Weekend Wines

Stonestreet Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 2004

I’m on a Cabernet binge lately, so there will be a run of reviews on the grape coming your way.

Initially, there was almost nothing on the nose – it was closed up. After letting it sit in the glass for about an hour and a half, some aromas started to eek out. Blackcurrant, black raspberry, menthol / eucalyptus, some earth. On the palate it is glassy smooth in texture, with ample black fruit and earth flavors. Tannins are medium high, acidity is medium. There is a lot going on here, too much to analyze now. It’s a young wine that at minimum needs a few hours of decanting before drinking now, but a better plan is to leave it in the cellar for a few years. A big, bold wine that reminds one of a cru Bourgeois Bordeaux, definitely Bordeaux in style with many layers hiding right now. Cellar it, and try again in 3-4 years. A good value for a wine of this complexity.

Addendum: this wine passed the “next night” test … in fact, I corked it up and drank it again five days later and it still held its character.

a-8 t-9 b-8 fc-7 v-8 ~ 90 Points

Winery: Stonestreet

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Franciscan Oakville Chardonnay Cuvee Sauvage 2005

Generally speaking, I’m against the majority of California Chardonnay on the market — but not against ALL California Chards.

What bugs me is the proliferation of formulaic, oak-driven “soda-pop” Chards that taste more like Sugar Smacks than fermented grapes. The bulk of these disasters in a bottle are in the under $20 segment, but there are also a number of higher-priced Chardonnays that are flawed by too much wood.

The problems of over-oaked are 1. the wood overpowers the fruit, so you don’t taste the Chardonnay; and 2. oak doesn’t match very well with most foods. However, that doesn’t mean oak is always bad — it merely needs to be used judiciously. The key is the fruit; if the grapes produce a very rich, ripe flavor, then it can stand up to a good dose of oak and create a harmonious, delicious sipper.

One such example of a California Chardonnay with a wonderful balance of fruit and oak is Franciscan Oakville Chardonnay Cuvee Sauvage.

Tasting Notes: Cuvee Sauvage

Wide open, delicious smelling aroma of ripe pear, peach, banana, spicy oak, vanilla, and a hint of warm apple pie. In the mouth it has a silky, creamy, buttery texture, carrying lots of succulent ripe pear, baked apple, vanilla, honey, and oak. The oak actually runs a touch bitter, giving off some tannins, in the finish. Acidity is mild to nearly medium. On the fat and oaky side, but surprisingly not overwhelming and also not too hot in the finish. It’s almost on the sweet side, making it more of a fireplace wine than something you’d match successfully with a bevy of foods. However, it will match adequately with roasted rosemary chicken, dishes drenched with garlic, and maybe hot and spicy cuisine, where the sweetness acts as a foil against the heat. Long, elegant finish. A rich, delicious, and succulent wine to enjoy by the fire.

a-10 t-10 b-7 fc-7 v-7 ~ 91 Points

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Saint Clair Vicar’s Choice Pinot Noir 2006

Since the Sideways-induced boom of Pinot Noir, a number of affordable bottlings have been emerging from down under — meaning New Zealand rather than Australia. And it makes sense, as the most prominent wine region in Kiwi land is Marlborough, which just so happens to have the ideal climate for growing Pinot Noir vines — dry, sunny, and cool.

Tasting Notes

From the Marlborough region of New Zealand comes this bottle, dubbed “Vicar’s Choice” by the producer Saint Clair. As you might expect, Saint Clair also makes a fine Sauvignon Blanc, which we may review at a later date. For now, let’s talk about the Pinot Noir.

The color is very light — it could be mistaken for a deep rose — but the paleness belies its bigness. Open nose of stemmy green fruit, ripe cherry and raspberry, some hints of earth. Flavors are similar — ripe cherry, raspberry, and cranberry, with touches of earth, mild tobacco, mineral, and a hint of green / unripe fruit. Acidity is surprisingly medium-high, and appropriate for the fruit concentration. Tannins are medium, and also in good balance. The wine finishes with sour cranberry and cherry flavors, ripe tannins, and mouthwatering acidity.

Overall this is an excellent under-$20 Pinot Noir, showing good complexity and polish. Its subtle greenness and minerality reminds one more of an Alsace Pinot Noir than a jammy example from the New World — which is a good thing. It is enjoyable on its own but really finds its potential on the table. Match it with simply prepared chicken, complex fish, turkey, vegetarian dishes, roast pork (pork loin), mild cheeses.

I’ve seen this at various price points between $12 and $18; even at the higher end, it’s a fair value (and a great one at the lower point). Whatever the cost, it’s a good choice as a “weekend wine”.

a-8 t-8 b-8 fc-9 v-9 ~ 92 Points

Importer: Winesellers Ltd.

