It begins with a word from Monte Vertine that can be called obsessed at worst, passionate at a minimum; but dedicated for certain. “We have deliberately avoided cultivating other types of grapes such as Cabernet, Pinot Nero or Merlot because we want to…

If the question asked of me most often is wine question 101: “Why do I like wine so much?”  then wine question 102 has to be, “Why do I age wines?”  The subject of this post helps to answer that question. Castello…

If this wine were from Tuscany, it would cost $100 – what more incentive would one need to track it down and try it?  2006 was an exceptional vintage across Italy, and this wine surely lives up to the benchmark reputation of…

As a wine writer, it’s easy to find highly rated $50 Brunello and post about how delicious it is. This isn’t a bad thing; wine lovers always appreciate as many data points as they can get.  However, what’s additionally valuable,…

People ask me from time to time – what’s so great about wine?  Why do you like wine so much?   This wine, is one of the reasons why.  Read on…. Despite the youth of the wine, I decided not to…

The Antinori family has been making wine in Tuscany for generations.  Piero Antinori, the current patriarch of the aristocracy is credited with creating the first “Super Tuscan” wine, Tignanello, in 1978.   Tignanello, a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet, ignored the…

Wines from the excellent 2007 vintage are beginning to show up in the market and I couldn’t wait to try out a Sangiovese based wine from one of my favorite producers.  The 2007 Castello Banfi Belnero is just that.  Made…

Every once in a while, it pays to be patient; and this was surely one of those occasions.  Dusted off the 1995 Castello Banfi Excelsus with dinner the other night and it was glorius, easily calling attention to it’s name,…