2005 Vergelegen Sauvignon Blanc (South Africa)
Captures that juicy fresh cut grass and green pepper flavor that South Africa helped pioneer and New Zealand made world famous, but also has a little semillion, giving the texture a rounder and broader edge. 89 points, Steve Tanzer: Pale bright yellow. Reticent nose hints at passion fruit, lemon, minerals and a raw peppery quality. Then dense, supple and generous in the mouth, with a restrained sweetness to the flavors of pineapple, grapefruit and minerals. In a broad, fairly rich style. Finishes with a pleasing pear skin bitterness.

2006 Quinta do Crasto (Portugal)
A fruit driven wine meant to be enjoyed young, with intense berry fruit, subtle oak, and a firm dry finish. 33% Tinta Francesca, 33% Tinta Roriz, 34% Touriga National. The grapes are gently pressed to emphasize fruit over tannin. Aged 9 months in American oak.

2003 Querciabella Chianti Classico Reserva (Italy)
Irene Virbila, Los Angeles Times (03-01-2006): 80% Sangiovese with 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot. Aged in French barriques. Combines power and grace, a heady scent of cherries and herbs from the Tuscan hillsides along with soft ripe tannins and a bright acidity that makes it sing with food.

2006 Hesketh Usual Suspects Shiraz (Australia)
93 points, Tim White, Australian Financial Review: "A bit pongy to begin but blows off quickly to reveal plenty of cassis and spice and some black pepper, which is unusual for McLaren Vale shiraz. Some peach kernel too. Attacks with cassis and plums, and some more candied peach-like stuff. Perfectly balanced dry tannins balance the sweet fruit and there's subtle oak toastiness too. A damn tasty shiraz."

2005 Hesketh Protagonist Shiraz (Australia)
7% Viognier. Matthew Jukes & Tyson Stelzer, Taste Food & Wine – The Best Wines of 2008: "The Protagonist shows every sign of being a future classic in the making. Is this big, ripe wine just the thing that will clean up at the next big blind tasting? We saw it first, we reckon it is, and we don't want you to miss out. Make sure you have a few pals to help you polish off a bottle though, because it's a bit of a bruiser."

Wine Tasting December 17 - 20, 2008

2006 Bianchi Chardonnay (California)
Of the previous 2005 vintage: A modestly priced chardonnay featuring a fine balance of oak, texture, and citrus that is refreshing and satisfying. Bianchi has its winery and estate vineyards in the sloped Eastern part of Paso Robles, but grapes for its chardonnay come from the cooler and higher Edna Valley. A step up from the very good Hahn Chardonnay.

2006 Ventisquero Reserva Pinot Noir (Chile)
A wine that after being opened for three days gets richer, more aromatic, earthier, and darker. 90 points, Dick Scheer, Village Corner: Sweet and intricate aromatic set speaks flowers, cherry, raspberry, tea, tobacco, strawberry. Some oak extract, good viscosity. Cherry, tea, and vanilla. Rich, lively, long, and flavorful. A fine value.

2006 Ventisquero Grey Carmenere Reserve (Chile)
Winemaker's Notes: 86% Carmenere with 7% Syrah and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged 15 months in French oak. Blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry, and black cherry fruit, with chocolate, coffee, spices, vanilla, violets, and tobacco. Fleshy and full bodied, with gentle tannins.

2006 Ventisquero Grey Cabernet Reserve (Chile)
Winemaker's Notes: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Syrah. Aged 18 months in French oak. Cassis, blueberry, and strawberry fruits, with vanilla, nutmeg, coffee, and tobacco.

2006 Ventisquero Grey Syrah Reserve (Chile)
Winemaker's Notes: 85% Syrah, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged 18 months in French oak. Blackberry pie, blueberries, earth, spice, violets, anise, and licorice. Full bodied and impressively persistent.

Wine Tasting December 10 - 13, 2008
Ultimate Wine Tasting - Sparkling Wines for the Holidays

2004 Saint Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux Blanc de Blancs (France)
The 2004 version is the most bubbly, dry, and Champagne like among recent vintages, at a cost of 1/3 that of sparkers from Champagne in France.  It is also still very youthful, with light flavors of lemon and apple. Will get better, more complex, and little softer over the next three years. The oldest sparkler produced in France, a century before Champagne made them. While not as acidic, complex, or mouth coating as fine wines from Champagne, it is an affordable introduction to sparkling wines.

Gosset Brut Excellence Champagne (France)
Over the last four years of tasting sparkling wines at every trade show and public event I could attend, the Gosset Excellence has repeatedly stood out as wine that challenged others costing two to four times as much as it. 92 points, Wine News: "Rich, mature, buttery aromas of ripe apple, caramel, minerals and chalk continue to deepen with airing. Very intense flavors of peach nectar, bread dough, butter and yeast. Bright acidity heightens the snappy finish."

Bollinger Champagne Brut Special Cuvee (France)
The introductory wine of one of the greatest large scale producers in France (the other is Krug). Bollinger is famous for the power of its wines, and fermenting and aging them in oak barrels, which only about 1% of the Champagne made does. While the grand wine of Bollinger is significantly greater than this wine, this is simply a great introductory wine which has everything the far more expensive grand wine has, only with less intensity.

1996 Duval Leroy Champagne Cuvee (France)
The 1996 vintage is the greatest in Champagne since 1985. This wine is youthful, intense, minerally, and, at 12 years old, is just beginning to taste great. Based on how great this wine tastes, it should no longer be available. But here it is, even sold at a discounted price. Over the last two weeks, I've tasted 65 sparkling wines, including 15 that were $100 to $300 a bottle and far more famous than Duval Leroy, and this is as good as any of them. Treat yourself. Treat your love. 93 points, Wine Spectator.

2000 Chartogne-Taillet Fiacre Champagne Tete de Cuvee (France)
Call ahead and order this wine, for two reasons. First, there isn't much left of it. Second, it is simply awesome. I already bought a case and when I opened a bottle for people at the Best Cellar last week, every person there bought it. Intense and mouth coating, with lemon, baked bread, and limestone. The finest wine made by a true estate wine, where the family who owns the grapes made the wine.

Wine Tasting December 3 - 6, 2008

2006 Ventisquero Sauvignon Blanc (Chile)
Crisp and fragrant, with flavors of melon, citrus, white peach and a faint creaminess.

2004 Teusner GSM (Australia)
60% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, and 10% Shiraz. Aged 16 months in neutral oak (no new barrels). 91 points, Wine Spectator: Distinctive and well-defined. Blueberry and plum flavors get all kinds of shadings, with hints of game meats, pepper and pomegranate that linger beautifully. Drink now through 2014. 1,000 cases made.

2004 Gibson Wilfreda (Australia)
92 points, Wine Advocate: A blend of 50% Shiraz, 38% Mourvedre, and 12% Grenache aged in old French and American wood. Exhibits loads of flowery, spicy, garrigue, strawberry, and cherry characteristics. Medium to full-bodied, dense, surprisingly elegant, and well-balanced. Should drink well for 5-7 years. 92 points, Australian Gourmet Traveller: Peppery and savory, with some animal aromas and a concentrated, fleshy, fruit-sweet palate of considerable charm and succulence. The texture is a highlight: slippery smooth and utterly delicious.

2001 Falcor Bijou Meritage (California)
Winemaker's Notes: 51% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petite Verdot. 17 months in oak barrels, 40% new French, 25% new American. 935 cases produced. Opening with aromas of tobacco, cassis, cedar, cola berries and dusty earth, the wine is loaded with opulent blackberry and blueberry fruit, and balanced by sweet tannins and subtle new oak. Luscious and graceful, with a long finish.

2006 Viu 1 Malbec (Chile)
While France and Argentina are more famous for their Malbec, the Viu Manent in Chile owns great, old vine vineyards of Malbec. Viu 1 is the winery's attempt to make world class wines from the best block. Usually includes about 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark, dense, and tannic, with violets, black plums, and boysenberry

Wine Tasting November 26, 28 - 29, 2008

2004 Wakefield Estate Chardonnay (Australia)
From the cool, high altitude Clare Valley. Barrel fermented and aged in French oak. Avoids malolactic fermentation to give the wine more acidity and structure. Big and buttery, with melon, pear, and white peach, but shows balance and even finesse, with cashews, cinnamon, and citrus. A fine example of how oaked chardonnays can have richness and complexity over unoaked ones.

2003 Hacienda El Espino 1707 Crianza (Spain)
A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 5% Syrah, from the Almansa region of Spain. "1707" is a broad line of wines named after an historical year where a decisive battle was fought for control of Eastern Spain, won by the French Bourbons. 89 points, Wine Advocate: Deep ruby/purpled color with violet tones. Intense nose, interesting and unique mix of fruity aromas due to the blend of the varieties with mineral notes. Full bodied, well balanced, fruity and complex with classic black currant, licorice, herb and sweet oak-scented nose and hints of oak thanks to 8 months in oak casks. Very soft and juicy with a long finish.

2007 Graham Beck Gameskeeper's Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (South Africa)
Wine Club Selection (November 2008), Jeff Prather, Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant (San Francisco): Top notch and a stunning value. Named after the passion of the owner for preserving the land and its wildlife. Black currant and dark cherries, along with that typical South African graphite finish with loads of mint and minerals. The price includes a contribution for preserving South African wildlife. Drink well for a good cause!

2005 Waterbrook Cabernet Reserve (Washington)
Winemaker's Notes: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc. Aged in 100% oak barrels for 20 months: 28% new oak. Smokey notes give way to aromas of oak, currants and dried figs on the robust nose. Deep color leads to ripe plums and currants rounded out by hints of blackberry cobbler and lingering spice on the finish.

2002 Wakefield St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (Australia)
A classic Cab – intense, dense, and tannic, centered on black currants as the flavor. Australia Cabs most often reach a peak around 8 years, and this one is starting to enter the sweet spot of aged Cabs, when the fruit remains strong, the tannins are rounding, and all the flavors start to come together in a seamless whole. Will easily keep for another four years. Don't miss this opportunity to get a beautifully aged wine ready to enjoy Cab at a fantastic price, that shows why Cabs are the most preferred variety of wine lovers.

Wine Tasting November 19 - 22, 2008

2006 Thomas Fogarty Gewurztraminer (California)
Fogarty is one of the best producers of Gewurztraminer in California. Has a delightful and  distinctive California twist – more brightly citric and delicious, fermented cool, with a touch of residual sugar that tames the bitterness that Gewurztraminer often has. Wonderful with many foods. 90 points, Wine Enthusiast: The best Fogarty Gewurz ever. Has the weight and racy acidity of a Sauvignon Blanc, but with the distinctive Asian spiciness of Gewurztraminer, along with the nuances of rose petals, water chestnuts, pineapples and sweet green baby peas.

2006 Ventisquero Reserva Pinot Noir (Chile)
90 points, Dick Scheer, Village Corner: Sweet and intricate aromatic set speaks flowers, cherry, raspberry, tea, tobacco, strawberry. Some oak extract, good viscosity. Cherry, tea, and vanilla. Rich, lively, long, and flavorful. A fine value.

2005 Poggio Morelino di Scansano (Italy)
Scansano is an area of Italy whose Sangiovese is famous for making juicy, fruit-forward immediately drinkable wines loaded with fresh red cherry.

2002 Graham Beck Syrah Ridge Vineyard (South Africa)
Winner, one of the 9 Great Gold medals and best international dry red wine, at MUNDUSvini International Wine Awards 2008. From one of the wineries dedicated to higher quality, from the Robinson area of South Africa, known for its horses and value wines. Winemaker's Notes: Deep ruby. Plum, spice, and smoke aromas. Aged 14 months in French and American oak. 60% of the French oak barrels are new and 40% of the American. Singel vineyhard, rown on a slope of porous sandstone and limestone soil rich in iron, on top of shale.

