Since we had the fortune of spending a decadent night at Calistoga Ranch (as we described two weeks ago), we decided to combine the trip with a visit to nearby Chateau Montelena.  We had recently finished reading Judgment of Paris by George M. Taber, the only reporter to have witnessed the 1976 blind tasting contest that […]

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In case you haven’t noticed, we love talking about wine.  But we also realize that much of the fun achieved from discussing wine is from hearing about other peoples’ experiences, and not just our own.  In fact, if you read Wine Rabbi often, you probably agree!
With the above in mind, we decided that once a month, beginning today, we’ll pose a […]

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In Chardonnays, we tend to prefer the lighter, crisper style of French Burgundies over the bigger bodied, creamier, and less acidic New World versions.  Still, every once in a while we’ll be taken by surprise by a bottle from the non-European regions that will defy our usual preference.  This was certainly the case with the Taz Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2006.   
So, ok, the Taz had some typical California characteristics […]

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Gosh, a sleepy weekend this will be on the wine scene.  We didn’t see anything to recommend — whether on the West or the East Coast – that was directly related to wine, which we’re sure has a lot to do with the big holiday coming up this Sunday.
Particularly for those of you living in the San Francisco Bay […]

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