Tag Archives: California Wine

Grgich Hills celebrates 40 years in Napa Valley

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Dave McIntyre

Grgich Hills Estate celebrated its 40th anniversary this weekend. The winery was established by Mike Grgich and Austin Hills in 1977, and was Grgich’s breakout after the Judgment of Paris in 1976. That was the famous tasting in which the … Continue reading →

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Fifty Years of American Winemaking, All in One Hour on October 29

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Dave McIntyre

The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History is 50 years old this year. As part of the birthday celebrations, the museum’s food and wine history project will host a discussion of “Fifty Years of American Winemaking” on Wednesday, October … Continue reading →

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What’s Your Sign? Sun or Soil?

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Dave McIntyre

There are wines of the sun, wines of the soil, and wines of the test tube. I enjoy the first, love the second, and try to avoid the third. It’s not that simple, of course. Wine never is, or we … Continue reading →

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Chicken in Cream Sauce

Posted on December 14, 2012 by Dave McIntyre

Dinner on Austrian Airlines made me think of California chardonnay. Not that I wanted any, as the fruity, simple zweigelt was fine, but the in-flight entree en route from Washington to Vienna was chicken in cream sauce and that always … Continue reading →

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Hurricane Sandhi

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Dave McIntyre

For the record, hurricanes suck. Especially this one, named Sandy, though at this hour (8 pm ET Monday October 29) we haven’t seen the worst of her. After all, I still have power to write a blog post with. But … Continue reading →

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Touring Sonoma vineyards with Greg La Follette

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Dave McIntyre

During my visit to Sonoma County last month, I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon and evening with Greg La Follette, producer of acclaimed pinot noir and chardonnay from Sonoma and Mendocino counties. We trundled around the lower Sonoma … Continue reading →

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Let Red Car take you for a ride along the Sonoma Coast

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Dave McIntyre

When I hear winemakers and others in the trade speak favorably of a winery, I’ve learned to take notice. So when in the first hours of my visit to Sonoma County last month, I heard several people mention Red Car … Continue reading →

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Hirsch Vineyards: Pinot Noir along the extreme Sonoma Coast

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Dave McIntyre

In Europe, winemakers are geologists, while in America they’re chemists. This generalization is as dangerous as any other, but it reflects an important difference in point of view between Old and New World winemaking. The distinction may be blurring, but … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Pinot Noir, Wine | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Sneak Preview WoW: Murrieta’s Well, The Whip 2010 $20

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Dave McIntyre

This delightful blend of sauvignon blanc, viognier, semillon, pinot blanc, orange muscat and muscat canelli is the type of wine I revel in — it doesn’t follow any recipe or rules, but is created anew each year based on what … Continue reading →

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Wine Camp 2011: This wine’s from WHERE?

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Dave McIntyre

Something extraordinary happened this Christmas. Not birth-of-the-savior extraordinary mind you, but something so unexpected that I had to rub my eyes before I could believe it actually happened. I was served a Virginia wine at “Wine Camp.” Wine Camp is … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, California, Eastern US, France, Italy, Local Wine, Parker, Rhône, Virginia, Wine | Tagged , , | 6 Comments