Wine Spectator May 31, 2022

The most elusive of the great wine regions on earth is Burgundy. There exists an elite group of Burgundy lovers who spend their lives traveling and visiting the various domaines in a quest to better understand these sublime wines. However, most wine drinkers simply throw their hands up when it comes to navigating this region of spectacular, but often tiny, producers and vineyards. Beyond the well-known Domaine de la Romanée-Conti are a handful of other extraordinary winemakers, and one of them is the subject of our cover story. Domaine Armand Rousseau produces some of the greatest examples of Burgundian Pinot Noir by crafting wines with sensitivity to terroir and attentive winemaking, honed over a century. The domaine is run today by third-generation grower Eric Rousseau, who works closely with his daughter…

A Taste of Oregon As a longtime reader of Wine Spectator it was great to read the “Uncorking Memories” article in Tim Fish’s recent Oregon tasting report (March 31). It brought back memories of a tour of Oregon wine country in 1993 where I visited, sampled and bought many of the wines made by the principals of your story. In particular, I remember purchasing a jeroboam of Lynn [Penner-Ash’s] Pinot from when she was winemaker at Rex Hill. She graciously autographed the bottle and I drove it back to Minnesota, where I was living at the time. In 2001, as my wife and I were getting ready to relocate to Virginia, we broke the wax seal and served the wine at our farewell dinner for our closest friends and wine connoisseurs in…

Now In Our IGTV Archives FEB. 23 Rocco Lombardo, president, Wilson Daniels FEB. 16 Danny Haas, wine buyer, Vineyard Brands FEB. 9 Shannon Staglin, president, Staglin Family Vineyard FEB. 2 Elizabeth Bourcier, resident vigneronne, Cayuse Vineyards JAN. 26 Philana Bouvier, president, Demeine Estates JAN. 19 Pete Seghesio, founder, Journeyman Wines JAN. 12 Federica Boffa, president, Pio Cesare JAN. 6 Josh Scott, co-owner, Allan Scott Family Winemakers DEC. 29 Zak Miller, winemaker, Domaine Carneros DEC. 22 Maurizio Zanella, founder, Ca’ del Bosco DEC. 15 Michelle DeFeo, president, Champagne Laurent-Perrier WATCH ON INSTAGRAM Scan the QR code to start watching on our IGTV channel, or visit instagram.com/wine_spectator/channel…

One of Napa’s iconic wineries has changed hands, part of a generational shift in the premier U.S. wine region. Doug Shafer, president of Shafer Vineyards, announced Feb. 16 that Shinsegae Property, a major luxury-brand firm based in Seoul, South Korea, with department stores, shopping centers, golf resorts, hotels and other interests, has acquired the winery. Details were not disclosed, but the price tag is reportedly $250 million, which includes 225 acres of prime Napa vines. Shinsegae acquired the winery through its U.S. subsidiary Starfield Properties, Inc. Winemaker Elias Fernandez and the core staff will continue with the winery. Doug Shafer, who also will stay on, said in a statement to customers that he hopes the sale will allow him more time to focus on the things that made him fall in love…

Brad Pitt has filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife Angelina Jolie over the sale of her shares of Château Miraval, the southern French wine estate known for its rosé. In 2021—without Pitt’s knowledge, he claims—Jolie sold her stake to Tenute del Mondo, a division of the vodka company Stoli Group, owned by Russian businessman Yuri Shefler. The couple purchased a controlling interest in the winery in 2012 for approximately 25 million and held their wedding there in 2014. When they divorced two years later, Pitt alleges they agreed to a “mutual understanding” that neither would sell their shares without the other’s consent. Pitt’s goal is to void Jolie’s sale of the winery, which Pitt takes credit for turning into a “multimillion-dollar international success story and one of the world’s most highly regarded…

Wliament opted not to adopt proposals that would have required new warnings for alcohol and treated it like tobacco. The EU body was debating recommendations from the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA), including a proposal for health warnings on alcohol labels. A BECA report defined any form of alcohol consumption as a risk factor for a range of cancers, alongside tobacco, poor nutrition, a high body mass index, a sedentary lifestyle and environmental pollution. One recommendation: All alcohol should carry warning labels saying that there was no safe level of drinking. Pointing to the BECA’s reliance on a few controversial studies and the damage the rules would inflict on a historic industry, the EU amended the proposals to state that excessive drinking was harmful, not all drinking. Dolors Montserrat, a Parliament…