Jakienle

The Humana-Aetna deal was one of two mergers that would have reshaped the U.S. health insurance landscape. Both were rejected by federal judges as anticompetitive. Anthem hasn't given up on its deal—a $48 billion pact to acquire Cigna—and is pressing ahead with an appeal.

Citing concern about a state statute governing debt repayment, Standard & Poor’s said that it has placed a 90-day watch on the rating for loans to all Indiana school districts.

The Pence administration in September said it had agreed to lease the state's existing cell towers to help the state fund its bicentennial projects and expand broadband capacity.

On Thursday, Indiana legislators will begin debating a proposed law that could eventually eliminate much of the financial benefit Indiana homeowners, businesses and even some churches currently reap harvesting the sun's rays.

The developer who is planning a $260 million redevelopment of the downtown property says a contaminant has seeped into the adjacent Chatham Arch area.

The White House says it won’t revoke former President Barack Obama’s 2014 executive order prohibiting workplace discrimination among federal contractors based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The statement, made last week, was issued to address rumors that the Trump administration was drafting a “religious freedom” executive order that might curtail LGBTQ rights. The announcement was surprising in at least one sense: Trump had pledged to target Obama’s executive actions. It’s a promise he made throughout the campaign, including in January of last year in Burlington, Vermont, where he said: “[Obama] just goes along and signs executive orders for everything … because that’s easy to do. I’ll tell you, the one good thing about an executive order is that the new president [can] come and with just a signature, they’re all gone.”

Trump is correct: Incoming presidents can undo past presidents’ executive actions by revoking them with their own executive actions. Indeed, many observers expected Trump’s first couple of weeks in office to include a raft of revocations. But that hasn’t happened. (Not yet, at least.) Revocation, especially of popular Obama actions, may be postponed, given Trump’s limited popularity. Instead, Trump has been using executive orders to act fast on his other campaign promises, seemingly eager to demonstrate that he is a man of “action and impact.”

“Executive action” is a catch-all term for the options that presidents have to make public and administrative policy unilaterally and independent of Congress. These actions include executive orders, proclamations and memoranda. Executive orders are aimed at people and agencies inside government (e.g., an order to the Department of Homeland Security requiring that it follow a specific procedure for disposing of trash at the Canadian border), while proclamations are ceremonial announcements directed at people outside of government, like the declaration of a national holiday. Both executive orders and proclamations are easy to track; the 1935 Federal Register Act required that they be cataloged and numbered. Memoranda are similar to executive orders but are not subject to the same reporting requirements. These are published when presidents determine that they have a legal effect, which makes tracking them more difficult — presidents can pick and choose which memoranda are published and which are not. Increasingly, presidents have come to rely on memoranda to avoid what political scientist Kenneth Lowande has referred to as the appearance of “imperial overreach” associated with executive orders.

In his first two weeks, Trump issued seven executive orders. In terms of volume, this is on par with Obama, who issued nine orders in his first two weeks. George W. Bush issued two, and Bill Clinton issued three. Unlike Obama, however, Trump has yet to use his unilateral powers to make any significant revocations of past presidents’ orders. Obama revoked six orders in his first two weeks.

Two weeks is just two weeks. Trump may still get to revoking, and Obama’s executive orders may still be a particular target. According to data gathered from the National Archives, a president is more likely to revoke the executive orders of his immediate predecessor than orders from older administrations.

Here’s the raw number of executive order revocations for every president since Franklin D. Roosevelt:

And here’s the share of each president’s total revocations that were of orders issued by the previous president:

About 80 percent of revocations issued by Obama were of executive orders issued by his predecessor (George W. Bush). Same for George H.W. Bush, even though Bush’s predecessor was also a Republican — and his former boss (Bush served as Ronald Reagan’s vice president).

There have, however, been presidents who have taken the scalpel to a broader section of history. Reagan revoked 122 of Harry Truman’s executive orders, and Richard Nixon revoked more of John F. Kennedy’s executive actions than those of Lyndon Johnson, whom he succeeded.

So don’t be surprised if the Trump administration begins more fervently crossing out past executive actions. Based on history, Trump is more likely to focus on Obama’s actions. But if Trump and his advisers are truly set on remaking Washington, they could take a broader focus, like Reagan and Nixon did.

Of course, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Trump’s orders themselves could one day be on the chopping block. And there are reasons to think Trump’s executive actions so far are particularly unlikely to survive.

In looking at the revocation of executive orders from 1937 to 2013, political scientist Sharece Thrower found a few patterns.

First, presidents are less likely to revoke executive orders issued by popular presidents, for fear of a public backlash. Trump’s orders so far don’t have that protection; more people disapprove of his job performance than approve, so far. Moreover, several of the orders are themselves unpopular, or at least not broadly popular. For instance, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll released in January, only 37 percent of Americans are in favor of building the border wall, one subject of Trump’s border security and immigration enforcement order. Public approval of Trump’s immigration order, which imposed a temporary ban on travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries, is more complicated: Thousands of people turned up at airports around the country to protest, but polls show the country about evenly split on the measure. If support for those orders increases by the time a new president takes office, they’ll be likelier to survive. If support remains mixed — or drops further — there will be less of a disincentive for the next chief executive to do away with them.

Second, orders that are based on strong authority (e.g., a constitutional clause and a specific law) that enhance the scope of executive branch influence are more durable than actions that do less to broadly expand executive branch power; presidents tend to choose institutional preservation over revocation, even if the order was issued by a president of the opposing party. An example of this is Obama’s decision to not revoke George W. Bush’s faith-based initiatives, which provided government resources to religious and community organizations. Instead of revoking the order, withdrawing the stake of the executive branch in influencing these sorts of organizations, Obama merely amended the order to also include “neighborhood organizations.” At least one of Trump’s executive orders — the one restricting immigration — is already subject to legal challenges. If the order’s basis in legal authority is weak, it’s vulnerable to revocation (if the legal actions against it fail). On the other hand, the challenges to Trump’s order revolve around how much unfettered authority the president has over immigration, so if it survives, there will likely be some incentive for a future president to defend it.

Third, orders that were issued when the opposing party controlled at least one chamber of Congress have been more durable, because they tend to be more politically moderate in nature. Moderation is necessary, even for executive action, if the threat of congressional opposition is present. Orders issued under this condition have a longer life span, according to Thrower’s analysis. Trump, of course, is insulated from this opposition, as Republicans control both chambers of Congress. And several of the orders issued thus far by Trump — those on immigration and border security — have not been politically moderate. Indeed, some bipartisan opposition has formed against the immigration order, so it could be rescinded or narrowed before a new president can revoke it.

