Post Card from Napa – Antica

  We arrived by car, but it seemed at times that even mountain goats would have trouble ascending these slopes. The narrow paved road curved from left to right and, at the top, revealed a stunning hilltop winery that seemed to emerge from our imagination. We had reached Atlas Peak, the mountain but also the [...]

2010 MASSICAN, “annia,” Napa Valley White Wine

Dennis Kelly, sommelier at The French Laundry, recommended a beautiful white wine to us over two years ago.  The Riesling from Stony Hill Vineyard is an atypical varietal of Napa, and a wonderful example of what winemakers can do when they push the limits of terroir.  The capacity for such a recommendation is the one reason Mr. [...]

Chicken Tarragon with Unoaked Chardonnay

Chicken can take on so many personalities, depending on the preparation and what’s on the plate next to it. Roasted chicken is not like blackened chicken, and neither are like dishes served with cream sauce, marinara, or an artichoke lemon preparation. It’s no wonder we often hear “it tastes like chicken” when someone wants to [...]

Chablis with Bouillabaisse

Cold weather – especially the wet kind that we’re getting these days – is easier to take if you have the right food to keep you warm. Peasant stock is good, including chili, beef stew, and a variety of casseroles, or you can slide up the scale of elegance with cassoulet (featured in this column [...]

Delamotte and Salon Champagne

“You can have too much champagne to drink, but you can never have enough.” American playwright Elmer Rice was certainly on to something. Any decent sparkling wine can convey pleasure and elegance, but Champagne will always be a breed apart. And one of the best things about this very special pleasure is that it goes [...]

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