The 2010 archive is presented by date the notes were compiled and submitted. Read the rest of this entry »

Moments after joining Facebook’s “I hate wine ratings” group, my Vintages catalogue arrived in my mailbox and guess what, the theme of the release is “North of Ninety,” showcasing a plethora of wines that critics believe warrant ninety points or higher. Good news is there are many exceptional wines to be found and if you are a numbers buyer, then this is the release for you. I also tasted several Northern Rhone Valley wines from the 2007 vintage that rock. Well priced, well balanced and really tasty. Do feel free to read on……… Read the rest of this entry »

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Check this out!  Our own Chef Kerr will be traveling to Mexico in early March as a celebrity chef for The Little Mexican Cooking School in Puerto Morelos.

Bueno!!

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It’s always exciting to hear about a wine dinner featuring selections from one of our favorite producers being held at one of the hottest restaurants in town, especially when the total tab for the event is only $39. That’s just what took place at El Barzon, the critically acclaimed Mexican-Italian eatery in Detroit’s southwest side, last Thursday, January 28th, when six wines from Bonny Doon Vineyards were paired with six courses from their excellent menu. We’ve expressed our appreciation for Randall Grahm’s wines on more than one occasion, and Kim and I had dined at El Barzon just a few months ago, so we made our reservations as soon as we caught wind of the happenings.

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Chef J.D. Wesley and Christina Donley - Click to enlarge

We love wine dinners at Gang of Pour, and last week, Kim and I had the very good fortune to participate in three of them on successive evenings. Yes, it’s tough work, but we’re professionals here at Adams, Heritier and Associates, and we can handle the hard assignments.

Our good friend Christina Donley was back in the neighborhood in her capacity as Midwest Regional Sales Representative for Ridge Vineyards, and she invited us to join her for a Ridge wine dinner at Encore by J. D. Wesley, an intimate little restaurant on Toledo’s west side. We accepted, of course, every bit as much to enjoy her company as to savor our beloved Mr. Ridge, and indeed, we couldn’t have had a finer time. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo by Chris Witkowski. Click image to enlarge.

It’s no exaggeration to describe “Florida” Jim Cowan as one of the most respected and admired commentators in the online wine community.  A true gentleman, Jim is the consummate voice of reason, with a common sense view of all things wine-related that resonates strongly with his many friends and readers.  Most of us in Gang of Pour go back a number of years with “Florida” Jim, having met up with him all over the country to share good food, wine and friendship, and several of those events have been documented in our pages, going all the way back to the second “Bacchus tour.” Read the rest of this entry »

Jim Cowan and Russell Bevan (Photo by Bruce Leiserowitz) Click to enlarge

In the fall of 2005, Russell Bevan gave me a call. Russell and I had been friends for almost a decade, wine buddies from the start. I had visited countless times and been a guest at his house on several occasions. But this call wasn’t about a party or a tour; this was a request to come out and help work the harvest for his new enterprise, Bevan Cellars. I am retired so I had the time. As it turned out, it was the beginning of my interest in starting my own label, Cowan Cellars. Read the rest of this entry »

All notes, except as otherwise noted, were from bottles that were opened and drunk with a meal over an extended period.  The 2009 archive is divided into the following categories:  Bubbles, Red, White and Rosé
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It started a few weeks ago with some twittering back and forth between our friends Master Sommelier Claudia Tyagi and Western Market Wine Manager Jarred Gild about Beaujolais, and in particular, one of our favorites from that oft-maligned appellation. We were privy to said twitters, one thing led to another and it was decided that the wine in question would be tasted at Gang Central, along with a few others in support and a variety of Kim’s killer homemade pizzas. Also in attendance were Jarred’s friend Dawn Astrop and Roastmaster aka James Cadariu. After we started things off with a glass of our house bubbly, Mionetto Brut Prosecco, we turned our attention to a wine that James brought back from a recent visit to Romania. Read the rest of this entry »

AHD principal, Richard Delsener and Anne Charlotte Melia-Bachas. Click to enlarge

Our friends at AHD Vintners invited us to a wine luncheon held at the Forest Grill in Birmingham this Monday past, to present the wines of one of the producers in their portfolio, Chateau de la Font du Loup Chateauneuf du Pape.  On hand to talk about the wines was Anne Charlotte Melia-Bachas, who, along with her husband Laurent, owns and operates the Chateau.   “Font du Loup” means “Fountain of the Wolves,” a reference to the local legend that tells of the wolves of Mont Ventoux stopping to drink at the spring located on the property while making their way down to the Provencal plains. Read the rest of this entry »