Press
The 13 Highest Scoring Pinot Noirs We Rated in 2018
As we look forward to tasting in 2019, it’s the perfect time of year to take in the best wines we scored in 2018. Here’s your Pinot Noir wish list. Read More
Wayfarer Vineyard | The Tasting with Todd Kohn
Wayfarer Vineyard 2015 and 2016 reviews Read More
Sonoma Coast’s New Style of High-Acid Chardonnays
Sonoma Coast producers are embracing a new style of Chardonnay driven by complexity and acidity. Even if you’ve avoided California Chardonnay in the past, you will want to look for bottles from these three coastal regions. Read More
Top 100 Napa and Sonoma Wines of 2017
There has never been a better time to buy the best of Napa and Sonoma. Take a look at my list of top 100 wines from the regions that we’ve tasted in 2017 because there’s got to be a number of wines – both reds and whites – that you’ll like. From a fresh and balanced 2014 Oakville cabernet to a bold and bright 2015 Sonoma Coast pinot, these are the wines that you must drink. Come and taste the precision and pure fruit character that California does so very well.Most of the wines in the… Read More
USA, Sonoma: Wayfarer
One of the most impressive vineyard visits I’ve made this year was to the Wayfarer Vineyard in Sonoma Coast’s relatively newly formed Fort Ross-Seaview AVA (established in 2011). Read More
Tasting Wine Before Its Time: Experiencing Wayfarer Vineyard Pinot Noir
One of the vagaries of tasting and rating Pinot Noir is that the wines are often presented for review shortly before or after release, and often have not recovered from the shock of bottling or had enough time in bottle to develop their full charm. Predicting how Pinot Noir will evolve is a skill that comes with experience, but is tenuous at best and fraught with uncertainty.I had the unique opportunity to taste the 2014 vintage Wayfarer Pinot Noirs on two occasions seven months apart that… Read More
Top 100 Cellar Selections Of 2016
Aristotle was almost certainly talking about wine when he wrote, “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” While cellaring wine may, at times, feel like an agonizing guessing game, when you finally do open that cherished bottle at its optimal drinking age, it’s nirvana. Or close to it.The reward of a well-aged wine erases any doubt or anxiety that came with its maturation, and the thrill of the experience can become surprisingly addictive. If only it were easier to know those optimal… Read More
The Enthusiast 100 of 2016
As the year winds down, we can’t help but reflect on our favorite wine tastings of 2016. We reviewed nearly 22,000 wines this year, so there’s certainly a lot to recall. But after compiling our Top 100 Best Buy list of the ultimate affordable sippers and then helping to invest in a stellar-cellar future with our list of Top 100 Cellar Selections, it’s time for the big one—The Enthusiast 100: our list of standout wines to buy and drink over the next few years.The best of… Read More
13 of Sonoma's Rarest Wines
Discover small‑production wines that whisper to connoisseurs and collectors. Read More
Great Wines, Good Restaurants and a Book Signing
Of several hundred wines tasted in the last month or so, here are the best values in their respective price ranges:Wayfarer Pinot Noir The Traveler 2012 — From Cleo Pahlmeyer, who might know something about wine from just osmosis! “…raspberry, violet and lilac mingle with delicate notes of forest floor, juniper berry and oolong tea.” Big-time Christmas present for your favorite Pinot Noir collector? $150 ••