Dear Subscriber,
Some of you may have read my blog on Bibiana González, the winemaker of Cattleya, who I think has a very special gift when it comes to making white wines. Consider her Chardonnay (98 points in my book) from the cold Sonoma Coast. It’s our Wine to Know this week and it has off-the-charts refinement. At about $12 a glass, it’s also a wine that I think will impress you. On the easy-pocketbook side of things, our Steal is a juicy, you-can’t-go-wrong simple delicious red from Mendocino. And please don’t miss our Wine People Close Up video with the young, very handsome Josh Scott from New Zealand and whose incredibly priced Alan Scott wines are terrific. Plus, of course, amazing Numbers, a summer Fascinating Fact and a practically helpful Ask Karen.
—Ciao from Napa, Karen
Dr. Loosen makes fantastically pure and crystalline bone-dry Rieslings that are so vibrant they remind me of a soprano hitting a high note. This wine’s throttling freshness makes it very exciting to drink. The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
95 points Karen MacNeil / WineSpeed
Chinon is one of the most singular red wines in the world, rarely mistaken for anything else. The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
95 points Karen MacNeil / WineSpeed
Donnafugata (the word means “woman on the run”) makes some of Sicily’s most fascinating wines and this white, made from vineyards on the active volcano Mt Etna, is certainly that. The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
93 points Karen MacNeil / WineSpeed
MICHEL MAGNIEN “Argillières” Chambolle-Musigny
"Argillières" Chambolle-Musigny 2023
Chambolle-Musigny, Burgundy, France
For me, the one flavor that distinguishes Burgundy from Pinot Noirs that grow elsewhere in the world is right here in this exquisitely supple Chambolle-Musigny from Michel Magnien. It is this: The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
96 points Karen MacNeil / WineSpeed
- Premiere Napa Valley/PAULA KORNELL “Something Old, Something New” Blanc de Noirs Brut 2018 (Carneros, CA) $ The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
La Crema winery has been a sponsor of the Women’s National Basketball Association for several years, and the proceeds from this wine contribute to that sponsorship. The wine is The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
I meant it when, earlier this fall, I said that this wine (100 points) will blow your mind.The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
100 points Karen MacNeil / WineSpeed
MICHEL MAGNIEN “Argillières” Chambolle-Musigny
"Argillières" Chambolle-Musigny 2023
Chambolle-Musigny, Burgundy, France
For me, the one flavor that distinguishes Burgundy from Pinot Noirs that grow elsewhere in the world is right here in this exquisitely supple Chambolle-Musigny from Michel Magnien. It is this: The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
96 points Karen MacNeil / WineSpeed
A. Chianti, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino
B. Chianti Classico, Barolo, Amarone
C. Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino
D. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Brunello di Montalcino, Barolo
A. World War I (1914–1918) – the first truly global conflict that reshaped the world’s geopolitical landscape
B. The Gold Rush (Late 1840s–1850) – when hundreds of thousands of fortune-seekers migrated to California
C. Prohibition (1920–1933) – when the US banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol
D. The Reconstruction Era (1865–1877) – after the Thirteenth Amendment, abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude, was passed
What is wine designed to do?
What is wine designed to do? That is, I think, a legitimate question. Of course, it’s designed to give pleasure. And if it’s a great wine, it’s designed to be a mind-trip. But I think there’s something more. Here’s my video about that.
1.5
Number (in millions) of bottles in the world’s largest wine collection, the underground Milestii Mici in Moldova. The Guinness World Record-holding wine cellar isThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
La Crema winery has been a sponsor of the Women’s National Basketball Association for several years, and the proceeds from this wine contribute to that sponsorship. The wine is The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
Dear Peter, Only if you ask. And I believe you should. Restaurants, of course, don’t want any wastage. But some wines do go bad, or flat, or become dull after they’ve been opened for more than a day. Unless the wine is being poured from a Coravin (which usually means it’s super expensive), I always ask the bartender or server when the bottle was opened. If they don’t know and seem hesitant, I (politely) ask if they’d open a fresh bottle. In my experience, most restaurants will.
—Karen
A Winery Tells Its Story—The Press Release of the Future
Dear Journalists and Influencers:
The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
Fifty Pounds and a Gazillion Seeds
Lodi, the self-proclaimed “Zinfandel Capital of the World” (it produces over 40% of California’s zin), is also home to over 130 different grape varieties, more than any other California region. These include: The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
Alive and Ready
It may be happening. Dry Riesling may be having a moment. The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
Why Burgundy? What History Could Never Have Known
A winemaker once said to me that if the Sonoma Coast had existed in the 11th century before Burgundy, the monks of Burgundy would have just thrown up their hands and said, “We give up. The greatest Pinot Noirs are already being made in California.” Hmmm. Maybe. Because Sonoma Coast Pinot can be ethereal. And YET…. Tasting three Burgundies recently, I felt the hard-to-deny pull. No other wines in the world deliver so much sensual flavor and still have a lightness of being. Here were the wines I tasted that I think can transport you. The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.