New Scores from The Prince of Pinot!

The Meaning of Low-Intervention Winemaking Walk the aisles of a chain supermarket and you get a quick education on how the American food complex works.  There are brand names that we trust and have consumed since childhood – Rice Krispies, Heinz ketchup, Best Food mayonnaise – and each aisle is chock full of examples. These…

[vc_row show_full_width=”1″ padding_setting=”1″ desktop_padding=”no-padding”][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Fickle Nature of Single Vineyard Pinot Noir The 2015 vintage was more temperamental than a cat in heat. In the Santa Maria Valley, high temperatures and tropical humidity made for a challenging harvest, to say the least. But one little pocket seemed to be hiding its true potential – Pinot Noir…

tran-scend-ent/  adjective 1. beyond and outside the ordinary range of human experience or understanding 2. exceeding or surpassing usual limits especially in excellence In 1990 I flew to Portugal with my father, Warner, to visit port producers on the Douro River. As was customary for him, he had brought a number of books about Portuguese…

In this episode of The Reluctant Somm, Will Henry of Lumen Wines shares his full-circle journey through the wine world. He discusses his innovative approach to natural wines with sulfite alternatives, his and his wife’s restaurant, Pico, in Los Alamos, and his collaboration with the esteemed Lane Tanner. Tune in to hear about the unique…

“Is that a note of melon or is it a hint of Goodyear rubber?”  For the past few decades orange wine has been steadily gaining followers in the world of wine, while also an ever larger stream of dissenters. What is it about a skin contact white that has everyone in such a tizzy? Why…

One of my father’s favorite sayings is that most wines are consumed on the way home from the liquor store.  He is saying that tongue-in-cheek, of course, but says it to make a point: while many wines are meant to be aged, few are actually consumed more than a year after they are bottled, and…