Category Archives: California

Wine From Here: exploring the natural wine movement in California

By Remy Charest | Published: August 22, 2011
What is natural wine? What does it mean to make a natural wine? And how is natural wine taking hold in the vineyards and wineries of California? Those are the questions that Wine From Here, a documentary by Martin Carel and his brother Matthieu that is premiering on Thursday night in San Francisco. Wine From [...]
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Tasting Note (and more): Littorai 2006 Roman Vineyard Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley AVA

By Remy Charest | Published: June 20, 2011
Almost three years after I met him in October 2008 at his winery in Sebastopol, California, I still consider the hour or two I spent with Littorai’s winemaker, Ted Lemon, one of the most enlightening moments I’ve had in my years as a wine writer. Lemon, who makes a number of remarkably diverse chardonnays and pinot [...]
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Wine Blogging Wednesday 71: Edmunds St. John 2009 Wylie Syrah, El Dorado County

By Remy Charest | Published: March 16, 2011
Wine Blogging Wednesday has often been very good at getting participants to think outside the wine box. This 71st edition, presided over by Tim Elliott of Winecast, calls upon us to go inside and out: outside the Rhône – geographically – but with Rhône grapes. That, needless to say, leaves many possibilities. Syrah, grenache, viognier, mourvèdre, carignan, [...]
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In praise of diversity (or engineering it): Jura, New Zealand and yeast strains

By Remy Charest | Published: August 19, 2010
I haven’t been blogging as much as I usually do, this past couple of months, partly because I found it hard to run through wine regions at a fast pace, absorb all the information and write something coherent about it at the same time, partly because the day job has been very busy, partly because [...]
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Tasting Note: Le Cigare Volant 1997, Bonny Doon Vineyards

By Remy Charest | Published: January 28, 2010
It is with great sadness that I share the passing of a great wine. Born in Santa Cruz, California, in 1997, Le Cigare Volant was made of grenache, syrah, cinsault and mourvèdre. Its early departure was due to premature oxydation, caused by the use of an improper synthetic cork. Commemorative donations can be made to [...]
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