Wine

By John McDonald | Feb 25, 2011

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Recent Posts by John McDonald

• Wine

  Hess select Chardonnay 2009 is a real steal

  By John McDonald - May 21
  What a strange world this is. Two weeks ago, I mentioned that the bargains were not in Chile. Several producers actually sent samples to prove me ...
  
• Wine

  La Rioja Tempranillo the top Spanish Reserve

  By John McDonald - May 14
  This week brings more summer treats. First, however, I wish to alert all to a Reserva Especial 2001 named La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza. This ...
  
• Wine

  Ca di Ponti Sangiovese a stone winner

  By John McDonald - May 07
  Too much to cover today for this space, so let’s jump right in. Summer wine reviews are into their second week. Domaines des Grandes Perrieres ...
  
• Wine

  Sauvignon Blancs satisfy summer cravings

  By John McDonald - Apr 30
  On the advice of a friend, I read “Gods of the Copybook Headings,” by Rudyard Kipling. This poem, written in 1919, was a cautionary about the ...
  
• Wine

  Refreshing summer reds are great for barbecue season

  By John McDonald - Apr 23
  I would be remiss if I failed to mention the number of emails that followed the article concerning some of the iconic women in wine. Although ...
  
• Wine

  Everything but the kitchen sink in 99 Point Wine

  By John MacDonald - Apr 16
  Wow!! A brown bag bonanza for Pinot Noir guzzlers flashed across my palate at a recent tasting. If you are one who enjoys inexpensive, valuable ...
  
• Wine

  High on the Hog Viognier blend pairs great with rabbit

  By John McDonald - Apr 09
  Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of celebrating my birthday with Barbara and my grown-up children at Espuma. We had a very nice meal and several ...
  
• Wine

  Good Chards available in a variety of styles

  By John McDonald - Apr 02
  For all my Chard Pards, Patz and Hall Dutton Ranch is produced from some of the oldest plantings of Cali heritage clones in Sonoma. Since most are ...
  
• Wine

  Women deserve all the credit as wine pioneers

  By John McDonald - Mar 26
  A wonderful article titled Women Pioneers in Wine by Christina Zappel prompted this. I am a big fan of Veuve Clicquot Champagne. The nonvintage ...
  
• Wine

  Inexpensive, top-flight French Sauternes on the market

  By John MacDonald - Mar 19
  Move quickly, only 800 cases were produced. Poggio Nardone Brunello 2006, WE 96, Suckling 93, McD 95 but hold fire, is on sale now for less than ...
  
• Wine

  Many wines complement chocolate

  By John MacDonald - Mar 12
  The chocolate show appeared to be a grand success. When Barbara and I appeared, the line was out to Rehoboth Avenue, so we passed. Broke my heart ...
  
• Wine

  Spanish wines are in the spotlight

  By John MacDonald - Mar 05
  Spanish wine rarely gets the ink it deserves. Descendientes de Jose Palacios Petalos Bierzo 2009 falls into that category. Rated from 90-92 points ...
  
• Wine

  La Crema PN 2009 comes down in price; buy now

  By John McDonald - Feb 27
  I know this is a wine column, but I am compelled to do a brief book review first. “The Lily: Evolution, Play and the Power of a Free Economy” by ...
  
• Wine

  Here's the lowdown on some Tuscan reds

  By John McDonald - Feb 20
  Le Sughere di Frassinello Maremma Toscana 2009, a lovely Sangiovese blend by Rocco Frassinello, was rated 93 WA and 91 WS. It also took 69th on ...
  
• Wine

  Cult winemaker Sweetanos back in business

  By John MacDonald - Feb 13
  The Polar Bear weekend was a nice success this year. Fun program activities last Friday and Saturday. The crowd was impressive. Initial results ...
  
• Wine

  Great ratings don't bring price hikes at Frankland Estates

  By John McDonald - Feb 06
  Another week packed with interesting finds. The best value for my palate: Chateau Les Ormes De Pez 2009 (elms of Pez), owned by Ch. Lynch-Bages ...
  
