Brunello di Montalcino is widely regarded as one of the three “noble wines” of Italy, the others being Barolo and Amarone [Super Tuscan lovers, hold your boos.] Produced exclusively around the village of Montalcino using a particular variety of the Sangiovese grape, the ‘Sangiovese Grosso’, a Brunello di Montalcino must be made with 100% Sangiovese,… Continue reading “Noble” Brunello di Montalcino Tasting
Category: Big Splurges $75+
Checking In on Napa Cab Faves
A friend heading to Napa for a few days asked us for recommendations on our current favorites. Like Gary, she's a Napa Cab fanatic, so it didn't take long to generate this list: Sullivan VineyardsPine Ridge VineyardsTrincheroOrin SwiftTurnbull We can't vouch for the quality of the tasting rooms, but we can heartily recommend these wineries'… Continue reading Checking In on Napa Cab Faves
Our Top 10 Wines of 2021
After the wreck of 2020 all eyes looked towards 2021 for, what? Normalcy? Comfort? How'd that work out? As we look ahead to 2022, let's revisit the 10 wines that brought us the most joy while we all suffered the slings and arrows of an outrageous 2021. WHITE/ROSÉS Favorite White Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Feinherb Spatlese,… Continue reading Our Top 10 Wines of 2021
Napa Cab 2017 Blind Tasting
Napacab. One word, three syllables. Celebrated all over, often over-priced and occasionally over-hyped, it’s the pour of choice among one-half of Vino Duo and most of our wine-loving friends. Last month, we gathered these friends for a blind tasting of four moderately-priced ($50 - $100) 2017 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wines, along with a ringer—a… Continue reading Napa Cab 2017 Blind Tasting
Top Red Wines of 2020
Yes, 2020 sucked. And yes, we can't wait to say good riddance. But before we toss 2020 in the dumpster, pour a gallon of hand sanitizer on it and set it on fire, let's at least reflect on the good things about the year. Like, the best red wines we tasted, from Napa to Washington,… Continue reading Top Red Wines of 2020
A Tale of Four Cabs: Napa 2014 Blind Tasting
Gary loves Napa Cabs. Our dear friends also love Napa Cabs. Lisa? Not so much. But she was game for organizing a blind tasting of 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. This was a proper horizontal tasting with three bottles of 2014 Napa Cab Sauv and one 2014 Sonoma ringer. The tasters were six knowledgeable… Continue reading A Tale of Four Cabs: Napa 2014 Blind Tasting
$5,000 Chardonnay? Skinner Wine Auction Preview and How the Other Half Lives
Vino Duo recently attended a Skinner pre-auction tasting of some of the wine industry’s most storied quaffs. These are big-money wines that are treasured by collectors, including Montrachet’s rare Grand Cru, a Rothschild 1982 Bordeaux, vintage Barolos, and few Chateau Neufs thrown in for good measure. Pricing was irrelevant as we had no intent of… Continue reading $5,000 Chardonnay? Skinner Wine Auction Preview and How the Other Half Lives
Holiday Wine Gifts: Beyond the Usual Suspects
So friends, Halloween is gone and Thanksgiving and the winter holidays loom. When you're asked to bring a bottle of wine to these gatherings, your first thought might be to grab an old reliable like Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay or the red blend 19 Crimes. How about considering an alternative to these tried-and-true offerings? With so much… Continue reading Holiday Wine Gifts: Beyond the Usual Suspects
Best Napa Cabs for Splurge Day and Every Day
Carolina Wine & Spirits hosted a terrific "Best Napa Cab" tasting event at Osteria Posto in Waltham MA a few weeks back. The selection of 100+ sampled wines came from the best-known, upper-tier vineyards from Napa, Alexander, and Knights Valleys. Gary is the big Cab lover of the duo so we’re posting reviews of his… Continue reading Best Napa Cabs for Splurge Day and Every Day
The Sound of Wine and Music/Part 2
Continuing with our walk through of the Grand Tasting from Carolina Wines, here are three "must buys" and one "I'd buy it if it were cheaper" wines. TENUTE SANT'ANTONIO/SCAIA [Veneto] 2016 Scaia Corvina $15/bottle A pleasant surprise with floral cherries and red berries on the nose and light zesty cherry notes on the palate. At… Continue reading The Sound of Wine and Music/Part 2
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