The flavor of roasted plum in wine of West Virginia

Grenache can be a tricky grape variety. While it is slow to ripen and requires a long growing season, it also happens to bloom early, keeping wine-growers waiting seemingly forever. Of Spanish origin, where it’s called Garnacha, its roots were most likely in Aragón in the country’s northeast. The Kingdom of Aragón held dominion over other parts of the world where Grenache has become renowned, including much of the south of France and also in Sardinia, where it is known as Cannonau. S ...

As a wine critic, witnessing a relatively unknown estate rise up and receive the recognition it deserves can be a bittersweet feeling. From a purely selfish point of view, you watch the prices rise inexorably so you can no longer afford to drink wines from that estate as often as you once did. But primarily you’re delighted for the owners and for those who have discovered their wines. Scroll down for Matt Walls’ tasting notes and scores for five vintages of Domaine Gonon St-Joseph {"c ...

The moves combine an evolution in management with a sense of continuity at Cheval Blanc, given new MD Pierre-Olivier Clouet has been technical director at the estate since 2008. Clouet initially joined Cheval Blanc as an intern in 2004, and was himself recruited by Pierre Lurton, who has managed the famous St-Emilion estate since the arrival of the Château’s current joint-owners, the Arnault and Frère families, in 1998. Lurton, who had also been director at Cheval Blanc since 1990, will now take ...