If you ask any winemaker to help you choose a Napa Cabernet from the 2020 vintage, they’ll tell you it’s an easy choice. “Buy and enjoy every single 2020 you can get your hands on,” they’ll say. Why? It’s the first vintage in about 50 years where half of the…
In 2019, we had trouble finding a Zinfandel that pushed all the right buttons. And then, one day, we got lucky. During one of our blending sessions with the Cameron Hughes winemaking team, we were putting together an exciting Red Blend from a host of grape sources when our…
You’ve heard it all before… Australian Shiraz is over-the-top; it’s a “one-note” red that isn’t complex enough for discerning palates. Well, let us tell you – Lot 914 2021 Australia Shiraz is here to defy your preconceived expectations. Dark, layered, and lingering – it’s a wine that will…
The tried-and-true blending of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre grapes (“GSM” for short) has been at the heart of the best reds from Southern France—especially Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Vacquereys, and Gigondas. There’s just no denying the winning combination of power, elegance, flavor, silkiness, and intensity that those three varieties deliver when…
Frequently asked wine questions answered by Chris Lafleur, Sommeliers Creed for Cameron Hughes, and Katy Long, Director of International Wines for VWE. It seems like only yesterday that we sold our first Lot Series wine: Lot 1, 2002 Lodi Syrah. Nearly 900 releases later, we’re still going strong. …
Here to help us properly open sparkling wine (Champagne, Prosecco, etc.) is Chris Lafleur, a sommelier based out of Toronto who focuses on selling and training all things wine. The most challenging thing that sommeliers get nervous about when tableside is opening sparkling wine. How do we do…
Lot 918 2022 Clarksburg Chenin Blanc, is a fruit orchard in a glass. We wish we could tell you the source winery for this alluring white, but an NDA prevents us from spilling the beans. We can tell you the Chenin Blanc grapes for Lot 918 come from…
Wine Q&A with Chris Lafleur, Sommeliers Creed for Cameron Hughes, and Katy Long, Director of International Wines for VWE. Watch as these two wine experts walk us through frequently asked questions about wine. It seems like only yesterday that we sold our first Lot Series wine: Lot 1,…
Taste Lot 884, an award-winning wine from Atlas Peak. We were thrilled when a sample of this powerhouse Petit Verdot arrived at our office late last year and after just one sip (there was no spitting this one back out), we quickly scooped up all 180 cases this…
Russian River Valley Chardonnay produced in a rich, buttery style for Lot 908 from the 2019 vintage. If California has an ideal template for rich, textured, creamy Chardonnay, it’s undoubtedly Montrachet (or “Le Montrachet”): the coveted Grand Cru of Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune, where France has set the…