Don's Gillette's Wine Blog
Musings from our store's resident wine guru
Don has over thirty years experience in the wine industry. For the last eighteen years his attention has been focused on the growing local industry. Don has a large following of customers who search out his opinions (never in short supply!) on new releases and on what's currently most distinctive on our shelves. Others seek his insights on wineries and trends that are still under the radar. Read Don's full bio...
Email Don directly with your wine-related questions.
Archives
- 2010.02.15: For Pinot, it Sometimes Comes in Waves
- 2009.12.31: Things to be Greatfull for in 2009
- 2009.11.25: Of Books, Movies and People Who Make an Impact
- 2009.11.20:
- 2009.09.21: Sometimes in Sonoma
- 2009.08.27: In Praise of the 89s
- 2009.08.10: The Paradoxes of Perfection: Part two of two
- 2009.07.26: Riding an Expanding Wave: Part one of two
- 2009.07.06: A Good Season for Oddballs
- 2009.07.01: Clubbing Away at the Pinot Noir Grape
- 2009.06.25: Five of a kind, more or less
- 2009.06.25: Apologies for the hiatus between this entry and the last. Responsibilities in other areas made it unavoidable.
- 2009.05.07: Standing with the Tall Trees
- 2009.04.13: I Run for the Rosé
- 2009.04.08: Mendocino in Motion
- 2009.03.25: Don's Blog is taking a week off and will resume on Tuesday March 31st.
- 2009.03.16: Worlds Apart
- 2009.03.10: Zazu & Zappa
- 2009.03.04: Breakfast of Champions
- 2009.02.16: Back for the Barrels
- 2009.02.10: Walking in the Red Earth
- 2009.02.03: Not Just a Football Weekend
- 2009.01.30: Strategies for Restocking the Larder
- 2009.01.19: Scratching Around Napa
- 2009.01.13: Pinot Noir: Regional Character as the Winemaker's Canvas...part five
- 2009.01.13: An apology
- 2008.12.09: Pinot Noir: Regional Character as the Winemaker's Canvas...part four
- 2008.12.03: Pinot Noir: Regional Character as the Winemaker's Canvas...part three
- 2008.11.26: Pinot Noir: Regional Character as the Winemaker's Canvas...part two
- 2008.11.18: Pinot Noir: Regional Character as the Winemaker's Canvas...part one
- 2008.11.11: The Distractions of Memory
- 2008.11.06: The Sin of Indifference
- 2008.10.28: Shattering Events
- 2008.10.21: Luck of the Harvest
- 2008.10.13: Versatile Viognier and the Wasabi-Chili Playpen
- 2008.10.08: Don is out most of this week. His blog will resume next Monday.
- 2008.09.30: Fertile Ground
- 2008.09.22: Migrating Birds and Fall Surprises
- 2008.09.10: Getting Clubbed?
- 2008.09.02: Don Gillette is on vacation and will not be posting a blog this week.
- 2008.08.25: '05 - '05 - '05
- 2008.08.18: Going Four for Four
- 2008.08.13: Green is the Valley
- 2008.08.07: Barrel Browsing on the Hills and down into the Valleys
- 2008.07.28: A Delicate, but Rewarding, Balance
- 2008.07.21: Staff Faves from Pinot Days
- 2008.07.15: Rolling the Dice at the Pinot Tables
- 2008.07.02: Smoky Nights and Pinot Days
- 2008.06.23: A Steady Hand at the Rudder
- 2008.06.16: Extra Warmth from the Solera
- 2008.06.09: Mediterranean Fantasies...
- 2008.06.02: It's a new dawn, it's a new day...
- 2008.05.19: In 2007, the Wind Blows Our Way
- 2008.05.12: Captivating Cabs
- 2008.05.05: A Memorable Anniversary
- 2008.04.28: Tis the Season
- 2008.04.21: Awash in Pinot
- 2008.04.14: 2007 Sonoma Pinot Noir: In search of a great harvest [Part Four]
- 2008.04.07: 2007 Sonoma Pinot Noir: In search of a great harvest [Part Three]
- 2008.04.03: 2007 Sonoma Pinot Noir: In search of a great harvest [Part Two]
- 2008.03.24: 2007 Sonoma Pinot Noir: In search of a great harvest [Part One]
- 2008.03.17: Biting the Apple
- 2008.03.10: Winemakers and their Babies
- 2008.03.04: Varietal Definition in the New World - Part Two
- 2008.02.19: Varietal Definition in the New World [Part one]
- 2008.02.10: Zapped Again - Part Two
- 2008.02.07: Zapped Again - Part One
- 2008.01.21: So foul and fair a day...
- 2008.01.14: Worth Waiting For
- 2008.01.07: Listing
- 2008.01.04: The Sun Has Set on 2007
- 2007.12.31: Happy Holidays!
- 2007.12.10: Pinot Fest! [Part Two]
- 2007.12.05: Pinot Fest! [Part One]
- 2007.11.25: Napa Valley, Saturday, November 17th - part two
- 2007.11.20: Napa Valley, Saturday, November 17th - part one
- 2007.11.12: 2006 California Pinot Noir: the early returns
- 2007.11.05: On Sabbatical
- 2007.10.29: California Merlot: A Split Personality
- 2007.10.21: Not an Accident -- Part Two
- 2007.10.15: Not an Accident -- Part One
- 2007.10.07: Goin' Up the Country . . . where the water tastes like wine... By Denise Johnson
- 2007.10.01: Manic Memories
- 2007.09.24: Calibrating Carter Reds
- 2007.09.17: Memory, Reverie and The Silly Season
- 2007.09.08: A Bit of Harvest-Time Advice and Etiquette
- 2007.09.02: Pinot Noir: Air it -- but try not to shake it
- 2007.08.27: A Lament for Lost Apples, sort of... [Part two]:
- 2007.08.20: A Lament for Lost Apples, sort of... [Part one]:
- 2007.08.15: Family Values
- 2007.08.06: My Third and Last Anniversary Blog! (By NVWE store manager, Denise Johnson)
- 2007.07.30: Another Anniversary! (By NVWE store manager, Denise Johnson)
- 2007.07.23: Anniversary Party!
- 2007.07.09: The Day After Pinot Days - Part Two
- 2007.07.03: The Day After Pinot Days - Part One
- 2007.06.25: Days of Heaven, Days of Pinot
- 2007.06.18: A Farewell to California Riesling
- 2007.06.11: The Roaring Wind - part three
- 2007.06.04: The Roaring Wind - part two
- 2007.05.28: The Roaring Wind - part one
- 2007.05.22: Cinco de Mayo in Napa Valley, Part Two
- 2007.05.18: Versant Vineyards
- 2007.05.12: Cinco de Mayo in Napa Valley, part one
- 2007.04.30: Saignee -- A Blissful Bi-Product
- 2007.04.23: Hospices of Sonoma
- 2007.04.09: Pinot Noir 101
- 2007.04.03: Valance - Halfway to Howell
- 2007.03.26: Saturday Night Special
- 2007.03.19: Pockets Full of Pinot
- 2007.03.12: The Pioneer Spirit
- 2007.03.05: Back in the Saddle Again
- 2007.02.27: Two Big Ones On The Way For Cab Lovers
- 2007.02.18: Sippin' in the Rain
- 2007.02.12: Barrel Fever
- 2007.01.29: Rising Standards
- 2007.01.15: Vineyards
- 2007.01.02: Mapping the Vines
- 2006.12.18: Bubbling Over
- 2006.12.11: Winter Comforts
- 2006.11.29: Welcome to our blog