Wines

Best Vintage of Chateau Lafite Rothschild (1950-1959)

This is a very good decade for Lafite, not because every vintage is of superlative quality, but because those that stand out will stand out from nearly every other Lafite of the century!... read more

Best Red Wine 1984

1984 was a very tough vintage for Europe. California had a very good growing season, but these are not 40-50 year wines. That said, the below wines are still drinking very nicely. I wouldn't expect them to hold on for de... read more

Best Beginner's Wine Literature

Wine knowledge is often treated with mysticism, as though it were a gift bestowed upon a select, snobby few. This could not be further from the truth. The hardest part of developing an encyclopedic knowledge ... read more

Best Vintage of Chateau Lafite Rothschild (1960-1969)

The 60's are a very polarized decade which attains great heights (1961) and catastrophic lows (1963/1968). This is a decade that can largely be skipped if you are a Lafite lover since even the '61 is solid, but con... read more

Best Red Wine 1974

1974 was an outstanding vintage in California. Many of the smaller labels are still perfectly drinkable, but there are some real show-stoppers here too. Avoid French and Spanish wines (though Unico is a respectable effor... read more

Best Vintage of Chateau Lafite Rothschild (1980-1989)

Along with the other first growths, (Haut Brion, Latour, Margaux, Mouton), Lafite has been one of the pillars in the market for fine and collectible wines. A resurgence of interest, in this great chateau, prop... read more

Best Red Wine 1950

Celebrating 1950 can be incredibly satisfying - if you've got Bill Gates' checkbook. There is no ambiguity, this is a vintage that revolves around the growing region of Pomerol. Make no mistake, you could buy... read more

Best Red Wine 1994

1994 is one of the best vintages for Spain, Oporto and California in recent memory. Expect top wines to last until 2020 and beyond (WAY beyond for the ports) but beware many of the fruit-driven cult wines (Bryant, Colgin... read more

Best National Brand Wine Found in Western Supermarkets

As consumers are increasingly turning to their local grocery store as the place to buy wine, it’s important to know what’s good out of the widely distributed wine brands. Here’s a few of the best out th... read more

Best Red Wine 1970

1970 is a very inconsistent year through most of the world's top growing regions. Bordeaux is very hit or miss, burgundy is largely tired and the Rhone can be good but bottle variation (the tendency for two bottles... read more