Hardy Wallace is making delicious wines that are beautiful, friendly, honest, smiling extensions of his own nature. And this one is what I think of as his rock-solid flagship. Whole cluster,... read more →
Conceived as the b-side to his Funky Drummer, the grapes for this wine come from volcanic soiled plots, around 3000 feet up. Young mourvèdre comes from near Camino. Mature syrah... read more →
Here we have Hank’s typically perverse logic: leave the oak out of the zin and chardo, barrel ferment the rosé. The Suma Kaw fruit was barrel fermented in puncheons and... read more →
Vigneron Eric Texier is helping out here as the wine whisperer for this domain that works 5.6 ha out of their 56. The wine begins its life in a partial... read more →
In an ocean of this season's rosés, none spoke to me. Then this came along. In 2019, Hank’s wines were gorgeous, and this rosé is a perfect example of grapes... read more →
Another knockout from Hank Beckmeyer. This foot-stomped number struck me as California red at its best. Beautiful with blushes and smiles. Rose petals and that gentle pomegranate character that I... read more →
A friend and I drank this in the backyard of his East Village apartment. I could see why he was so enthused. This is a terrific little wine from Los... read more →
When a cousin told me her only wine memory of her beloved father was his penchant for Chateauneuf, I had the thought to give her a Proustian experience. The vehicle... read more →
Philippe Bordes retired from plumbing and swapped out a drain snake for secateurs as he turned to the vineyards. From 9 hectares in Saint Chinian, with his wife Emma, they... read more →
Spain’s hot Alicante region is not known for its great wine for good reasons. They are far and few between. But La Zafra, making wine since 2016, is bottling sincere... read more →