Burgundy 2023 — a vintage to look for, quietly.
The most plentiful crop in the region's recorded history. Wines of charm and decent acidity. Prices that have not corrected. Here is what to seek out — and what to leave on the shelf.
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The journal
Notes from the cellar.
Essays, vintage reports, and the small rituals of fine wine — written from a quarter-century of selecting, pouring, and listening to growers.
Recent
Latest writing.
The honest case for decanting
Most wines don't need a decanter. The ones that do, deserve one. A short guide to telling them apart.
Brunello at fifty
Half a century after the DOCG was drafted, Montalcino has more producers, more clarity, and one persistent identity question.
Building a fifty-bottle starter cellar
Not a wish list — a working cellar that drinks across occasions, ages reasonably, and can be assembled for under twelve thousand dollars.
Grower Champagne, eight years in
The grower revolution has matured. A field guide to the names that matter now — and the ones that always did.
In draft
Pairing in three principles
The pairing chart industrial complex has done damage. Three principles will get you further than any list.
In draft
What altitude does to Malbec
Three Uco Valley growers, three altitudes, one varietal. A tasting that changes how you think about Argentina.
In draft
How to read a vintage chart
Vintage charts are blunt instruments. With practice, they can be read like weather maps — useful, not deterministic.
In draft
Napa, calmly
A long argument about price has produced a quieter one about quality. Where Cabernet still earns its number — and where it doesn't.
In draft
The one glass argument
If you can only own one universal wine glass — and most people can only own one — here is the one. And why.
In draftHouse letter
New writing, monthly. No noise.
A short letter when there is something worth reading — vintage notes, new arrivals, an invitation or two.