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Simi Sonoma County Chardonnay 2005

Simi is a California winery founded over 125 years ago by two brothers named Giuseppe and Pietro Simi, from Tuscany, Italy. The Simi brothers built a successful business before both died just after the turn of the 20th century, leaving the estate to Giuseppe’s daughter Isabelle, who continued the business with help from her husband Fred Haight. The business continued to flourish until Prohibition (1920), and picked up right where it left off when Prohibition was repealed in 1933.

It’s an interesting story, told in more detail at the Simi website. What you need to know is that Simi remains an historic estate — by most accounts the longest continually operating winery in California (they made “sacramental” wines during Prohibition) and has gained significant respect and popularity over the last 30 years, thanks to high quality bottlings. Current winemaker Steve Reeder is a star in the industry, with a resume that includes stints at Kendall-Jackson and Chateau St. Jean — where he made some highly acclaimed wines. Simi has been and remains a producer of consistent, high quality wines — you will get what you pay for when their label is on the bottle.

Simi Chardonnay Tasting Notes

The grapes for this wine come from Sonoma County (duh) — specifically, from Alexander Valley, Russian River, and Carneros. The wine was aged in oak barrels for six months prior to bottling.

Lots of bright, ripe, spiced pear on the nose and the palate. Nose also has some honeysuckle and vanilla. Texture is creamy smooth and rich, an ideal vessel for the creamy vanilla, maple, and spice flavors. Though it is obviously oaked and has an almost maple syrup quality, it is not cloying. A decent amount of acidity tries to stand up to the fruit, but needs help from a fair dose of alcohol to provide structure. A thick, rich, full-bodied, full-flavored wine that may be best drunk alone, but also has enough acidity to match successfully with equally rich dishes. Go with bolder pork and poultry dishes, gamey fish (salmon), flavorfully prepared scallops or sea bass, corn chowder, and other dishes that you might consider matching with Pinot Noir or Beaujolais. Tasty and succulent. At somewhere between $15 to $18, appropriately priced.

a-8 t-9 b-7 fc-7 v-7 ~ 88 Points

Website: Simi Winery

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Silver Spur Pinot Noir 2002

I have to admit, I was expecting very little from this wine. Silver Spur was completely unknown to me, as I’d never seen the winery name in a retail shop, on a restaurant list, nor read in a wine magazine. It was sent to me by MyWinesDirect, an internet-only retailer that specializes in introducing unknown wines to ignorant palates such as mine.

With such low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the wine, immediately apparent after being poured into the glass. The nose is forward, and open, and exudes a fresh, ripe aroma of strawberries, black cherry, earth, and a distinctive smokiness. Though this wine hails from California (specifically, Carneros in Napa Valley), it is more “old world” in style – one of the few American Pinot Noirs that remind me of red Burgundy. Unlike the jammy, over-the-top Pinots typically produced in the West Coast heat, this wine is ripe but not overwhelming, and retains both a rustic character and a tie to its terroir (soil).

In the mouth it has a silky smooth texture, and fills the mouth with ripe black cherry, red raspberry, ripe strawberry, some vanilla spice, and a touch of earth and leather. Acidity is appropriately medium, and tannins are likewise. Alcohol is there but subdued, so the finish is barely warm. All in all, an elegant, polished wine that is well balanced, full of fruit, and has an appealing finish. It is enjoyable alone, but will be better with lean dishes, such as turkey, fish, chicken, vegetarian. Or have it with a mild cheese or simple appetizer.

a-9 t-9 b-9 fc-8 v-8 ~ 93 Points

Silver Spur Winery website

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Merryvale Starmont Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 Napa Valley

Although I usually condone (and insist on) trying new wines to expand your horizons and learn to enjoy all the fan and adventure that fermented grape juice has to offer, it’s also OK to drink the same wine more than once (just don’t make a habit of it!). Indeed, there are often times you walk into a wine shop with the express purpose of purchasing a bottle or a brand you’re familiar with — perhaps as a gift for someone else, or to match with a specific meal, or simply because you know you’re going to enjoy it. Personally, I have about a dozen or so “reliable standby” brands that I count on year after year. One of those is the Merryvale Vineyards and Winery in Napa Valley.

Merryvale concentrates on the typical California varietals — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. Year in and year out, their bottlings are consistently high quality throughout the lineup, and give you good bang for your buck. I particularly enjoy the reds from their entry level “Starmont” line, including this Cabernet Sauvignon — which also has a bit of Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc blended in for added complexity.