2004 Cumal Prieto Picudo (Spain)
Made from Prieto Picudo, a local and rare variety in Spain. Mostly very old vines previously used to make rose. Cumal uses the best grapes in an attempt to show that this variety can make world-class wine. 94 points Wine Advocate. 91 points, Steve Tanzer: Inky ruby. Powerful, deep, rich aromas of fresh blackberry and blackcurrant, perked up by oak spices and a floral note. Sweet, supple and spicy, the dark fruit flavors showing depth and lift. Vibrant and fresh on the finish, with lingering notes of cola, candied redcurrant and licorice.

Wine Tasting November 12 - 15, 2008

Wine Tasting November 5 - 8, 2008

2005 C.H. Berres Estate Riesling "Impulse" (Germany)
A blend from vineyards in Erden, Wehlen and Kinheim with intense tropical fruit aromas and textural richness surrounding a core of bracing, mineral structure. 88 points, Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator(12-2006): A nice mix of peach, lime and slate notes mark this juicy Riesling. Firm, finishing with a burst of white pepper and stone. Drink now through 2012. 1,000 cases made.

2005 Chateau Montaigut Cote de Bourg (France)
A majority Merlot, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. 6 months new oak barrel aging, 6 months second oak aging. Black fruits and spices with an earthy character. An intriguing mixture of velvety texture and firm structure. 89 points, Neil Rodriguez: The nose is a rich blend of black. This initial presentation follows through in the taste, which fills the mouth with a soft roundness, balanced with soft round, ripe tannins.

2004 Murphy-Goode Petite Verdot (California)
Initially planted only for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, the wine proved to be so good that it was bottled separately. Very dark and dense, with violets, black cherry, plum, and cocoa. One of the great Petite Verdots from California.

2004 L'Ecole 41 Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley (Washington)
100% Cab. A classic Cabernet profile of  blackberry, cassis and herbs, leather aromas with flavors of ripe plum, bittersweet chocolate, black cherry and currants on an earthy, spicy finish. Blends together Walla Walla and Columbia Valley vineyards.

2004 Montecastro Ribero del Duero (Spain)
A great Temparnillo that stopped me in my tracks at a trade tasting.  94 points, Wine Advocate: Expressively perfumed, broad, rich, and concentrated, with a finish goes on for over one minute. Cellar for 4-6 years and enjoy through 2032.

Wine Tasting October 29, 30 & November 1, 2008
"Ultimate Wine Tasting #22"

2005 Ventisquero Cabernet Sauvignon Queulat Gran Reserva (Chile)
85% Cab and 15% Syrah, grown on stony soil with decomposed granite. 12-14 months in oak barrels, 50% French and 50% American, that contributes a smokiness. A dense dark wine that blends the two grapes well, with cassis, leather, and tobacco from the Cab, and blueberry, raspberry, pepper, and chocolate from the Syrah.

2005 Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon Napa (California)
From 5 different vineyards. Aged 17 months in 50% new French oak barrels. Cabernet Sauvignon 83%, Cabernet Franc 7%, Syrah 5%, Merlot 4%, Petit Verdot 1%. 91 points, Connoisseur Guide (4/08): "Despite its wealth of rich oak and its tantalizing touches of root beer, cocoa and cream, this keenly defined opus is very specific in its deep Cabernet fruit, and its strong themes of ripe currants stay the course from beginning to end. It is an especially well-polished wine on the palate and its very trim tannins allow its concentrated fruit to shine through, but its present temptations noted, it is impeccably balanced and promises to get better and better for a good many years."

2004 Watermark Cabernet Sauvignon Napa (California)
Made by Phil Steinschriber in a very Napa style that he developed. The wines are complex and softened, made to avoid bitterness, control tannins, overlay with oak and toast tones, and express the fruit as well as the vineyard site. No stems are used, the grapes are not crushed, the pressing is gentle, and the must is punched down less in the later stages of fermentation. Watermark is his own winery, after years of making wines at many famous Napa wineries.

2005 August Briggs Cabernet Sauvignon Napa (California)
Winemaker's Notes: This luscious, generous Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon comes from two mountain vineyards, Stagecoach, which is known for its rocky, volcanic soils, and Corbett, located on a rocky hillside in the Spring Mountain appellation. Each is about 1,000' above the valley. Garnet-hued with a charming bouquet of violets, cherries and toasty oak, the wine is quite elegant on the palate, exuding juicy raspberry, blackberry and cassis flavors touched with fresh-roasted coffee and bittersweet chocolate. Big and fruit-forward, immediately approachable, but with the fine-grained tannins and acidic backbone to improve in the cellar.

2005 Aramis Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon (Australia)
100% Cab. One of the best Australian Cabernet I've tasted. Importer's Notes: This inaugural release is lush, intense and immensely complex. Delightful red and black fruit notes are in abundance both on the nose and palate. The wine fills the mouth with an amazing array of berries, from blueberry, blackberry and even hints of raspberry. A very complete wine that will appeal to any lover of great Cabernet. Wonderful texture, lingers long, very sexy.

2004 Los Vascos Le Dix Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile)
At a very comprehensive tasting of wines made by or in partnership with Lafite in Bordeaux, this was my #1 pick, besting Bordeaux that cost up to three times as much. 100% Cab, with the elegance and slow building power typical of Lafite. Near black and concentrated, with cedar, oak, vanilla, cinnamon, cassis, and strong tannin. Owned by Lafite since 1988, Los Vascos is a single 580 hectare vineyard. 91 points, Wine & Spirits: Truly one of the greatest finds from Chile; deep purple color; with cassis, blackberry and coffee on the nose and palate.

2005 Von Strasser Estate Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot. Only the darkest, most extracted lots.  93 points, Wine Enthusiast (5/08): Rich and ageworthy, it shows sweetly ripe flavors of black currants, cherries, dark chocolate and plums, with smoky, vanilla new oak nuances. The tannins are pure mountain Napa, dense and refined.

Wine Tastings October 22 - 25, 2008

2007 Frattina Pinot Grigio (Italy)
A single vineyard Pinot Grigio from Northern Italy that delivers more flavors and concentration.

2003 Warwick Three Cape Ladies (South Africa)
49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 26 Pinotage. 24 months in French oak, 30% new. The Pinotage contributes explosive fruit, plus sweetness and softness, the Merlot adds spice, and the Cabernet provides a backbone. 89 points, Steve Tanzer: "Black fruits, mocha, chocolate and menthol on the pure nose, with a violet topnote. Sweet, concentrated and creamy; sappy and seamless, with a smoky nuance and good juicy lift. Not yet complex but fresh, structured and destined to grow truffley and deeper with bottle aging."

2005 Cannonball Cabernet Sauvignon ( California)
Includes 11% Syrah. Soft, complex, aged 8 months in French and American oak, velvety yet firm tannins, forward, with powerful fruit. Blends from vineyards over California, though mostly Dry Creek. Named after the cannonball dive – fun for everyone, and makes a big splash.

2006 Luchador Shiraz (Australia)
92 points, Wine Advocate: Contains 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Sixty percent of the fruit was sourced from Barossa Valley and 40% from McLaren Vale. It was aged for 12 months in seasoned French and American oak. A glass-coating opaque purple, it features first-class aromas of spice box, cedar, mocha, lavender, and blueberry. Velvety-textured, fruit-driven, and intense, the wine has excellent depth of flavor and a long finish. It is a fabulous value.

2006 Mollydooker Two Left Feet (Australia)
The previous 2005 vintage received 94 points in the Wine Advocate, and was crowned as the second best wine value in the world under $20.  A blend of  Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Cassis, blackberry, cherry, plum, smoke, and chocolate.

2005 R Winery Grail of Lisa (Australia)
Winemaker's Notes: Vibrant ripe blackberries, fruitcake with layers of cinnamon and toffee. Smooth vanillin palate, round luscious concentration of fruit with an oak spice finish. Winestreet.com: Mind-blowing 100% Shiraz. Huge with tons of vibrant ripe blackberries. Juicy yet laced with vanilla, toffee, and oak spice.  Full bodied, seriously concentrated, and full of luscious black fruit yet remains balanced and finishes oh so good.

Wine Tastings October 15 - 18, 2008

2006 Villa Maria Gewurztraminer Private Bin (New Zealand)
Very aromatic with rose petal, spice, and citrus flavors. Has a fatty and mouth coating texture, but is crisp and refreshing for a Gewurztraminer. Fermented at a cooled temperature, and then refrigerated to stop fermentation to leave a little residual sugar.

2006 Queen of Hearts Pinot Noir (Californa)
The fun and affordable line of Lucas and Lewellen in Santa Barbara County, designed to meet the Queen's directive to "let them drink wine". Normally this would mean a lighter bodied wine with red cherry and strawberry, but this adds black cherry and blackberry.

2006 Wildekrans Pinotage (South Africa)
Winemaker's Notes: Sourced from a single, low yielding and trellised vineyard. This wine shows forthcoming raspberry and vanilla aromas with delicate traces of fresh plums. A silky smooth entry, red berries and spice form on the palate with a touch of mocha lingering on the finish.

2006 Marquis Philips S2 Cabernet Sauvignon (Australia)
Steve Tanzer, International Wine Cellar: "Deep, saturated red. Cherry, candied plum and dark chocolate on the nose, with vanilla and cola adding an impression of sweetness. Fleshy dark fruit flavors become sweeter with air and pick up firm tannins, which add welcome structure. Finishes with good chewy persistence and an echo of cherry-vanilla."

2004 JC Cellars Rockpile Road Syrah Haley's Reserve (California)
93+ points, Wine Advocate: Consistently one of my favorites JC cellars wines is their Syrah Rockpile Vineyard. The 2004, 100% Syrah aged in French oak boasts an opaque black/purple color as well as a gorgeous nose of blackberry liqueur intermixed with melted licorice, smoked meats, acacia flowers and a talcum powder-like stony minerality. Powerful (16.3% alcohol) with superb underlying acidity and layers of richness, this is a blockbuster Syrah that should drink well for a decade.

Wine Tastings October 8 - 11, 2008

2006 Promised Land Unwooded Chardonnay (Australia)
Winemaker's Notes: Rich and luscious but has a lighter body and is crisper and refreshing. The palate displays melon, citrus, lime and passion fruit flavors. Generous, even mouth filling, and balanced. 

2002 Wakefield St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon (Australia)
The top wine from this estate, at an incredible close out price. Luscious black cherry, licorice and cassis fruit characters, with cinnamon, spice and cedar. The palate is weighty with fine long Cabernet Sauvignon tannins and clean acid. The finish is long and persistent. 92 points, Jamie Goode, Wine Anarok : Complex, expressive wine, showing earthy, minerally blackcurrant fruit. Evolved and drinking very well now. Delicious. From the Clare Valley, one of the three best sources for Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia.

2006 Tait Ballbuster Shiraz (Australia)
92 points, Wine Advocate: Tait has been establishing a track record for hedonistically rendered wines at consumer friendly prices for several years. Previous vintages of this wine have been smash hits and the 2006 The Ball Buster is a lock to continue the trend. It is a 15,000 case cuvee, all of which was basket-pressed, a labor-intensive process not commonly associated with a wine in this price category. The wine is composed of 78% Shiraz, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot aged for 12 months in used French and American oak. Purple-colored, it exhibits a classy bouquet of cedar, earth, tar, espresso, blueberry, black currants, and licorice. Supple, ripe and soft on the palate, this seamless, crowd-pleaser of a wine can be enjoyed now and over the next several years. It is an awesome value.

