Featured Wines - September 2003

After just one taste of the 2000 Ventana Arroyo Seco Syrah, it will come as no surprise to learn that Ventana's Syrah is the progeny of the oldest Syrah vines in Monterey County. Lush, hedonistic and supremely balanced in bouquet as well as flavor, this offering from Ventana recalls the glory of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Red fruits, black fruits, Asian spices and a hint of pepper caress the nose and coat the palate. Similarly, just the right amount of... Read More

Forget all of the light, insipid Verdicchios you may have experienced in Italian restaurants or cheap seafood shacks across America, the 2000 Bisci Verdicchio di Metalica is the real Mazzoni. It is amply endowed and arrayed in a golden robe. Pure and richly fruity, this Verdicchio offers up aromatic fireworks and more than a hint of exotica. Ripe pineapple, along with hints of honeysuckle and white flowers, caress the nose, while a textured, frui... Read More

A deep, brooding, highly extracted wine, the 2001 Molettieri Irpinia Aglianico is more than a glass of wine; it's a meal as well. In the glass, the wine's saturated purple robe offers up exquisite scents of woodland truffles, anise, tar, and a sensual autumnal sweetness. On the palate, this Aglianico continues its gustatory assault with layer upon layer of black fruits, rose petal, tobacco, and subdued earth tones, and this is before the wine's c... Read More