Tasting Notes

Forward nose open with ripe black and red berry fruit, along with some earth and tar. In the mouth, the texture is smooth, almost creamy, with rich, ripe black berry fruit – blackberry, cassis, stewed plum / prune. Also touches of tobacco, earth, and a hint of spice add complexity. Very tasty and enjoyable on its own, even better with a ribeye, sirloin or skirt steak. Acidity is medium, tannins are ripe and medium – neither is overpowering at all, but rather provide structure and are in good balance with the almost-jammy ripe fruit. Finish is also balanced and pleasing, offering good fruit and hints of earth, black pepper, and tobacco before yielding to some chalky tannins at the very end. Enjoyable, appropriately priced (about $23), and ready to drink now.

a-8 t-8 b-8 fc-7 v-7 ~ 88 Points

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Hill of Content Shiraz 2004

Australian Shiraz has become overly popular — to a fault. Once a secret among wine geeks “in the know” as an affordable alternative to high-priced Syrah-based wines from the Rhone, Aussie Shiraz has become wildly popular among all imbibers, to the point where pedestrian wine drinkers are surprised to find out that French wineries are “now” making “Shiraz” as well — but spelling it differently.

With the influx of Shiraz on shelves across the United States — and overflowing the bargain bins — trying to find high-quality bottles is akin to searching a needle in a haystack. Sure, it’s fairly easy to find a nine-dollar Shiraz filled with upfront jammy fruit, but what about something with complexity, or a wine to contemplate? Perhaps a Shiraz with a finish that lasts longer than the time it takes to bat an eyelash?

They’re out there, but it’s hard to know them without tasting them first — kind of a catch-22. One way is to find them is to follow the old “you get what you pay for”, as it’s unlikely you’ll find a mindblowing wine for, say, eleven bucks. But when you start pulling out the bills with Andrew Jackson’s face to pay for a bottle, you’d like to be satisfied with the purchase. Aside from relying on friends’ recommendations, I have a secret: look for a strip around the neck of the bottle, or above the label, that says “Australian Premium Wine Collection“. Chances are good that if you see their seal stuck to the bottle, you will at least get what you pay for when it comes to Australian wine. Such was the case in my plucking this Hill of Content Shiraz off the shelf.

The Tasting Notes

A big jammy wine – so big it seems to be jumping out of the glass. The aromas are open, with ripe fruit of blackberry, black raspberry, menthol, alcohol, with hints of earth and spice. Take a taste and you are rewarded with a mouthful of rich, ripe blackberry, black raspberry, and mild touches of earth, vanilla spice, tar, dark chocolate, and tobacco. Ripe, medium-high tannins and medium acidity balance things out nicely, and become apparent in the finish which is fairly long and pleasant. Though there seemed to be a good dose of alcohol on the nose, it blew off after a few minutes in the glass and wasn’t overbearing in the mouth. It’s a touch hot at the very end of the finish, but nothing out of the ordinary for a wine packing so much punch. Drink this with a hamburger, sirloin steak, runny cheese, or well-grilled veggies. If you’re really into big, jammy reds, you will also enjoy drinking this by itself.

a-8 t-9 b-8 fc-7 v-8 ~ 90 Points

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Drylands Pinot Noir Marlborough 2005

A few months back, we reviewed Drylands Sauvignon Blanc — a good, clean, nicely priced summer sipper from Marlborough, New Zealand. Not surprisingly, their Pinot Noir was similarly clean and well-valued.

The Tasting Notes

Very typical “New World” style Pinot Noir. In other words, it has wide open, bright, ripe, forward fruit on the nose and the palate. Aromas scream strawberry, red cherry, and red raspberry. Flavors are similar, with an almost jammy drench of strawberry and red raspberry upfront, which yields to mild sweet earth and some bell pepper in the midpalate and earth and black raspberry and black cherry in the finish. Acidity is mild, barely enough to match with poultry, and tannins are mild to medium. A fruity, clean, fairly polished wine that’s more like a Cru Beaujolais than a red Burgundy. Enjoyable on its own, you can also match it with mildly seasoned chicken, pork, turkey and fish, or with vegetarian dishes. Try it with Indian cuisine as well. At an SRP of $17.99, this is a good value — one of the better Pinot Noirs you’ll find under twenty bucks.

a-8 t-8 b-7 fc-7 v-8 ~ 88 Points

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La Crema Chardonnay Sonoma County 2005

Generally I’m not a fan of California Chardonnay, mostly because many of the examples I’ve tasted were too over the top with sugary fruit, high alcohol, and overabundant oak. Of course, not every California Chardonnay is like that, but in my experience there have been more “cocktail quaffers” than bottles appropriate for the dinner table.

However, I took a gamble on La Crema’s Chard, and paired it with two different meals: one a simply grilled chicken, and then a Greek salad that included more grilled chicken. The result: I can say confidently that La Crema Chardonnay is a fine match for grilled chicken.