2006 Layer Cake Malbec (Argentina)
Layer Cake makes premium wines from vineyards around the world. Winemaker's Notes: Dense purple core with a brilliant red rim. Black fruit is abundant in the nose followed closely by anise, chocolate and very pleasant touches of spice. Pure, muscular, rich; a powerhouse of lush fruit, silky cocoa and cream. An intense mouthful of fruit-driven wine: layers of jam, cherries and espresso with a hint of tobacco. Layered and complex; a nose to linger over, a finish that never ends. The vineyard features rocks strewn over clay and gravel from a dried up riverbed. The grapes are harvested 4-6 weeks later than other vineyards in the area. Fermented in stainless steel (80%) and used Hundred Acre barrels (20%) imported from California.

2006 Marquis Philips Shiraz #9 (Australia)
This has been a stellar step up Shiraz since 2001. What makes a great step-up wine are greater concentration and intensity of flavors, less reliance on sweetness, and a balance of tannin and acidity. 92-95 points, Wine Advocate: The 2006 Shiraz 9 was tasted from a barrel sample. It has been barrel-fermented in new French and American oak barriques and hogsheads where it has been aging for 14 months (with another 2 months to go prior to bottling). It delivers an alluring bouquet of pain grille, smoke, mocha, espresso, and blue fruits. This is followed by a full-bodied, personality-filled Shiraz with blueberry, blackberry liqueur, licorice, and a hint of chocolate emerging on the palate. Opulent, sweet, and lengthy, it will evolve for several years but can be enjoyed now and over the next 12-15 years.

Wine Tastings October 1 - 4, 2008

2006 Wakefield Promised Land Riesling (Australia)
A wine made for export only to the US. Made with more weight, a softened and somewhat oilier texture, citrus flavors, a touch of sweetness, and a crisp and acidic finish. From the Clare Valley, which has cool nights that favor the freshness and vibrancy that white wines need.

2003 Kuleto Sangiovese (California)
Of the previous 2002 vintage, Wine Enthusiast: What a match for dinner: This wine's high acidity will cut through cheese or meat easily, and its bigtime cherry and blackberry flavors would complement garlicky, tomato sauce nicely. Finishes dry, with a dusting of tannin.

2003 Vergelegen Mill Race (South Africa)
60% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Shiraz and 2% Cabernet Franc. A classic Bordeaux style, attractively priced. Lovely gravelly, minerally nose, with a chalky edge, and perfumed black fruits. The palate has nice weight with good tannins and minerally fruit. Delicious and savoury.

2006 Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon Central Coast (California)
The best Cabernet Sauvignon that Hahn makes that isn't a single vineyard. Winemaker's Notes: Initial aromas of black currant, cassis, clove, and cedar. Layered aromas of plum and cocoa develop into a rich blend of raspberry jam and ripe berry with a hint of vanilla. The substantial, well developed tannins continue through the finish with a finely integrated acidity. Made from grapes grown at our own Smith and Hook ranches. Pairs well with strong red meat.

2006 R Winery Luchador Shiraz (Australia)
92 points, Wine Advocate: Contains 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Sixty percent of the fruit was sourced from Barossa Valley and 40% from McLaren Vale. It was aged for 12 months in seasoned French and American oak. A glass-coating opaque purple, it features first-class aromas of spice box, cedar, mocha, lavender, and blueberry. Velvety-textured, fruit-driven, and intense, the wine has excellent depth of flavor and a long finish. It is a fabulous value.

Wine Tastings September 24 - 27, 2008

This week we tasted the wines of Ventisquero Estate Winery, Chile.
On Thursday evening our special guest was Jaime Moreno, Director of Wines.

2006 Ventisquero Reserva Chardonnay (Chile)
Of the previous 2005 vintage: Grand Gold Medal (among 201 Chardonnays), 13^th World Competition in Brussels. Bright greenish yellow. Aroma: Intense pineapple, papaw and banana aromas. Palate: Medium body, fruity, with hints of pineapple, banana and refreshing acidity at the end.

2006 Ventisquero Reserva Pinot Noir (Chile)
90 points, Dick Scheer, Village Corner: Sweet and intricate aromatic set speaks flowers, cherry, raspberry, tea, tobacco, strawberry. Some oak extract, good viscosity. Cherry, tea, and vanilla. Rich, lively, long, and flavorful. A fine value.

2003 Ventisquero Grand Reserva Merlot (Chile)
Winemaker's Notes: Intense deep ruby-red color together with dried plums and black fruit aromas, harmonizing with vanilla notes from ageing in French oak barrels. Ripe tannins with a soft and silky texture.

2006 Ventisquero Reserva Carmenere (Chile)
Outstanding Value, Michael Mohammadi: Carmenere with a touch of Syrah. Aromas of bacon fat, plum, subtle vanilla, and smoke. Tastes like smoke, oak, and dark red fruits. Aged 10 months in oak, half American and half French.

2005 Ventisquero Grand Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile)
Sandra Silfven, Detroit News, of the earlier 2003: Intense almost black color. Aromas are black currant, blackberries, dark plums, dark chocolate and vanilla. You have to love the weight, elegance and creamy texture, and tannins with a gentle scratch. Robust, earthy character with the fruit and acidity to be ideal for grilled meats and intense sauces.

2004 Ventisquero Pangea (Chile)
Made with the assistance of John Duval, who made the Grange in Australia, which is arguably Australia's greatest wine. Aged 18 months in French oak and then one year in bottle. About 90% Syrah and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Of the later 2005 vintage: 91 points, Wine Spectator: Very fleshy, with lots of velvety-textured blue, black and red fruit that mingle with notes of cocoa and mineral. The long, supple finish lets it all play out nicely, without ever getting heavy. Concentrated, but nicely balanced. 800 cases made.

2004 Bianchi Syrah Signature Selection (California)
Red raspberry jam, licorice, and coconut, but with drying tannins. Ripe, rich, and aged in French and American oak, which contributes spiciness. The Bianchi wines, made in Paso Robles, but using grapes from diverse sources, are all impressively good and modestly priced.

2004 Flinders Bay Shiraz (Australia)
Great purity and intensity of flavor, without overripeness, raisins, or sweetness.  Has a raspberry root beer flavor, laced with flowers. Very juicy, tangy, vibrant, and long.

2003 Miller Wine Works Syrah Brookside (California)
The grapes are from a 7 acre parcel that straddles the Carneros and Mount Veeder appellations. Wine Advocate: Loads of crème de cassis interwoven with smoky, earthy, plum liqueur, and fig aromas. It is a medium to full-bodied Syrah displaying lovely purity along with abundant amounts of fruit, sweet tannin, adequate acidity, and a long, layered finish. It should drink well for 5-6 years.

2003 Brassfield Monte Sereno Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
First harvest from vines planted in 2001. 9% Merlot. Winemaker's Notes: This wine exudes exceptional varietal character, and is a classic example of everything expected in a world class Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark fruits of blackberry and dried currants predominate while subtle elements of earth, eucalyptus, leather and black olive add to this harmoniously orchestrated feast for the senses. The tannins promise exceptional aging potential but the wine is hard to resist now.

2005 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon XI Columbia Valley (Washington)
100% Cabernet Sauvignon, blends two estate vineyards. Smoke, coffee, vanilla, and caramel.  Plum, raspberry, and cherry flavors with earthy undertones and refreshing acidity. Silky and even lush texture and feel. Gold Medal at Northwest Wine Summit. Dunham is the Northwest Wine Press winery of the year for 2008. At first Dunham became famous for its Cab, and then even more famous for the Syrahs it added later.

Wine Tastings September 10 - 12, 2008

2003 Maison Du Lac Merlot (Chile)
Despite the name, this wine comes from the Maipo Valley in Chile. A label of Santa Ema. 100% Merlot. Red fruits, good structure, filling, persistent, with soft vanilla.

2006 Clos De les Siete (Argentina)
An intense and fruity blend, an impressive value, finishes surprisingly tannic. 92 points, Wine Advocate: 50% Malbec, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Syrah. Opaque purple-colored, expressive nose including fragrant plum, blueberry, and black cherry. Ripe, sweet, and seamless, hides its tannin under all the fruit. It will evolve for several years but who will have the willpower to defer gratification? It is an awesome value. Close de los Siete is a project of Michel Rolland. The vineyard is located about 60 miles south of Mendoza at about 3,000 feet of elevation.

2005 Boekenhoutskloof, Chocolate Block (South Africa)
90 points, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: A blend of syrah, grenache, cabernet sauvignon, cinsault and viognier. Deep red-ruby. Ripe aromas of plum, currant, licorice, truffle and meat. Sweet, rich and lush, with good energy to the flavors of red berries, spices and chocolate. Plenty of texture here. Finishes with ripe, buffered tannins. Winemaker Kent uses a lot of thick-staved 600-liter barrels for the grenache and blends in some syrah press wine to counteract the wine's oxidative tendency. This is fatter and richer than the nearly as impressive 2004.

2005 Amavi Cabernet  Sauvignon (Washington)
Fruity, tasty, and long – a good harbinger of the widely acclaimed 2005 vintage for Washington. 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 9% Syrah, and 1% Malbec. 92 points, Wine Spectator Smart Buys): Ripe and rich, a full bodied, generous Cabernet Sauvignon that focuses its dark-toned berry, black olive, and pepper flavors beautifully. The tannins are present on the finish but can't stop the fruit."

2005 Kangarilla Road Shiraz (Australia)
An HHH wine – heady, high-geared, and hedonistic – that has gotten between 90 and 93 points in the Wine Advocate every year since 2001. Wine Advocate: Aged in both French and American oak (one quarter new). Has a saturated ruby/purple color as well as a big, sweet nose of smoke, camphor, blackberry liqueur, melted licorice, and road tar. It boasts terrific fruit intensity, big, full-bodied, savory, expansive mouthfeel, decent acidity, and heady finish. A stunning Shiraz for the price.

Wine Tasting August 13 - 16, 2008

2005 Oreana "?" (California)
On release, this wine was soft and satiny with delicious blackberry and black cherry interlaced with chocolate and sweet spices. As it ages, tannin is starting to poke through its lake of fruit. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Syrah – a type of blend make famous by Australia. Very modestly priced, fruit-centered, and forward, with good concentration. The "?" in the name emphasizes how the wine is a blend that can change every year. The winery is in Santa Barbara County. 3,500 cases produced.

2004 Pirrammima Shiraz (Australia)
Tasted in 2007, the wine had watermelon, bubble gum, and coconut in the nose, but in the mouth had black cherry and black raspberry. The Pirrammima Shiraz improves for about 9 years in the bottle and usually shows more tannins than this one did, but which may become more apparent with more age. 90 points, Wine Spectator: A vibrant, juicy style that brims with red plum, cherry and raspberry flavors; picks up spicy plum notes as the finish.

2001 Collier Falls Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
A serious wine, that begins with a not unpleasant stink, that is well structured by tannins and acidity, with a very dry finish and no sugar sweetness. Concentrated enough to have a cocoa taste, and laced with black currants, black cherry, coffee, and tobacco.  94% CS with Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot. The top rated wine by 12 experienced wine drinkers at a blind tasting of 7 affordable reds. Don't worry about this 2001 being old or tired. Not only has the 2001 California vintage proved to be superior for the ageability of its wines, but tasting it every 6-12 months demonstrates that this wine remains vigorous and continues to improve. A rare opportunity to buy an excellent older wine at a bargain price.

2003 Opolo Rhapsody (California)
Strong and deep aromas of violets and purple raspberries, accented by black plums. Those same flavors greet you in the mouth, infuse the middle, and continue after swallowing in the aftertaste for at least 30 seconds. A kind of wine for which California is famous throughout the world – deliciously fruity and forward, with a streak of ripe fruit (residual sugar < 1 g/l) sweetness, and balancing acidity. Has a similar signature taste made famous by the Justin Isosceles, also from Paso Robles, but here at a great closeout price. From a more mountainous part of Paso Robles. Rhapsody is their top of the line, with 1330 cases. 40% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Aged 18 months in 50% new French oak. You will probably never see this wine again at this low a price.