The possibility that an executive order will be revoked by a future president is a powerful check on a current president’s unilateral actions, but for Trump, the reality of that threat is four or eight years away. As a strategy, then, the White House’s issuing of executive actions — circumventing more traditional channels like bargaining with Congress — to push through Trump’s agenda could pay off, at least in the short term. But if his executive actions continue to draw legal challenges and the public continues to voice its disapproval, the legislative and judicial checks on presidential powers may be unleashed.

Building the City of Spectacle: Mayor Richard M. Daley and the Remaking of Chicago
by Costas Spirou and Dennis R. Judd

Richard M. Daley took office as mayor of Chicago in 1989. The city was at a low ebb following the bitter racial conflicts of the so-called Council Wars period, when a largely white city council fought to stymie Harold Washington, Chicago’s first black mayor. During Daley’s 22 years in office, many of the Windy City’s neighborhoods gentrified, in part because of a blizzard of municipal-improvement projects originating with or approved by city hall. When Daley departed in 2011 after six terms, the city remained deeply racially divided and was teetering on the edge of a fiscal crisis. Costas Spirou and Dennis R. Judd’s Building the City of Spectacle traces the remarkable two-decade transformation of Chicago under Mayor Daley.

As part of his strategy to revitalize the struggling city, Daley embarked on a series of lakefront megaprojects: rerouting roads and eliminating highway crossings; authorizing multiple expansions of the McCormick Place convention center; and championing the renovation of Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears. Reconstructing Navy Pier turned the neglected Near North Side landmark into a tourist-oriented entertainment venue, similar to San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. Navy Pier is now Illinois’s most popular tourist attraction, with about 9 million annual visitors. Daley tore up the runway at Meigs Field Airport in 2003 and created a 91-acre waterfront park out of Northerly Island. In 2004, he opened the 25-acre Millennium Park in the heart of downtown, featuring highly regarded attractions from internationally renowned architects and artists such as Frank Gehry and Anish Kapoor.

Building the City of Spectacle largely ignores Daley’s non-lakefront projects, such as investments at Midway and O’Hare airports and the Block 37 boondoggle, in which the mayor spent $200 million on an abandoned shell of an underground high-speed rail terminal on State Street. The book paints Daley as the heir to urban master planner Daniel Burnham, who was famous for saying, “Make no small plans.” Like Daley, Burnham focused heavily on revamping Chicago’s shoreline and envisioned an ambitious lakefront park system. But the authors say that Daley’s legacy is perhaps better compared with that of Robert Moses, who, before he could become a master builder, first had to become a power broker.

Initially, many Chicagoans wrote Daley off as a lightweight. His father, Mayor Richard J. Daley, died in 1976 after 21 years in office and was credited with sparing Chicago from the midcentury decline that befell most Rust Belt cities. The younger Daley’s critics vastly underestimated his political skills until it was too late to stop him from dominating city politics.

Daley steadily acquired power, working hard to win over Chicago’s African-American population, defusing the open animosity that had characterized the Council Wars years, and bringing the city’s emerging Latino population into his coalition. By appointing loyalists to vacant positions, Daley gradually reshaped the city council into a veritable rubber stamp for his agenda. He also managed to secure the absolute backing of Chicago’s corporate community and civic elite, who provided him enough cash to ensure “shock and awe” victories over successive opponents. He ultimately accumulated enough political power to push through whatever he wanted, good or bad.

Toward the end of his administration, Daley’s leadership became increasingly autocratic. His final term was marred by two terrible decisions. A $1.2 billion deal to lease operation of the city’s parking meters for 75 years drew the ire of Chicagoans, and a failed bid for the 2016 Olympics consumed civic attention while the city’s finances deteriorated. When Daley left office in 2011, his approval ratings had bottomed out, and the deeply segregated and economically divided city was broke. Still, downtown was poised for a major boom.

Spirou and Judd declare Daley’s legacy mixed, but some of their conclusions are questionable. They overstate, for instance, how much power Daley needed to consolidate in order to pull off his lakefront projects. Most major cities, including those without domineering mayors, have also constructed expensive capital projects like stadiums and convention centers. Daley’s vaunted power was more consequential when it came to pushing through bad policy moves like the botched parking-meter privatization and the Olympic bid, or in his unwillingness to use his power to make painful fiscal decisions.

The book also largely ignores the improvements Daley made to Chicago’s less flashy neighborhoods. He returned from a trip to Paris demanding that the city install wrought-iron fencing around parks and other spaces. He rolled out bike lanes and implemented streetscape improvements with new trees, median planters, and decorative street lights. And he started the process of rehabilitating the Chicago Transit Authority’s aging elevated lines and stations. These initiatives changed Chicago for the better and arguably contributed more to the city’s revival than the major lakefront projects.

Millennium Park, which many regard as a world-class urban treasure, is the one megaproject that clearly defines Daley’s legacy in a positive way. Construction ran vastly over budget and took years longer than projected, but Chicagoans rightly see the park as worth the wait and the price. Filled with highly regarded art and architecture, the park instantly became a popular gathering place for a diverse collection of locals and tourists. Unfortunately, Millennium Park wasn’t enough to cancel out Daley’s bad moves; current mayor Rahm Emanuel has spent much of his time in office grappling with their consequences.

Daley is rarely seen or heard from anymore, but Chicago can’t afford to ignore the hard lessons of his long tenure at the pinnacle of Windy City politics. Building the City of Spectacle is a good first step in exploring his complicated legacy.

The review originally appeared in City Journal on January 27, 2017. Cover image via City Journal.

Earlier today Caterpillar announced that it was moving its corporate headquarters from Peoria to Chicago. The move affects about 300 top-level executives. The company will retain a large presence in Peoria.

This is in line with what I’ve written about before: the rise of the executive headquarters, where a company moves its executive suite (anywhere from 50-500 people) to a major city like Chicago while leaving the back office elsewhere.

Chicago has benefitted from this more than any other city I know. In addition to many corporate HQ relocations from the suburbs, it lured ADM from downstate Decatur, ConAgra from Omaha, and even MillerCoors from Milwaukee.

These are all food/agriculture or industrial concerns. That’s right in line with Chicago’s industrial heritage.

I would assume there’s a real possibility every major agricultural or industrial company in the US interior that’s not already headquartered in a major city like Minneapolis may make a similar move to Chicago. I’m sure World Business Chicago already has its target list compiled and is making calls.

