Compare & Contrast - DRC & Leroy
France: Burgundy, featured
, Jun 2019
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Domaine Leroy. Each producer is an icon and has their own clearly distinguishable style. Why do they have so much in common, and yet are often so distinctive from each other? This article, based on a blind tasting of wines from the same vineyards and vintages, seeks to explain why. Time to compare and contrast.
Cellar Favorite: 2012 Vietti Barolo Riserva Villero
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Piedmont, Italy: Piedmont
, Jun 2019
Vietti’s 2012 Barolo Riserva Villero is absolutely gorgeous. In 2012, the Villero is especially lifted and aromatic, showing a distinctly floral and red-toned expression of fruit rather than the darker, more balsamic inflections that are typical of this Castiglione Falletto cru.
Vinous Table: Le Chalut, Saint-Malo, France
France, Vinous Table
, Jun 2019
Le Chalut, a historic restaurant of Saint-Malo, may no longer be the highly awarded, media-darling dining destination it once was, but it still offers fresh, beautifully cooked seafood in a quiet, refined environment.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet 1978-2015
France: Burgundy, featured
, Jun 2019
This fabulous charity dinner, held to benefit children’s oncology at The Mount Sinai Hospital, featured a breathtaking range of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s Montrachet spanning 22 vintages back to 1978. It was a truly magical night of wine, food and conversation, all for a great cause.
No Oxymoron: Affordable Burgundy
France: Burgundy, featured
, Jun 2019
Affordable Burgundy is a phrase that seems to become more oxymoronic by the day as the price of blue-chip wines spirals towards irrationality. This article hopefully serves as a reminder that Burgundy that does not damage your wallet still exists.
Lazio: New Vintages, New Discoveries
Italy: Center & South, featured
, Jun 2019
Lazio’s finest estates are making wines of a level that was unthinkable just a few years ago. Though still mostly under the radar, be they white, red, pink, sparkling or sweet, a number of Lazio’s wines are truly world-class.
Abreu – The 2009s Revisited
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, featured, United States: California
, Jun 2019
I still remember the first time I tasted the Abreu 2009s. It was fall of 2011, the year Robert Parker asked me to take over Napa Valley coverage at The Wine Advocate. Those 2009s were so showy and unbelievably alluring when they were young. Needless to say, I was deeply intrigued to revisit them at nearly ten years of age.
Domaine Leroy – The Bottled 2016s
France: Burgundy, featured
, Jun 2019
“Am I going too fast?” Lalou Bize-Leroy asks as she takes me through her bottled 2016s. Not a chance. One of the first things I observed when I started visiting the domaine years ago was Lalou’s intense pace, which remains pretty much the same today. “I like to taste quickly,” she adds. “With wines its either ‘yes’ or ‘no’. There is no middle ground. Just like people.” That insight is one of many that emerge over the course of this remarkable survey of the 2016s.
Oregon: An Embarrassment of Riches and Richness
featured, United States: Oregon
, Jun 2019
Two thousand sixteen is yet another link in an unprecedented chain of outstanding vintages in the Willamette Valley that began in 2014 and has now extended to 2018. Compared to the ‘14s and ‘15s, the ‘16s, while on the rich side for Pinot Noir, show more freshness than wines of the previous years at a similar stage.
Vinous Table: Noizé, London, United Kingdom
Vinous Table, United Kingdom
, Jun 2019
As banal as it sounds, what I love about Noizé is its simplicity. You come here to eat well. If you are looking for a vibrant atmosphere, good French food and a central location, I cannot recommend Noizé enough.