2005 Elyse Korte Ranch Zinfandel (California)
Elyse makes a minority style of Zinfandel. Instead of being raisiny ripe and sweet, it tends to be rich but well structured, complex, and more like Cabernet Sauvignon. The previous 2004 vintage got 94 points in Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: Among the finest of the vintage. The outrageously superb, dark ruby/purple-hued 2004 Zinfandel Korte Ranch Vineyard (93% Zinfandel and 7% Petite Sirah) boasts creme de cassis, blackberry, raspberry, and sappy cherry-like characteristics. This full-bodied, full-throttle, dense, concentrated Zin is remarkably well-balanced for its potency and flavor depth.

Wine Tasting August 6 - 9, 2008

2005 Kathryn Lynskey Pinot Gris (New Zealand)
Italy has made wines made from Pinot Gris (Pinot Grigio in Italian) famous in the United States, but both Oregon and New Zealand makes these wines with more fat in the body, more fruit, better acidity, and greater intensity. This particular version is also an incredible close out value that you are unlikely to ever see again. Ripe apple, pear, quince and melon, with a creamy texture and balancing acidity.

2002 Wakefield Saint Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon (Australia)
The top wine from this estate, at an incredible close out price. Luscious black cherry, licorice and cassis fruit characters, with cinnamon, spice and cedar. The palate is weighty with fine long Cabernet Sauvignon tannins and clean acid. The finish is long and persistent. 92 points, Jamie Goode, Wine Anarok: Complex, expressive wine, showing earthy, minerally blackcurrant fruit. Evolved and drinking very well now. Delicious. From the Clare Valley, one of the three best sources for Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia.

2005 Andrew Will Ciel du Cheval (Washington)
From one of the most famous estates in Washington. 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot. Tar, flowers, and forest. Complex, smooth, balanced, and long. 92 points, Wine Enthusiast: A classic Bordeaux blend. Tight and chewy, this fragrant wine adds whiffs of tobacco to its red currant and cherry fruit. It is a beautifully shaped wine, precise and balanced, compact and intriguing. It will reward decanting and should be cellared for a few years to give maximum enjoyment.

2005 Bianchi Petite Sirah (California)
Petite Sirah is a cross with Syrah, that has small, tightly packed grapes with thick skins. Not a black, massive, and tannic Petite Sirah. Instead, emphasizes violets and purple raspberries, laced with a strong streak of tannin.

2005 Michael & David Earthquake Petite Sirah (California)
Earthquake makes some of the best Petite Sirah in the world. Unlike all the other red wines from Michael and David, this is not only intense, dense, and black, but not sweet and overripe. Instead, the wine is strongly structured by tannins and acidity. Massive and muscular, this wine will handle any food, including bloody steaks and roasts. Will easily last and improve for 15 years, more like a great Cabernet Sauvignon.

Wine Tasting July 30 - August 2, 2008

2005 Bianchi Chardonnay (California)
My esteem for this winery has been rising, as every wine I've tasted has been excellent. He is a modestly priced chardonnay featuring a fine balance of oak, texture, and citrus that is refreshing and satisfying. Bianchi has its winery and estate vineyards in the sloped Eastern part of Paso Robles, but grapes for its chardonnay come from the cooler and higher Edna Valley. A step up from the very good Hahn Chardonnay.

Marietta Lot 46 (California)
One of the finest values in Zinfandel based field blends. Medium to full-bodied red with delicious, juicy raspberry, cassis and jam flavors accented by pepper and spice. Robert Parker, Wine Advocate: "one of my favorite best buys". Wine of the Week, Peg Melnik, Press Democrat, July 2, 2008 (Santa Rosa, California): The best burger match. It has a tasty, rich fruit character with herbs and spice. It's also slightly sweet, which makes a burger even more flavorful.

2003 Girard Artistry (California)
92 points, Wine Enthusiast: This is Girard's Meritage, based on Cabernet but with the other four varieties. The grapes come from St. Helena and Oakville. The wine is young, tannic and dry now, with great complexity, a Bordeaux-style blend of endless fascination and pleasure. Should drink well for 10 years or more.

2005 Andrew Will Sheridan (Washington)
92 points, Wine Advocate: "The 2005 Andrew Will portfolio leads off with the 2005 Sheridan Vineyard. The wine is composed of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 28% Merlot. This purple-colored effort offers up an array of spices including clove, cinnamon, and allspice as well as cedar and tobacco notes. Saint-Emilion-like on the palate, it hides enough tannin to support 2-3 years of further bottle age. There is enough depth and balance to suggest that this rather elegant wine will drink well through 2025."

2004 JC Cellars Rockpile Road Syrah Haley's Reserve (California)
93+ points, Wine Advocate: Consistently one of my favorites JC cellars wines is their Syrah Rockpile Vineyard. The 2004, 100% Syrah aged in French oak boasts an opaque black/purple color as well as a gorgeous nose of blackberry liqueur intermixed with melted licorice, smoked meats, acacia flowers and a talcum powder-like stony minerality. Powerful (16.3% alcohol) with superb underlying acidity and layers of richness, this is a blockbuster Syrah that should drink well for a decade.

Wine Tasting July 23 - 26, 2008

2005 Vergelegen Sauvignon Blanc (South Africa)
Vergelegen is famous in South Africa for showing others how to upgrade the winery, vineyards, and wine making to make premium wines competitive in the world market. This wine captures that juicy fresh cut grass and green pepper flavor that South Africa helped pioneer and New Zealand made world famous, but also has a little semillion, giving the texture a rounder and broader edge. 89 points, Steve Tanzer: Pale bright yellow. Reticent nose hints at passion fruit, lemon, minerals and a raw peppery quality. Then dense, supple and generous in the mouth, with a restrained sweetness to the flavors of pineapple, grapefruit and minerals. In a broad, fairly rich style. Finishes with a pleasing pear skin bitterness.

2005 Kangarilla Road Shiraz (Australia)
An HHH wine – heady, high-geared, and hedonistic – that has gotten between 90 and 93 points in the Wine Advocate every year since 2001. Wine Advocate: Aged in both French and American oak (one quarter new). Has a saturated ruby/purple color as well as a big, sweet nose of smoke, camphor, blackberry liqueur, melted licorice, and road tar. It boasts terrific fruit intensity, big, full-bodied, savory, expansive mouthfeel, decent acidity, and heady finish. A stunning Shiraz for the price.

2005 Earthquake Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
The HHH philosophy applied to Cabernet Sauvignon – highly colored, alcoholic, ripe, and fruity, laced with a sweet streak, and with nothing held back. All at the best price in Florida.

2003 Kuleto Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
Prime mountain grown Napa (St Helena) Cabernet at a fraction of the price it normally commands. Hillside vineyards between 1125 and 1450 feet in Chiles Valley. This mountain grown fruit has smaller grapes with thicker skins, producing more concentrated and deeply colored wine. Aged 25 months in oak barrels, 70% are new oak. Dark and vibrant, well structured by smooth and drying tannins and refreshing acidity, and mouth coating with clear flavors, featuring plums, black currants, and black cherry along with nuances of spice, violets, smoke, and fig. The top wine of Kuleto, which also makes excellent mountain Syrah, Zinfandel, and Pinot Noir.

2004 Greenock Creek Solitary Block Shiraz (Australia)
A premium wine offered at its lowest cost. Named for the practice of selecting the grapes by the best section of a vineyard. Intense, dense, long, balanced, no flaws, and not sweet. Wine House in Australia, which holds numerous special events and features multiple vintages of the same wine, selected this as their overall Wine of the Year. 95 points, James Halliday (Australia's foremost wine critic): "Full red-purple; has a very complex texture, structure and flavor; black fruits, quality oak and extremely fine, persistent tannins all play their part." The next 2005 vintage got 97 points in the Wine Advocate. Made by Pikes Winery.

Wine Tasting July 16 - 19, 2008

2007 Viu Manent Secreto Sauvignon Blanc (Chile)
Notes of the New Zealand wine maker: Intensely mineral, smokey notes dominate on the nose backed up by vibrant nectarine and white peach. In the mouth more exotic fruit such as guava and passionfruit dominate leading to a flinty finish. A bright, zesty acidity imparts excellent structure and length.

2006 Viu Manent San Carlos Vineyard Malbec (Chile)
A wine that's been an excellent buy relative to the premium-priced and greater Viu 1 Malbec. Viu Manent owns the greatest Malbec vineyards in Chile, that produce world class Malbecs. From select blocks of a single vineyard with vines averaging 60 years old. 7% Cabernet Sauvignon. Bunch selected on the vine, destemmed, and reselected at a sorting table. Aged in oak barrels for a year with 14% new oak barrels.  The previous 2005 San Carlos improved steadily in the bottle to where it was not blown off the table with the much more expensive Viu 1 Malbec. Of the previous 2005 vintage: 92 points, Wine Enthusiast: A great, has-everything wine. The nose is chock full of berry aromas with earth and leather riding shotgun. Finishing notes of chocolate truffles, espresso, berry syrup and mocha sum it up. A fine structure with a core of acidity.

2005 Aramis Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon (Australia)
100% Cab. The best Australian Cabernet I've tasted in a year. Importer's Notes: This inaugural release of Aramis Cabernet Sauvignon is lush, intense and immensely complex. Delightful red and black fruit notes are in abundance both on the nose and palate. The wine fills the mouth with an amazing array of berries, from blueberry, blackberry and even hints of raspberry. A very complete wine that will appeal to any lover of great Cabernet. Wonderful texture , lingers long, very sexy.

2004 R Winery Luchador Shiraz (Australia)
92 points, Wine Advocate: Contains 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Sixty percent of the fruit was sourced from Barossa Valley and 40% from McLaren Vale. Aged for 12 months in seasoned French and American oak. A glass-coating opaque purple, it features first-class aromas of spice box, cedar, mocha, lavender, and blueberry. Velvety-textured, fruit-driven, and intense, the wine has excellent depth of flavor and a long finish. A fabulous value.

2002 Guiseppe Lonardi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (Italy)
The grapes are dried on traditional racks from October to January and the wine is left to mature for 3 to 4 years in oak barrels. 2002 was a problematic vintage because of rain, but this wine shows no dilution. Darkly colored with a hint of raisin in the nose. In the mouth, the wine is strongly flavored, tannic, and dry, with a dark cherry fruit and no taste of sugar. With age and aeration, the wine will become more velvety. A great close out price.

Wine Tasting July 9 - 12, 2008

2003 Spencer Hill Chardonnay (New Zealand)
A quality winery on the northern tip of the south island of New Zealand. Production is less than 500 cases and is consistently superb. A wine that sees no oak but tastes as rich as oaked wine. Of the previous 2002 vintage, 19 of 20 points, Sue Courtney: Pale citrine gold, yeasty and intense on the nose with lemon and toffee, it is quite malty and buttery in the smooth, creamy textured palate. A huge wine with lovely mouthfeel and weight, quite surreal honeyed oak and ripe stonefruits, there is lots going on. Immensely mouthfilling becoming quite savory and mealy on the finish with lovely toasty stonefruit flavors lingering. Even better the next day - caramelly with a butterscotch richness, a mealy complexity and some bright citrus juices interweaving with stonefruit. Another delicious, complex superstar for Spencer Hill.

2006 Senorio de Barahonda, Carro Tinto (Spain)
50% Monastrell, 20% Syrah, 20% Temp, 10% Merlot. Very affordable. Medium body.  Aromas of earth, pepper and red and dark berry fruits. Even balanced, with an attractive aftertaste. Of the previous 2005 and a cuvee all Monastrell - 90 points, Wine Advocate: Produced from 100% Monastrell and stored in stainless steel, this dark ruby-colored wine has an attractive nose of forest floor, mineral, and blueberry. It has a supple palate-feel, sweet fruit, and excellent balance. A superb value.

