Don Lahey, Author at Wine Blog from The International Wine of the Month Club

What’s New in French Wine?

March 27, 2015 by Don Lahey

What’s new as well as what’s great about French wine today is not so much about what new French wines there are as it is about how good many of the traditional tried and true wines are from well-established appellations. France remains a true treasure trove of affordable wines of exceptional quality, and never has this been more the case than today. Aside from that nation’s top 100 collectable wines – a subjective list in its own right – there are literally thousands of reasonably priced wine treasures in France just waiting to be discovered, or more accurately, rediscovered.

As one of the planet’s two leading purveyors of wine (Italy being the other), France not only turns out a plethora of outstanding affordable wines, it also fashions a tremendous variety of delicious wines; red, white, rosé, sparkling, dry and sweet wines all make the case for France being the world’s leading source of reasonably priced, high quality wines. So, leave the top 100 wines to the billionaires and start drinking well for so much less.

If you like a dry, zippy white wine to slake your thirst and whet your appetite, consider the 2013 Château de Fontenille Entre-Deux-Mers – a delicious white Bordeaux that pleases the palate and goes down easy. Emile Beyer’s 2013 Alsace Pinot Blanc provides another tasty, satisfying, easy drinking white wine. For Chardonnay lovers and something more substantial, consider the 2012 or 2013 Domaine de la Collonge Pouilly-Fuissé from Gilles Noblet or the 2012 Jacques Girardin Les Terrasses de Bievaux Santenay. The Girardin offering impresses with its flavor as well as its elegance, and it may constitute the absolute best value in white Burgundy.

For those who prefer Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, it is hard to beat the 2009 Château Barreyre Bordeaux Supérieur. Although officially considered a petit château, there is absolutely nothing little or petite about this wine, except the price. For those who prefer the full-flavored reds of the Rhône Valley, the 2010 Guigal Gigondas and the 2012 or 2013 Chevalier Crozes-Hermitage Marius provide all the comfort and pleasure one can imagine, without breaking the bank. Better still, these are just a few of the many oenological treasures that await the savory American wine drinker. Santé!

Don

Don’s March Collectors Series Top Pick

March 24, 2015 by Don Lahey

My March Collectors Series Top Pick might be different if this were May or June, but it’s not. Very few California wineries make a Chardonnay equal to the Sonoma County Chardonnays that Benovia turns out in small batches. Beautiful could easily be a synonym for Benovia’s wines. And who makes better Rioja than Luis Valentin at Valenciso, whose 2007 Rioja Reserva made Decanter magazine’s Wine of the Year? I love these wines, but for the weather, the need for immediate gratification, and the fact that so many think that top notch California Cabernet must emanate from Napa Valley, I am going with Donati Family Vineyard’s 2011 Ezio Cabernet Sauvignon as this month’s Top Pick. Named for the founder and patriarch of the Donati Family, the 2011 Ezio pays tribute to a visionary and dispels the notion that Central Coast and Paso Robles Cabernets can’t hang with those from Napa Valley. In our panel tastings, Ezio actually blew away quite a few big name Napa Valley Cabs, so there it is. Enjoy!

Don

Don’s March Premier Series Top Pick

March 23, 2015 by Don Lahey

It’s always hard to choose just one Top Pick, especially when wines like Emile Beyer’s beautiful 2013 Pinot Blanc and Vigneau-Chevreau’s wonderful 2012 Vouvray are part of the monthly line-up. However, with winter still hanging around, my Top Pick has to be one of this month’s reds. El Pajaro Rojo’s youthful 2013 Bierzo Mencia is a classy, splendid red that makes me believe that the little known Mencia varietal truly deserves a lot more recognition. El Pajaro’s Mencia also makes for a wonderful dinner companion. On the other hand, Artesana’s 2013 Tannat provides a hearty mouthful of wine that is sure to fortify the blood and give courage to even the faintest of souls. And like Mencia, Tannat in the hands of an accomplished property like Artesana deserves to be better known. Maybe it’s the weather, but my Top Pick this month goes to Artesana’s beautiful, bold 2013 Tannat.

Don

More Winter Warmers: Wines for a Cold Winter’s Night

March 6, 2015 by Don Lahey

What a winter this has been! Here it is March and spring has not yet sprung in my neck of the woods or in many other places around the country either, so rather than turn my sights to springtime wines, I am still looking for complex, robust reds to ward off what appears to be a terminal case of winter. Here are a few beauties that I’ve come across recently that should get us through winter’s last stand:

Alta Vintner’s Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 – What a find this wine is. Grown on the heights of Atlas Peak, this reserve Cabernet positively sings from the glass. Balanced, complex and thoroughly palate pleasing, this wine makes me forget about the weather outside. Better still, it tastes great now, with or without aeration.