It’s also an enjoyable wine overall. The nose is expressive, showing full aromas of ripe pear, apple, and a touch of spice. On the palate you get a creamy, smooth texture that carries forward, ripe pear fruit with a good dose of vanilla spice and oak and a faint touch of honey. However the oak is not overpowering — it’s right on. The ripeness is most apparent upfront, but carries through the midpalate and stays through the finish, which is appropriate in length, polished, and subdued. This wine can be described to a neophyte as smooth, buttery, and ripe. It may be more directed toward cocktail hour, as it is very enjoyable on its own. However, it has enough acidity and a touch of tannin to make it matchable with lean foods — try it with the aforementioned chicken, fish, and veggie dishes. A pleasant surprise to my palate and a recommended Weekend Wine.

a-8 t-8 b-8 fc-7 v-7 ~ 88 Points

La Crema Winery Website

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Michel Bailly et Fils Pouilly-Fume “Les Loges” 2005

If you can’t pronounce Pouilly-Fume, don’t fret — you need only recognize it when you see it on the shelf (you can always point it out to the sommelier in a restaurant as well, without embarrassment).

And you should be on the lookout for Pouilly-Fume (POO-wee foo-MAY), because many of the ones you see in the USA are a decent bet to be a fine complement to seafood and white meat dishes — even those doused in heavy cream sauces. That’s because the wine is made from the food-friendly Sauvignon Blanc grape, which is grown in limestone-rich, chalky soil that is also rich in marine fossils (i.e., old seashells) and flint. Oh jeez … did I just go geek on you? Why should you care about the dirt? Because it’s what makes Sauvignon Blanc from Pouilly-Fume different from Sauv-Blanc from New Zealand or California. Whereas an NZ example may have a tropical twist to its flavor, Pouilly-Fume will have a more mineral taste, along with a distinct flint character — both due to the fossil-rich and minerally soil.

There are a number of different producers of Pouilly-Fume, and all the fancy French names can get confusing. Here are two very general rules of thumb: first, you usually get what you pay for when it comes to Pouilly-Fume, and a quality bottle is likely to be at least $17-22; second, the phrase “Les Loges” on the label is a fairly dependable indication of quality — it is a small village within Pouilly-Fume containing prestigious vineyards. Using these two “rules”, I came upon, purchased, and enjoyed this bottle: Michel Bailly Pouilly-Fume “Les Loges”.

And it was a very typical Pouilly-Fume: herbaceous, smoky, and green fruit aromas and flavors, with distinct stony mineral, racy acidity. Includes the standard “pipi du chat” (cat pee) / gooseberry aroma, and has plenty of forward, ripe green, flinty, smoky fruit. Also some citrus – lime, grapefruit, and maybe a touch of granny smith apple. Medium-bodied, a nearly creamy texture, and acidity that is appropriately tart but not overbearing when drunk alone. This is a first-class Sauvignon Blanc that perfectly expresses the Pouilly-Fume character: herbal, smoky, minerally. A great food wine, match it with poultry, vegetarian dishes, Thai, Indian, and salads. If you like typically herbaceous Sauvignon, you will enjoy it alone as well. At around 18 bucks, you get what you pay for — a fair value.

a-9 t-9 b-9 fc-9 v-7 ~ 93 Points

Importer: Michael Skurnik Wines

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Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir Carneros 2005

Many people just getting into wine find their way to Robert Mondavi — particularly the under-$10 bottles tabbed “Private Selection” and the soda-pop formulas packaged under the Woodbridge label.

As such, I’ve avoided everything “Mondavi” on the priniciple that if its made by a mass production giant, it can’t be good.

But then, that would make ME a snob, wouldn’t it? And we can’t have that.

So herewith a review of Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir - Carneros, part of the entry level line of the “serious” Mondavi wines.

Open nose filled with forward, ripe raspberry fruit, touch of spice, and hint of earth. Smooth texture on the palate, with slightly green / unripe red berry fruit showing upfront. A good dose of spice and mild sweet earth arrives in the midpalate to even out the flavor, followed by mild tannins and decent acidity that carries the wine through the finish. The intent of this wine seems to be somewhere between Burgundian and New World in character, and if that’s the case then the wine is a success. It has just enough upfront fruit and spice to please a New World palate, yet also harks back to Old World Pinot Noir. It may benefit from a year in the cellar — but don’t hold it for more than that. Polished and clean, with a pleasant aftertaste, and enough structure to be compatible with lean dishes. Try it with mildly seasoned chicken and pork chops, fish (salmon, trout, snapper), turkey, and vegetarian dishes (lentils and other legumes). Aside from the low-production beauties from esoteric producers, it will be difficult to find a better Pinot Noir at this price point.

a-8 t-7 b-8 fc-7 v-7 ~ 87 Points

Winery website: Robert Mondavi

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With the label featuring a black and white photo of a sweet Labrador Retriever, how could one possibly leave this bottle on the shelf?

I’m not clear on exactly who makes this wine — the label lists both Vinum Cellars and Wilson Vineyards, and states that the wine is from Clarksburg, California. I’m guessing that Vinum Cellars is the producer, and Wilson Vineyards is the winegrower?