This exposes two major divides in the American economy.

The first is between cities positioned advantageously vs. disadvantageously. Chicago is the former (along with Boston, San Francisco, Dallas, etc). Peoria, along with most sub-million metro areas with an industrial heritage, is the latter. It’s simply difficult to keep higher end jobs in these cities. This robs of them of not just some high wage positions, but also significant talent firepower that could be invested in civic betterment.

The second is between those who are prospering with high skills, and those who are not. Chicago has a serious murder problem that’s been making global headlines for two years. It also has a huge financial problem on its hands, especially in the school district.

This doesn’t seem to be affecting business recruitment. CAT and others have not been scared off. This shows that, so far at least, Chicago and its successful segments can succeed even while the impoverished black and Latino areas of the city fail, and as many other industrial cities fall into decline.

In other words, this is another example of the decoupling of success in America. Those who are succeeding in America no longer need the overall prosperity of the country in order to personally do well. They can become enriched as a small, albeit sizable, minority.

Trump’s election was an intrusion into that success caused by those resentful from being left behind. The election of leftist mayors in the style of Bill de Blasio is another such reaction.  It’s very clear from what I see and hear in global cities that those who are succeeding wish those who are not would hurry up and die or just go away. They pretty much say it explicitly when it come to the white working class, and you can believe they are thinking it when it comes poor blacks.

There are cumulatively a lot of angry people out there, who are not blind to what items like CAT’s relocation imply. This inequality is only a recipe for further political upheaval and unrest.

 

Judges have an aggressive timeline for making the decision whether to move courts to the Twin Aire neighborhood with the city's proposed criminal justice complex.

Bourbon's economic potency is getting stronger with age, increasing its impact on Kentucky by $1 billion in the past two years as global demand for American whiskeys continues to grow. Indiana has its own growing whiskey business.

Esteemed chef Greg Hardesty recently announced the closing of his Midtown restaurants, Recess and Room Four. After letting us into his home kitchen a few years ago, we have to wonder: Where will he wash his own dishes now? Here’s the story, from 2013.   Greg Hardesty doesn’t care what anyone says: You can’t get food to taste as good at home as when it’s made in a restaurant. He insists his recipes taste better when they come off the line at Recess and Room Four—maybe it’s those old, seasoned pans. So for family meals, Hardesty does most of the major prepping and cooking at his restaurant and treats his personal kitchen as an assembly area. CABINETS Former homeowner John Vanausdall, president of the Eiteljorg…View Original Post

Dorman Street Saloon Here lies the deepest jukebox in the city. Four years ago, IM named the Dorman Street Saloon our favorite dive bar. While that endorsement stands, we’re probably guilty of corrupting the term a bit, as most dives provide serviceable swill in unmemorable surroundings—watering holes, emphasis on the hole. But if “The Hog”—established in 1900—is classless, it’s only in the democratic sense of the word. Spend enough time in the friendly Cottage Home haunt and you’ll find a clientele that spans generations, cliques, and tastes, from retirees on pensions drinking pulls of Sun King to hipsters nursing bottles of PBR and sidecars of Jameson. So you don’t go to the Dorman Street Saloon to see how the other half lives. There is no…View Original Post

Architecturally stunning, this four-bedroom home on the northeast side has been the subject of gushing blog posts on Curbed.com and the popular U.K.-based blog WowHaus. According to Realtor Joe Shoemaker of Encore Sotheby’s International Realty, the listing’s web traffic went off the charts, with 10,000 virtual tour views in two weeks. Yet the house remained on the market for a couple of months. “In Chicago, it would have been a whole other game,” Shoemaker says. Perhaps house hunters here see more of a renovation headache than a forever home with design cred. They aren’t completely wrong, but they might be surprised.  1. Roof. The house is surrounded by trees, so the owners are going to find themselves frequently cleaning off debris and checking for any…View Original Post

Public offerings by Google, Facebook and other technology companies created paths for a lucky few to become billionaires. Snap’s offering looks to be no exception.

Indianapolis-based developer Milhaus is marketing a massive package of multifamily properties that includes several high-profile developments in Indianapolis.

This fiercely structured red from Provence is a great wine for winter.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is one of the most famous and historically significant appellations of the southern Rhône.

Traditionally it is a powerful, intense red wine with ripe and spicy red and black fruit flavours, a full body and often high alcohol levels. However, the style is beginning to shift towards a more balanced and nuanced expression. This is becoming an increasingly difficult task amidst a hotter, drier and more unpredictable climate.

There are 22 varieties permitted in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The most widely used varieties in the red wines are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre.

It is Grenache that brings high alcohol levels and sometimes a jammy profile to Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines. The grape is also responsible for the charm and ageworthiness of these great wines.

Retail prices for Châteauneuf-du-Pape can be high. If you are looking for a similar style at a friendlier price point, Decanter’s tasting team have recommended 12 Châteauneuf-du-Pape alternatives worth trying.

An obvious starting point is to look for wines from other appellations within the Rhône valley. Here we can find similar blends of grape varieties, soils and climates, for example Lirac AOC which features in the list below.

The list also includes wines from elsewhere in France, for example the Coume del Mas, Quadratur 2019 from Collioure in the Roussillon. Arguably its flagship grape variety, Grenache is widely planted throughout the Roussillon, with many old vine plantings. This wine offers flavours of ripe blackberries and plums and a savoury, meaty complexity.

There are also some picks from further afield including Spain, USA, South Africa and Australia.

Grenache and Syrah feature heavily in the list, but there are also some more unusual picks that should offer a similar flavour profile, such as the Spanish variety Prieto Precudo.

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12 Châteauneuf-du-Pape alternatives:

Wines shown in score order

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Related content:

Regional profile: Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2019 report

Châteauneuf-du-Pape red wines to contain more white grapes

The post 12 alternatives to Châteauneuf-du-Pape appeared first on Decanter.

After spending a good chunk of the season in the D-League, Yogi is back and is cooking.

After recently being signed to a 10-day contract, the Yogi Ferrell Era in Dallas has started off with a bang.

On Sunday night, Ferrell and the Mavs traveled to San Antonio to take on the Spurs. Ferrell finished with nine points, seven assists, two steals and zero turnovers while knocking a pair of big free throws left to secure a 105-101 win.

Ferrell followed it up on Monday night with an even bigger performance against a bigger foe. Hosting the Cavaliers, Ferrell out-dueled Kyrie, going off for 19 points, five rebounds, three assists, four steals and just two turnovers.

