with critics’ darlings Les Carmes Haut-Brion and Rauzan-Ségla. The clear throughline here is that all four wines fall squarely into the collectible bargain category—presenting an incredibly impressive performance with a price that comes in a range of bargain to sweet-spot pricing. All these properties dropped their pricing between 25% to 30% over that of 2022—well done! I’ve included a note on each offering below for further insight as to why each and every one of these releases is worthy of cellar consideration.
Read MoreDespite such a fast and furious start to the campaign, we've so far seen very impressive engagement from futures buyers, with sales coming in much more volume than 2022. The main reason, apart from a large crop of high-quality wines? Pricing. With many châteaux releasing at 25% to 40% below their 2022 prices, the 2023 vintage is set to put the Bordeaux market right, and our avid collectors are the biggest beneficiaries. In our annual Bordeaux Vintage Guide, you'll find summaries of all the top appellations that we tasted, along with comprehensive lists of currently available selections. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg, so be sure to stay tuned in the coming weeks as marquee names like Montrose, Canon, the Pichons, and many others release their 2023s to market. Check out the notes for these, and all of the wines below on our 2023 Bordeaux Vintage Report.
Read MoreThe official date for National Wine Day is always the 25th of May. Luckily, this year, that date is on a Saturday! So, we can celebrate today without having to worry about the consequences of a work weekday! The Pisoni family fits in perfectly with the idea of National Wine Day, so I felt like to day was a perfect day to celebrate them, too.
Read MoreToday's newsletter gives Portugal a long-overdue stint in the spotlight. With some of the greatest stylistic and varietal diversity in the world, it's a wine explorer's paradise… For all our Spanish aficionados, I'm also providing a fresh look at some of the most intriguing producers redefining the landscape of the country's most important region, Rioja.
Read MoreAnza is a perfect introduction to the “New Rioja.” Diego Magana is a second-generation wine maverick… I think that the curious collector will surprise not only themselves but their friends with these wines, especially if they allow them a little more time in the bottle.
Read MoreThe gorgeous Atlantic islands have been on top of mind for many people in the wine industry lately, as the wines being produced in places like the Canary and Azores islands are exciting and tremendously good. I have seen many great articles recently focusing on their many attributes. The vineyards are stunning… check out the above pictures of Pico and Lanzarote vineyards (l to r). Take a moment, take that in, have you ever seen vineyards that look like that? They are incredible. What’s even better, the wines from those vineyards are incredible. Volcanic wines are having a moment right now, but there are volcanic wines, and then there are Volcanic Wines! I have the images of these vineyards so interwoven in my mind that I see them in my mind's eye while tasting these wines. I go on a vacation with every glass of wine. And once you try these, I hope they will transport you, too.
Read MoreIn addition to being one of the most eclectic wine regions, the Douro Valley is one of the most scenic in the world. It is amazing. There is the Douro River and its tributaries that have carved these valleys into granite and schist. This is a region that speaks to time in a way that mountains speak to time. There are winding terraced slopes that, in some bends and turns, the forests have reclaimed. This is a place where the expression “a photo is worth a thousand words” fails—no images truly capture the magic of this place.
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