From the category archives:

Wine reviews

2004 François Parent Monthélie 1er Cru Les Duresses

by Marisa D'Vari23 January 2010
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 François Parent winery circa 1930
So I decided to splurge today as it was a gorgeous (yet freezing!) day in New York with a bottle of 2004 François Parent Monthélie 1er Cru Les Duresses as a lunch wine for myself and a friend. Wines from Monthelie at top restaurants like Restaurant Daniel and Le Bernardin are [...]

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Champagne to ring in 2010

by Marisa D'Vari30 December 2009
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Champagne Lunch at the Wine Media Guild
Curious about some favorite Champagnes? At a recent Wine Media Guild (WMG) event here in New York I had the opportunity to taste several different brands for this holiday season. Speaking at the event – an annual event – was Ed McCarthy, author of Champagne for Dummies

Below are some [...]

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Macari Early Wine Chardonnay 2009

by Marisa D'Vari27 December 2009
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MACARI
… Macari is one of several rising star wineries in the North Fork, and though somewhat surprising to find this 2009 Chardonnay available on the market while it is still 2009 (we still have four days to go!) it is a fabulous holiday wine to pair with oysters and shellfish.

Opening it blind, it had the [...]

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Barefoot

by Marisa D'Vari23 December 2009
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Barefoot Sparkling Wines
Just in time for the holidays, affordable (around $10) sparkling wines! Barefoot bubbly has won several Gold Medal awards, and is very cutely packaged with the familiar "bare footprint" right on the bottle.
I popped the cork for a pre-xmas office party, and the crowd devoured the Moscoto sparkler before I could taste. The [...]

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Wine Review: Blind Tasting Light, Fruity Reds

by Marisa D'Vari3 December 2009
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Light Fruity Reds
"They do all seem so similar!" says a friend, known as the "supertaster," sniffing the mystery wine inside bag #2.

In front of us are three opened bottles of wine, each of their identities covered by sleek silver bags. All we know is that one is a Valpolicella Classico 2007, a Gamay from Touraine, [...]

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Wine Review: Tasting Wines of BlackStone of Sonoma County

by Marisa D'Vari29 November 2009
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Blackstone Merlot
Sometimes I get so caught up in my studies of the Old World I discover it has been months since I’ve sipped wine from the new world, especially California. Winemaker Gary Sitton of Blackstone Winery in Sonoma sent me some of his new releases …

The Pinot Noir 2007 ($20) is rich and expressive [...]

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Newly Released Zinfandel from Mazzocco

by Marisa D'Vari29 November 2009
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Mazzocco New Zinfandel Releases
Talented winemaker Antoine Favero was kind enough to send his two newly released Zinfandels, both from Dry Creek Valley.

The 2007 Zinfandel from Smith Orchard Reserve
Near opaque purple, this wine has a nose of what I think of as a "purple perfume," along with some smoke, chocolate, mocha, super dark ripe fruit. [...]

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Tasting Wine from Frei Brothers

by Marisa D'Vari21 November 2009
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Ah, the New World!

I’ve just received box of wines from this winery and since my wine studies have been so Old World focused, always delighted to receive California wines. Here are some tasting notes. 
Frei Brothers Reserve Merlot 2007 Dry Creek Valley
Smooth and rich, with rounded flavors of plums ripening in the sun. Very balanced acid [...]

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Tasting Macari 2007 Dos Aguas from Long Island

by Marisa D'Vari18 November 2009
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Choosing That Special Bottle From a Wine Store Tasting …
2007 Dos Aguas

So who would have thought Bordeaux in Long Island? The trend for creating Bordeaux style varieties is not new — Chile may have been the first, California a market leading second, and now Long Island is getting into the act.

I first tasted Macari at [...]

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Discussing Grand Cru Chablis with Laurent Drouhin

by Marisa D'Vari11 November 2009
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Laurent Drouhin
Ever wondered how to define the difference between Drouhin Vaudon Chablis Grand Cru Vaudesir 2008 and Drouhin Vaudon Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2008?

Laurent Drouhin with Honora Horan (center) and Harriet Lembeck at a walk around tasting of the 2008 vintage from the Drouhin family.
At the tasting, I chatted with Mr. Drouhin and suggested [...]

