Balaban’s Wine Shop and Restaurant: St. Louis’ Destination for Wine Lovers

I traveled to St. Louis steadily over the past five years and only discovered Balaban’s wine shop and restaurant on the evening celebrating the sale of our St. Louis business and the conclusion of my regular travel to the city.  Had I known about the wine lover’s destination sooner, it would have been a regular [...]

Leonetti Cellars Merlot Vertical Tasting: Proves Ageability and Quality

In the late 1980′s before the Walla Walla Valley appellation blossomed into more than 100 wineries farming over 1,800 acres of vineyards in a particularly dry region blessed with extended growing seasons, pioneers Gary Figgins and Rick Small slipped onto my developing list of world class winemakers.  I made sure their releases beat regular paths [...]