All these wines were tasted non-blind in the Beaujolais region, in situ at the wineries during the 16th and 17th of March, 2024. Please see the Regional Report for more details ..read more

A lot of water has passed under the collective bridges of life since my previous Châteauneuf-du-Pape. As I arrived there mere days after Russia invaded Ukraine, it was easily the most distracted I’ve ever been during a tasting and I slept little, just doomscrolling as most of us were in that awful point in late winter. Much has changed since then and little has changed. It’s little surprise that Russia is still in Ukraine, but in Europe, we keep going on with little to do other than support the Ukrainians, […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription ..read more

This report is based upon a series of tastings held in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France from 13-15 March 2024. The main set were at the office of the appellation with organizational help from their staff. Additional tastings were held in situ at the wineries. Wine were tasted grouped by color and year and in non-blind conditions. Please also see the Regional Report ..read more

In Spain, the caviste doesn’t seem nearly as important as it does in France where the concept of a wine shop owner is much more central to life. After all, if shopping for wine, it makes life a great deal easier if you have a person you can go to that “gets” your tastes and is able to offer up choices. This in turn allows you to avoid the zombie-like strolls down the supermarket aisle, staring at various wines that all seem to have “93/94 points” somehow, leaving you to […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription ..read more

I don’t understand why Carignan is so polemic. Anyone who’s a regular reader of this site knows that I’m a huge fan of the variety as shown with the large Carignan tasting I did awhile back. But what amazes me is that time again in various professional settings I see people either rating it too high or too low. Middle ground, where are you? It’s like there’s something about the variety that just scrambles people’s minds who are otherwise fine tasters. Perhaps Carignan exists outside the realm of what is […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription ..read more

The wines of Jura are probably some of the easiest in the wine world to understand… if you happen to work in the wine world. I fully admit to being quite fascinated with them as they hold this Burgundy kind of touch given that they sit only about 50-70km due east of the main Burgundian lands. But this means they abut Switzerland and thus incorporate a great many varieties that most people in the wine-drinking public just don’t know about. Sure, there’s Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (those are the easy […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription ..read more

All wines were tasted at the "Passion Jura" event during Grans Jours de Bourgogne in Beaune, France on 20 March, 2024 in non-blind conditions ..read more

Following upon the news of Spain's newest DO in a decade and a half granted to Campo de Calatrava is its newest PDO for a Vino de Pago called, "Rosalejo". Located in the region of Castilla-La Mancha, it's shared between the municipalities of Anchuras (in the province of Ciudad Real) and Sevilleja de la Jara (in the province of Toledo) and covers a not insubstantial area of 1,300ha. The apparent justification for the creation of this Vino de Pago is that the region sits at 650m in altitude and has acidic soils which result in wines with a low pH. The only grape varieties permitted are: Syrah, T ..read more

A couple of years back I was sent some samples from a project in Bulgaria that’s making wine directly for the US market. I even featured their rosé as it was quite enjoyable and made from the local variety of Gamza (Kadarka). The importer, G&B contacted me anew to ask if I’d be willing to look at their new batch of wines which of course I was. The line is now a good deal larger with several varietal wines that feature international (French) varieties in them as this is how […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription ..read more

We find ourselves in that fine moment where it’s neither terribly cold, nor terribly hot. Traditionally known as either “spring” or “fall”, it does seem to be a shorter and shorter moment each year as the climate leans in hard to six months of summer and a summer that’s exceedingly extreme. It was nice meeting you Goldilocks… While I’m the kind of person that will drink red wine all year long, even if it’s full bodied, now is a fine time for those who prefer to eschew it during the […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription ..read more