Slideshows
BEST of the BEST 2014 | Leisure | Domestic White Wines: Morlet Family Vineyards 2010 Chardonnay Coup de Coeur
A white wine with heart. Many wineries in California include the word family on their labels—a descriptor intended to suggest not only that the contents of the bottle are the result of a multigenerational labor of love but also that future generations will heed the call of the vine. In many instances, the families in […]

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BEST of the BEST 2014 | Leisure | International Red Wines: Prats & Symington 2011 Chryseia Douro
Never has necessity given birth to more arresting offspring than in Portugal’s Douro Valley, where production of fortified wines is capped by government regulators to ensure that the supply of port does not exceed global demand. The portion of each harvest that does not make the cut for Portugal’s best-known bottlings is diverted into table […]
BEST of the BEST 2014 | Leisure | Domestic White Wines: Erath 2011 Pinot Noir Le Jour Magique White Willamette Valley
For some, viticulture is a career of choice, while for others it is a calling. One suspects that Dick Erath falls into the latter category. After experimenting with making his own wine at home, Erath, an engineer by training, enrolled in courses at the University of California, Davis. Not long thereafter, he moved his family […]
BEST of the BEST 2014 | Leisure | International Red Wines: Bruno Giacosa 2008 Le Rocche del Falletto Riserva Barolo
At gatherings where more than two oenophiles are present, the question inevitably arises—in one form or another—of which wine is a given grape fancier’s favorite. Though responses to this query are as varied as the varietals themselves, among the cognoscenti, Nebbiolo always figures prominently. The reason for this is simple: Just as certain gemstones reflect […]
BEST of the BEST 2014 | Leisure | Domestic White Wines: Rudd Estate 2012 Sauvignon Blanc Mt. Veeder
Leslie Rudd’s quest for quality is steadfast. His roles as owner of Standard Beverage Corp., chairman of Dean and DeLuca, and owner of Rudd Oakville Estate in Napa Valley have attuned his eye to identifying excellence in all things. His rocky, red-soiled acreage at the foot of the Vaca Mountains in Oakville, for instance, is […]
BEST of the BEST 2014 | Leisure | Domestic White Wines: Schramsberg J. Schram 2005 Brut Rosé
Founded in Napa valley in 1862 by the German immigrant Jacob Schram near the town of Calistoga, Schramsberg was an early benchmark of quality in the region and even figured in the writing of Robert Louis Stevenson, who mentions the winery in his accounts of his journey to California. About 30 years after Prohibition, the […]
BEST of the BEST 2014 | Leisure | Domestic Red Wines: Jonata 2010 La Sangre de Jonata
Tucked among the hills of Santa Barbara County’s Santa Ynez Valley is a 600-acre laboratory where fascinating oenological experiments are carried out by Matt Dees. An alumnus of the University of Vermont and a veteran of the very different growing conditions of New Zealand and Napa Valley, Dees now presides over the complex winemaking at […]
BEST of the BEST 2014 | Leisure | Domestic Red Wines: Aubert 2011 Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard
The winemaker Mark Aubert is perhaps best-known these days for the supple, silky Chardonnay he crafts from the finest vineyards in Calistoga. Yet he made his original reputation with the red wines he produced for such important labels as the Peter Michael Winery, Bryant Family Vineyard, Sloan Estate, and Colgin Cellars. His passion for Chardonnay—the […]
BEST of the BEST 2014 | Leisure | Domestic Red Wines: Dana Estates 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Lotus Vineyard
Though Dana Estates’ first release was its 2005 vintage, the winery is nevertheless deeply rooted in the history of Napa Valley. The property’s owner, Hi Sang Lee—a longtime wine enthusiast and importer in his native South Korea—has developed close friendships with many of California’s leading vintners. His own career as a producer of fine wine […]