Posts Written OnMarch 18, 2009

Are Napa Winemakers Robert Parker’s Bitches?

Robert Parker's Bitch from Josh Hermsmeyer on Vimeo. Here in New York, we don't really need to worry about Robert Parker or James Laube — they don't taste NY wines for their respective publications. For Parker's Wine Advocate, David Schildknecht covers New York and for the Wine Spectator, people like Thomas Matthews, Mitch Frank and James Molesworth taste and write about the wines of New York.  Still, this video put together by Tina Caputo of  Vineyard and Winery Management should be of interest to anyone who drinks or makes wine. And of course I'd be remiss not to give my…

Keuka Lake Vineyards 2007 Reserve Vignoles

I think that Vignoles, a French-American hybrid grape, gets a bum rap. Sure maybe Ravat 51, as it is often called (J.F. Ravat was the creator), probably does its best work in late harvest/dessert-style wines. Take high sugar and natural acidity and add tight clusters that make it susceptible to noble rot and you have a grape well suited to sweet dessert wines that are well balanced and even complex. But Vignoles isn't a one-trick pony. While it's true that Vignoles is never going to have the elegance, delicacy or grace of a well-made riesling, this Keuka Lake Vineyards 2007…