These are some of the finest wines ever in Coaltrain and some of the finest we have ever tasted. Actually, THEY ARE SOME OF THE FINEST WINES IN THE WORLD, Not cheap, but for Christmas we will take 10 percent off the purchase of any three. And, considering their weighty prices, that is a lot… [Continue Reading]

The winemaker, Dave Phinney, came upon the idea for these wines while studying in Florence. It must have inspired his genius, because these are staggering creations. Most of you already know them well. If not, grab some while they are available. 2010 The Prisoner, Napa, $38.99: When you ponder this label, you know the originators… [Continue Reading]

For a memorable wine gift, nothing can beat a big bottle. 1997 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon, Private Reserve, Napa, 1500ml, $224.99: Approaching prime time. 95 WA, 95 ST 1998 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, 1500ml, $229.99/Sale $199.99: Eminently suave Cabernet Sauvignon, with 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petite Verdot from this classic California winery. 2010 Orin… [Continue Reading]

2009 David Arthur Chardonnay, Napa, $42.99/Sale $38.99: You might think you are drinking a Puligny Montrachet when you sip this beauty. It’s made in a French manner…that is, the fruit is pressed in whole clusters and fermented in 50% new French oak and 50% neutral barrels. It then goes through a long malolactic fermentation. The… [Continue Reading]

The current crop of grower champagnes from importer, Terry Thiese has arrived. We have two excellent offerings from A. Margaine, which produces just 4000 cases from its six-hectare plot in the Montagne de Reims. Arnaud Margaine makes some spectacular chardonnay-based sparklers from an area most known for pinot noir. Try one of these rare gems… [Continue Reading]

Join us at our annual holiday debauch where many of our Christmas Sale wines are opened for your appraisal and delectation. We like to consider it our “try before you buy event.” This eagerly awaited, annual fete will take place at The Warehouse Restaurant on Thursday, December 8th from 6-8:30pm. The tariff per taster is… [Continue Reading]

2009 Point Concepción Celestina Pinot Grigio, Santa Barbara: $15.99: Few know that Pinot Grigio is a russet color upon ripening, not white. So, if you keep the juice on the skin for a couple days you end up with a pink-orange colored wine like this one. On the nose the wine gives strawberry and peach… [Continue Reading]

The great Duckhorn Vineyards in Napa Valley has been giving us formidable wines for over 30 years. A few years back they came out with a side line called, “Decoy.” These too are formidable wines, but at a lower price than the Duckhorn originals. The winery proclaims that the Decoys are “Everyday wine for the… [Continue Reading]

2007 Alain Burguet Gevrey-Chambertin, $72.99/$67.99: Gevrey power, but with the sweetness of red fruit characteristic of the 2009 Burgundy vintage. 2000 Aldo Conterno Gran Busia Barolo, $252.99: From the vintage the Wine Spectator dubbed Barolo’s greatest. This we believe to be the greatest wine from that hallowed harvest. 2006 Sandrone Barolo, Le Vigne, $128.99: One… [Continue Reading]

It does make you wonder…excellent wines coming from ordinary vineyard sites and heavy, overdone wines coming from traditionally fine vineyard settings. We wondered about this until we spent part of an afternoon tasting and talking with Johannes Selbach, famed proprietor of his namesake winery in the dizzying heights over the Mosel River. We were pouring… [Continue Reading]

Barolo, Langhe, Piemonte, Italy — Chiara Boschis may be small of stature, but she has the heart of a lioness. She owns and operates the historic E. Pira winery on the main corner of the village of Barolo. For nearly 30, years she has done the lion’s share of the winery and vineyard work. It… [Continue Reading]

Up the Ballard Canyon, 25 miles from the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara County, reside the vineyards of Stolpman. It’s a felicitous setting…climate, southern exposure and limestone soil. No herbicides, fungicides or pesticides are used in their vineyards. The natural ecosystem is promoted through the establishment of natural habitats including hawk perches and owl boxes…. [Continue Reading]

Not only are Coaltrain’s Junior Courtesy Clerks trained to give flawless service, they are also tutored in the most obscure minutiae of wine. In this latter regard, several Courtesy Clerks were just spotted in the wine village of Fully in the Swiss Valais. This is the land of the mysterious Petite Arvine. They combed the… [Continue Reading]

Ever since Hubert de Montille shined as one of the few people with integrity (scalawags like Michel Roland and James Suckling appeared) in the earthshaking wine documentary, Mondovino, we have been super fans of his estate. His son, Etienne, has largely taken over the operation now and the wines keep getting better and better. We… [Continue Reading]

Recently, we stumbled upon a great little Napa winery called “Phoenix Ranch.” It specializes in wines similar to the regal wines of the North Rhone River Valley of France where the wondrous Hermitage, Cote Rotie and Condrieu are made. Though in Napa Valley, the Phoenix Ranch’s vineyards are situated closer to Carneros than more northerly… [Continue Reading]

Sometimes we forget that not all the great wines in the world have to come from the Old World. On a recent trip to Napa, we were once again reminded that Napa Valley produces some incredible wines. We were privileged to visit some of the top wineries in the valley: Harlan, Araujo, Robert Foley (former… [Continue Reading]

We have received an inordinate number of delicious Cotes-du-Rhone lately. Not that we don’t always have a respectable volume of fine Cotes-du-Rhone. But the bounty of superb recent vintages is coming in the backdoor of Coaltrain. So we thought we’d point a few out to you so you don’t miss the party. By the way,… [Continue Reading]

Verona, Italy — This “way in” city sits on a turn of the Adige river, at the foot of the Italian Alps. A temptation resides at almost every twist of its narrow passageways. A stately Roman coliseum forms its hub. It has given us Shakespeare’s “Two Gentlemen” and those passionate young lovers, Romeo and Giulietta…. [Continue Reading]

If you are careful, you can find excellent sub-$50 Barolos and Barbarescos these days. This is partially because of the streak of superb recent vintages and the fact that the world wine market is a bit flat. So, except for a handful of the biggest names, the wines’ prices have stabilized or even come down… [Continue Reading]