Wine

A New House Emerges

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​Beginning in 2005, Jeremy Nickel embarked on a mission as homage to his father, Gil Nickel – to make elite Napa wines and generate donations toward cancer research (to which 10% of the profits from these wines go).  Founded in Oakville, the land left to Jeremy in 2003 has led to this small-production brand, and Todd and I were fortunate enough to try them.
 
The Vineyard House Chardonnay 2015.

Brief Old World vs. New World Diatribe

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Our rockstar Wine Trends rep Kerri Breeze dropped in with a twofer-twofer, Old World/New World smackdown, featuring the Languedoc wines of Domaine Laroche and the second label for Napa’s venerable Paul Hobbs:

La Chevaliere Chardonnay 2015.  Crisp, lighter-style of Chardonnay with notes of mineral, green apple, citrus and pear.  Nice balance of acidity.

La Chevaliere Cabernet Sauvignon 2014.  Earthy, medium-bodied with clean red and black fruit aromas and flavors.

That Song

Andrew Geoffrey Vineyards began in 1973 in the Diamond Mountain sub-region of Napa, up in the Mayacamas Mountains.

And Then There Were Three

Elixir Wine Group brings all the goodies.  I’ve been friends with Janine Poleman, our sales rep for Elixir for some time.  She’s like the Wonder Woman of the wine business, and the portfolio she represents has delivered some great wines to our doorstep.  And once again, with the introduction to Antech Limoux, a sparkling wine producer from the Languedoc, she does it again.

Recently, she and local wine rock star, our dear friend Stacey Meyer (of Heidelberg Distributing) suggested a visit from Françoise Antech-Gazeau,

Nobody Told Me There’d Be Days Like These

I’ve said it often, but I don’t think I can ever say it enough:  “I love my job.”  This is no suck-up, just a point of fact.  Sue me.  I get to sell wine for a living.  I talk about it, taste it, I am pretty much swimming in the stuff, which I would do all day, every day if I could (uh, wait, I do that already).  Like the time I got to meet Pauline Lurton and try the wines of Chateau Haut-Bages-Liberal from the Pauillac in Bordeaux.

A Whole Lotta Rose

Yet as a true nerd of pink wines, I hold out hope that it will remain uncool enough for the masses to not over-commercialize these great dry,

Wine Department: The Unsung Tale of Chenin Blanc

CHENIN BLANC. A noble grape variety thought to have originated in the Loire Valley in France, it’s planted around the world and used for a variety of wines – dry whites, dessert wines and even sparkling wine. While a dominant variety in the Anjou region of Loire (which encompasses Vouvray, Savennieres, and of course Anjou), the grape has been an almost signature varietal in South Africa (where it has been known as Steen),

New York State Of Wine

From the eastern shores of Seneca Lake, our newest NY entry into Southwestern Ohio makes a splash with a quartet of great wines:

Damiani Semi-Dry Riesling 2015.

Return Of Some Old Friends

​Patricia Green Cellars has been a source of consistent quality from Oregon for some time.  It’s always been something of a go-to for quality, at least in our humble opinions.  Established in the Ribbon Ridge AVA in Oregon’s Willamette Valley in 2000 by Patty Green and Jim Anderson, these two friends have transformed their love of this area and Pinot Noir into an almost-evangelicalism of Oregonian credo.

So recently, our good friend Jim Anderson dropped in with some of the latest offerings:

Patricia Green Sauvignon Blanc 2015.

Brave New World

Technology has always been something of a fascination, and the integration of said technology with the world of wine is long overdue, I think I heard someone saying at some juncture in time (or at least the ravings of my own paranoid mind).  I’ve dabbled in it before, the use of Skype® in a wine tasting, primarily as a wine blogger in a former life,