THIS ISSUE
MAY 31, 2020 • WINE SPECTATOR 9DAVIDYELLENW
e are now living in a golden age for Napa
Valley wine. It feels so powerful that it’s
hard to believe how recently the region
began its ascent—in the 1930s, just after
the Repeal of Prohibition.
In fact, this extraordinary era can be traced in a single life
span, through the remarkable story of Robin Lail, the subject of
our cover story in this issue.
Lail is the daughter of John Daniel Jr., who as the owner of
Inglenook made some of Napa’s best wines in the 1930s and
onward through his sale of the estate in the mid-1960s. Robert
Mondavi hired Lail in the 1970s, and she later worked for Bill
Harlan, helping him transform Meadowood Estate into a gather-
ing place for Napa Valley vintners. Now she is running her own
winery, Lail Vineyards, joined by her two daughters.
Lail has been an insider’s insider in the contemporary history
of Napa Valley. It’s been quite a life, yet she has never gotten the
attention and credit she deserves. We hope our profile, by senior
editor MaryAnn Worobiec, will help to rectify that.
Lail will soon publish her memoirs, and we highly recommend
reading them—accompanied by a glass of wine, of course, from
her estate or one of her mentors’. The experience will bring Na-
pa’s golden age to life.W
ant to become a better taster and have fun with your
friends in the process? In this issue, we help you cre-
ate a wine-tasting party that is entertaining, educa-
tional and delicious.
To be your guide, we recruited Aldo Sohm, one of New York’s
top sommeliers. Sohm’s main job is wine director at Le Bernar-
din, which holds our Best of Award of Excellence for its wine
list and is arguably the best seafood restaurant in the city. But
he also operates a namesake wine bar just next door, more casual
but just as devoted to excellence.
Sohm and his chef, Keyvin Adams, worked with us to put to-
gether a perfect wine-tasting party plan. We chose three wine
types, and paired each flight of three wines with a dish designed
to showcase their attributes. You can prepare the food ahead of
time, then sit down with your guests to try the wines—blind of
course—to understand the different styles and how they match
with your tastes, and with the food. With Sohm’s guidance, we
guarantee you’ll end the evening with more knowledge and
greater confidence than when you began.
There’s plenty of other wine coverage here too, with reports
on the bountiful 2017 vintage for red Burgundy, new releases of
California Sauvignon Blanc for springtime sipping, and reds and
whites from Chile’s expanding terroirs.
And, finally, we will continue to update our readers on theCOVID-19 virus’ impact on the wine and hospitality industries;
visit WineSpectator.com for our ongoing coverage. We hope our
readers are safe and well, and our thoughts go out to all affected
by the pandemic. At press time, we are attempting to reschedule
our Grand Tour tastings, planned to stop in Chicago, Las Vegas
and Washington, D.C., this year.Marvin R. Shanken
Editor and PublisherThomas Matthews
Executive EditorRobin Lail
WS053120_marvinRev.indd 9 3/18/20 11:08 AM