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William Hill Estate Winery Chardonnay 2007

by Marisa D'Vari10 November 2009
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Chardonnay is everyone’s favorite grape … it can take on so many expessions. Increasingly, you should recognize that many old world producers, especially in Macon, are edging towards new world appellations in style while some new world producers are trying to emulate old world producers. 

So for those of us who appreciate the apple pie a la mode style of [...]

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Thanksgiving Dinner Wine Reviews and Suggestions

by Marisa D'Vari8 November 2009
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Thanksgiving Wine Reviews
Wondering what wines to pair with your Thanksgiving dinner? Of course you are. In addition to pairing wine with the turkey, you must consider the side dishes to be offered, the spices in those dishes, and how to use the wine to bring out the flavors of your cuisine.
Wines from Spain — including [...]

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Talking Zinfandel:Tale of Two Vineyards

by Marisa D'Vari6 November 2009
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What does this steak demand?
Zinfandel is a grape with attitude! Meaning that as soon as you take a sip, it’s so powerful you are automatically thinking you need  to pair it with food. Steak … or any substantial protein such as roasted salmon or tuna, can do the trick.

I love Zinfandel for its rich, concentrated, [...]

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A Chateauneuf-du-Pape Adventure

by Marisa D'Vari31 October 2009
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… okay, so it’s really a luxury to invest in the high end wines, so you can imagine why Chateauneuf-du-Pape is typically not an everyday dinner type of wine. Especially since you can find (and I certainly do find!) many very complex, concentrated, delicious wines under $20 made from similar grapes (grenache, syrah, mouvedre) from [...]

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Interview with Eric Titus of Titus Vineyards

by Marisa D'Vari30 October 2009
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Eric Titus
 
Tonight I had dinner with Eric Titus of Titus Vineyards in the Napa Valley and talked about his Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and Sauvignon Blanc while tasting through several flights. The dinner was held at the illustrious Jean-George Vongerichten restaurant Perry Street, which is very hip and cool (think white on white theme, with [...]

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Austrian Wines: The Next New Thing?

by Marisa D'Vari16 October 2009
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Michael Thurner
So what is it about Austrian wine that has attracted what seems to be the entire high-end wine-writing community of Manhattan into the quaint Seasonal Restaurant on west 58th street for a tasting – and new news – about Austrian wine?
For one thing, the Austrian wine industry has been struggling for over [...]

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Craggy Range Pinot Noir

by Marisa D'Vari3 October 2009
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…. so by now, you’ve seen the film Sideways, tasted Pinot Noir, and count yourself as one of the varietal’s many fans. Yet do you like Pinot Noir from around the world, or just certain locations? Have you taught yourself to tell the difference between a Pinot from New Zealand and Burgundy?

The folks at Craggy [...]

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Celebrating 2006 HALL “Kathryn Hall” Cabernet Sauvignon

by Marisa D'Vari3 October 2009
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Ambassador Kathryn Hall
… so the first time I met Kathryn Hall was at Per Se, where she announced that her California winery was becoming certified Organic. I remember tasting the Cabernet and finding it quite rich, layered and complex.
Yet Wednesday night September 30 I was able to taste the 2006 HALL "Kathryn Hall" Cabernet Sauvignon, [...]

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Tasting Kuleto Estate Zinfandel 2006

by Marisa D'Vari3 October 2009
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… Zinfandel is California’s ’signature’ grape. Why? Possibly because this is where the Zinfandel grape finds its truest expression.

If you are new to the world of wine, it may be difficult to understand why ‘terroir’ - the speciffic weather and soil of a vineyard – is so important. The vines for this Zinfandel are grown on [...]

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Tale of Two Malbecs

by Marisa D'Vari27 September 2009
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Behold the Malbec grape! If you love wine, here is a short quiz.

Malbec is:

1. a fruity, easy drinking, well priced wine from Argentina.

2. one of the 5 allowed grape varieties allowed in a Bordeaux blend.
3. The grape grown in the Cahors, France AOC

If you selected all of the above, you are correct. Yet few people [...]

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