The lesson here? The Brooklyn Nets have once again proved why they are the Brooklyn Nets.

The number of transplants performed in Indiana last year hit an 11-year high, up about 6 percent from a year before, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

With players like Ezekiel Elliott and Joey Bosa leading the way, the Buckeyes have starred at the professional level.

“At the very least, it's safe to say that the Ohio State Buckeyes just sent one of the best draft classes the league has ever seen into the NFL.”

- Bill Barnwell, ESPN

When you stack up this most recent draft class of rookies from Ohio State, it’s hard to pick a better group of rookies in the NFL, ever. That might be lofty praise, but in reality, it’s hard to match what the former Buckeyes have done on the football field this past season. Just to start things off at the top of the list, you have Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott, who just had one of the best seasons by a rookie running back in NFL history and Joey Bosa, who is an obvious choice for Defensive Rookie of the Year. From there, you have Taylor Decker, who started at left tackle all season for a Detroit Lions team that made it to the playoffs and Michael Thomas who played with the New Orleans Saints (and where he hauled in 92 receptions, the second-most ever from a rookie receiver) where he had 1,137 receiving yards on the year.

It doesn’t stop there, and even that alone may have been enough to determine this class as the best ever. When you throw in guys like Eli Apple, who was an impact corner for the New York Giants, and defenders Vonn Bell, Darron Lee, and Adolphus Washington, who all had solid individual seasons on subpar teams, the case gets even stronger. Cardale Jones didn’t have much of an impact but Braxton Miller did start in six games for the Houston Texans this season.

“We had talked about it together. But we actually didn’t all expect to have the exact same room as we did last year. Nobody really expected that because that rarely happens. Obviously we love playing with each other and the fact that we all wanted to come back, we’re all happy. Now that it has happened, we’ve got a lot to prove and a lot of responsibility to perform like one of the best units on the team.”

- Sam Hubbard via Austin Ward, ESPN

There was surely a slight sigh of relief for Urban Meyer and the rest of the Ohio State coaching staff when several key defensive linemen decided they wanted to come back for another season with the Buckeyes. After all, Tyquan Lewis - the Big Ten defensive lineman of the year - could have easily jumped to the NFL. The same could really be said for the physical freak that is Sam Hubbard who will help provide a pass rush on the other end of the defensive line. Another junior that could have potentially gone on to the NFL was Jalyn Holmes, who returns for another season.

When you stop to consider the talent around those three already coming back, the potential for Ohio State’s defensive line in 2017 is scary high. Nick Bosa, Dre’Mont Jones, and even someone like Tracy Sprinkle who suffered a season-ending injury in the first game against Bowling Green, could see a lot of time and make a large impact next year. The Buckeyes have been fortunate to have some of the better defensive lines in the country the past several years and 2017 is shaping up to be no different as the unit will likely anchor a defense that is losing quite a bit of talent in the secondary.

“[Ezekiel Elliott] is the first Cowboys player to win SN's award since Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett in 1977, and the third overall. The other winner also was a running back, Calvin Hill, in 1969.”

- Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News

Despite his team being knocked out in the playoffs, Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was named Sporting News’ Rookie of the Year for 2016. The former Buckeye was simply sensational in his first year in the NFL, rushing for 1,631 yards and 16 touchdowns and only fell short of Eric Dickerson’s rookie numbers as a running back. He also helped the Cowboys enter the playoffs as the top seed with a 13-3 record on the season. It’s also worth noting that Elliott only played in 13 games, none of those games missed from injury, but rather his team making sure he stayed rested for the postseason.

As the article above points out, what’s impressive about Elliott’s numbers are not just in the stats themselves but rather that he’s not in a league that relies on workhorse running backs anymore. If anything, it’s a quarterback’s league and the MVP voting shows that, as Elliott was joined by players such as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Matt Ryan.

STICK TO SPORTS:

• Five finalists will try and land a spacecraft on the moon this year to win the Google Lunar X prize.
• Selfies just went to a whole other level.
• Here’s why Amazon beating Netflix to a Best Picture Oscar nomination matters.

Woody vs. Jim vs. Urban.

Ohio State has had three head coaches since the 1950s that have won at least as many national championships as Michigan has since 1948. Woody Hayes, Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer all reached the pinnacle of college football within their first four seasons of coaching.

For Hayes, his first five seasons were simply the start of an incredible 28-year career that saw him win five national championships and 13 Big-Ten championships. For Tressel, his first five seasons were followed by back-to-back national championship losses and ultimately the end of his time with the Buckeyes.

No one knows how Meyer’s final five seasons at Ohio State will go. The recruits sure look great now, but only time will tell if Meyer can cement himself as the greatest Buckeyes coach ever.

With that said, Meyer has now been at Ohio State for five seasons, it’s the #offseason, and I’m itching to do some comparing. Which Ohio State coach had the greatest first five seasons? Let’s first take a look some of each coach’s key statistics.

Overview

Those are three very impressive resumes, but it’s clear each coach has an edge in certain areas. Let’s dive into five key categories and see who comes out on top.

Michigan. Edge: Urban

Meyer is the the clear leader against That Team Up North at 5-0. He’s won against mostly solid Michigan teams as well, as his wins include three wins over top-20 Michigan teams. Meyer’s clear highlight was beating No. 3 ranked Michigan 30-27 in double OT in 2016, though his dominant 42-13 win over Jim Harbaugh and company in 2015 was legendary in its own right.

Tressel also killed it against Michigan, just like he said he would from day one. His 4-1 record came against five-consecutive ranked Michigan squads. Tressel’s signature win came at home against No. 12 Michigan in 2002 to go to the national championship, but shout-out to the 2004 Buckeyes for shocking No. 7 Michigan at home 37-21 in a huge upset.

Hayes lost two of his first three games against the Wolverines, but had back-to-back decisive victories in 1954 and 1955. After clinching a Rose Bowl berth after a 21-7 victory in 1954, Hayes traveled to Ann Arbor in 1955 and earned the only shutout among the group: a 17-0 victory of No. 6 Michigan.

Big Games. Edge: Jim Tressel

Hayes went 11-3-1 against the top-25, notching the fewest losses among the three coaches, but this category has to go to big-game Jim.

Tressel was consistently playing the country's best, as his 27 games against top-25 competition were eight more than Meyer and 12 more than Hayes. Tressel made a point of balling out against top-10 competition, notching a very solid 6-2 record. Where he truly stood out was in bowl games, where his 4-1 record surpasses Meyer’s 3-2 mark.

