Decanting Château d'Yquem isn't common but it can be beneficial.

Decanting Château d’Yquem: Should You or Shouldn’t You?

Bordeaux, Enjoying Wine, France, Producers, Producers and Wineries, Sauternes, Serving, Wineries

A few years ago, a wine enthusiast wrote a letter to Wine Spectator’s Dr. Vinifera asking whether it’s safe to decant Sauternes. The letter writer had just come back from a restaurant and had been surprised to see that the sommelier poured a 1995 Château d’Yquem from a decanter. Dr. Vinifera responded that decanting Château d’Yquem certainly isn’t a common practice, but it’s also not a bad idea. Like any other fine wine, some Sauternes vintages open up with a little aeration and become more expressive.

Read more
Best DRC Vintages

Find the Best DRC Vintages for Your Cellar: Your Guide to Buying the Best Burgundy Vintages from This Top Producer

Producers, Wineries

MENTIONED IN THIS POST: -DRC -Lafite  There’s a niche group of wine collectors who only buy the best Domaine de la Romanee Conti vintages, and it’s easy to see why. DRC consistently produces some of the most collectible wine bottles in the world. Legendary, 100-point vintages sell for as much as $20,000 per bottle, on…

Read more
margrit mondavi napa valley wine

Remembering Margrit Mondavi: How One Woman Helped Change the Perception of Napa Valley Wine

California, History, Napa, News, Producers and Wineries, Wineries

We lost a wine icon this year. Margrit Mondavi passed away from cancer on September 2, 2016, and although she is no longer with us, she leaves behind a long legacy that will ripple through California’s wine industry for decades. My father-in-law remembers the first time he met Margrit Mondavi. “She was magnanimous and sharp…

Read more
Best Napa Valley Vintages

Hidden Gem of the Month: Looking for the Best Napa Valley Vintages? The 2013 Scarecrow Has It All

California, Napa, Producers and Wineries, Wineries

Wine critic Richard Jennings never understood the hype around California cult Cabernet. He admits that these wines are usually ultra-concentrated and flavorful, but, he says, “I also believe the great majority of wines in this category are hardly deserving of the stratospheric prices and disproportionate attention they have received over the years.” However, that was…

Read more
Top Wine Countries in the World

Lesser-Known Regions from the Top Wine Countries in the World Are Growing Fast in Reputation and Quality

California, France, Italy, Wine Regions, Wineries

When you think of French wine, you probably picture bubbly Champagne, savory Rhone, or rare Bordeaux and Burgundy blends. However, writer Sophia Schweitzer points out that France has so much more going on for it, all hidden in the countrysides of lesser-known regions. In the past, collectors only considered French AOC wines to be worth…

Read more
Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select

Hidden Gem of the Month: 2002 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Won’t Go Out of Style

Buying Wine, Collecting, Producers and Wineries, Wineries

  Backlash has been brewing over jammy, bold California Cabernet. Critics of wine “Parkerization” (named after wine critic Robert Parker) claim that these big Cabernets are the epitome of what’s wrong with the modern wine market; namely, that subtle flavors are being sacrificed for bold, rich notes that fade quickly. Winemaker Bill Dyer adds, “Colors…

Read more
best winery tasting rooms

The Best Winery Tasting Rooms That Every Collector Needs to See in Their Lifetime

Collecting, Producers and Wineries, Tasting, Travel, Wineries

Wall Street Journal wine columnist Lettie Teague says that Joan Fennell runs Washington’s Chateau Ste. Michelle with an iron fist. Fennell requires every staff member in her tasting room to be knowledgeable about the wines and provide every guest with the best winery tasting room experience possible. At one point, Teague was watched Fennell critique…

Read more
managing your wine allocations mailing list

Stay on Your Favorite Winery’s Mailing List: Keeping and Managing Your Wine Allocations

Buying Wine, Collecting, Investing, Producers and Wineries, Wineries

So you finally get on allocations lists for two of your favorite California wineries, but when your wine options arrive, you discover that you don’t love every wine on the list. What do you do? This exact situation happened to a Chowhound forum writer, who says that he signed up for Rhys’ and Dirty &…

Read more