Featured Wines - December 2009

Although lighter and more accessible in its youth than the traditional Emilio Moro Ribera del Duero, the 2007 Finca Resalso possesses a wealth of flavor, plenty of polish, and enough structure to mature further in bottle for at least 3-5 years. With a deep ruby robe and an enticing aroma of violets, blackberry, cherry, and mineral, this wine seduces at first sight. Moreover, it continues to please from the first sip to the last. On the palate, th... Read More

Although a touch lighter and drier than the estate’s Orvieto Classico, the 2008 Palazzone Dubini Bianco offers the same terrific aromatic profile as its traditional sibling. Soft scents of acacia, apricot, and dried honey emanate from this golden-hued wine. Soft and seductive, it carries the intoxicating scents of spring in its breath. Furthermore, the wine’s delicious olfactory as well as what is most refreshing and satisfying about contemporary... Read More

The 2005 Château Plaisance Bordeaux Supérieur is apt testimony to just how outstanding the 2005 vintage is in Bordeaux and how adept Claude Gaudin, the estate’s winemaker and vineyard manager, is at crafting flavorful, stylish red Bordeaux that easily shames many more illustrious Bordeaux wines from fancier addresses. Deeply colored and aromatically stunning, the 2005 Château Plaisance blesses the chosen few fortunate enough to find a bottle of i... Read More

Pazo de Arribi is no ordinary winery, nor is Godello a typical grape, which makes for one tasty, out of the ordinary wine experience. For openers, the 2008 Pazo de Arribi makes a splendid first impression. It opens with an amplifying aroma of fresh summer fruits: scents of fig, melon and pear well from the depths of this wine to tantalize the nose. Moreover, the Pazo d’Arribi Godello continues to work its magic on the palate, where it offers clea... Read More

One sip of the 2007 R Enver Salman Petite Sirah and it is easy to see why this wine was awarded a Gold Medal and deemed Best of Region at the 2009 California State Fair and why it garnered Gold again at the 2009 Pacific Rim International Wine Competition and was named Best of Class. Clearly, Runquist has once again fashioned from the Enver Salman Vineyard the quintessential California Petite Sirah. We used to think Jeff Runquist was one of the be... Read More

A knockout Chardonnay by all accounts, the 2006 Au Bon Climat Bien Nacido Chardonnay is nothing short of mind boggling, even for those who do not ordinarily gravitate to California Chardonnay. A bold, beautiful wine that highlights Jim Clendenen’s Midas touch with Chardonnay, Au Bon Climat’s profound 2006 Bien Nacido offering combines the finest attributes of California Chardonnay with the pinpoint precision, balance, and complexity of the greate... Read More