• Wine

  2007 Brazin Zin scores double gold at California State Fair

  By John MacDonald - Jan 30
  There’s quite a bit of ground to cover, so let’s get cracking. A well-written Greg Dal Paz article in Snooth prompted me to look into Zinfandel ...
  
• Wine

  Antica 2009 Chardonnay: Save your money

  By John McDonald - Jan 23
  Antinori, the well-known Italian Chianti producer that has been sharpening its image by trying to shape-shift into Tuscan Tignanello and Solaia, ...
  
• Wine

  Adventurous drinkers can sample Lebanese Arak as aperitif

  By John McDonald - Jan 16
  Last Sunday, we put on a party for daughter Maggie’s hooding. She chose White Clay Creek CC. They did a wonderful job from food, to service, to ...
  
• Wine

  Best chablis are exquisite food wines

  By John MacDonald - Jan 09
  Chablis comes in many shapes, sizes, flavors and aromas, but the best of them are exquisite food wines. The 2008 Domaine Moreau-Naudet Premier Cru ...
  
• Wine

  Cuvee de Pena Pyrenees Orientales 2009 not to be missed

  By John McDonald - Dec 31
  Please put down the paper, call your favorite local wine store and have them find Cuvee de Pena Pyrenees Orientales 2009. You may remember my ...
  
• Wine

  Chateau Seguin Pessac Leognan Graves a great sleeper

  By John McDonald - Dec 23
  Christmas is slowly approaching, as you may have noticed. For those who are frantically searching for a little something sparkling and special for ...
  
• Wine

  Holiday deals on wine abound, but consider true value when buying

  By John MacDonald - Dec 19
  There is a plethora of deals on wine for the holidays, in print and on the net. I took the time to review several. Sadly, I must warn that some ...
  
• Wine

  It’s rare to find 94-point Barolo with enough age to approach drinkability

  By John McDonald - Dec 12
  A bit off topic, but I would like to recommend that you go on the net to www.upchucky.com. Sounds a tad gross, but it is not. Rather you will ...
  
• Wine

  Columnist debunks image of wine snobbery

  By John McDonald - Dec 05
  Thanksgiving is a mega weekend for the McD household. Our anniversary, Connor’s birthday and Thanksgiving usually coincide. We have fun, festivitie...
  
• Wine

  La Source has panache in chardonnay culture

  By John McDonald - Nov 28
  By the time you get around to this week’s column, the last of the turkey on rye will be gone. As usual we had family and a few friends over to ...
  
• Wine

  Antinori Guado al Tasso 2006 is a real steal

  By John McDonald - Nov 21
  Just tasted the Columbia Crest H3 Cab 2009, It was touted heavily on release. WA gave it a 90-point rating and it can be found well under $15. On ...
  
• Wine

  Pride Mountain's Foley the man to follow

  By John McDonald - Nov 14
  2006s: La Serena Brunello di Montalcino (Wine Spectator-rated 97) Campogiovanni Brunello di Montalcino (WS, 96); 2009s: Seghesio "Home Ranch" ...
  
• Wine

  Run, don't walk for Far Niente, Rombauer mixed case

  By John McDonald - Nov 07
  Once upon a time, a long, long while ago, Fess Parker was a pioneer who roamed from Pennsylvania to Tennesse building the wilderness road through ...
  
• Wine

  Cellar-building bargains are becoming available now

  By John McDonald - Oct 31
  If you kept your powder dry, the window is opening on cellar-building bargains. Recent offerings flooding the mailbox indicate that the French, ...
  
• Wine

  Rating Champagne selections for the holidays

  By John McDonald - Oct 24
  Rick, Sally and Les each wrote to me last year informing me that the holiday recommendations were posted too late. I was allowing too little time ...
  
• Wine

  Diverse wine list offers great value by the glass

  By John McDonald - Oct 17
  The wine urges me on, the bewitching wine, which sets even a wise man to singing and to laughing gently and rouses him up to dance and brings ...
  
• Wine

  Do higher-priced wines always get better ratings?