2002 Three Saints Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
Estate wines from a vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, California. Winemaker's Notes: Medium dark to dark ruby in color. It has forward aromas of ripe plum and dark cherry with balanced oak and a touch of dried herbs and minerals. It is medium full bodied on the palate with concentrated flavors of plum, cherry and boysenberry that develops with airing and are complemented by rich tannins. This wine will gain additional complexity over the next five years.

2006 Neyers Mourvedre (California)
A rare grape in California, seldom bottled by itself, famous for resisting oxidation. Not black or heavy, but complex, savory, and tasty.  90 points, Wine Advocate: " The 2006 Mourvedre Pato Vineyard is relatively stylish for a wine that can often be rustic and animal. The wine displays civilized blueberry and raspberry fruit with earth and spice. It is well-made, medium to full-bodied, with an excellent ripeness and sweet tannin. Drink it over the next 5-6 years."

2006 Viu 1 Malbec (Chile)
While France and Argentina are more famous for their Malbe, the Viu Manent in Chile owns great, old vine vineyards of Malbec. Viu 1 is the winery's attempt to make world class wines from the best block. Usually includes about 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Mariana Martinez: From a cool vintage. One of the best balanced of the Viu 1s. Not as tannic or rugged as some earlier vintages. Elegant, juicy, and lively.

Wine Tasting July 2 - 5, 2008

2005 Bleasdale Verdelho (Australia)
A Portuguese variety that Australia makes richer and fruitier. Fragrant orange blossom, kiwi fruit, and melon, with ripe citrus and pineapple in the mouth. Crisp, refreshing, and dry, with no oak at all. 89 points, James Halliday, 2007 Australian Wine Companion: "Plenty of fruit salad dressed with a zingy, lemon acidity. Long experience with this variety produces a particularly good example. Value plus."

2006 Yangarra Shiraz (Australia)
Yangarra Shiraz is a wine I heartily recommend year in and year out for showing the unabashed pleasures of pure fruit - lovely, delicious, and irresistible. The 2006 is all that combined with the just arrived, freshest fruit. A wine that merits its consistently high scores in national and international publications. Owned by Kendall-Jackson of California, which demonstrates how an enlightened multi-national owner may benefit a winery. The previous 2005 vintage got 93 point s in the Wine Enthusiast. Singe vineyard, 100% Shiraz, 18 months in oak barrels, 85% French (30% new) and 15% American (5% new). 91 points, Anthony Dias Blue: Fragrant, spicy and dense with meaty blackberry fruit and power; ripe and long; showing elegant complexity.

2000 Bleasdale Shiraz Reserve (Australia)
Bleasdale makes its Shiraz not in the typical jammy style catering to the United States, but dryer and firmer, with cocoa and meat flavors in with the fruit. I wasn't expecting to be able to taste, much less buy, this particular vintage again. 89 points, Wine Spectator: "Rich in texture, but not heavy, with wonderful plum and cherry fruit shaded with touches of meaty game and tar. The fruit persists against fine tannins on the finish. Drink now through 2012. 2,000 cases made."

2005 Axel Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile)
Axel is a step up subbrand of La Playa in the $20 range. Every vintage of the Cabernet Sauvignon since 2003 has delivered a benchmark wine that is rich, tannic, dry, and long, with a classic core of cassis. Markedly improves with bottle age or aeration in the glass. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Carmenère. International Wine Cellar: "Bright red. Spicy red berry and cherry scents are enlivened by cracked pepper and fresh rose. Juicy cherry and raspberry flavors pick up smoky mocha and anise with air, as well as dusty tannins. Finishes with good lift and persistence."

2001 Jacob's Creek Johann Cabernet/Shiraz (Australia)
What a rare treat to ever get an opportunity to even taste this wine anywhere. Jacob's Creek is famous at grocery stores over all the world for wines in the $7 range, as well as a reserve series that is truly a reserve – a definite step up that delivers greater complexity and concentration in the $12 range. With all the grapes grown all over Australia that this massive company controls, imagine what a great wine could be made from the top tiny percent of the best parcels and barrels. That flagship wine is the Jacob's Creek Johann Cabernet Shiraz, named after the 19^th century founding father. Now imagine that it's at the best (but still expensive) price you will find in the world, and you have the Best Cellar offering. I've never tasted any of this wine in my life, and I'm going to be there will bells on my shoes. Bottle aged unusually long before release. The current release, the 2002 vintage, got 96 points from James Halliday (Australia's foremost wine critic). 400 cases were imported into the US.

Wine Tasting June 25 - 28, 2008
South African Wine Tasting
with guest speaker Neil Strachan, one of the pioneers in bringing in wines from South Africa

2006 Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc
90 points, Wine Spectator: A lean, crackling style, with lots of Key lime, gooseberry, straw and herb flavors. The long, tangy finish brings you back for more.

2004 De Toren Z
34% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc, 18% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. Aged 12 months in French and American oak. John Platter, 4 stars of 5. 90 points, Wine Enthusiast. 91 points, Steve Tanzer: Good deep ruby-red. Distinctly wild aromas of plum, dark berries, leather, spice cake and flowers. Sweet and pliant but high-toned and sauvage, with a strong spice character to the dark berry, chocolate and game flavors. Firm acids and lush tannins do not get in the way of the wine's sweetness. I find a lot of personality here, but this is not for the faint of heart.

2004 Rudi Schultz Syrah
92 points, Wine Spectator: Offers a lovely beam of pure raspberry and boysenberry fruit, with hints of vanilla, mineral and kirsch on the long finish. Delivers a lot of fruit, with fine-grained tannins. Yet shows a minerally elegance. Drink now through 2008. 800 cases made. Wine Enthusiast: good structure, long finish, exerberant, juicy, extremely attractive.

2005 Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon
Includes stylistic elements seldom seen in California cabernets – tobacco, game, and an alkaline smokiness. 91 points, Wine Spectator: "Well-rendered, with a sense of precision to the fine-grained tannins and the black currant, plum sauce, cocoa and loam notes that carry through the lengthy finish."

2005 Rustenberg John X Merriman
54% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec. Aged in wood barrels, 50% new French oak.  92 points, Wine Enthusiast: This wine is renegade winemaker Adi Badenhorst's favorite in his portfolio, and for good reason. In line with the best Bordeaux blends, it leads with an earthy, mineral-driven nose, and on the palate, it's both juicy and restrained. Expressive flavors of pepper, mocha and spice and elegant tannins give the wine a stately and sophisticated style. It will keep getting better in the bottle.

Wine Tasting June 18 - 20, 2008

Non-Vintage Charles de Fere Blanc de Blancs Cuvee Jean Louis (France)
France makes not only the greatest sparklers from its Champagne region, but also some the best value sparklers.  Made from Ugni Blanc, Colombard, and Chardonnay, grown about 20 miles outside the Champagne region.  Wine Enthusiast: Spry and alert, with crisp apple aromas and some baking spice.  Equally crisp on the palate, where lime, green apple and pepper run the show. Moderate but extended in terms of feel and finish; tasty and snappy overall.

2004 Norman Petite Sirah (California)
Petite Sirah originated in France, is a cross with Syrah as one its parents, is named for its small berries, and has produced its greatest wines in California. Has the classic dense and dark character of Petite Sirah, with added bright fruits of blackberry, raspberry, and plum with noticeable but not hard tannins. Aged in old oak barrels for about 8 months.

2005 Casa de Ermita Monastrell (Spain)
The previous 2004 vintage of this wine was simply one of the best wines I have ever had made from Mouvedre at this price. The 2004 began with a serious structure built on ripe tannins and firm acidity, which gaves it the ability to match a huge variety of foods very well. Combined structure with a surprisingly rich fruit of blackberry and currants, with licorice and flowers. Finally, the wine showed a long future, shown by the fact that left open for nine days, it only got richer, darker, and smoother.

 2006 Clos de Los Siete (Argentina)
Both an intense and very fruity blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and Malbec that is an impressive value. Emerges surprisingly tannic in the finish. 89 points, Steve Tanzer: Good full medium ruby. Blackberry, mocha and sexy oak on the nose. Sweet, dense, tactile and ripe, with a lush texture and considerable alcohol but also good acid spine to the concentrated dark berry flavors. Finishes with substantial tooth- and tongue-dusting tannins and very good length. Shows the ripe yet classically dry aspect that's characteristic of so many of Michel Rolland's wines.

2005 Amavi Cabernet  Sauvignon (Washington)
Fruity, tasty, and long – a good harbinger of the widely acclaimed 2005 vintage for Washington state reds. 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 9% Syrah, and 1% Malbec. 92 points, Wine Spectator (Special Designation: Smart Buys): Ripe and rich, a full bodied, generous Cabernet Sauvignon that focuses its dark-toned berry, black olive, and pepper flavors beautifully. The tannins are present on the finish but can't stop the fruit."

Wine Tasting June 11 - 14, 2008.

Non-Vintage Rive Della Chiesa Prosecco Brut (Italy)
Shows how good a light and refreshing wine can be. Green apple in the nose, with a cooling taste in the mouth, creamy smoothness, and pear. Not tart, heavy, or sweet. Likeable and swiggable.

2004 Axel Cabernet Sauvignon Block Selection (Chile)
The previous 2003 vintage was dark, aromatic, fruity, firmly structured, and long. Improved significantly with aeration or being opened for a few days. Not plush in texture, but intense in flavor, with black currants, tannins, and a dry finish. Of 2003, 92 points, Wine Enthusiast: The surprise of the moment from Chile has to be this full-throttle keg of dynamite Cabernet. It's a cellar wannabe with credentials. First off, it's brilliantly ripe, with forceful black cherry, cinnamon and wood spice on the palate. Huge tannins, poking acids and a couple of floors' worth of depth make it praiseworthy.

2006 Barnard Griffin Cabernet Sauvignon (Washington)
Gold Medal, 2008 Monterey Wine Competition . Outstanding (unanimously excellent at blind tasting), Northwest Wine Press: The previous vintage won a double platinum (best of gold medal winners at previous wine shows), and this 06 has a similar feel. Beautiful oak ushers in hints of cherry, vanilla, chocolate, and sarsaparilla. Juicy cherries and brambleberries explode into smooth boysenberries and blackberries and finish with dark chocolate.

2004 Domaine De Tares Bimbibre (Spain)
Made from Mencia, a native variety of grape from Spain once mistakenly thought to be Cabernet Franc. 93 points, Wine Enthusiast: This blend of six vineyards is great. It's dense and full of minerality, finely polished leather and pure berry aromas. Round, complete, immediately pleasing, and keeps you on the hook to the end.

Wine Tasting June 4 - 7, 2008.

2007 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand)
The latest vintage from the all-time best seller of Sauvignon Blanc at the Best Cellar. Winemaker's Notes: Fermented very cool to preserve fruit flavors. Vibrant currant-leaf, citrus and gooseberry aromas, with freshly cut herb undertones. A full flavored, medium bodied wine, with an abundance of archetypal currant and gooseberry flavors, that linger on the dry, clean finish.

2004 Burgess Cellars Syrah Napa (California)
At the 2008 Napa Valley Tasting, this Syrah stood out as one of the best in the $20 range. Dark color, good acidity and concentration. Fine fruit flavors of dark plum, blackberries, and blueberries, laced with a lovely spice and smoked meat. The grapes are grown on the hillside of Howell Mountain about 800' to 1000' in altitude, below what can labeled Howell Mountain. 18 months aged in American and French oak barrels, 25% new. Includes only estate grapes from vineyards owned by Burgess.