Meyer is an impressive 15-4 against top-25 competition, but Tressel’s early-career bowl success is overwhelming. Unfortunately for Hayes, only the Big-Ten champion was eligible to play in a bowl game (the Rose Bowl) up until 1975. That’s okay, because Hayes didn’t need to travel far to establish his legacy.

Conference Play. Edge: Woody Hayes

Hayes owned the Big Ten and is the only coach of the group to have two outright Big-Ten championship. He finished 24-7-2 overall against the Big Ten during his first five seasons and he didn’t lose in-conference in 1954 or 1955.

Tressel’s two Big-Ten championships included one that was shared in 2005. His 30-10 record against the Big Ten includes as many losses as Meyer and Hayes had combined during their first five seasons.

Meyer’s 40-3 record against the Big Ten is incredible. It’s not his fault his 2012 team didn’t have a chance to compete for championship glory, but even then he didn’t ever possess the same stranglehold on the conference that Hayes did. Sure, Meyer’s incredible two-year start against the Big Ten was great, but it culminated in a crushing defeat against Michigan State. Hayes managed to win all 13 of his Big-Ten matchups during 1954 and 1955 and helped establish the Buckeyes’ dominance over their conference.

Titles. Edge: Push

Each coach managed to secure one national championship. No one had an opportunity to win two, though teams in 1955, 2003, 2015 and 2016 certainly came close.

Overall Excellence. Edge: Urban

Meyer’s domination is simply unparalleled. He’s had two win streaks longer than anything that either Hayes or Tressel managed to string together during their first five years. Meyer’s 61-6 record is preposterous, but I think the most ridiculous stat is the fact that Meyer managed to score more points during his first five years than both Tressel and Hayes combined.

Tressel + Hayes point total = 2664. Meyer = 2731.

While Meyer earns this blogger’s approval, this study truly reflects the embarrassment of riches Ohio State has had at head coach for the better part of the last 60 years. Here’s to continued success in 2017 and beyond.

This year’s wine guide will come in handy whether you’re just getting into wine or are a seasoned enthusiast looking for tips on what to seek out in 2017. It’s organized by style of wine (from bold reds to light whites) with a focus on which regions, varieties, and vintages to seek out all year long.

Vintage Overview: We compiled vintage ratings and vintage assessments from Berry Bros & Rudd, Wine Advocate, Jancis Robinson, Wine Institute, and other regional sites into one simple, user-friendly chart:

Wine Vintage Chart 2010–2016

The 2017 Wine Buying Guide For Red & White Wines

Full-Bodied Red Wines Cabernet, Malbec, Syrah, Etc.

Lovers of full-bodied red wines love wines from regions with tons of sunshine and relative dryness. It’s in these unique conditions that warm climate grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Mourvèdre, and Zinfandel achieve their ideal ripeness (and develop sweeter tannins).

Italy

Central and Southern Italy had a string of highly consistent vintages from 2012–2016 so now is a great time to look for Italian Cabernet, Syrah, and Merlot-based wines. You can also do really well with the bolder indigenous reds including Aglianico, Primitivo, Nero d’Avola, Negroamaro, and Montepulciano. Looking for producer recommendations? The annual Tres Bicchieri (Three Glasses) Guide is a great place to start!

California

The continuing drought in California has reduced yields, but the reduction in grape size increased the extraction potential (making for deeper, blacker wines). From north to south, you really can’t go wrong with the full-bodied styles of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, and Petite Sirah. Vintages from 2012–2016 are all good.

Washington

Washington has shown its true potential over the last couple of years and we’ll continue to find great wines from here from the 2012–2016 vintages. Cabernet-Merlot blends, Syrah, Malbec, and Petit Verdot is what you should be seeking out from the region’s high desert climate.

Spain

The central plateau of Spain has been turning out excellent values in the full-bodied wine category year after year including wines of Monastrell (aka Mourvèdre), Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Argentina

There have been several off-vintages in Argentina, so you’ll want to pick your Mendoza Malbec, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon with care. Basically, 2013 was an outstanding vintage and we recommend you stock up on it while you can. Of course, decent producers took extra care being selective with grapes, so if you’re buying fine wines, they will be great regardless.

Australia

The increasing value of the US dollar is likely to give us greater access to some of the best finds in bold reds from Australia. The trend in the last 5 years has been towards more elegance in wine but you’ll still see inky depths from the 2012–2016 vintages in Shiraz, GSM blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot from both South Australia and Western Australia.

Portugal

Access to South African beauties including Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinotage will continue to become more widely available in the US in 2017. Keep your eyes peeled for the 2015, 2014, 2012, and 2010 vintages and regions like Stellenbosch, Paarl, and Swartland.

Holy moly. Why we’re not all drinking Touriga Nacional, Castelão and Alicante Bouschet from Portugal is still beyond me. This region has nothing but outstanding potential (and incredible value) to offer. The 2011–2014 vintages all produced great wines. Keep your eyes peeled for reds (usually around $10 a bottle!) from Douro, Alentejo, and Lisboa… and learn more about Portuguese wine.

Southern France

Brexit and a weakening Euro is going to make the bold reds from Southern France delightfully cheaper. We expect to see more wines from the South-West regions including Tannat and Malbec, but also from Languedoc-Roussillon where there are Syrah-heavy wines (including Faugeres and Saint-Chinian). The 2010 and 2015 vintages were the best in recent French wine history (and the ones to covet) but 2014 and 2012 were also quite good.

Greece

Greek reds are showing great potential and the top producers will become more available in the US. The regions to seek are Nemea (Agiorgitiko), Naoussa wine (Xinomavro–super high tannin red), and you’ll also be surprised to find some outstanding Syrah from Greece.

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Medium-Bodied Red Wines Sangiovese, Garnacha, Cabernet Franc, Etc.

Medium-bodied red wines feature distinct flavors and heightened acidity, both of which are traits ideal for matching with a wide range of foods. Many of the old world wine regions are famous for this style of wine due to winemaking traditions that limit the use of new oak aging, producing wines with more elegance.

