The Underground Wine Letter

A Gourmet’s Diary: A Tasting of Red Burgundies

Dennis Foley — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:39:47 +0000

Following are tasting notes of some Red Burgundies at The French Club in San Francisco last year. 1999 Chambertin Clos de Bèze, Louis Jadot. Medium brick red color. Mature but elusive nose. Rather spare and dry in the mouth. A nice wine but a bit of a disappointment to me as I am a [...]

A Mediterranean Cruise For Wine Lovers

Greg McCluney — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:11:05 +0000

Sipping–not shuffleboard–is the game on this boat The thought of being held captive on a ship in the middle of the Ocean sounds like a sentence of confinement for many. But things have changed on the high seas, from luxurious amenities to exotic ports of call. Cruise lines are making customized...

There Was A Legacy

Joel Fisher — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:00:46 +0000

By Joel M. Fisher If asked who The Wine Spectator anointed Dean of Wine Writers, who would be your guess? Robert Parker, perhaps? The answer is a name not heard enough these days: Robert Lawrence Balzer. The onetime actor, aviator, media personage and Buddhist monk cut quite a figure in his day....

Surprising New Wines from Old-World Spain

Greg McCluney — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:22:46 +0000

Grape growing and winemaking in Spain need little introduction. Spain is an ancient wine-producing country second only to France and Italy in production. Spanish wine is at least 3,000 years old, with vines in the Sherry region planted around 1100 BC (although the Islamic Moors put a stop to it for...

Uncorking My Favorite Summertime Sippers

Vince Pirolli — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:21:07 +0000

Sauvignon Blancs, Pinot Grigios and summer are a match made in heaven. Hot sunny days and casual, light meals call for wines that are fresh, crisp flavorful and versatile. Sauvignon Blanc’s and Pinot Grigios are all that, and much more. I find them the perfect wines to enjoy in my patio, in the...

Enjoy Summertime’s Sippable Sherries

Vince Pirolli — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:20:38 +0000

Sherries from Spain are wonderful, unduplicated by others (even though many have tried), and make great summertime sipping and they are extremely food-friendly. If you haven’t had a glass of Spanish Sherry lately, now is the time to get reacquainted. Spain also makes some excellent sweet...

2009 Beaujolais

John Tilson — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:20:26 +0000

Beaujolais is one of my favorite "under the radar" wines. By that I mean not many people take it seriously. Most people think of it as a light, simple , fruity wind. This is usually based on their experience with Beaujolais Noveau. Beaujolais Noveau is the first French wine to be released each...

Retrospective Review: Volume I, Number 5 (April-May, 1980)

John Tilson — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:10:39 +0000

We are currently reproducing a copy of the fifth issue of The Underground Wineletter. Below you’ll find an updated review of each article, where I will go over what we got right and what we got wrong. We will follow this format with each successive issue. So Volume I, #6 will [...]

Lemmings to the Sea?

John Tilson — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:00:28 +0000

A few years ago I was in Napa and stopped by the Dean & DeLuca store. In perusing through the myriad of wine racks, I was taken by the Cabernet Sauvignon section. It was huge! I was struck by not only how many bottles were priced at $100 or up, but how many I had never heard of. In the...

More 2009 Rosés and Other Wine Bargains

John Tilson — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:15:42 +0000

Loire Valley Couly-Dutheil 2009 Chinon Rosé Baptiste Dutheil established this estate in 1921, which was then developed by René Couly, who married Madeleine Dutheil. The family-owned operation has 85 hectares of vineyards east of Chinon along the Vienne River. This wine is made using the Rosé de...