Gourmet
Wine Journal

Birthday Celebration for My Best Friend

My wife and I prepared a great meal. When summer tomatoes come in, my wife makes a fabulous tomato/cheese pie (essentially ground up aged Swiss cheese layered with a bed...

Read More
Restaurants
Dinner at the Petit Louis Bistro in Baltimore

Getting prepared for a three-week visit to Australia, I took three blockbuster Shiraz to my favorite local bistro, Petit Louis, as well as a bottle of 1998 Monbousquet. It takes a...

Read More
Restaurants
Big Time Aussie Night

Getting psyched for three-plus weeks Down Under, I thought I would open a half dozen of the blockbuster Australian Shirazes. I also wanted to do something I like to do...

Read More
Events
Châteauneuf du Pape, Some Fabulously Aged Steaks and a Handful of Friends

Why is it that Châteauneuf du Papes never disappoint, whether they are young or mature? The surprise of the evening was the incredible performance of Pierre Usseglio's 1999 Châteauneuf du Pape...

Read More
Dining At Home
Lunch Chez Parker with a Friend from Bordeaux

This was another brilliant bottle of 1990 Clos de Goisses Champagne from Philipponnet. I had expected better things from Domaine Leflaive's 1989 Chevalier Montrachet as previous bottles tasted scored 2-3 points higher. This...

Read More
Restaurants
A Dinner Party with Friends in Baltimore

Drunk with an excellent catered meal, the stars included the elegant, quintessential Blancs de Blanc Champagne, the 1990 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne. I don't know how much longer this wine can...

Read More
Restaurants
Tasting at Pinot Blanc restaurant in St. Helena, California

At a tasting with wine collectors at the up-scale Napa Valley bistro, Pinot Blanc, the brilliant 1997 Marcassin Chardonnay and 1997 Pinot Noir were both exquisite. The Chardonnay flirts with perfection, and the Pinot...

Read More
Restaurants
Dinner/Tasting of the Baltimore Chapter of Les Oenarchs

At a dinner and blind tasting of my local wine group, the first flight, served with foie gras, was sweet Sauternes. Not surprisingly, the 1989 Château Yquem took top honors. All of...

Read More
Restaurants
Another Sumptuous, Bistro-styled Meal at Baltimore's Petit Louis

I had a delicious meal with a group of friends, all of us bringing an array of blockbuster southern Rhônes. There were no surprises other than the youthfulness of the 1978...

Read More
Restaurants
Loading…