Italy

Northern and Central Italy produce some of the most food-friendly wines and now is the time to get into Italian wine. The last 5 years (2012–2016), as well as 2010, have produced very good to excellent quality. Specifically, aim for the Piemontese wines of Barbera, Dolcetto, and Nebbiolo. Then, you’ll find great red fruit and cocoa flavors from the red wines of Valpolicella, and the Merlot-based blends from Veneto (including Colli Euganei). Finally, Tuscany and Umbria offer the ultimate expressions of Sangiovese which have become noticeably cleaner and more red-fruit driven in the past 5 years. I always like to recommend the annual Tre Bicchieri (Three Glasses) Guide for a great place to start looking for high-quality producers.

France

The French wine varieties of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc had an outstanding vintage in 2015 and this is exactly what to look for. Seek out Loire Valley reds such as Cabernet Franc and the other lessor-known Bordeaux appellations for the best values on Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon blends.

Spain

The 2015, 2012, and 2010 vintages are making out to be Northern Spain’s best vintages in the last 5 years. Tempranillo, Mencía, and Garnacha are the grape varieties that you need to try in this category.

Germany

The 2015 vintage for Dornfelder and Blaufrankisch produced some outstanding mid-weight wines from Germany. These wines have deeper black and blue fruit flavors with heightened acidity.

Chile

The 2011 and 2013 vintages were exceptional vintages in Chile and the region produces some outstanding food-friendly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carménère, and Carignan.

New York

Producers in New York are enthusiastic about the quality of Merlot and Cabernet Franc from the 2015 and 2013 vintages in New York.

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Light-Bodied Red Wines Pinot Noir, Gamay, Etc.

Lovers of light-bodied red wines tend to love wine regions with cooler growing temperatures. It’s in these cooler conditions that grapes like Pinot Noir, Gamay, Schiava, and Cabernet Franc ripen to deliver brilliant red fruit flavors, floral notes, and lower tannin. Here are the highlight wines and regions to seek out for light-bodied red wines:

Oregon

The quality of Pinot Noir continues to improve in Oregon and the vintages seem to be getting better and better every year too, even in the value category. The 2016, 2015, and 2014 vintages were all fantastic years for Oregon Pinot Noir.

California

As California is heating up, we are starting to see the best Pinot Noir regions in California become more reliant than ever thanks to the moderating temperatures of the Pacific Ocean. It makes this an exciting time if you’re a Pinot Noir addict because it means you’re about to find several treasure troves in the Coastal AVAs including Sonoma Coast (including Fort Ross/Seaview), Mendocino (which used to be too cool), Santa Cruz Mountains, and on down the coast to Santa Barbara.

New Zealand

Central Otago produces the richest and most lush style of NZ Pinot Noir whereas, Marlborough makes brighter and lighter Pinot Noir. This is going to be a great place to look for great values in Pinot Noir in the coming year, particularly from the 2015 and 2013 vintages.

Chile

The regions of Casablanca, San Antonio, and Leyda Valleys are becoming renowned for their exceptionally fruit-forward styles of Pinot Noir (imagine an explosion of blueberries, raspberries, and marionberries in your mouth). The 2013 vintage produced the best wines, but we’re hoping to hear great things about 2015 as well.

France

The 2015 and 2010 vintages were 2 of the most outstanding vintages in recent history. Bourgogne Rouge (Pinot Noir) and the 10 Beaujolais Crus (Gamay) offer incredible wines.

Northern Italy

The Oltrepo Pavese region in Lombardy focuses on Pinot Noir as its primary variety and the highly aromatic Schiava from Trentino has been considered a great value alternative to Pinot Noir. The last 5 vintages (2012–2016) have been great, which means now is the time to get into Italian wine!

Austria

The regional specialty, Zweigelt, is a fantastic light-bodied red that flies somewhat under the radar. Seek out 2015 Zweigelt and drink it as soon as possible.

Germany

We’re hoping to see some price drops for German Pinot Noir in the US as the dollar continues to rise. When we do, be sure to pick up some Pfalz, Baden, or Ahr Pinot Noir (aka Spätburgunder) from 2015 and 2012. German Pinot Noir has the earthy qualities of Bourgogne but the spice factor (and ABV) of Santa Barbara Pinot… awesome sauce.

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Full-Bodied White Wines Chardonnay, Viognier, Etc.

Regions with a tradition of oak aging are the ones who produce white wines with creamy and buttery flavors. The star variety in this style of wine is definitely Chardonnay although there are several others to know. While the fashion of oak-aging has seen a downward trend in recent years, there are still several places to look to find outstanding full-bodied whites.

Here’s a run-down on what regions (and vintages) to watch for:

California

Chardonnay is California’s top grape and if you know where to look, you can find some of the best examples in the world. The important thing about finding quality Chardonnay in California is sourcing it from areas close to the Pacific Ocean (or the SF bay) that collect fog. The fog protects white grapes like Chardonnay from too much California sun! Regions like Sonoma Coast, Mendocino, Carneros, Santa Barbara, and Monterey are a few examples that get morning fog and are a great place to look. Besides Chardonnay, look for oaked Sauvignon Blanc wines (from Sonoma/Napa), Viognier, and Grenache Blanc wines (from Paso Robles/Santa Barbara area). The 2012–2016 vintages were all top quality vintages.

Chile

Just like California, Chile’s coastal regions are the places to look for great quality Chardonnay. Casablanca Valley, Leyda Valleys, and San Antonio Valley are the country’s Chardonnay hot spots. The 2016, 2014, and 2013 vintages were actually pretty awesome vintages specifically for whites in Chile, so stock up!

Australia

The Victoria region in Australia has been turning out some exceptionally balanced Chardonnay these days and this is a great place to look. That said, you’ll also find some doozies (massive Chardonnay wines) from Hunter Valley and South Australia (Adelaide Hills) as well. I’d put money on the 2015 vintage (minus Adelaide Hills) based on what Jancis R. has been saying about the last 5 vintages.

New Zealand

A new spot to look for exceptional Chardonnay wines (like, omg I can’t believe this isn’t Beaune!). You’re going to pay a premium for these wines in the US but if you’re a Chard-o-maniac, it still beats the crap out of Côte d’Or prices. We’ve been incredibly impressed by those producers practicing wild yeast fermentations and so far people are saying good things about 2016, 2015, and 2013 vintages.

Spain

The northern parts of Spain have a fair amount of Chardonnay planted that’s usually reserved for Cava. That said, sometimes you’ll see some great values for still, oak-aged Chardonnay that are surprisingly rich, while still conveying classic Spanish “dusty” terroir (making them much more savory in style). Check into the Navarra and Penedes regions for these values. Besides Chardonnay, the grapes of Rueda, including Verdejo and Viura (aka Macabeo), have shown surprising complexity with lemon balm and brûlée-like flavors when aged in oak. For example, the bottle pictured above called “Naia” is a well-distributed example of the baseline quality that Rueda is doing (and it’s great!).

