The Return of a Revolutionary Wine
By Karen MacNeil Insignia Rising From a tiny seed of an idea, a whole new garden can flourish. And so it was that in 1974 Joseph Phelps created Insignia, Napa Valley’s first premier proprietary red blend, a wine that henceforth would be known—by its name alone—as an...
The Hero of Her Own Story
By Karen MacNeil She thought she’d stay in France. After Château Haut-Brion, why think of being anyplace else? Wine, she felt, was in her core. From the age of 14, she knew she wanted to be a winemaker. She could not not make wine. And interning at a First...
Sometimes a Great Notion
By Karen MacNeil February 13, 2026 It began with a mountainside. A mountainside so remote and rocky that few believed anything would thrive there except for the old oaks that twisted themselves along the canyons and contours of the mountain.The following content is...
Between the Earth and the Sky
(This piece originally appeared in Somm Journal) Cathy Corison has made 48 vintages of Napa Valley wine,The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
Five Stunning Napa Cabernets
Every century, every place, has its legendary vintages.The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
EN PRIMEUR
Buying wine before it is released; also known as buying futures. Buying wine en primeur allows collectors to be more certain of securing given wines. The wines most likely to be sold en primeur are Bordeaux wines from top châteaux.
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