Anyway, who or where it comes from matters not … it is a very enjoyable wine: polished, smooth, well-structured, and ready to drink.

The nose is fairly closed at first, but if you let the wine sit in the glass it will eventually offer inviting aromas of sweet black raspberry, blueberry, a touch of tar and hints of black cassis and prune. In the mouth the first thing you notice is a smooth-as-glass texture, which carries forward, ripe red and black fruits — plum, raspberry, some touches of herb, earth, and pepper, as well as a delicious spicy component that resembles cardamom, cocoa or vanilla. Acidity and tannins are at medium to medium-high levels, and in good proportion to the juicy, almost jammy flavors. Fairly enjoyable on its own, this wine really finds its potential next to a ribeye or skirt steak. Will also do well with other grilled meats, dry cheeses, and short ribs. Added bonus: a portion of the profits for this wine go to the winery’s local animal shelter. At somewhere between 10 and 13 dollars, this is a very good value.

a-8 t-9 b-9 fc-7 v-8 ~ 91 Points

Website: Vinum Cellars

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Red Wine Review:
Casa Lapostolle Merlot Cuvee Alexandre
Apalta Vineyard

Dirty nose belies the rich ripe red and black berry fruits in the mouth. Don’t get me wrong, this wine is definitely earthy, but has equal amounts of sweet fruit to balance out. More complex than I expected, but then I didn’t look closely enough at the label. I have long been a big fan of Casa Lapostolle’s Merlot “Cuvee Alexandre” labeled as being simply from “Rapel Valley”, and never paid more than maybe twelve bucks for it. This bottle was right around that price but I’m sure it was mislabeled, as I’ve seen it elsewhere for twice as much. That’s fine … as a ten dollar wine, it is an outstanding value, and at around $22-25, it is appropriately priced for the quality inside the bottle.

The first day I opened this wine, the aroma was fairly closed, showing only a lot of earth – as in dirt. I drank about a glass and a half and re-corked it, leaving it at room temperature. The next evening, I poured it again and the aroma really opened up, showing deep, rich, ripe black fruits — cassis, black raspberry, black cherry — integrated with the bitter earthy notes, leather, black pepper, green bell pepper, dark chocolate, and a hint of tobacco. This wine is very complex both on the nose and the palate — the flavors are similar to the aromas: black fruits, earthy tones, hints of sweet tobacco, black licorice, vanilla spice. The tannins are rather aggressive, but not to the point of killing the fruit, and the acidity is also medium to medium-high. It is a fine wine for food matching, particularly for beefy, cheesy, and fatty dishes. On its own it is enjoyable but maybe a bit too aggressive; if you must drink it away from the dinner table I suggest you at least have a hunk of cheese to go with it. Complex, enjoyable, and worthy of cellaring for 2-4 years.

a-8 t-8 b-8 fc-8 v-7 ~ 89 points

Imported by Schieffelin-Somerset

Casa Lapostolle Winery - official website

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White Wine Review: Edna Valley Chardonnay 2005

Every once in a while I do something crazy. Most of the time, the end result confirms I’m crazy. Once in a blue moon, however, I hit on a wonderful idea, or a match made in heaven.

I live in the Northeast United States, where right now it is cold. Not cold compared to Minnesota, but cold compared to most parts; it’s about 12 degrees right now, negative 15 with the wind chill. Appropriately, I’m warming up a bowl of homemade chili (turkey and bean). And I’ve decided to open up a bottle of … Edna Valley Chardonnay.

Huh? Who drinks white wine in the middle of winter? And who matches white wine with chili?

Well, I’ll try to explain …

First of all, I built up a sweat while moving wine bottles from one side of the condo to the other. Secondly, my chili is made from ground turkey — a white meat — plus beans and corn. There are of course tomatoes in the recipe, which would make it more conducive to a red wine, but the only other red thing in the pot are red kidney beans, which go well with either white or red. Finally, I’ve had this bottle of Chardonnay hanging around since my Thanksgiving tastings (never got to match it with turkey dinner), and it was sitting near the door so it was already cold. What the hey, I say …

While it wasn’t a match made in heaven, it certainly wasn’t bad. In fact, the Chardonnay worked very well thank you with my lean chili. The oaky sweetness of the Edna Valley played nicely against the moderate heat (not much, it came from adding a few pickled hot peppers). And since the wine is a bit on the fat side — not too much acidity — it is a better match for leaner dishes such as my chili. If I tried to put this wine up against a fish in a creamy or buttery (i.e., fatty) sauce, for example, it would fall flat on its face. Instead, it works fine against the lean turkey and high protein beans that dominate the dish. Also, understand that my chili has only moderate heat — I don’t make it so spicy that perspiration beads on my forehead. If I did, I might consider going with a low-alcohol, perceptively sweet German Riesling.

