Featured Wines - March 2013

David Finlayson’s Cabernet Sauvignons rank among South Africa’s finest and are nearly impossible to procure. Almost as difficult to secure is Edgebaston’s 2010 Berry Box, a hedonistic blend of Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc that greatly resembles some of the best red 2009 Bordeaux. Brimming with savory scents of blackberry, currant, mulberry, and raspberry, it rewards the palate with smooth, rich fruit and forest woodland flavors that are ripe, juicy, and deftly bolstered by fine tannins.

From one of the finest and most consistent producers of Verdejo comes the vibrant 2011 Nidia Verdejo, exhibiting a vibrant bouquet and flavor: a mélange of orchard fruits and citrus infused with clean mineral tones. Delicate, savory flavors emerge and carry over into the wine’s smooth, racy frame, allowing Nidia’s Verdejo to deliver substantial mouth feel, yet remain crisp and refreshing. Medium-bodied but long on varietal character, this is one easy wine to drink. It’s both ethereal and savory, all at the same time.

The 2009 Sassolino is a rich, complex Super Tuscan-style blend of both considerable fruit and firm structure that proudly pays homage to winemaker Alessio Carli’s Tuscan heritage and re-affirms Pietra Santa’s unequivocal success with Sangiovese. Sassolino exhibits an enticing bouquet and luscious flavors reminiscent of cranberry, Bing cherry, and plum infused with hints of anise and wood smoke. Full, but polished, it fills the mouth with crushed berry and spice flavors, a smooth texture, and a long, lingering finish.

Despite the name, the 2012 Edgebaston Honey Pot is not a syrupy sweet wine; instead this scented, savory, and luscious white wine contains good crisp acidity to match its delicious fruit. This blend of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier is nothing but a pure pleasure to sip and savor. Plush and smooth on the mid palate with a multitude of flavors to match its heady bouquet of tropical fruits, kiwi, papaya and more, the 2012 Honey Pot embodies as much crisp acidity as it does ripe fecund fruit.

The 2006 Valenciso Rioja Reserva tantalizes the nose with savory scents of dark woodland berries, black cherry, mulberry, sandalwood, cinnamon, and more. On the palate, layers of complex, soft, silky fruit flavors lend polish and panache to the wine’s substantial underpinning, which will allow the 2006 Valenciso Reserva to age gracefully for a decade or more. Valenciso’s Reserva strikes a perfect balance between fruit and structure, which has earned this offering the accolades of all major wine critics, including Wine Advocate.

In short, there is Soave and then there is La Frosca, an aromatic, luscious, downright irresistible wine which is clearly in a class all by itself. There’s a beautiful luscious quality in its beguiling bouquet and flavor, which include cherry blossom, dried honey, and freshly picked orchard fruits. Remaining forever elegant, harmonious and supremely balanced, it exits with the perfect amount of gentle acidity to frame the wine’s elegant fruit, along with a delightful citrus twist and a dash of almond in the long, lingering finish.