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To all Wine Exchangers, My last visit to Bordeaux was a short one as my main reason going to Europe was to visit Spain.  So, in my 2 and a half days there, I wanted to see as much wine as possible.One of my stops was with my dear friend Jeffrey Davies.  You’ve heard us […]

To all Wine Exchangers, Y’know, I have to be frank, when the wines from Livio Sassetti’s Pertimali estate are ‘on’, they are indeed the finest wines in Montalcino. Bold statement, yes, I know.  But note the caveat.  When they’re ‘on’. Have Sassetti’s wines been ‘off’?  Well, only if you expect perfection every vintage. His so-so […]

To all Wine Exchangers, It was a pretty interesting day back at the Ritz restaurant in the early 80s tasting the first commercial release from nursery man Gil Nickel.  The wine, Far Niente, opened as one of the most expensive Chardonnays in California (at that time around $30), with a complex label that required eleven […]

To all Wine Exchangers, In the past the Givry region of Burgundy was known for its super-cool, minerally, lean, stony wines that appealed to only the most hardcore Burgundy connoisseurs unless we here in the states saw the best of vintages. In years like 2003, 2005 and 2009 Givry would suddenly come into play and […]

To all Wine Exchangers, Who knew ‘back in the day’ that Greek Assyrtiko would be the ‘thing’ it has become.  We sure didn’t back when we had our first go-round with Assyrtiko years ago, tasting a version from Sigalas presented by a company who had a small book of wines along with an extensive assortment […]

To all Wine Exchangers, If you missed it the first time around (many of you did) one of our fastest-selling Bordeaux wines ever is back in stock.  Do not miss it again or, maybe you’ll want to stock up further on this St. Emilion blockbuster at a remarkable price. As the title reads… …this wine is […]

To all Wine Exchangers, It’s refreshing to see a winery so committed to providing VALUE.  In a world where many wineries are trying to figure out how much they can get, Thorn Clarke is figuring out how much they should get.  Fancy that. We talked up their Shiraz a few months back and now we […]

To all Wine Exchangers, The Opus One 2015 is here and it’s a monster!Remember, half of Opus One comes from their two choice parcels in the To Kalon Vineyard. The other half is, of course, their vineyard across the street that surrounds the winery in Oakville. Serious dirt for a serious wine. Their wine is […]

To all Wine Exchangers, “The 2016s are on another level… a beautiful vintage that comes closest in style to 1990, or even a hypothetical mix of 2010 and 2007. The wines are beautifully concentrated and structured – on par with 2010 – yet have a more open, sexy, voluptuous style due to the larger yields. […]

To all Wine Exchangers, Bibi Graetz is an actual person with a really cool name. He was (is) an artist. His gorgeous paintings grace the labels of his wines. A few years back he decided to become a winemaker since his parents owned, like, a castle and a bunch of really old Sangiovese vines. Turns […]