ShareBecause it’s one of San Francisco’s greatest restaurants with a wine list full of trophies, we made reservations at Michael Mina to celebrate a big promotion. Five hours and more than four bottles of fine wine later, the four of us were feeling fully lubricated and nearly insolvent.
My notes for your vicarious pleasure:

ShareLast Monday’s Italian Wine Class got a little mental over Terra Rosa’s Brunello di Montalcino. Especially after our teacher Luca told us he seven bottles left of this wine, only 135-cases of which were produced, ten hands went up, chairs nearly tipping backward: “Can I have one?” Then, when one classmate slipped out the door [...]

ShareDear Wine Girl:
What’s a Super Tuscan? How would I spot it at a wine store or on a wine list? And if I’m in a restaurant with a lot of Italian offerings I’m not familiar with, would I be safe to just go with a Super Tuscan?
–Super Italo-Curious
Dear SIC:
Fast and loose answer: a high-quality red [...]

ShareFor a while now, it’s not been safe to dip your toes in the lake of wine coming from Robert Mondavi Inc., as any of you who’ve had the disappointment of tasting its declining quality during the late nineties and early 2000s can attest. I’ll never forget Robert Parker’s review of Mondavi’s 1997 line-up, from [...]