Sommelier Journal

PAGES (97) August 31 2012

CLOSING TIME Sandy Block, MW In 1992, Sandy Block became the first American on the East Coast of the United States to be certified as a Master of Wine. He is vice president of beverage operations at Legal Sea Foods, where he has directed beverage strategy, training, and product selection for the group’s 33 restaurants since November 2004. He has served as vice president of the executive board of Boston University’s Elizabeth Bishop Wine Resource Center, where he is also an adjunct professor, since 1999.

The 1996 Bordeaux vintage answers its critics in an all-star tasting. Sommeliers who have the good fortune to work in a restaurant that stocks vertical selections of the classics need to be familiar with the evolution and maturity of each vintage. Since published assessments are often out of date, however, accurate information can be elusive. In general, vintages acquire their reputations based on economic factors and extrapolations from annual weather data—criteria that may prove extr...