Mark Squires

Baumard's '02 Quarts de Chaume, a Loire icon, is a sweet Chenin Blanc, never close to cloying. It's solid and concentrated even at its age. Easy going, tasty and friendly, it adds a long finish, but most of all, it's focused and perfectly balanced. It seems youthful, but not in the puppy stage. It promises to age much longer. 12.5%, about $80 these days. No, I do not know how that label got destroyed, but I am innocent and the wine was perfectly stored.😁 #wine #loire #quartsdechaume  @baumard #d

Let the color speak for itself,😝 and the aromatics were even better! Ermelinda Freitas' 2000  Moscatel de Setúbal (Muscat of Alexandria) Superior is a fortified dessert-wine style able to hold pretty much indefinitely--based on tradition as well as tasting it. A whiff of brandy underneath is overwhelmed by the good fruit, aromatics and orange-y nuances.  It's got good concentration, of course--these always do--but this was only 5 years in barrel, so it's not one of the densest styles. It has a t

And now, the promised conclusion of the 1998 duology that began yesterday. 🎺🎺 When I pulled these '98 1-star "Urziger Wurzgarten" Auslese (JJ Christoffel) back last year, all the bottles had somewhat low fills, some evidence of seepage. Um, not a good sign on 27-year-old Riesling, right?  I was concerned! They mocked me. "Mark, you're being silly," they said.  You cannot ruin these; seems invulnerable. This, bottle 2 of the lot, is just as good as the first. Good color, ripe and dense, it adds a

This 1998 Rheinhessen "Niersteiner Pettenthal" Riesling Auslese from Franz-Karl Schmitt is on the darker side, but drinks far younger than it looks in color. Concentrated, with a bit of caramelized sugar, it is not as ripe or as youthful as the '98 Christoffel 1★ I also had then, but it might be more focused, and it is still prime time, if mature. The big apricot-tinged finish is hard to resist, by the way. This drinks well, a sophisticated entrant into the Riesling sweepstakes. More on that Chr

This is a right-bank Bordeaux-blend with Cab Franc and Merlot...except when it's not--it adds 20% Agiorgitiko (a.k.a. Saint George) and its red-fruit nuance. From 1990s 650-meter vineyards that border each other ("synoro"), this is a fresh and elegant red, a fine food wine. It has olives around the edges too and silky texture. It always keeps that ripe fruit up front, even as it matures and shows a little complexity. It has ample concentration and it's not shy (14.5%), but always very polite.  T

From granitic soil at 250 meters, this was a good pairing for 100F heat.😇 This is usually a steelier wine than their Classic brand, but in vintage 2017, maybe it too is a wee bit riper. A little! It's still focused, dry and crisp. The winery's products always age, so no surprise there (but "Granit" is not as old as a brand). Still in perfect shape, it adds tasty fruit. Hard to go wrong here. 13% alc. Mid-$20s these days. #wine #vinhoverde #portugal #alvarinho #drinks

This Finger Lakes winery has been planting Saperavi, a Georgian grape, since the 1960s. The expertise is hard won! This 2014 is pretty great, spicy, elegant, and aromatic. There's good acidity and big flavor on the finish, blackberries and tart black cherry. It's enlivening and youthful.The color is appropriately dark for this grape that is famous for dark color. This FLX pioneer does a great job with it. 13% alc., mid-$30s of late.  #wine #saperavi #fingerlakes #newyork #drinks

This "sur lies" Assyrtiko is a fave off of Santorini, also from an island (Evia). Solid in the mid-palate, fresh with a hint of stones, it adds ripe fruit and a tasty finish. It has the concentration to hold up to most typical foods. This is a cut above, not a low-end imitation. In that regard, mid-$30s.  It has time left, although it's on the brink of another stage of life, but this is a good time to dive in. 13.6% alc. #wine #greece #assyrtiko #drinks

This Pfalz Riesling Beerenauslese was just stunning. But then, I expect these to be immortal, more or less, and exceptional. Dense and seeming very concentrated, it had plenty of depth, but impressive balance too, the acidity easily keeping this fresh and lively. It had just a hint of racy! Of course, it's delicious. A super performance overall, but it's a sad tale, wine peeps. It's my own last bottle, so there's that, but also--Philipp Catoir told me they haven't produced a Beerenauslese (typi

I recently made a video on storage: how to age wine safely. It is worth pointing out that storage is not the only issue in doing that. Why do all these oldies I post on have such a high success rate? There's a reason! it isn't just luck. #wine #winestorage

So, here, I finally got a chance to see the new exhibit in Porto world of wine, or WOW. I managed to get a pretty upscale tour guide, a guy named Adrian Bridge. 😁You may have heard of him, he's the CEO of the Fladgate Group, which owns Taylor's Port, among others. It was a lot of fun. I liked it. I especially like the sensory part, but there's something for everyone. Here, Adrian describes the basics and gives the overview. #robertparker #wineadvocate #taylorfladgate

How do you open an 1880 port? Ut can be an adventure. My video. #port #robertparker #wineadvocate #ramospinto