2005 Marquis Philips Sarah's Blend (Australia)
Near black in color, dense texture, sweetly fruity, rich, complex, and long. About as much flavor as you will find packed into a wine this inexpensive. 91 points, Wine Advocate: A concoction of 60% Shiraz, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc fermented in wood and aged in both new and one-year-old French and American oak. Its deep ruby/purple hue is accompanied by aromas of flowers, spice box, blueberries, black currants, and smoky oak. Opulent, voluptuous, and full-bodied, with low acidity and sweet tannin, this is a blockbuster red that sells for a song.

2005 Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa
One of the best priced and most depenable Cab values from Napa, that spiked up in quality in the fine 2005 vintage with no increase in price. 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Merlot. Aged 18 months in French oak, 50% new barrels. 93 points, Wine Enthusiast: Other wineries come and go. Raymond remains, offering solid Napa Valley Cab at a fair price. Calls to mind the very fine 2000, but actually costs less. It's a dry, elegantly structured wine, rich in sweet fine tannins, and offering up complex, delicious flavors of freshly picked ripe blackberries, spicy cassis, baked cherry pie and smoky oak.

2003 Lake Breeze Cabernet Sauvignon (Australia)
94 points, James Halliday 2007 Australian Wine Companion. The next 2004 vintage also got 94 points, and the 2005 was the Winner, Best Cabernet of Show, 2008 Sidney Royal Wine Show, over much more expensive and famous Cabs. Winemaker's Notes: A full bodied style, using fruit produced from 35+ year old vines on the Follett family vineyard. Traditional open fermentation was employed with maceration times varying between 7 - 21 days. Matured in French and American oak barriques for 20 months, prior to bottling with minimal filtration. Displays a complex array of mint, blackcurrant and cedary oak aromas. Tastes like it smells, with a silky texture and a wonderfully soft tannin finish.

Wine Tasting May 21 - 24, 2008

Wine Tasting May 8 - 10, 2008

2005 Vignale Pinot Grigio (Italy)
An excellent value Pinot Grigio from northern Italy with a delicate aromatic character. A smooth and dry wine with hints of citrus and apple fruits and a refreshing finish. Delicious alone and a fine partner for fish or pasta.

2006 Cycles Gladiator Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
Winner, Best of Class, Cabernet Sauvignon $15 or Less, 2008 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Cycles Gladiator is Hahn's label for its best value line of wines. Made like wines costing much more, including being aged in French oak barrels that are 70% new. From grapes grown in Monterey and Paso Robles. Blended with 14% Merlot plus a small amount of Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot. Very smooth with light tannins. Features black cherry and mocha, with hints of raspberry.

2004 Terraces Zinfandel (California)
One of the best makers of Zinfandel in California. Concentrated, complex, and well-defined flavors, that avoid any hint of raisin, sweetness, or overripeness. Like many of the best wines, the flavors spike upon swallowing. The tannins are soft in texture, the acids are refreshing, and the tannins become more noticeable and drying on the finish. Dependably excellent every vintage. Previous vintages were rated up to 93 points in the Wine Advocate. 94 points, Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine: Rich, polished, pure, supple, well-balanced.

2005 Silver Palm Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
First vintage made. Marketed mainly to restaurants. Winemaker's Notes: A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 5% Syrah and 3% Petite Sirah, from Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, and Napa Counties. Fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks with extended maceration to soften the tannins, and then aged for 16 months in French and American oak. Has a dark, saturated color, lavish black currant, dried cherry, sage, peppercorn and wood smoke aromas, and sumptuous, dark fruit flavors with notes of chocolate, espresso and creamy vanilla, plus a finish that is luxurious and seamless.

2004 Watermark Cabernet Sauvignon Napa (California)
Winemaker's Notes: Second vintage made. A wine label owned by Phil Steinschriber, who became famous for the softer, rounded, fruit-forward, and complex style of Cabernet at Diamond Creek Vineyards that avoids any bitterness, harshness, or vegetal quality. The grapes are harvested riper to avoid green pepper flavors, the grapes are totally destemmed to avoid any harsh stem tannins, the grapes are sorted to remove green or moldy ones, the grapes are not crushed nor pumped to promote gentle extraction of skin tannins, and the wines are pressed very gently so as not to extract any harsher seed tannins. New oak barrels are used for aging to give the wine an early sheen, roundness, and an added layer of flavors of vanilla and toast.

Wine Tasting April 30 - May 3, 2008

2005 Sebastiani Dutton Ranch Chardonnay (California)
A wine served in 2008 to the Pope by the White House. Winemaker's Notes: Hand-picked, whole cluster pressed as gently as possible.  Extended lees contact. Aged for 7½ months in 70% new French oak. Only the best barrel lots are selected for the final blend. Milk fined to remove oxidative pigments and bitterness and then bottled. Medium gold in color, with lovely aromas of toast, butter, marzipan, peaches and pears. In the mouth, it flaunts flavors of Golden Delicious apple and Meyer lemon. The body is medium to full with silky elegance and roundness.

2003 R.H. Phillips Toasted Head Giguiere Ranch (California)
A blend of 48% Syrah, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Petit Verdot, and 8% Petite Sirah, barrel aged for 18 months. Spicy plum and black cherry fruit with ripe smooth tannins and subtle chocolate, roasted coffee beans, and nutmeg.

2006 Hahn Meritage (California)
Consistently one of the best value Meritages from California. Winemaker's Notes: Merlot (33%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%), Petit Verdot (19%), Cabernet Franc (11%), and Malbec (7%). Showcases a darker and more tannic Merlot from the Deer Valley Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands, along with the most Petite Verdot ever put into the Meritage, from  the excellent Paso Robles Sereno Vista Vineyard. Cherry, currents, thyme, cedar, and plum, An intensely flavored vintage with a longer hang time.

2004 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvginon (California)
Winemaker's Notes: Aged 18 months in American oak. Deep garnet in color with aromas of ripe cherry and blackberry with a bit of mocha and cocoa.  The oak adds clove, black pepper and spice.  The palate is rich and bold but the tannins are soft and supple creating an endless finish.  The acid compliments the lushness of the fruit and gives structure and balance throughout the wine.

2005 St. Francis Old Vine Zinfandel (California)
Full bodied, jammy, oaky, fruity, licoricy, and smoky. www.amazinggrapeswinestore.com: Made from vines between fifty and one hundred years old sourced from a series of Sonoma County vineyards. Small amounts of Petite Sirah and Alicante Bouschet add texture and color to the field blend and the winery chooses to hand-harvest late into the season when some of the berries have raisined, intensifying the wine's character. Aged for 14 months in new American oak, this is a plump zin with layers of black cherry, raspberry and black pepper that will keep you intrigued to the bottom of the bottle.

Wine Tasting April 23 - 26, 2008

2006 Michael and David Incognito Viognier (California)
The Viognier grape at its most delicious and a showcase for why California wines are famous for their fruitiness. 88 points, Wine Enthusiast: Rich, very exotic, decadently drinkable, like an entire fruit store in a glass. Peaches, pears, pineapples, nectarines, mangoes, papayas, they flood the palate, with just enough acidity for balance, and a honeyed finish. Made with a dash of Roussanne and Marsanne.

2003 Innureto Norte (Spain)
60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. Smooth, silky textured, and fruity. Oxford Times Wine Club: There's a real roasted character to the bouquet of this full-bodied Spanish red from Navarra, not to mention some vibrant blueberry, cassis, and mulberry fruit with more than a hint of tobacco and spice.

2004 Bookwalter Cabernet Sauvignon (Washington)
Winemaker's Notes: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot. Aged exclusively in hand selected, small French oak for 20 months with medium toast. Displays bright cherry, black currants, graphite, cedar and cigar box aromas. Flavors of plums, cherries and bitter sweet chocolate are wrapped around a core of dusty earth, tobacco and dried herbs. The wine finishes with ripe, fine-grained tannins that linger on the palate.

2004 VJB Barbera (California)
The top wine produced by this winery and a strong candidate for the greatest Barbera made outside Italy. Very dark purple, with a deep, rich nose. In the mouth, plums veer into chocolate. Full bodied, intense, mouth-coating, with an extremely long finish. Less acidic, fruitier, and more concentrated than Barbera from Italy. Underrated at 90 points by Wine Enthusiast. At a better price even than in California.

2003 Miller Wine Works Syrah Sage Canyon (California)
The grapes are from a steep mountain ranch with elevations that range from 900 to 1,400 feet. 91 points, Wine Advocate: The supple-textured, dark ruby/purple-colored, flowery, creme de cassis-scented and flavored wine possesses serious structure, concentration, and intensity. Relatively open and fleshy with a long, powerful finish, this impressive wine may be even better with a year or two of bottle age. It should last for a decade or more.

Wine Tasting April 9 - 12, 2008

2004 Leon Beyer Pinot Blanc (France)
Pinot Blanc tends to make wines with fresh flavors and a soft texture that blend with rather than dominate food. The best tend to have a more citric acidity and greater concentration and length. At an excellent closeout price.

2004 Gibson Wilfreda (Australia)
92 points, Wine Advocate: A blend of 50% Shiraz, 38% Mourvedre, and 12% Grenache aged in old French and American wood. Exhibits loads of flowery, spicy, garrigue, strawberry, and cherry characteristics. Medium to full-bodied, dense, surprisingly elegant, and well-balanced. Should drink well for 5-7 years. 92 points, Australian Gormet Traveller: Peppery and savory, with some animal aromas and a concentrated, fleshy, fruit-sweet palate of considerable charm and succulence. The texture is a highlight: slippery smooth and utterly delicious.

2002 Mettler Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petite Sirah. Aged 12 months in French oak. 90 points, Wine News: Attractive garnet hue. Earthy scents of plum, blueberry and a vanillin note. Ripe black cherry, plum, tea and sweet tobacco flavors; a balanced, juicy Cabernet that's drinking nicely right now.

2003 Odfjell Aliara (Chile)
The premium wine from this winery. 54% Carmenere, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 5% Carignan, and 4% Malbec. Aged 20-24 months in new French and American oak. 91 points, Wine Enthusiast: Excellent in how it delivers coffee and other roasted aromas in front of ripe cassis, berry and chocolate flavors. It's one part savory and one part sweet; overall it's 100% impressive. 368 cases made.

2003 Miller Castle Rock Vineyard Syrah (California)
From a mountainside vineyard on Mount Veeder, with elevations from 1,000 to 1,300 feet. Aged in 37.5% new French oak for 16 months. 97 cases made. 92+  points, Wine Advocate: A gorgeous effort with a serious nose of camphor, graphite, crème de cassis, licorice, and smoke. With terrific structure, full body, and beautiful intensity, it is a serious, almost primordial Syrah that is perfectly balanced, pure, and rich.

Wine Tasting April 2 - 5, 2008

2005 Hill Of Content Benjamin's Blend (Australia)
A tasty drink-me-now, good value wine grown in the cool Margaret River area. An excellent alternative to Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. Named for the importer's young son. Wine Advocate: "A delicious blend of Chardonnay, Semillon, and Sauvignon Blanc, the 2005 Benjamin's Blend possesses crisp acidity, an unoaked style, aromas and flavors of tropical fruit, a hint of honey, and an alluring freshness as well as exuberance."

2004 Teusner Avatar 2004 (Australia)
60% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, and 10% Shiraz. Aged 16 months in neutral oak (no new barrels). 91 points, Wine Spectator: Distinctive and well-defined. Blueberry and plum flavors get all kinds of shadings, with hints of game meats, pepper and pomegranate that linger beautifully. Drink now through 2014. 1,000 cases made.

