#California

Jan 12

Vérité and Cardinale: Towering California Wines from Mountains and Micro-Crus

Winemaker Pierre Seillan, who created Vérité for Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke in 1998, and his daughter Hélène who is now assistant winemaker The text of this article first appeared in The World of Fine Wine, issue 68 (2020) Barbara Banke tells this story, but even if it were apocryphal I would like it. She and her late husband, Jess Jackson (founder of Kendall Jackson Winery), met Pierre Seillan in Bordeaux in the 1990s, where he was working at several châteaux across diff

Jan 20, 2022

WINE OF THE WEEK: Angeline Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2018, California, US

£15.99–£18.50, Flagship Wines, Stroud Wine, Shaftesbury Wines, St Andrews Wine Company This is astonishingly good value for a smart Russian River Pinot Noir and I'm happy to be able to update this post with the news that the importer, Daniel Lambert Wines, still has plenty of stock. Even so, I would move fast if you want some (and why wouldn't you?), because who knows what the price of the follow-on vintage will be in the current volatile situation? I first tasted the 2018 in

Aug 11, 2021

Prime Time for Pink: Summer 2021 Rosé Roundup Part 2

As in part one, there's a cross-section of styles, grape varieties, origins and prices here and I'm going from high to low again, so that the more expensive rosés don't get overlooked (scroll down for the £8.25 Spanish rosado). There are some food suggestions along the way, but there isn't a wine here that couldn't be taken to the table, thanks largely to the more interesting textures we're seeing in so many rosés. Finally, a reminder that if you want a comprehensive review o

Jan 17, 2019

WINE OF THE WEEK: Marimar Estate La Masía Pinot Noir Don Miguel Vineyard 2014, Russian River Valley,

£20 on offer, Roberts & Speight In the spirit of the belt-tightening month, I was going to recommend a cheerfully cheap wine again this week and save the Pinot as a Valentine's Day suggestion, but I'm not going to hold back when there's a half-price offer around. I've always enjoyed La Masía's fleshy, fruit-rich style, but what I also like is the way it seems to have become a little lighter and less oaky, all the while keeping its defining cherry, pomegranate and cranberry fr

Jun 21, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Cambria Benchbreak Pinot Noir 2013, Santa Maria Valley, California

£21.99–£23.99, Ministry of Drinks, Mitchells Wines, Noel Young Wines California wines don't feature here as often as I would like, or as often as perhaps they should. There are any number of wines I'd like to recommend, but the problem is usually price – expensive compared to wines from elsewhere. But that's just the way it is: land is expensive, there's a ready domestic market, etcetera. That said, the price of this single-vineyard Pinot Noir from the cool, coastal Santa Mar

Jun 29, 2017

WINE OF THE WEEK: Grace Bridge California Pinot Noir 2013, United States

£12.95, Stannary Street Wine Co It would be hard to find a better value Pinot Noir than this. It's all the more surprising because California isn't known as a hot source of mid-priced wines in the UK (very good at the top end) and Pinot Noir is a notoriously difficult grape variety to get right in a warm climate. But Scotto Cellars has given us a star: juicy and supple with succulent strawberry and raspberry fruit against a backdrop of subtle, toasty oak and a bright, fresh f

Nov 27, 2015

WINE OF THE WEEK: Uvaggio Primitivo 2011, California

£14.95, Berry Bros & Rudd, bbr.com It’s a bit late to be thinking of this for Thanksgiving, but it’s not too late for the Christmas turkey – or for duck or pork in the meantime. Primitivo is the Italian name for the Zinfandel grape, but as this isn’t anything like a blockbuster traditional California Zin, Uvaggio has opted for the Italian name. It’s plush, but elegant, with a rosehip and raspberry scent, supple, spicy, summer-berry fruit and just a faint suggestion of oak. It

Nov 6, 2015

WINE OF THE WEEK: Fess Parker Santa Barbara County Chardonnay 2014

£13.95, The Wine Society, thewinesociety.com This wine is a great match for cashew nuts. You might think that anybody worrying about which wine to drink with cashews has too much time on their hands, but think of all the delicious dishes, especially Indian, Chinese and Thai-style, that include cashews. I rest my case, and not least because it also goes very well with chicken, prawns, pork, pumpkin and aubergine (perhaps that should be eggplant as the wine is American). It’s v