On its own, the Edna Valley Chardonnay is round and full with a creamy texture, forward fruit (pear, apple, banana), and a good dose of spicy vanilla oak. As mentioned, the acidity is on the low side, so don’t try it with fatty or acidic dishes; stick with leaner plates such as mildly prepared but gamey flavored fish (salmon) or better yet chicken, turkey, or lean pork. It’s more of a cocktail drinker — in other words, enjoyable by itself.

a-8 t-8 b-7 fc-7 v-7 ~ 87 Points

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average retail price: $14

The previously reviewed Mad Dogs & Englishmen really threw me for a loop … I thought for sure it was an Aussie Shiraz. So I figured that if importer Peter Click could find a top-rate Australian Shiraz in Spain, imagine what a legitimate bottle from “down under” might taste like? That led me to try this wine: 2-Up Shiraz, from vineyards in McLaren Vale and Southern Fleurieu, Australia. Get it? Two vineyards = Two Up.

By the way, this bottle has a twist cap, which I love, for so many reasons. First, they�re easy to open. Second, they�re easy to close for storing for the next evening. Third, they�re virtually guaranteed from suffering cork taint. But I digress …

This twist-off Australian Shiraz has many more positives in addition to its closure. Right off the bat, your nose is smacked with wide open aromas of grape jelly, jam, ripe mulberry, blueberry, and raspberry, with hints of black pepper and earth. On the palate it is equally fruit-forward and jammy, as you would expect an Aussie Shiraz to be. Robust flavors of ripe and overripe red raspberry, black raspberry, blueberry. Later on, hints of earth, spice, vanilla, and sweet licorice add to the complexity. This is a fairly big wine, with ample acidity and raw tannins, but does not finish hot with alcohol like many similarly wide-open fruit bombs. Instead, it finishes with good balance and proper length, and in a pleasing style. A yummy, delectable wine by itself, it has plenty of structure to match up against foods. It�s great with stews, burgers, steaks � all things beef � and equally enjoyable with fine cheeses. A kickass, mouthfilling fruit bomb for people who like this sort of wine.

a-8 t-9 b-8 fc-7 v-8 ~ 90 Points

Imported by the Click Wine Group

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Wine: Estancia Pinot Noir 2004
Santa Lucia Highlands Stonewall Vineyards

Estancia Winery, based in Monterey County, California, is known to cheapskates like me as a producer of solid, reliable wines in the $10-15 range. I’ve been particularly impressed with their “entry level” Pinot Noir (Pinnacles Ranches), which stands out as a keeper among the sea of crappy under-$20 Pinots made by myriad other producers. The recent excitement over Pinot Noir, and in turn its overproduction, has resulted in too many disappointing bottles, making me wary of choosing one outside of Burgundy and/or under forty bucks. Luckily, Estancia has a staked interest in their reputation, and is more interested in bottling quality wine than rushing the grape de rigeur to market.

One of their quality bottlings is their “Stonewall” Pinot Noir, made from grapes grown in their Stonewall Vineyard of Santa Lucia Highlands. Santa Lucia Highlands earned an AVA (designation as an “official” or unique wine growing region) in 1991, and has recently emerged as one of the most exciting American regions for Pinot Noir. It would take too much room to explain why the area has become so important as a winegrowing region, so you’ll have to trust me on this: if you see Santa Lucia Highlands on a Pinot Noir label, chances are good that the wine inside will be good.

The “Stonewall” Pinot Noir has a ripe, deep, complex aroma of red and black raspberry, black cherry, a good dose of spice and hint of earth. On the palate you get yummy, ripe strawberry and red raspberry fruit upfront, which mellows and balances nicely on the palate with mild acidity and mild tannins. Finish is subtle, but long and pleasing. Very little alcohol is apparent, which is somewhat surprising considering the upfront ripeness. Vanilla spice melds with mild hints of earth, green unripe fruits, and sweet tobacco. Texture is smooth. A very nice wine by itself, it has just enough to stand up to milder dishes. Try it with fish and mildly seasoned vegetarian and poultry dishes. One of the better bottles of under-$30 Pinot Noir.

a-8 t-8 b-8 fc-8 v-8 ~ 90 Points

Estancia Winery Website

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Heidsieck & Co Monopole Blue Top Premiers Crus

When you’re stumped — and pressed for time— about what to get as a gift for the wine lover in your life, the best idea is a bottle of Champagne. Champagne is the epitome of celebration, the exclamation point of a joyous occasion — and therefore a perfect gift.

However, don’t just go out and get any Champagne — get something different, special, rare, memorable. Any fool can walk in and buy a bottle of Dom Perignon … so go out of your way to choose something lesser-known yet highly regarded. A bottle you can’t find just anywhere. A bottle with a story. A bottle like Heidsieck & Co. Blue Top.

