Biondi-Santi Brunello Di Montalcino: One Of The World’s Great Wine Estates And One With An Extraordinary History

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Ken Gargett recently had the good fortune to partake in a wine-tasting lunch with well-heeled friends and judge who brought the best wines. The best (though there was some controversy) was a 1989 Krug champagne. But there was no debate over the best red: a 2010 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino from Tuscany. Here he shares some of the fascinating history of Biondi-Santi and its wines.

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8 Favorite Fun Facts From 2021 On Quill & Pad

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In no particular order, Elizabeth Doerr shares eight random facts that she found interesting, entertaining, and/or educational that are mined from Quill & Pad articles published in 2021. Enjoy!

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Five Sensational 2012 Vintage Champagnes To Kick Off The New Year From Louis Roederer Cristal, Pol Roger, And Bollinger. Cheers!

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For many watch enthusiasts, it is probably not a stretch to say that fine timepieces are often enjoyed with a fine glass of bubbly. So without further ado, here are five much-heralded prestige champagne releases from the stellar 2012 vintage that stand out for their extraordinary “taste.” Just in time for you to toast the start of 2022!

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Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Blanc De Blancs 2006: The Quintessence Of Chardonnay With The Brilliance Of A Yellow Diamond

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Hervé Deschamps has described the Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs as “the quintessence of Chardonnay with the brilliance and rarity of a yellow diamond.” Ken Gargett thinks it’s hard to argue with that. Here he explains why and shares his experience with the 2006 vintage.

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Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet 2018: Beautifully Refined, Elegant, And Powerful

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Ken Gargett describes the Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet 2018 as beautifully refined, elegant, and powerful with the structure and fruit to last and improve for another 10, 20, or 30 years. An exquisite Cabernet, one of Australia’s best, and his score reflects it. Here Ken also gives us more than ample background on Wynns, the premier producer in Coonawarra, South Australia.

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World-Famous Wine Regions: Coonawarra, South Australia

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Ken Gargett set out to review a wine that has been called an Australian First Growth, the Wynns Black Label Cabernet, and its flagship, the John Riddoch Cabernet. But it became clear to him that without providing some context and history in relation to Coonawarra that anything on those wonderful wines would be incomplete. And here he does just that.

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Bollinger B13 Champagne: Not So Much ‘No Time To Die’ As ‘A Great Wine To Drink’

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Ken Gargett takes a look at the new Bollinger Blanc de Noirs one-off, the B13 from the (unusual) 2013 vintage. And decides that this is no shrinking violet and that no one is going to taste this and start thinking how delicate, how elegant. It is a big, bold, full-of-flavor champagne.

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Moët & Chandon: Champagne Sustainability

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Moët & Chandon is a champagne house deeply aware that winemaking is intimately linked to the climate and soil. Directly witnessing the impact of global warming on viticulture, Moët & Chandon is dependent on the protection of the environment for its survival, which entails the preservation of its vineyards and the natural ecosystem as well as sustainability in its supply chains. Learning from nature is tantamount. Here’s how the largest producer in Champagne is working on it.

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The Sensational (Grange) G5 Wine, Peter Gago, And The History Of Penfolds

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Peter Gago has what many people in the wine world think is the best job on the planet: he is chief winemaker for Penfolds, one of Australia’s oldest wine producers. Here Ken Gargett shares the history of Penfolds and Peter Gago and reports on tasting Penfolds’ latest flagship wine, the G5.

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Piper-Heidsieck Launches Hors-Série 1971 Champagne: An Incredible 48 Years On Lees!

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An email arrived: would Ken Gargett be interested in tasting an original prestige champagne from the popular house of Piper-Heidsieck? This is the sort of invitation he would crawl over broken glass to be part of and he shares his experiences here. Spoiler alert: Ken rates the 50-year-old champagne 99/100!

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