60 Second Wine Review – Four Graces Pinot noir
A few quick thoughts on the 2017 Four Graces Pinot noir from the Willamette Valley. The Geekery Paula Marie and Steven Black named Four Graces in Dundee after their four daughters when they founded the estate in 2003. Legendary Oregon winemaker Laurent Montalieu (Bridgeview, WillaKenzie, Solena, Kudos and Westmount) crafted Four Graces’ early vintages-which quickly captured acclaim. In 2014, the winery became part of the Foley Family’s extensive portfolio of brands that includes nearly two dozen…
The Coronavirus Email I’d Like to Get
Like many wine lovers, my inbox has been flooded this week with notes from wineries and wine shops detailing their response to the Coronavirus outbreak. Even places that I’ve not heard from in years, such as shops I patronized in the early 2000s when I lived in Missouri and Florida, have suddenly rediscovered my email address. It’s great that so many businesses are being proactive in closing to protect employees and guests. It’s also a…
Getting Geeky with Nik Weis St. Urbans-Hof Rieslings
Note: The wines reviewed here were samples. Today is Riesling’s birthday! Well, sort of. We’re celebrating one of the world’s greatest wine grapes because of an important document from March 13th, 1435. In an old cellar log from 585 years ago, the estate of Count John IV of Katzenelnbogen in Hessische Bergstrasse noted the purchase of “Riesslingen” vines. This is widely considered to be the first written account about Riesling. While Jancis Robinson pegs the…
60 Second Wine Review — Audrey Wilkinson Gewurztraminer
Note: This wine was a sample at the 2019 Wine Media Conference. A few quick thoughts on the 2019 Audrey Wilkinson Gewurztraminer from the Hunter Valley. The Geekery Now owned by the Agnew family of Agnew Wines, Audrey Wilkinson is a historic estate in the Hunter Valley. Founded in 1866 by brothers Frederick and John Wilkinson, it was the first vineyard established in Pokolbin. When Audrey joined the family estate in 1897, he introduced cement…