2004 Flinders Bay Shiraz (Australia)
Great purity and intensity of flavor, without overripeness, raisins, or sweetness.  Underated by the following review. 88 points, International Wine Cellar: Bright ruby. Earthy, pungent aromas of root beer, sassafras, raspberry and dried herbs. Juicy raspberry and strawberry preserve flavors, lifted by fresh flowers and tangy minerals. Finishes long and juicy, with an energetic red berry quality.

2003 Flinders Bay Mayflower (Australia)
A very unusual blend of 60% Malbec and 40% Merlot. Dark and intense. Flinders Bay is from the cooler Margaret River area. 91 points, Robert Whitley, San Diego Union Tribune: A ton of wine for the money. The voluptuousness of the Malbec is seldom seen outside of Argentina, where Malbec thrives like nowhere else. The generous use of Merlot is meant to tame the hugeness of the Malbec, and it largely succeeds. This one's loaded with layers of red fruits, plum and a hint of anise, coupled with firm acidity and smooth tannins.

2005 Old Faithful Top of the Hill Shiraz (Australia)
92 points, Wine Advocate: Aged in 60% new oak. Purple-colored, it offers up smoke, espresso, meat, game, and blueberry. Full-bodied, ripe, and opulent on the palate, the wine is mouth-filling and long in the finish. Give it 4-6 years to round out and drink it through 2025.

2005 Aramis Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon (Australia)
100% Cab. A strong candidate for the best wine in the Australian Premium Wine Collection of John Larchet. Importer's Notes: This inaugural release of Aramis Cabernet Sauvignon is lush, intense and immensely complex. Delightful red and black fruit notes are in abundance both on the nose and palate. The wine fills the mouth with an amazing array of berries, from blueberry, blackberry and even hints of raspberry. A very complete wine that will appeal to any lover of great Cabernet. Wonderful texture , lingers long, very sexy.

Wine Tasting March 26 - 28, 2008

2004 Eric Forest Macon Vergisson La Roche (France)
La Roche is an impressive, mountainous reef of chalk rising up out of the gently rolling landscape of Macon on Burgundy. The great Belgian negotiant Jean-Marie Guffens made this chiseled part of Macon famous in export markets from producing wines that challenged the best of Burgundy at a fraction of their price. Eric Forest is a young winemaker who apprenticed with Guffens and has made the wines from his family plots only since 2000. A feast of  minerals and crisp acidity, complete with spicy perfumes and a lush, supple and balanced mouth. Wildflower honey in a liquid lemon meringue.

2003 Lawson Dry Hills Pinot Noir (New Zealand)
Pinot Noir from New Zealand typically has an elegant and food-friendly mix of bright and refreshing acidity, transparent flavors, a medium body, and a core of red cherry fruit. This version has all that with a deeper ruby color and a broad mouth entry of fruit sweetness, followed by a big red cherry and light tannins. Tasty and long. Matured in French oak barrels, 25% new. At a great closeout price you will never see again.

2005 Teusner Joshua GSM (Australia)
65% Grenache, 24% Mourvedre, and 10% Shiraz – a classic blend developed and made famous in the Southern Rhone River Valley in France. Australia's take on this French invention is to make the color darker, the acidity riper, the tannins smoother, and the fruit supercharged. 90 points, Wine Spectator; 89 points, Wine Advocate and Steve Tanzer.

2004 Craneford Cabernet Sauvignon (Australia)
91 pts, Wine Advocate : "The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot, aged primarily in small new French oak) offers superb flavor purity as well as delineation. Its dense purple color is followed by sweet scents of crème de cassis and licorice. A big, rich Cabernet with no hard edges, it should age for a decade, but is probably best consumed during its first 5-7 years of life."

2005 Elyse Korte Ranch Zinfandel (California)
Winemaker's Notes: Deep ruby/purple colored with aromas of wild red berries, roasted nuts and crème de cassis. On the palate, a long lasting finish follows flavors of fresh berry pie, plums and blackberry jam with just a touch of white pepper. This rich ripe Zinfandel is weighty on the palate, yet surprisingly keeps its balance. Drinkable now, yet ages well for over 5 years.

Wine Tasting March 19 - 22, 2008

2005 Schafer-Frohlich Reisling Kabinett (Germany)
From a single vineyard (Monzinger Halenberg) and great vintage in Gemany. Germany makes the finest Riesling in the world, which is famous for its finely etched acidity, how expressive it is of the soil on which it is grown, the complexity of its flavors, and how well it ages. A low price you may never see again. 93 points, Wine Spectator: Broad, rich and creamy, this Riesling evokes complex apple, peach, mango and mineral flavors. It's bright and almost seamless now, yet shows the balance and intensity to develop well. Drink now through 2018. 400 cases imported. 90 points, Wine & Spirits. 92 points, Fine Wine Review.

2003 Northstar Stella Maris Red Columbia Valley (Washington)
47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 4% Malbec, 4% Syrah The lots of Northstar not selected to be in the dryer and firmer Northstar Merlot. 90 points, Wine Spectator: Smooth, round and polished, with a plush feel to the currant, plum and creamy oak character, lingering beautifully on the fine-grained finish, hinting at black olive as the flavors persist.

2003 Fidelitas Optu Meritage (Washington)
68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc.  Aged in small oak barrels, French and American, 50% new. 90 points, Wine Spectator: Ripe and supple, with a peppery, licorice-scented overlay to the generous currant and plum flavors. Concentrated and spicy through the well-modulated finish. Drink now through 2011. 580 cases made.

2004 Kuleto Zinfandel (California)
Hillside, high altitude (1200' to 1400') vineyards with a complex soil of clay, fractured slate, and deep loam. In 2004 the yields were miniscule. Uniquely made with 10% Sangiovese. Fruity, delicious, flirts with licorice and caramel sweetness, but drawn back by tannins into a coffee laced blackberry, plum, and black currant. 93 points, Connoisseur's Guide .

1999 Pirramima Riesling Late Harvest (Australia)
Sue Courtney, wineoftheweek.com (New Zealand): Bright lemon gold in color, there's slight volatility on the nose at first that quickly clears to reveal rich apricot scents. In the palate there's a typical Aussie aged riesling character (diesel, kero) with burnt toffee, pollen and hot gingery spice atop sweet rich orange honey marmalade and dried apricot flavors. It's long and sweet with a richly viscous texture.

Wine Tasting March 12 - 15, 2008

2005 Craneford Chardonnay (Australia)
Winemaker's Notes: This 100% Chardonnay comes from the cool Adelaide Hills and captures the pure taste of Chardonnay, with no new wood or malolactic fermentation. Stirring the lees for one week adds creaminess and complexity. Notes of melon, citrus and tropical fruits, balanced beautifully by acidity.

2006 Rocca di Montemassi Sassabruna (Italy)
90 points, Wine Enthusiast, of 2005 vintage: A blend of 80% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot and 10% Syrah, this was our favorite of the Montemassi wines. Spice and meat accents plum and chocolate flavors, while the mouthfeel is full and velvety smooth.

2004 Dominio de Tares Bembibre (Spain)
Made from the Mencia grape, long suspected to the Cabernet Franc, but now shown its own native varietal from Spain. 93 points, Wine Enthusiast: This blend of six vineyards is great. It's dense and full of minerality, finely polished leather and pure berry aromas. The palate sings a melodious tune that begins with creamy oaky notes and expands to more defined plum, vanilla and fine herb flavors. It is immediately pleasing and keeps you on the hook to the end.

2005 Calistoga Zinfandel (California)
85% Zinfandel, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in new French oak barrels for 18 months. Fruity and flavorful with being overpowering, with nice hints of vanilla, refreshing acidity, and supple oak notes.

2003 Ross Estate Reserve Shiraz (Australia)
90 points, Wine Advocate: An outstanding effort, the inky/blue/purple-tinged 2003 Shiraz Reserve was aged in 40% new American hogsheads and 60% older wood. It offers up a sweet perfume of blueberries, blackberries, charcoal, and pepper. Medium to full-bodied, dense, and chewy, with low acidity, ripe fruit, a layered texture, and a heady finish, it can be enjoyed now and over the next 7-8 years.

Wine Tasting March 5 - 8, 2008

2005 Kumeu River Pinot Gris (New Zealand)
Kumeu River is one of the most famous producers of rich and ageworthy Chardonnay from New Zealand, made in a French style. Their Pinot Gris is made in the rich Alsatian style with a distinct oily texture that works wonderfully with salads and oily or spicy foods. 13 g/l of residual sugar gives it a creaminess and the flexibility to work with sweeter vegetables like beets, onions and carrots. Curtis Marsh, Hong Kong Standard Weekend Magazine: Perfumed with mealy, muesli-like aromas among exotic ripe mango and fresh pineapple. Nutty and oily palate, lots of extended lees complexity, almonds and roasted cashews. The glycerol mid-palate livens up with grapefruit and pomelo freshness building in intensity and mouth- watering tanginess, lingering among a buttery-caramel opulence.

2005 Mendelson Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands (California)
Pinot Noir as a grape is famous for making wines with finesse, complexity, and red cherry. Mendelson prefers a bigger style that is more intense and mouth filling, with a darker color and more black fruit flavors of black cherry, blueberry, and plum. A rare opportunity to get a high quality Pinot Noir at a more affordable price. Vines planted in 1972 on a 1200' slope.

2001 Vergelegen Red (South Africa)
Pronounced FERK-hell-lay-hyen. A great Bordeaux blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc, from one of South Africa's premium wineries. Very dark, intense, and mouth filling, yet smooth and balanced. Includes a lovely touch of bell pepper. 95 points, Cooden Cellars, wineanarok.com: Spends 22 months in new oak, and is from a single vineyard. Brooding nose of sweet, chocolatey, liqueur-like blackcurrant fruit with complex spiciness. Not at all overdone. The palate is concentrated, rich and sweetly fruited, but is at the same time quite elegant. Sweetly fruited, yes, but not at all over the top. Just a faint hint of greenness.

2005 Elyse Korte Ranch Zinfandel (California)
Winemaker's Notes: Deep ruby/purple colored with aromas of wild red berries, roasted nuts and crème de cassis. On the palate, a long lasting finish follows flavors of fresh berry pie, plums and blackberry jam with just a touch of white pepper. This rich ripe Zinfandel is weighty on the palate, yet surprisingly keeps its balance. Drinkable now, yet ages well for over 5 years.

2005 Elyse Petite Sirah  Rutherford (California)
90 points, Wilfred Wong: Very powerful, all the way around, black-fruited. Excellent and well-developed varietal aromas and flavors. Substantial aftertaste. Winemaker's Notes: Intense and concentrated, with intoxicating aromas of dark black fruit, cola, coffee, dusty earth and violets. Immense and broad on the palate, tasting of wild blackberries, espresso, soy sauce, bittersweet chocolate and spicy oak and vanilla.

Wine Tasting February 27 - March 1, 2008

2004 Pozzan Annabella Chardonnay Napa (California)
An affordable, medium-bodied wine with a fairly soft texture, hint of spice, baked apple flavor, and accents of oak.

2004 Kuleto Zinfandel (California)
Hillside, high altitude (1200' to 1400') vineyards with a complex soil of clay, fractured slate, and deep loam. In 2004 the yields were miniscule. 93 points, Connoisseur's Guide: 10% Sangiovese. Sure, its ripeness shows a bit, but it is fruit that tells the story here, not to mention balance, layering and caramel-smelling, creamed-coffee notes of generously laid-on oak. Nicely supple on the palate and tending ever so slightly to fleshiness in spite of its firming spine of age-providing tannins, this one runs to red berries as much as to blackberry in its character, and even though heat rises a bit at the end, the wine never loses sight of its central fruitiness.

