In the Financial Times, Jancis Robinson writes about the “quiet revolution” taking place with California Pinot Noir, paying special attention to “pioneers of delicacy” like Jamie Kutch. She highlights wines from Au Bon Climat, Calera, Cobb, Copain, Rhys, and Sandhi.

Jon Bonné tries to explain why the “the wine industry can’t take its eyes off Lot18.” It’s a great piece, but Bonné misses one point. By functioning as little more than an email list, Lot18 allows producers to sell and ship directly to consumers, effectively cutting out the middleman. This could revolutionize wine retail.

Auction Napa Valley raised $5.8 million on Saturday. The top lot, which sold for $300,000, “featured a cooking class with celebrity chef Michael Chiarello, seven bottles of Staglin Family Vineyard wine, vineyard tours and dinner for 10.”

The Wall Street Journal Asia takes a look at Decanter’s 2011 Power List.

In the Boston Globe, Stephen Meuse comments on the news that “Francis Ford Coppola is actively working to produce more elegant, lower-alcohol wines at his re-named Inglenook winery.”

If I had to pick, my favorite Champagne would probably be the Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé Champagne, which retails for around $75. In comparison to the bottle of Veuve Clicquot salvaged from a 19th century shipwreck that sold for $43,630 on Friday, that seems like a bargain.

Over Memorial Day weekend, Robert Whitley hosted the 8th Annual Critics Challenge International Wine Competition. W. Blake Gray has written two posts about the wine competition, and Robert Whitley’s latest Creators column details the event. I was thrilled to see that the Robert Oatley Vineyards 2010 Rosé of Sangiovese was named as the top Rosé – it’s a steal at $15.

During Antonio Galloni’s first visit to Napa Valley since Robert Parker announced that he’d be handing over coverage of California wines, he got together with some folks from eRobertParker.com for an offline dinner. The theme? “Bring something that says Napa to you.” Richard Jennings attended the event and took some great notes. Plenty of reaction on WineBerserkers.