CHRISTOPHER'S BLOG

Italy Mimics Burgundy’s Best Meursaults I love Chardonnay! In all its many facets. From Burgundy’s crisp, bone dry Chablis to Puligny and Chassagne where we get Chardonnays with incredible complexity, drive and vigor. I love Chardonnays from the Maconnais with their tautness and hints of fresh butter. I adore Napa’s big, bold, buttery, creamy versions with all my heart. Sonoma, too. With their nod to … Continue reading The Best Chardonnay You’re Not Drinking – Yet! »

The Flavor of Syrah, the Texture of Pinot As I sit here today, a bottle of this wine open next to me, my mind wanders back to some of the finest, earlier vintages of this wine that I’ve tasted. The wine I’m tasting and writing about today is the phenomenal 2017 Domaine Durand Saint Joseph Cuvee Lautaret. Delicious doesn’t do it justice. The 2017s are rock … Continue reading One of the Most Profound St Josephs Ever! »

Fabulous New Foodie Discovery Normally, my emails tend to focus on the wines; the history, the people, the winemaking, the stuffing that goes into the making and bottling of all these great wines we carry. But today I want to talk to you about a fantastic, yet very casual take-out meal my wife and I recently enjoyed. The food and wine combination was so perfect … Continue reading And now for something completely different! »

Ducru-Beaucaillou’s Neighbor for a Song Sometimes, when searching for great Petit Chateau Bordeaux, it’s not who knows you but who your neighbors are. So it is with the humble but profoundly serious Chateau du Glana in Saint-Julien, located on the Left Bank of Bordeaux. Their immediate neighbors read like a who’s-who of Bordeaux elite, yet even with all their heft, they have yet to convince … Continue reading The Greatest Saint Julien Value Today »

Vintage of the Decade now on Sale! Villa Collazzi is one of the most impressive estates in all of Tuscany. This architectural landmark was originally designed by Michelangelo in 1560 for his friend, Agostino Dini. It offers commanding views of the surrounding Chianti Classico and Tuscan countryside. Today, I Collazzi is the property of the Marchi brothers, Carlo and Bona. During the last decade, the … Continue reading INCREDIBLE 2015 Vintage Super Tuscan »

The Hidden Treasure of Savigny les Beaune  We recently tasted another bottle of this incredible wine, while on sabbatical in North Lake Tahoe a few weeks back. Folks, I can’t impress enough upon you how delicious, flat out jam packed with everything that Burgundy and Pinot Noir are famous for and humbly priced this wine is. We decanted it for an hour (something I strongly … Continue reading Greatest Pinot Noir Value on Two Continents »

The team behind this “Baby Chateauneuf” call the project Panicaut and it hails from one of the many Cotes du Rhone Villages where impeccable winemaking standards, old vines and a very long history all came together to elevate this region from once obscurity to big time importance. The Village we’re talking about is a mouthful, Plan de Dieu Cotes du Rhone Villages, and the wines are just as … Continue reading Baby Chateauneuf Anyone? The Resemblance is Uncanny! »

It’s a Long Read but Worth It Not counting the much larger Guigal domaine, René Rostaing is the closest thing to a true cult star that Côte-Rôtie has yet produced. A grower since 1971, his first vineyard purchases were a microscopic half acre each in Côte Blonde and in La Landonne on the Côte Brune. The real breakthrough came when his father-in-law, Albert Dervieux-Thaize retired … Continue reading Two of the Very Finest Wines I Carry »

His Village Level Wine is Tops in its Class! I first started working with Samuel Billaud at my shops in Houston, back in the early 2000s. At that time, he was the winemaker for his uncle’s winery, named Billaud Simon. The family estate was some 200 years old, and the uncle oversaw all the business dealings while Samuel made the wines. And what incredible wines they … Continue reading Among the Top 3 Producers in Chablis »

You’ve heard me singing the praises of Julien Brechet and his Domaine des Bosquets for months. Today, I thought I’d let you hear from those professional critics who make their living tasting and reporting on thousands of wines per year… “Looking at the classic cuvee, this Gigondas is a wine that readers should buy by the case.”                 ~ Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate “Readers wanting to … Continue reading “Don’t Miss These Incredible Wines!” RP »