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Seven Rules for When to Open Meursault

In the world of fine white wine, perhaps no name resonates quite as much as that of Meursault. It's the kind of wine that everyone knows is pretty good. It is a safe choice. And it is often a very good choice. Maybe one day we'll get to a full guide to the intricacies of Meursault -- all the wonderful vineyards (many of which are classified at the village level and strongly over-perform), and the many fine producers.

For now, I'm just going to address one simple question: when is the right time to open up a bottle?

How Important Are Vintages?

A lot of people out there are obsessed with vintages. There are lots of forces at work here.

First, there are the wine geeks who have nothing better to do than sit around debating the merits of, say, 1989 Bordeaux versus 1990. Engaging in these discussions would seem to these folks to be a good way to demonstrate knowledge and experience.

10 Top Vintages to Get Ready For Now

Collectors, how will you allocate your budget in the buying season coming up? Here would be my top picks based on what's available or coming into the marketplace these days.

On Scoring Wine

You may have noticed that, unlike many other wine shops and web sites, we don’t spend a lot of energy talking about scores and points.

Top Ten Reminders from a Trip to Italy

I was recently in Italy for a couple weeks. It was for a combination wedding and family vacation -- not wine-related at all -- in Tuscany and Umbria. So there were no visits to wineries. There was, however, plenty of wine, and a few things about wine and life and Italy occurred to me:

Edges of Burgundy: Marsannay

It is easy to see why Marsannay gets "Edges" status. It is literally at the very edge of the Cote d'Or. For a long while, it's wines were all designated mere Bourgogne. That only changed in 1987, when Marsannay was awarded full AOC status. It still does not have any premier crus, and many people still associate it with Rose (interesting fact: Marsannay is the only village entitled to produce in red, white and rose!)

Top 5 Trends in the World of Wine

Here in New York City we often see what’s going on in the wine world before the rest of the country. This is where a lot of the celeb-somms are, where a lot of collectors locate, where you find the big trade tastings…and where wine stuff just happens. And here is what I’m seeing right now:

Decanting Red Burgundy

Decanting red Burgundy is a hot button topic.

People get really worked up about it. Some dogmatically prohibit this practice - ever. The most important thing is to put the glasses and the decanter on the table first - then taste the wine. Do you pour it into glasses and start drinking it right away? Pour it into glasses and wait? Decant? Only by tasting the wine are you ever going to find out.

The Spirit of Basque Country in Txakolina

Fresh, spritzy, bright—but most importantly FUN. Txakolina is ubiquitous in Basque Country in the north of Spain.

Patrick Piuze and John B. Truax tasting in Chablis

Our last stop in Chablis was with Patrick Piuze, a 41 year old French Canadian who found his way to Burgundy. He worked the harvest for Franck Grux at Olivier Leflaive in 2000. Grux was so impressed with his hard work and enthusiasm he was offered a job.

Edges of Burgundy: Mercurey

It's true that Mercurey does not produce any reds on the level of the Cote d'Or's greatest. Yet, compared to red wines from many other regions of the world -- including many others that produce Pinot Noir and Chardonnay -- the quality is extremely high and the prices are unaccountably low. Let's get drinking!

Germany 2013 Vintage: The Beauty of Contrast

Challenging vintages like 2013 give me pause to wonder whether the concept of a "perfect vintage" is itself flawed, and does it really behoove us to seek to drink and cellar only those seemingly “perfect” vintages anyway?

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A lot of people out there are obsessed with vintages. There are lots of forces at work here.

Decanting red Burgundy is a hot button topic.