The May installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the the 2007 vintage. The purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. The winning bottle will be opened on Saturday and a Bottle Note will be published the following week. Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate rated…
The 2003 Canon-La Gaffelière was the winning bottle in the April Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was not decanted and paired well with grilled burgers on a warm Spring night in Seattle. Château Canon-la-Gaffelière is situated in Saint-Émilion and ranked Premier Grand Cru Classé B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine. In 1969, Count Joseph Hubert von Neipperg purchased Canon La…
The April Installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 2003 Bordeaux. The purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. The winning bottle will be opened this Sunday and a Bottle Note will be published early next week. We all know the background on the historically hot…
Chateau de Beaucastel, located in Courthezon in the Southern Rhone Valley, has over 250 acres of organic vineyards. Unlike many Rhone Valley producers, Beaucastel grows all 13 of the grapes permitted in the appellation and the estate uses an unusually high percentage of Mourvèdre in its red wines, usually around 30%, along with 30% Grenache and smaller amounts of Syrah,…
The 1995 Lynch Bages was the winning bottle in the February Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for almost six hours and served with a roasted trip tip and brussel sprouts cooked in butter and bacon fat. Lynch Bages has a special place in my cellar which I wrote previously about in Life Lessons, Landmarks and Lynch…
The February installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on Bordeaux from the the now 28 year old 1995 vintage. As I mentioned in the first installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. The winning bottle will be opened this Saturday and a Bottle Note will…
The 2000 Branaire-Ducru was the winning bottle in the January Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for two hours and paired with a homemade meatloaf and roasted Yukon potatoes. Chateau Branaire Ducru is a Fourth Growth Bordeaux according to the official classification of 1855. The 123-acre estate is in St.-Julien on the left bank of the…
The January installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on Bordeaux from the heralded 2000 vintage. As I mentioned in the first installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. 2000 was simply one of the best vintages ever in Bordeaux. It was the first vintage…
The December Installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2004 vintage. As I mentioned in the first installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. The winning bottle will be opened on Christmas Eve. 2004 was an average vintage…
The November installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the the 2003 vintage. As I mentioned in the first installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. The winning bottle will be opened on Thanksgiving and a Bottle Note will be published this coming weekend.…