This Champagne has nothing to do with Charles Heidsieck, nor Piper-Heidsieck — Heidsieck & Monopole is a completely separate, individual Champagne house, and in fact, has been around since 1785. There’s your story: it’s not what you think it is … but it could be better. Oh, want another bit of trivia to add to the story? Just this year, a bottle of 1907 Heidsieck Monopole was sold for $4200 at the Hart Davis Hart Auction in Chicago. You got that right — forty-two-hundred, for one bottle — the most paid in 2006 for one 750ml bottle of bubbly.

There’s another way to keep this Champagne separated in your mind from the others: its appearance. This “Blue Top” sparkler comes in a striking and distinctive, Corvette-yellow bottle with — you guessed it — a blue top.

But why go to the trouble of finding this particular bottle? Aren’t there plenty of other Champagnes and sparkling wines to choose from, also with good stories? Well, there are. And many are very good. Some are better. But not all are distinctively packaged, and thus you may find yourself staring at a full shelf of lookalike bottles with unpronounceable French names, wondering which one was the bottle recommended by your favorite wine magazine or blogger. Sure, you can’t judge a wine by its bottle any more than a book by its cover, but there’s something to be said for shopping efficiency during the holiday season, and in this case, the screaming yellow bottle contains an appropriately worthwhile wine inside.

This is a dry style of Champagne, so if your gift recipient is into the sweeter sparklers, stay away. Otherwise, dive right in. You will be excited with anticipation the moment the wine is poured into the glass, as it will become charged with an abundance of aggressive, tiny bubbles that develop an immediate, full foam (or mousse, as the French call it). Take a moment to stick your nose in the glass, and you will be rewarded with a clean, citrusy, slightly toasted aroma that also has a hint of mineral. In the mouth, you get very similar flavors as were on the nose, along with a touch of honey and pear, all tightly wound by a stiffly acidic wrapper. It has excellent structure, yet remains elegant and has the perception of being lighter than it really is.

If you always drink sparkling wines alone, you might not understand the acidity — until you start popping hors d’oeuvres in your mouth. The Blue Top is wonderful for the table top, as it pairs perfectly with a variety of appetizers, can match with most fish and white meats, and will temper the heat of a hot and spicy dish. Champagne is not enjoyed with food often enough, and this bottle is as good an excuse as any to break that trend.

I originally discovered this sparkler at a Champagne tasting a few months ago, and found it to be the best of a very competitive bunch — to me it was more enjoyable than several better known, much more expensive Champagnes against which I tasted head-to-head (including two of James Bonds’ favorites). Tasting it again, alone, and with food, it’s still impressive and becoming one of my favorite sparklers.

It may be hard to find, but is well worth the search. Consider it your little secret, and as a gift for the holidays. The recipient will not be disappointed.

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After getting hammered by several wine critics, I just had to get my hands on a bottle and find out what was so awful. After opening the bottle, I understood the problem encountered by the pundits — Lyeth Meritage is a raw, rough-around-the-edges wine that does not immediately show well. Subsequently, the wine was given low ratings and ambivalent reviews. But this doesn’t mean the wine isn’t worth buying — rather, what it means is that Lyeth Meritage does not impress critics in a typical wine reviewer’s environment.

You have to take this into serious consideration whenever you read a wine review in a major wine magazine. Generally, a wine reviewer will taste anywhere from 25 to 50 wines — before breakfast! There are literally dozens of bottles waiting to be reviewed, and only so much time to taste them. Consequently, many wines — usually ones that are not wide open and do not show globs of upfront fruit — will be given lower ratings than they really deserve. That’s not a knock on the major wine publications — for the most part they do a decent job — but rather a criticism of their system. (You’re allowed to critique a critic, right?)

Lyeth Meritage is an example of a wine hurt by “the system”. Tasted within minutes after opening, its nose is closed, it has a harsh bite on the palate, and at best it seems clumsy. However, if you open the wine, decant it, and let it breathe for 10-20 minutes, you will be rewarded by ripe red and black berry aromas and flavors, some black pepper, a hint of licorice, cardamom and clove spice, firm tannins, and ample acidity — with the initial harshness replaced by a smooth texture and fairly long, ripe finish that might end up just a touch too hot. Let’s get something straight: this is no mind-blowing wine — but it isn’t supposed to be. For about fifteen bucks, you should expect a wine that matches well with a similarly priced steak, and gives you a bit of complexity to ponder over an after-dinner cheese course. Said another way, it should be about twice as good as a seven-dollar wine, and about half as good as a 30-dollar wine — and it is, in both cases. In fact, this wine might be a little better, though time will tell. The amount of ripe fruit and complexity (earth, spices, menthol, tobacco, herb) that it is showing now, wrapped up by generous tannins, leads me to believe that this Meritage will benefit from 3-4 years in the cellar. Here’s the good news: since the “important” wine mags gave this wine less-than-stellar reviews, you should be able to find this easily, and perhaps at a discount. Enjoy it now with a fatty ribeye, porterhouse, or cheese plate, or put it in the wine cave and forget about it until 2008-2009.

