Stephen Tanzer's New Issue

If you are a member of Stephen Tanzers publication you'll find it hard to overlook some of his reviews on the 2004 Barolo and Barbaresco. Take a look! There appears to be some gems in there.

Centennial Fine Wine and Spirits has been named the 2007 "Retailer of the Year"

Centennial Fine Wines and Spirits was just awarded the 2007 "Retailer of the Year" by Market Watch Magazine. If you click on the Subject line it will take you to their website.

Rhone Review by Parker

If you are a member of Robert Parkers Website, check out his article on Rhone Valley Wines. The article is extensive, but gives alot of good information. Here is his intro paragraph to the article:

"Because of the extensive tastings I did in the Rhône Valley, I decided to divide the Rhône Valley coverage into segments. In this report, the Châteauneuf du Pape will be covered comprehensively and those wines made outside of the appellation by proprietors of Châteauneuf du Pape, such as Côtes du Rhônes and Côtes du Rhône-Villages. Additionally, négociant bottlings of both Châteauneuf du Pape and Côtes du Rhône are reviewed. Future issues will deal with the other major southern Rhône appellations, such as Gigondas, Vacqueyras, and the various Côtes du Rhône appellations, and another separate report will cover the northern Rhône in its entirety, including the both white and red wines from the north."

2007 Sonoma Harvest Report

Here is another excerpt from winebusiness.com. To view the whole report please click on the link.

2007 Sonoma Harvest Report

From Daily News Links, 11/16/2007

The 2007 Sonoma County harvest was smaller than average, but extremely high in quality, said panelists at the 2007 Sonoma County Harvest Report, co-hosted by the Sonoma County Vintners and Sonoma County Winegrape Commission on Monday, November 12 at Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa. A new element this year for the panel discussion was the addition of grape growers, who were each paired with a winemaker to offer an overview of growing conditions during the season. Peter Marks, MW, moderated the panel, which included Steve Dutton of Dutton Ranch, Dan Goldfield of Dutton-Goldfield Winery, Adam Lee of Siduri Wines, Marne Coggan of Sonatera Vineyards, Dan Barwick of Paradise Ridge Winery, Ulises Valdez of Valdez Vineyard Management, and Steve Reeder and Leland Reichel of Simi Winery. Steve Dutton spoke for all when he said, "The crop size was down, but we harvested beautiful, beautiful fruit this year. If someone's not making great wine from this vintage, they're in the wrong business."

Wine Spectator's Top 100

Just as a reminder, the Wine Spectator's Top 100 list will be available on Mobday 11/19/2007. Here is an excerpt from the Wine Spectator's Website:

"Each year, Wine Spectator editors survey the wines we've reviewed over the past 12 months and select the most exciting for our Top 100. In 2007, we reviewed more than 15,000 wines from around the world in blind tastings. More than 3,500 of them earned outstanding ratings (90 points or higher on our 100-point scale). We then narrowed the list down based on four criteria: quality (represented by score); value (reflected by release price); availability (measured by case production or cases imported); and an X-factor we call excitement. But no equation determines the final selections: These choices reflect our editors' judgment and enthusiasm about the wines we tasted. Thirteen countries are represented in our 2007 list, tying it with 2006 for the most diverse group in the history of the Top 100, which debuted in 1988. The average price for the wines on this year's list is $42, down from $49 last year, yet quality remains at the same level, with an average score of 93 points. We hope our selections stimulate discussion, and lead people to more deeply explore the world of wine."