Posts belonging to Category Barolo

It is the best week of the best season – the first week in August in the summertime – so sez Dotoré. Ev kerse, this is also his birthday. An excellent reason to crack some special wines. He requests Baroli. After all, we are sitting on some oldsters and we really should check on their longevity. We did. You get to sit in. (more…)

Before we get started with the new year let us reflect on the wine trends of 2009. [ed. New Year view from Malibu coast Jan 2 2010]
Mega trend #1: the rise of terroir in the USA. All of a sudden pockets of winemakers have discovered the meaning of wine that reflects a region instead of a style. First on this list are the small lot Willamette Valley producers of Pinot Noir and other vinifera. If you want to see and taste the best of these wineries and the general movement to smaller and better you should consider attending the 2010 Portland Indie Wine Fest (sometime in May). (more…)

November is LA’s finest month. What people really care about in this town is the weather. And November is perfectly balanced. The sky is clear and brilliant every day. It rarely rains. The air is fresh, even crisp. Temps range between mid 70s to mid 80s when the sun is out dropping to the high 40s low 50s at night. So when the Yankees finally put the Phillies away it’s like a big so what. Wasn’t today just beautiful? Didja ride your bike-go surfing-hiking-play goff? Or just walk around the Venice boardwalk or Abbot Kinney or Santee Alley or East LA? (more…)

The power of the subconscious has revealed itself to me. tBoW thought he was writing about three very nice wines and it turns out, in retrospect, he was writing about his three favorite and most reliable wines and wine regions in this current economic collapse. They represent the best in the cellar, the best U20 [ed. criminittly! it's a U10!] of what can be found with a bit of labor, and the best wine-for-wine region year in and year out. To summarize…value, perfection and the steal of 2009…so far. (more…)

March Madness officially starts next week but at tBoW we are already in high gear. Sixty-five teams will be seeded based on the subjective assessment of a panel of experts who weigh a bucketful of factors never disclosed that determine whether a team plays in the season’s biggest tournament or not. Something like judging wines at a State Fair. Or reading the Wine Advocate.
This week tBoW reviews a number of bottles “on the bubble” [ed. as opposed to bubbly wines] and a few top seeds. There are always upsets (go Trojans) but this year there are few clear cut favorites. The public has its preferences but the field, in wine, has been leveled by the e-c-o-n-o-m-y. Our cellar dwellers are no losers by a long shot (check out the 2 Baroli). (more…)

tBoW feels the Winter thawing. The financial markets may still be in the dumps however if you are sitting on some cash it is getting time to think about scooping up the coming bargains. Here are some guiding examples of what you might look for and one you might avoid. (more…)

A cool and dreary start to the summer. LA is known for June Gloom (AM coastal fog that works great for early morning tee times) but this is something else. Overcast and slight drizzle for the unofficial start of summer. [ed. that was 7 weeks ago, now in the 90s plus daily] tBoW hosts three couples who are ready and willing to try anything we put in front of them. What more can one ask from a guest? (more…)

Pardon my indulgence here, as we add another zero to Wines Under $20. But man, what a night . . . John Caplan, owner of Grapes Wine in Norwalk, CT., ushered in my 50th birthday with an assortment of wine that defied generosity. He’s got a great palate, his store gets wines that others don’t, and here we go!
Wine One! (more…)

You read it here second!!! Guest blogger Dotoré touches down in Paso Robles, one of California’s premium and under-appreciated regions. He tastes. He knoshes. He leaves. He reviews a couple wines by name along with some nice places to eat when driving through the area. I don’t think he will be stopping there again. He also shares some of his most private thoughts on how to maintain a healthy marriage. All in all a very strong post!
Mrs. Dotoré and I spent last weekend in to the Central Coast. The trip crystallized my thoughts about the region, in general, and, specifically, the wines grown there.
First, for those expecting specific wine reviews in this missive, there will be few. In fact, let’s get them out of the way early. (more…)

Everyone has or should have a mentor. Whether we know it or not we are all influenced by someone who, in our view, has a profound knowledge about something we would like to be more expert in ourselves. This does not negate the influence of friends and others who also hold sway over our views. What I am saying is that there is someone to whom, when he speaks, we listen a little more closely. (more…)