Bernard Defaix: A tour of Chablis’ Left Bank
By Josh Shapiro
The hierarchy of Chablis is beautifully logical. When a producer gets it right, you can literally taste your way up the ladder, feeling the terroir shift and the intensity build...
SF Local Blog: Wine & Spirits Stories, Events, Offers and more
-
Gerard Boulay: Move Over Montrachet!
By Josh Shapiro
Chavignol is special because it is here that you find the greatest concentration in its soils of limestone from the kimmeridgian geologic age. So what? Well, that happens to be...
Read more -
Clandestine Chianti from Caparsa
By Floribeth Kennedy
How is Caparsa not more famous? It’s a producer doing everything right in Chianti, and one of our absolute favorites.They are located in Radda, for many drinkers the best village...
Read more -
Arroyo Grande Pinot and the Tail of the Talleys
By Josh Shapiro
We tend to think of European wines as being “Old” and Californian wines as being “New”. Occasionally, of course, we crash this stereotype by writing stories about old legends from...
Read more -
Minerals and More from Muscadet
By Josh Shapiro
Upon the mineral-rich foundations of Muscadet – thick soils filled with granite and gneiss – lying at the far west of the Loire Valley you find the Domaine Les Trois...
Read more -
Marie Courtin: Beauties with Bubbles
By Josh Shapiro
Often, Champagne is used to celebrate events like weddings or New Year's Eve — things that are far too scarce these days. But the Champagnes of Marie Courtin bursts with...
Read more -
Jean-Luc Jamet: Northern Rhones with Bottle Age
By Josh Shapiro
Jamet is a giant of a name in Cote Rotie. It’s one of a tiny handful of domaines that have been bottling wines consistently since the 1970s, sticking for the...
Read more -
Hervé Villemade: Natural and Historic
By Josh Shapiro
In the history of natural wine, Hervé Villemade plays a key role. It was by importing these wines to the United States that Joe Dressner helped pave the way for...
Read more -
Pernot’s Bourgogne “Cote d’Or”: The World’s best Chardonnay value?
By Josh Shapiro
Pernod likes to make tense, pure Chardonnay. He uses little or no batonnage. There is little new oak, and none is used for the Bourgogne Blanc. The idea is to...
Read more -
Arnot Roberts and Our Rose Secret
By Josh Shapiro
We love rosés that have the power to go the distance and let us reap the rewards of time. This great example can be your perfect "first rosé of the...
Read more -
Chateau de Sales: New Quality from the Old School
By Josh Shapiro
De Sales is a very very old estate. The same family has owned it since the 1400s! They make wines in an old-school fashion: not much new oak is used,...
Read more -
Natural from the Heart of Piedmont
By Floribeth Kennedy
Natural wines from Piedmont? Yes, they exist. They do not get the same focus as Barolos and Barbarescos from the recognized masters, but when you find a good example, do...
Read more -
Roagna: The Barbera Equivalent of Barolo
By Floribeth Kennedy
Why is Luca Roagna releasing his 2018 Barbera now, 6 years later in 2024? For a simple reason: he treats his Barbara exactly as he does his incredibly prized old...
Read more -
Chilean Greatness from Longavi
By Josh Shapiro
With its long chain of mountains at a seemingly endless range of latitudes, it is inevitable that somewhere among them it is possible to make truly great wines in Chile....
Read more
