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
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Refreshing Summer Sparklers from Birichino
By Lee Madueno
Pet nats are a fairly recent trend among winemakers. With the demand for sparkling wines only getting higher many producers have expanded their production to include a few pet nats....
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Great Alsatians from the “Other” Boxler
By Jeff Patten
Alsace lovers know that the region is divided between the granite terroirs and the limestone terroirs. Boxler is a granite specialist, and Brand boasts plenty of it – granite that...
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Amorotti = Beauty and Nature in Abruzzo Valentini-like, for a Fraction of the Price!
By Lee Madueno
We are always a bit skeptical when importers talk about new producers with lavish comparisons to the greats that are nearby. “This is the next Conterno” or “it tastes just...
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Soave: A Market Failure Means Great Values
By Jeff Patten
Soave also has its share of Foillards – a handful of producers who make great wines from top terroirs using traditional or enlightened methods, usually both. Pieropan may be the...
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Cezin Jasnieres: The Beauty of Far Flung Wine
By Jeff Patten
Today's special place is to the north of the Loire Valley, on a tributary confusingly named the Loir (our spell check so badly wants to add the "e"). Here, those...
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Domaine de Marquiliani Risen from Ashes
By Jeff Patten
When Andre Almaric purchased the Domaine de Marquiliani estate in 1954 he had his work cut out for him. Twenty years earlier the estate was mostly destroyed in a series...
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Ciro Biondi: The Other Side of Mount Etna
By Lee Madueno
Ciro Biondi is one of the key players in the renaissance that has made Mount Etna one of the greatest wine spots in Italy, and the world. Little known even...
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John Cameron: The Wizard of The Dundee Hills
By Lee Madueno
The name John Paul Cameron has become synonymous with the best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay made this side of France. He isn't a household name simply because very little of...
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Enfield, and a Most Serious Rosé
By Lee Madueno
In recent years, the world of Rosé wine seems to have gone straight from sweet white Zinfandels to the palest, lightest pink wines imaginable, usually from Provence, but increasingly from...
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Trediberri + Little Wines = Deliciousness
By Jeff Patten
Trediberri is a couple, Stefania and NIcolas Oberto, making Barolo in La Morra, the village known for its elegance and pretty aromatics. A few years ago, our colleagues in New...
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Danilo Thomain Valle D'Aosta Enfer D’Arvier 2021
By Lee Madueno
Danilo Thomain is the only independent vigneron working in Hell. Well, not strictly "Hell," but a tiny Valle d’Aosta vineyard charmingly named Enfer d’Arvier, French for "The Hell of Arvier."...
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Impressive, Mineral Driven and Ridiculously Inexpensive White Wine From The Western Loire
By Lee Madueno
La Pépie is racy, crisp, acid and mineral driven; beautifully balanced by a hint of richness from the sur lie factor. A perfect encapsulation of Marc Olivier's exceptional terroir as...
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Tessier Phil'en Bulle: Seriously Fun Bubbles from a Loire Legend
By Lee Madueno
Just like in years past, Tessier’s 2021 “Phil’en Bulle” is one of the best pet-nats around. Brisk and bright, that year spent on its lees gives the palette a serious density...
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