Portugal

One of the biggest potential areas for a new US importers and distributors in the coming years will be to go into Portugal and cherry-pick top producers of Arinto, Encruzado, Chardonnay and Viognier wines. After tasting a 10-year-old Arinto that was replete with brûlée, beeswax, lemon rind, and chalk, it was hard not to fall in love with Portuguese whites, especially those with a touch of oak. We’re super excited about the 2015, 2014, and 2011 vintages and can’t wait to drink more Portugal. #whoswithme

Oregon

After Domaine Serene’s Dundee Hills Chardonnay got #2 wine of the year from Wine Spectator Mag (2016), we need to fully accept that Oregon Chard is no longer our little secret! Oregon’s dank climate and summer sun produce some of the most outstanding Chardonnays in the world that deserve a touch of high-quality French oak to round them out. The 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2012 vintages were all stupendous vintages so go seek them out!

Washington

Forget Chardonnay for a minute and let’s hone in on Washington’s highest potential full-bodied whites: Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, and Viognier. The problem with Chardonnay in Washington is that it’s usually a touch too flabby to get top ratings. That said, there are a few producers who do it well (Ashan, Tenor, etc), but my money is on Washington’s warmer climate white grapes–they have so much potential…

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Light-bodied White Wines Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Etc

Light-bodied white wines are dry and highlight heightened acidity and minerally flavors. They are perfect food pairing white wines. There are several favorite varieties in this category including Sauvignon Blanc, unoaked Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Albariño but there’s more to know beyond these! You can literally spin a globe and land on a region making great minerally white wines (especially if your finger lands in Europe and the Mediterranean).

That said, here are a few highlight regions to check out:

France

People will tell you about how great French red wines are, but keep in mind, France produces some of the best light-bodied white wines in the world–plus, they’re more affordable than the reds! This year, I’d start looking for the 2015 vintage (which was, incredible across Europe) in places like the Loire (Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadet, and Chenin Blanc), South-West France (home of grapes like Gros Manseng and Colombard) and Savoie for incredible values. Then, if you want to bump it up a notch, hit the greats (Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Alsace, and Rhône) for all they have to offer. Whatever you do, do it soon, and get the 2015 vintage.

Italy

The 2015 and 2014 vintages were both awesome for white wines in Italy. Italian whites have a delightful chalky bitterness which works amazingly alongside food. Especially seafood. Here are a few varieties/regions to start drinking your way through Italy: Soave (Garganega), Vermentino from Tuscany or Sardinia (think Sauvignon Blanc inspired), Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi (think floral Pinot Grigio), Pinot Grigio from Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino-Alto Adige… If you need help, check out this great article about the major grape varieties of each region: Italian Wine Exploration Map

Spain

If you haven’t already discovered the Spanish whites of Viura, Verdejo, Albariño, and Godello, this is the year to do so! The 2013–2016 vintages were all great years to explore these wines, so pick one and start tasting. We’ve been quite impressed with Viura from Rioja and Godello from Valdeorras.

Greece

Greece should be on the map for white wines already. The country delivers this fascinating chalky, sappy spice to their white wines that’s really unlike any other. In the North (Thrace and Macedonia) you’ll find the indigenous grapes of Malagousia and Assyrtiko as well as international favorites like Sauvignon Blanc (all delicious!). And of course, Greece’s most famous wine and region (pay attention collectors!) Assyrtiko from Santorini.

Portugal

The summer months will bring Portuguese Vinho Verde and we will all rejoice in this amazing wine that is usually a blend of the indigenous varieties of Albariño (called Alvarinho here) and up-and-coming grape, Loureiro. If you haven’t had Vinho Verde yet, this is a must try.

South Africa

Seek out Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc from South Africa. While in the past, Chenin Blanc was made in a sweet style, today, it’s much drier. These wines are fantastic with Asian food and give off hints of South Africa’s dusty terroir.

New Zealand

We can thank a strong dollar for decreasing prices of New Zealand’s most important wine, Sauvignon Blanc. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is famous for its unafraid flavors of bell pepper and passion fruit. The 2013–2016 vintages were all good vintages to seek great values.

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Aromatic White Wines Riesling, Moscato, Gewürztraminer, Etc.

Aromatic white wines have higher levels of a compound group called monoterpenes which produce aromas of flowers and sweet stone fruits (apricots, peaches, honey and rose). These wines can be made in both a sweet or dry style, but are often described as sweet due to their intense aromatics. If you’re into this style of wine, you’re in for a treat this year:

Germany

Germany is queen bee in the aromatic wine category since Riesling is the country’s star grape variety. 2015 was a crazy, exceptional year and believe me when I tell you that you want these wines (some for now and others for cellaring). Be sure to learn the classification system, including Pradikat and VDP. We have an article all about it here.

Austria

Austria creates a style of Riesling that’s similar to Germany often with a slightly more linear profile. For this reason, Austrian Rieslings age in a really fascinating and somewhat savory way. Unfortunately, not much of this stuff is imported so you’ll need to dig.

France

Alsace is the most aromatic wine region of France and it happens to be right upstream of the Pfalz region of Germany. The Riesling here is dry, but there are other delicious finds to be had as well, including Muscat (on the Grand Cru level) and Gewürztraminer. Definitely read up on Alsace and seek out something from 2015 and 2014.

Washington

Riesling from Washington is truly starting to hit its stride. There are some especially good AVAs for it within the Columbia Valley including the newly anointed Ancient Lakes and Naches Heights AVA. This is a great place to go for awesome, everyday drinking wines (Thai food anyone?).

New York

With flagship producers including Dr. Konstantin Frank and Ravines in Finger Lakes, we’re starting to see Riesling wines that are proving that New York Riesling is quite serious indeed. The 2013-2015 vintages are all worth investigating.

Hungary

Furmint, the grape traditionally reserved for Tokaji is also being produced in a dry style from the region. The wine is like a fine Riesling with similar levels of acidity, but a bit more structure and body. Additionally, a rare find we just discovered is a variety called Cserszegi Füszeres (chair-seggi fooh-sar-esh) that smells like roses, elderflowers and mint. For Hungarian wine, 2015 is a winner.