  By John McDonald - Oct 10
  Recently, longtime reader Bill T. wrote asking me about wines under $20 and if I thought higher-priced offerings were generally given better ...
  
• Wine

  Noted winemaker John Duval joins big-name co-op

  By John McDonald - Oct 03
  I just finished reading a David Schildknecht review. Tried to source the wine and found it at Suburban Wine in New York. Since it is against the ...
  
• Wine

  Roussillon, an extravagant Carignane, too good to pass up

  By John McDonald - Sep 26
  Many scribblers are touting Rex Hill Pinot Noir 2009 from Oregon. I tried it. I agree. WS, which rated the wine 93 points, will put it on the top ...
  
• Wine

  Mocali Rosso di Montalcino is a perfect foil for picnic

  By John McDonald - Sep 19
  Had a bipolar weekend! On Saturday, all the McDs attended the wedding of longtime friends Matt and Heather West. It was held at the clubhouse in ...
  
• Wine

  We need to put quality-price rapport into perspective

  By John McDonald - Sep 12
  I did not plan to lead with this, but I must recommend the 2009 LaCroix Figeac magnums priced three/$160; six 750s for the same price. I hope you ...
  
• Wine

  Hundred Acre Ark cab continues to slide in price

  By John McDonald - Sep 05
  Well, Irene was much less than the media projected, and thank God for that. Barbara and I took an afternoon Sunday drive through the Cape Region. ...
  
• Wine

  Enjoy a nice six-pack sampler of Pinot Noir

  By John McDonald - Aug 29
  It occurred to me, while driving in to work, that the new inlet bridge access and egress ramps are exactly where the last dune breakthrough ...
  
• Wine

  Gloria Ferrer 2007 Carneros Pinot Noir, a great bargain

  By John McDonald - Aug 22
  Barb and I dropped in to hear Conjunction Funktion, with whom our son Bassman Dan is playing these days. Arena's was packed. When looking for a ...
  
• Wine

  Stumbling across Back Porch Apres Surf a delight

  By John McDonald - Aug 15
  The governmental foolishness followed by a stock market mini-crash and the S&P downgrade of our debt rating put me into such a funk I turned my ...
  
• Wine

  New Zealand sauvignon blancs steal the show

  By John MacDonald - Aug 09
  Just back from a tasting of Sauvignon Blanc (SB) in Maryland. There were more than 100 to sample. I did my level best for you, my faithful ...
  
• Wine

  Boutique Cali Chards Parker slides back down in price

  By John McDonald - Aug 01
  There are too many bargains out there this week. So, let's jump right into the reviews. I can see some dancing with joy as I write that. The ...
  
• Wine

  Altamura Vineyards Napa Valley Cab 2007 a stunner

  By John McDonald - Jul 25
  A terrific read, "I am John Galt" by Donald Luskin is a must. Anyone who has read Ayn Rand 's "Fountainhead” and/or "Atlas Shrugged" will love the ...
  
• Wine

  Go Figure's Cab juice sources from top Napa growers

  By John McDonald - Jul 19
  The following is a tangential topic, but way too interesting not to pass along. I Snopesed it. The 3D copier is also being made to work with ...
  
• Wine

  Marcel and Olga Juge Cornas Cuvee C 2004 is ready to drink

  By John McDonald - Jul 12
  Regulars know I love Peggy Raley and her family (who were supporters and friends since Garden Gourmet), Nassau Valley Vineyards and its monthly ...
  
• Wine

  Great white Burgundy ages wonderfully

  By John McDonald - Jul 05
  Finally, I can make a good report on the David Niven Bridge. Apparently the logjam is over. Many people, trucks and pieces of equipment were ...
  
• Wine

  Tua Rita di Nostri now reaching its drinking window

  By John McDonald - Jun 28
  Last Thursday I shared the last part of one of the finest wines in my recollection. My friend Norman Sugrue was memorialized and interred. There ...
  
• Wine

  Barbaresco is peaking and price is down

  By John McDonald - Jun 21
  Hot, hot, hot! But nowhere near as hot as a recent offering for a three-pack of famous Syrahs. Novy Rosella's Vineyard '08, 94 points WE; Penfolds ...
  