2004 Burgess Cellars Syrah Napa (California)
At the 2008 Napa Valley Tasting, this Syrah stood out as one of the best in the $20 range. Dark color, good acidity and concentration. Fine fruit flavors of dark plum, blackberries, and blueberries, laced with a lovely spice and smoked meat. The grapes are grown on the hillside of Howell Mountain about 800' to 1000' in altitude, below what can labeled Howell Mountain. 18 months aged in American and French oak barrels, 25% new. Includes only estate grapes from vineyards owned by Burgess.

2003 Vergelegen Cabernet Sauvignon (South Africa)
One of the best vintages of one of the best producers of Cabernet Sauvignon in South Africa. Very classical form – black currants, tobacco, oak complexities of vanilla and smoke, and dry, rich, balanced, forceful, and long. With aeration, the wine becomes smoother and more open. Not only a superb wine, but at the lowest price you will ever see, well below what you would pay in South Africa. Will age well and improve at least through 2013. The highest rating - 5 stars of 5 - in Platters guide to South African wines – the foremost publication on South African wines. Merits buying by the case.

2003 Rocca Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
Double Gold, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Winemaker's Notes: Grown on rocky soil, which limits the size of the grapes and makes the flavors more concentrated. The fresh berry notes dominating the aromas of this complex Cabernet Sauvignon are accentuated by nuances of mocha and baking spices. The flavors of warm raspberries with dark chocolate give way to a mid-palate of spice and vanilla, then a gentle finish of fresh, crisp fruit. The texture is lively, not overbearing, and retains enough natural acidity to embolden the bright fruit flavors. Carolina Wine Company: The darkest, ripest, richest cabernet from Rocca ever. Combines the almost chewy richness of Rutherford/Oakville with the velvet and silk of nearby Stag's Leap.

Wine Tasting February 19 - 23, 2008

Wine Tasting February 6 - 9, 2008

2002 Bodega Rejadorada Novellum Crianza (Spain)
100% Tempranillo, from a winery founded in 1999 to showcase Toro wines. Aged 12 months in oak. Dark ruby, with red cherry, and a smooth aftertaste. The next 2003 vintage got 91 points in the Wine Advocate. Tempranillo wines have repeated proved to be some of the best and most versatile at restaurant tastings featuring a wide variety of wines.

2003 Condesa de Leganza Crianza (Spain)
The wine equivalent of a walk-on making a college football team – a wine dropped off by a distributor for us to taste, and making the tasting. Most of the freebies you never see because you wouldn't want to see them. But this wine has a great price-value ratio. Begins with a pleasant but temporary stink in the nose, and proceeds to a generous fruit, drying but not harsh tannin, smooth but not heavy body, and refreshing acidity. All for a very modest price. A well-balanced, very useful wine, good by itself and superb with a wide range of food.

2006 Orin Swift Prisoner (California)
Blends that deliver delicious and fruity wines at even modest prices include Shiraz blends from Australia, Grenache blends from the Southern Rhone in France, and Sangiovese blends from Tuscany in Italy. One of California's best entries in this sweepstakes is blends with a majority of Zinfandel. The Prisoner belongs to this last category, with 51% Zinfandel, only it is a step-up wine with greater intensity and more complexity. The 2006 Prisoner includes 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Syrah, 6% Petite Sirah, 6% Charbono, and 2% Grenache. The winemaker and many reviewers describe it as lush and decadent, but this is misleading. It is less sweet and dryer than most Zinfandel, and has more structuring tannins and acidity. The previous 2005 vintage got 93 points in the Wine Spectator.

2003 Bleasdale Shiraz Reserve (Australia)
93 points, Wine Advocate: Bleasdale produces some of the most reliable as well as fairly priced wines. My favorite is the 2003 Shiraz Reserve. A 100% Shiraz aged in a combination of new and used 300 liter American hogsheads, this full-bodied, rich cuvee reveals aromas of asphalt, pepper, chocolate, blackberries, and cassis. While full-throttle, chewy, and heady, it is not over-the-top (only 13.9% alcohol), possessing decent acidity as well as a spicy finish.

2003 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon Artist Series (Washington)
The Woodward Canyon Artist Series has a stellar record in the blind tastings I have done in the last 8 years. It is one the few wines that has not only bested more famous and more expensive wines, but come out in the top wines of the evening every time every time we've tasted it, for every vintage we've tried (1994, 1998, 2000, 2002). And the 2003 is a strong candidate for the best of this series in the last 15 years. It combines bigger fruit and greater smoothness with unusual balance. The Artist Series wonderfully improves with age but usually takes a while to open up. The 2003 brilliantly walks the line between impressive early drinkability and great improvement in bottle for a decade. Has some Cabernet Franc and Merlot. 75% aged in barrels made from new oak. 91 points in the Wine Advocate, which underrates the wine for how great it will become.

Wine Tasting January 30 - February 2, 2008

NV Charles De Fere Blance de Blancs Cuvee Jean- Louis (France)
France makes not only the greatest sparklers from its Champagne region, but also some the best value sparklers. This is a superb example of an affordable sparkler made from Ugni Blanc, Colombard, and Chardonnay, grown about 20 miles outside the Champagne region. Wine Enthusiast: "Spry and alert, with crisp apple aromas and some baking spice for good measure. Equally crisp on the palate, where lime, green apple and pepper run the show. Moderate but extended in terms of feel and finish; tasty and snappy overall."

2005 Trevor Jones Virgin Chardonnay (Australia)
90 points, Wine Advocate: Consistently one of the world's best non-oaked, or "Virgin" Chardonnays, Trevor Jones's offerings attain a laser-like precision without sacrificing any of their rich, white peach, pear, and honeyed citrus fruit. The medium to full-bodied, beautifully pure, charming, tasty 2005 Virgin Chardonnay will be very flexible with a variety of cuisines if drunk during its first several years of life.

2006 Henry's Drive Pillar Box Red (Australia)
A candidate for the world's best wine values, named after attractively decorated boxes for posting mail in the 1850s. 91 points, Wine Advocate: 50% Shiraz, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Merlot aged in a mix of used French and American oak. Purple-colored, it offers an enticing, fruity nose including aromas of cassis, black cherry, black raspberry, and blueberry. Full-bodied, ripe, and layered with flavor, this wine totally over-delivers on my hedonist's meter.

2004 Bianchi Syrah Signature Selection (California)
Red raspberry jam, licorice, and coconut. Winemaker's Notes: Grown in Paso Robles' central upper bench-lands; an excellent mesoclimate for flavor and color development, while maintaining acid balance from the cool nights. In 2004, these grapes were very ripe and rich. Aged in French and American oak, which contributes spiciness.

2004 Montecastro Ribero del Duero (Spain)
One of the best wines at the Opici 2007 Holiday tasting. 100% Tempranillo. Aged 17 months in small oak barrels. Huge and intense fruit, mouth-filling, with a very long aftertaste. 94 points, Wine Advocate: The fabulous 2004 raises the bar even higher than the 2003. The perfume is even more expressive, the palate broader, richer, and more concentrated, and the finish goes on for over one minute. It should be cellared for 4-6 years and should drink well through 2032. From a new estate in Ribera del Duero founded in 2001. The owners have gone to great lengths to do everything right and it shows in the wine.

Wine Tasting January 23 - 26, 2008

2006 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand)
Superb for three vintages running, as well as consistently tasting as good as wines costing up to twice as much. Has a grassy nuance, strong flavors of lemon and lime, plus red currant and gooseberry. Pale colored and light bodied, but full flavored with palette cleansing acidity. Shows how a wine can be water clear and light bodied, yet intense and powerful enough to dominate other wines. 90 points, Wine Enthusiast.

2003 Odfjell Orzada Carmenere (Chile)
90 points, Wine Enthusiast: Black as night, with cola, mint and very little herbaceousness. In fact, the whole package offers only the slightest note of Carmenère's notorious herbal character. Without that identity, it's pure and delivers unabridged ripeness. Finishes with bitter chocolate and vanilla.

2003 Patit Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla (Washington)
91 points, Wine Spectator: Rich and distinctive for its spicy, meaty cherry and dusky herb flavors, filling the mouth with flavor without going heavy, finishing with richness and fine texture. 396 cases made.

2003 Odfjell Aliara (Chile)
The premium wine from this winery. At a recent blind tasting I rated the earlier 2001 vintage at or above much more expensive and famous Chilean wines, including the 2003 Montes Alpha M, 2002 Santa Helena Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2003 Lapostelle Clos Apalta. 54% Carmenère, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 5% Carignan and 4% Malbec. Aged 20-24 months in new French and American oak. 91 points, Wine Enthusiast: Excellent in how it delivers coffee and other roasted aromas in front of ripe cassis, berry and chocolate flavors. It's one part savory and one part sweet; overall it's 100% impressive. 368 cases made.

2005 Rusden Stockade Shiraz Barossa (Australia)
92 points, Wine Advocate: a 1,000-case cuvee of 100% Shiraz that spent time in neutral French oak. It exhibits a deep ruby/purple hue, an opulent, fruit-forward personality, plenty of blackberry and smoky notes, a ripe, heady mouthfeel, and a nicely defined finish. 14% alcohol; not over the top. 90 points, International Wine Cellar: Bright red. Spicy raspberry, cherry and pungent herbs on the nose, with gentle baking spice and licorice accents. Brisk red berry and gingerbread flavors offer impressive sweetness and cut, with fine-grained tannins adding support. Redcurrant and wild strawberry flavors emerge on the long, spicy finish, which betrays no rough edges. Very tasty and an outstanding value.

Wine Tasting January 2-5, 2008

2004 Margan Verdelho (Australia)
A Portuguese grape that makes even richer and fruitier wines in Australia. Lychee and guava with hints of lime and green apple. Robert Parker: Loaded with fresh, lively fruit flavors as well as a good acidic backbone. 100% stainless steel-fermented and aged. A terrific choice for a sushi bar given its acidity, crisp, floral, orange and lemon rind characteristics, medium body, and abundant fruit.

2001 Babcock Syrah Black Label (California)
The 1999 vintage of this wine was ink black, dense and rich . 90-94 points, James Laube, Wine Spectator (tasted in barrel, before being bottled):  Dark and concentrated, with an intense, well-structured core of black cherry, spice and wild berry, framed by cedary oak and spicy beefy flavors on the finish. 1,500 cases produced.

2005 Rosenblum Abba Vineyard Syrah (California)
One of the best Syrahs I have ever had from Lodi in California. Near black in color. Pigmented to the edge of the wine in the glass. Very dense nose. Leaves a purple stain on the glass when swirled. Powerful, mouth-coating, lush, with good tannins and a dry finish. Modestly priced for the quality, now at the lowest closeout price. 90 points, California Grapevine.

2003 Simi Cabernet Sauvignon Landslide Vineyard (California)
85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec.  Aged 24 months in oak barrels, 52% are new French. 92 points, Editor's Choice, Wine Enthusiast: With its Landslide bottling, Simi brings to the table an important, affordable single-vineyard Cabernet. It typically shows a beautiful balance of sweet, ripe fruit and firm tannins, backed by crisp acidity, and is big enough to handle considerable oak. Young and juicy, it's delicious now, and should develop through 2012.

2003 Geyser Peak Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (California)
Near black color and well balanced, with black tea tannins, refreshing acidity, and blackberry and black currant fruit. The Geyser Peak reserve series consistently delivers some of the best step-up values in California red wines priced in $30 range. 92-95 points, Wilfred Wong: Deep ruby, purple color, almost teeth-staining, opaque; blockbuster, heady aroma of crème de cassis and violets; powerful, rich and decadent; full bodied, almost scary on the palate with its thunderous power, comes back with pleasing underlying elegance, tannic and voluptuous at the same time; dry, nifty acid, finely balanced; pinpoint flavors of creme de cassis and perfumed blossoms, excellent persistence; long, seductive finish, superb aftertaste. Could be the winery's best reserve, ever!