California

Long before Cabernet was the most important variety in Napa there was a bastion of sweet varieties growing in the North Coast (Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino) of California including Muscat and Gewürztraminer. The vines are now close to a century old (if they weren’t ripped out) and make some of the most luscious sweets coming out of Napa and Sonoma. For example, we were shocked and delighted by 2 well-known wineries in Sonoma making Gewürztraminer: Alexander Valley Vineyards and Gundlach Bundschu. Be sure to buy these as fresh (youthful) as possible.

Northern Italy

2015 will be another vintage you need to stockpile for Moscato d’Asti. Additionally, we found some producers of Gewürztraminer in Trentino-Alto Adige that make a style strikingly similar to those of Alsace, France (and usually a lot cheaper too).

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Wine Folly - Learn about wine.

An iconic architectural landmark that would create a gateway to downtown is one of several features city officials want as part of a redevelopment of the former General Motors stamping plant site.

Pinot Noir is often hailed for being utterly delicious, but it also happens to be one of the most versatile wine grapes in the world. This single red grape variety can be transformed to create not just red wine, but white, rosé, and sparkling wine as well. How on earth is this possible? It all comes down to the winemaking methods and the production processes that determine this little grape’s fate.

White Pinot Noir

If you were to cut open a Pinot Noir grape, you’d see that the flesh (the pulpy part) is actually a pale greenish yellow color. It’s actually the skins of the grapes that dye the juice a beautiful red hue, so if you want to produce a white wine with red grapes – the skins have got to be removed ASAP. This is the secret to white Pinot Noir (aka “Vin Gris”)

Of course, the red skins of grapes start dying the juice really quickly so winemakers work extra fast, usually opting to harvest on a cool morning and get the grapes to the cellar and pressed as fast as possible. The wine press used to make white Pinot Noir is a special pneumatic press (this style of press is used for white wine making) which crushes the grapes but filters off the skins and seeds. The remaining juice typically has a lovely, deep golden color.
 

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Red Pinot Noir

Red Pinot Noir uses the red winemaking process.

Grapes are collected and put into grape crushers which drop the entire contents of the crusher into a tank (skins, seeds, pulp, and all!). Because Pinot Noir is such a thin-skinned variety, it often gets extended time with its skins (before and after wine making), in order to soak up as much of the red pigment as possible. In case you were wondering, these two processes are cold-soaking (before fermentation) and extended maceration (after fermentation). Some winemakers will even add the Pinot Noir stems into the fermentation to increase color extraction (it adds some bitterness but you get a whole lot more color and age-worthiness too!). After this whole process is done, you have a wine with a pale to medium ruby red color.
 

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Rosé Pinot Noir

Making Rosé is all about timing. The longer the skins are in the juice, the darker they dye the wine.

For Pinot Noir, this process looks a little like a combination of red and white winemaking. The grapes get crushed into a tank with the skins and seeds. Then the juice is monitored by the winemaker who takes samples every hour or so to check the color extraction. The moment she thinks the color is perfect, the winemaker strains the juice from the skins into clean tanks where the wine completes its fermentation. I’ve spoken with winemakers in both California and Oregon who say they’ve made rosé wines with less than 7 hours of “skin contact” time!

 

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Sparkling Pinot Noir aka Blanc de Noirs

Start with white Pinot Noir and then ferment it again to make blanc de noirs.

This is the specialty of Champagne, including Jay-Z’s brand, Armand de Brignac, whose “tete de cuvée” is a special edition bottling of 100% Pinot Noir in a Blanc de Noirs style. To make sparkling wine, you essentially take a specially formulated wine (using perfectly underripe grapes that produce more acidity) and ferment it again in bottles so that the carbon dioxide can’t escape and it pressurizes the bottle, carbonating the wine. You can find Blanc de Noirs made all over the world, and almost always, Pinot Noir is the grape used for this wine (the other is a Pinot variant called Pinot Meunier).

 

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Other Versatile Red Grapes

You might be wondering what other wines can be made in all 4 styles and you might have noticed how I mentioned that Pinot Noir has thin skins. As it happens, some of the best red grapes for producing white, rosé, red, and sparkling styles have thinner skins too. This is because the skins generally have less pigment and thus, take longer to dye the wine. Here are a few other grapes with thin skins that show great potential to be made in all four styles:

• Gamay
• Grenache
• Zinfandel
• Nebbiolo
• Mencía
• Sangiovese

Wine Folly - Learn about wine.

Nearby residents say the $15 million multi-use development shouldn't be allowed and have asked a judge to review a decision to approve the project by the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission.

The Tesseron family will honour the wine legacy of late Robin Williams after buying his former wine estate in Napa Valley - by keeping the vineyard name created by the actor nearly three decades ago. And it also wants to go biodynamic in California...

The Mount Veeder estate bought by the Tesseron family of Château Pontet-Canet in Bordeaux is to bottle its Napa wine under the name Pym-Rae.

This is the name given to the vineyard part of the Tesseron’s Villa Sorriso property by the previous owner, the late actor Robin Williams.

Williams planted the vineyard on the estate over 26 years ago, and chose the name by combining both middle names of his first two children.

The Tesserons revealed the name in a Christmas card sent out from Bordeaux, and noted that, ‘in keeping with the tradition of not changing the original name (of our estates), we are pleased to announce that our wine will therefore be called Pym-Rae’.

Justine Tesseron told Decanter.com this week that the family was ‘concentrating on getting to know the terroir’.

She added, ‘We hope to be certified in biodynamic in three years, and have already begun the process.’

The family is one of the main proponents of biodynamics in Bordeaux.

Villa Sorriso is located on the west side of the Napa Valley, in the Mayacamas mountains, with a total surface of 259 hectares and 7.3 hectares of vines planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Alfred and Melanie Tesseron, along with their technical director Jean-Michel Comme, are currently introducing biodynamic farming to the vineyard, following their long-term adaption of this approach in Bordeaux.

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The post Pontet-Canet owner reveals name for Napa wine appeared first on Decanter.

Award season is officially upon us; the time of year when the best of Hollywood comes out to showcase the best of formalwear.

Here’s a look at some of our favorite looks from last night, along with some expert tailoring notes, of course, to give you some inspiration for your perfect tuxedo.

[outfits]

Who was your favorite? Did we miss anyone? Use the comments below to share.

Thanks, as always, for reading. 

Yours in style,

AOS

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The post Claypool Hotel…Menu 110 Years Ago today… appeared first on Historic Indianapolis | All Things Indianapolis History.

The building on Prospect Street was constructed in 1872 and operated as a bar for more than a century. The area is quickly picking up momentum as development extends west from Fountain Square's core.