Californian Wines

A book review of, the “Slow Wine Guide USA 2024”

by  |  22-04-2024

And so arrives the newest release of the Slow Wine Guide USA 2024. For those unfamiliar with the whole "Slow" brand, to rewind a bit, Slow Food was founded in 1986 by Carlo Petrini to... more »

Ridge Buchignani Ranch Carignane 2018

by  |  05-04-2024

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... more »
Grgich in October, 2008 at his winery, thus the pumpkin theme.

Mike Grgich / Miljenko Grgić

by  |  18-12-2023

Two notable humans reached a century of existence this year, only to then depart from this crazy world. But, despite this tenuous link of both living to 100 years of age, I would however posit... more »

Ridge – Frediani Valdiguié 2021

by  |  25-09-2023

When I was still working for a winery in Napa Valley many years ago now, my mom asked me, “Hey, what ever happened to Gamay Beaujolais? That was one of my favorite Napa wines, but... more »
Photo by Fiddlehead Cellars

A taste of Fiddlehead & talk with Kathy Joseph

by  |  27-04-2022

If you work in the wine trade, Fiddlehead Cellars is very much a known entity. As one of the founding wineries of Sta. Rita Hills AVA in Southern California, winemaker Kathy Joseph and her wines... more »

The wines of Petaluma Gap AVA 2022

by  |  08-03-2022

Napa Valley has long-claimed the wealth of headlines about California wine. The irony in this is that it produces but 4% of all wine in California each year. Sonoma County to the west of Napa... more »

Revisiting an urban favorite: Broc Cellars

by  |  15-02-2022

Back in 2011, I was spending a good deal of time at a local San Francisco bar called, Koko Cocktails. Beyond enjoying a drink, my reasons for this were twofold. Number one with a bullet... more »
Photo from Tablas Creek

A taste and talk with Tablas Creek

by  |  03-02-2022

The first time I visited Paso Robles was in the early summer of 1994. I’d just graduated rom high school and found myself in possession of a car that was too fast for my age.... more »

A visit to Vine Hill Ranch

by  |  21-01-2022

When talking about vineyards in Napa Valley, inevitably one name will always come up: To-Kalon. Known for being the source of many sought-after wines and more infamously for being the source of protracted legal battles... more »

A look at The Language of Yes 2020

by  |  07-01-2022

I took advantage of being in California during the holidays to order and try the new “Language of Yes” wines coming from the Rancho Réal vineyard in Santa Barbara County. They’re being produced by legendary... more »