• Wine

  George DuBoeuf Morgon Beaujolais is a real winner

  By John McDonald - Jun 14
  Before I get off track, let me shoot you a George DuBoeuf Morgon Jean Descombes Beaujolais 2009. Regulars are well aware I rarely critique Bo ...
  
• Wine

  Duck Walk Sauvignon Blanc: Fruit nose and flavor

  By John McDonald - Jun 07
  Memorial Day weekend looked fairly spectacular to me. I spent some time in Ocean City, Md., and Rehoboth. Both looked to have decent crowds. It ...
  
• Wine

  Lady Gaga is a fine wine that needs cellaring

  By John McDonald - Jun 01
  Memorable Memorial Day to ya. I just finished moving my wine back to the cellar from the attic and I'm really aggravated with Harold Camping. Sad ...
  
• Wine

  It’s almost Memorial Day: Time to break out the Chardonnay

  By John McDonald - May 25
  Memorial Day is approaching and the almanac's long-term forecast says "unseasonably warm." So, I decided to find an inexpensive, crisp Chardonnay, ...
  
• Wine

  Good Bordeaux can come at all price points in a great year

  By John McDonald - May 18
  In the past, I have written avoid Kongsgaard Chard as high quality but overpriced. Recently Kongsgaard Napa Chard 2008, 94 points, was advertised ...
  
• Wine

  Mom will love a 2009 Michel Thomas Sancerre Lachaume

  By John McDonald - May 07
  Sunday is Mother's Day. She'll be seated quietly near the phone quilting, crocheting or knitting, her hair in a bun, dressed in gingham and a lace ...
  
• Wine

  Four Vines Paso Robles may be best zin in awhile

  By John McDonald - May 04
  Robert Parker loves Mark Aubert. I sampled several of his single-vineyard Sonoma Chardonnays and loved them all. Sadly, they are priced well over ...
  
• Wine

  A rare find: Chateau Brown Pessac Lougnan Blanc

  By John McDonald - Apr 27
  Just returned from Florida's beautiful Gulf Coast. Dan and I dashed down for a skimboard contest. It has been 48 years since I visited Pensacola ...
  
• Wine

  U.S. wineries make great Rieslings

  By John McDonald - Apr 20
  Riesling may be the most flexible of grapes when it comes to its adaptability to terroir. Many identify the varietal wine (the wine is named for ...
  
• Wine

  Fabre Montmayou is cool-weather Malbec at its best

  By John McDonald - Apr 13
  You may remember I enjoy some of the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. You may have tried some I recommended and found them to have remarkably similar ...
  
• Wine

  Joel Gott Zinfandel 2008 is a terrific value

  Apr 06
  Rest in peace, Geraldine Ferraro. Although I disagreed with many of her positions and opinions, I admired the brilliance and mostly nonpartisan ...
  
• Wine

  Barolo drinking is very expensive, time-consuming experience

  Mar 30
  Although I enjoyed this past week watching the NCAA Division 1 wrestling championships, I am sad to report our four Delaware wrestlers who made it ...
  
• Wine

  Wine list at Kearney’s Alley Rose is diverse, favorably priced

  Mar 23
  Kearney, Neb. is another of those Midwestern small cities (think Salisbury, Md.) that are wonderful, short-visit destinations. Although I was ...
  
• Wine

  The internet makes finding delicious food simple

  Mar 16
  Want to know critics’ opinion of the 101 best restaurants in the United States and their names? Go here: whatscook.in/articles/101-best-restaurants...
  
• 

  Firm tannins, great acid balance provide frame for long finish

  Mar 10
  Just returned from Erie, Pa. Let me tell ya, those folks know how to move snow. Turned in around 11 p.m. to some brief flurries and woke up to six ...
  

• On palate, proper acid frame carries smooth berry flavors

  Feb 25
  Just rolled in from sunny, warm Indialantic, Fla. Son Daniel competed in the first skimboard contest of the season. I decided to go along as a ...