James Laube, longtime Wine Spectator senior editor and Napa bureau chief, has died at age 73 after a short illness. A writer and taster with the magazine for nearly four decades, Laube helped shape the California wine industry and educated and entertained thousands of wine lovers who read his articles. In the process, he helped build Wine Spectator into the …

Hello and welcome to this week’s dig through the pile of wine samples that show up asking to be tasted. I’m pleased to bring you the latest installment of Vinography Unboxed, where I highlight some of the better bottles that have crossed my doorstep recently. This week included some offerings from a Prince. Specifically the Prince of Liechtenstein, whose family …

While attending the Anteprima in Montepulciano last month, I took the opportunity to visit Podere Le Bèrne to see their vineyards and winemaking operations and to share a wonderful lunch of homemade pappardelle made by the family’s grandmother (nonna).  Her grandson, Federico Fastelli, who studied winemaking in Florence and has done harvests in Burgundy and New Zealand, showed me the …

Solène Panigai. Charming yet serious, the new technical director at Olivier Leflaive in Puligny-Montrachet is a breath of fresh air. She’s forthright and decisive yet profoundly modest, and to judge from the wines she’s producing, the house is in skilful hands. Solène Panigai grew up in the wine industry – her parents worked as agronomists in Champagne. She studied in …

Gently mulled plum, black cherry and red currant fruit melds with licorice, bay leaf and tobacco leaf notes, while worn cedar and alder accents provide a warm and burnished feel through the earth-tinged finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2035. 5,300 cases made. Source : f16724dfad301a33e47865879c1997f0