a-6 t-7 b-8 fc-6 v-8 ~ 85 point rating

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This is the “entry” level of a very interesting winery, retailing for about twenty bucks (kinda pricey for an “entry level”, eh?). Tenuta di Arceno is an estate in Chianti, Tuscany (Italy) owned by California wine legend Jess Jackson (of Kendall-Jackson; not to be confused with the British DJ nor the minister/politician) and run by French vigneron / winemaster Pierre Seillan. So, you have a Bordeaux genius making wine in Chianti that is marketed by an American … pretty cool combination, and based on this wine, a pretty potent one as well.

When first opened, the nose didn’t show a whole lot, but after letting it sit in the glass for a few minutes — mild aromas of black raspberry, maybe a hint of roasted bell pepper, and earth started to creep out from underneath. In the mouth it appears mild and unassuming, almost light, until you realize you are still tasting the wine about a minute after it’s been swallowed. A touch of sour black cherry and mild acidity appears during the tail end of the finish, perhaps suggesting the bit of Tuscan Sangiovese that makes up 13% of the blend (not 10%, not 15%, but precisely 13 — so you know the winemaker is fairly precise in his efforts!). Paying more attention to subsequent sips allowed me to discover ripe black cherry, an earthy / leathery component, and a creamy vanilla hint.

The press sheet tells us that 57% of the blend is Merlot, which I do get from the raspberry flavor and notes of bell pepper. 22% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Syrah fill out the remainder.

With a silky smooth texture, understated complexity, and a long, balanced finish, this wine borders on contemplative, and was certainly enjoyable on its own. I think it will be best with a homemade pasta dish, perhaps with a fresh marinara and basil sauce, rosemary/sage, or veal ragout.

If you see this bottle, buy it. It drinks as well or better than many wines twice its price. Bring it to your next dinner party, as it will impress casual wine drinkers and connoisseurs alike, and the story behind it makes for good conversation.

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Real deal cost: $11.99

Easy now, the title is NOT misspelled, and this article has nothing to do with between-the-sheets romance.

Rather, we have a red wine blend created through a marriage of equal parts of four grapes indigenous to Sicily: Frappato Nero, Nerello Cappuccio, Nerello Mascalese, and Nero D’Avola. You likely never heard of any of these grapes, and there’s little reason to commit them to memory; unless, of course, you’d like to impress your wine-snob friends.

This Sicilian red wine is a collaboration between the Tuscan estate Dievole and the Sicilian vintner Saro di Pietro, and was bottled in the Saro di Pietro Estate in Pachino, Sicily. Again, there won’t be a quiz, so no need to remember all this except for sounding good in front of a crowd.

What matters most is that this wine is an affordable alternative to Chianti Riservas that cost around five to ten dollars more. Ripe black cherry, tar, blackberry, and roasted meat aromas fill the nose, while the palate is dominated by ripe black cherry and a smooth texture. Good acidity and medium tannins hold things together quite nicely, and the wine finishes with a good balance that includes ripe fruit and hints of tobacco and a pleasantly bitter vegetal / earthy component. Because of that touch of bitterness at the end, I suggest you match this with food before trying it alone. It will go well with cheeses and cheesy dishes, pasta in marinara, pizza, sausage, eggplant parm, and blackened white meats.

For a wine that holds such a seductive and promiscuous name, it should be sexier; instead, it is a solid Chianti fill-in. An OK-to-good value at 12.99, if you can get it closer to ten bucks then grab it.

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A Wine for the Summer

OK, summer is nearing an end (at least, in the Northern Hemisphere) , but there are still plenty of hot days, nights, and barbecues coming that beg for a crisp, refreshing white wine. That said, herewith you are presented a wine review for Las Brisas, a Spanish white that is ideal for summer enjoyment.

The wine is a DO Rueda, which means that it comes from the Rueda region of Spain. Rueda is in the central part of Spain, northwest of Madrid and southwest of Ribera del Duero. The chalky soils there are conducive to dry, minerally whites; the main grapes grown are Verdejo (or Verdeho), Viura, and to a lesser extent, Sauvignon Blanc. This particular Rueda is brought into the US by Tempranillo Imports and a “Jorge Ordonez Selection” — when you see that name, it is usually a good wine.

Las Brisas has a wide open, ripe array of fruity and grassy aromas that attack the nose on first sniff. In the mouth it is a bright, open, colorfully fruitful and refreshing white wine filled with gobs of ripe white fruits: green grapes, white peach, apricot, pear, granny smith apple, grapefruit, and lime-y citrus. It�s juicy and crisp at the same time;