Benovia Sonoma County Zinfandel 2011 – There’s no wimp in this Zinfandel. With 15.8% alcohol and a boatload of flavor to bolster its body, Benovia’s Zin is sure to ward off what’s left of winter. Give it some aeration and let it get your blood pumping and your mouth watering.

Château St. André Corbin St. Georges-St. Emilion 2012 – Although not as bold as some of the other winter warmers, this young Bordeaux is too delicious to pass up. It offers terrific aromatics, a wealth of long smooth flavors, and ample amounts of silky tannins to chase away the winter blues. This young Bordeaux offers the perfect claret to drink now, though it should provide great drinking pleasure for a decade or more.

La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza Rioja Reserva 2005 – La Rioja Alta is a traditional bodega that ages its reserve wines and releases them only as they approach maturity. This 2005 Reserva is the bodega’s current release, and what a beauty it is. It’s a traditional, full-bodied Rioja Reserva that offers plenty of savory cherry, plum, chocolate and espresso flavors to make weary humans forget the weather stained cares of life for a while.

Nus del Terrer Tarragona D.O. 2010 – An artful blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon from Spain’s sunny Mediterranean Coast, the 2010 Nus del Terrer rivals in quality the greatest reserve bottles of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It’s bold, beautiful and jam-packed with flavor. It brings sun and warmth in every glass, and it’s sure to put a smile on your face.

Drink up and enjoy!
Don

Don’s February Collectors Series Top Pick

February 24, 2015 by Don Lahey

February’s Collector Series Top Pick gives me as many palpitations as February’s Premier Series Top Pick. How do I choose just one wine and not feel like I deserve to be tried for treason? I could honestly claim that, “I was just following orders,” but that would carry no vindication. Plainly stated, Jacques Girardin is one of Burgundy’s top winemakers, and his 2012 Terrasses de Bievaux Santenay is a delicious white Burgundy and another personal favorite. Losada’s Altos de Losada’s Bierzo Mencia ranks as the finest Mencia I have tasted in a long time and will likely evolve into one of the region’s true classics. Nevertheless, neither wine will be able to lay claim to this month’s Top Pick. Why? I have always been enamored of the wines of Bandol, and for many years, I have searched for a Bandol that reflects the greatness of the Mourvèdre varietal, offers all the charm of Provence, and is able to be enjoyed relatively young. Enter Domaine Bunan’s 2011 Moulin des Costes Bandol, a wine that embodies the strength and vigor of Mourvèdre while capturing all the warmth and vitality of Provence. The 2011 Domaine Bunan Moulin des Costes is a wine that enlivens the senses and wards off the chill of a cold winter’s night. For these reasons it gets my vote as this month’s Top Pick. Try this rare, unique Bandol, and enjoy!

Don

Don’s February Premier Series Top Pick

February 23, 2015 by Don Lahey

This February is one of the months where choosing one single Top Pick becomes akin to “Sophie’s Choice.” How can I pass up Bodegas Amezola de la Mora’s exceptional, full-bodied 2010 Rioja or Château de Fontenille’s bright, delightfully quaffable 2013 Entre-Deux- Mers Blanc? And, then there is Gilles Noblet’s 2013 Macon- Fuissé, a personal favorite that never fails to deliver plenty of palate-pleasing Chardonnay flavors, complete with purity of fruit and complex mineral tones without a preponderance of oak. It is hard to slight a new friend, let alone an old friend, but no malice is intended. Despite the merits of each of these wines, I have to throw my weight to the 2012 Rustenberg Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon as this month’s Top Pick. Rustenberg has turned in a truly first-rate performance and a real crowd pleaser in their 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon. What is even more impressive is that this is the first release in the United States of Rustenberg’s Stellenbosch Cabernet. What were they waiting for? Moreover, California is hard pressed to come up with a Cabernet Sauvignon this good for under $25.00 or $30.00 a bottle. Enjoy!

Salud!
Don

Winter Warmers: Wines for a Cold Winter’s Night

February 20, 2015 by Don Lahey

In most parts of the country, February is the snowiest and often coldest month of the year (or at least it appears that way to most of us who live outside the Sun Belt). To ward of the chill of a cold winter’s night, a hearty, mouth-filling red wine can work wonders. To make the best of the season and the weather outside, consider these Winter Warmers, red wines that are sure to warm the blood as well as please the palate.

Amarone – A special, fleshy, utterly decadent red wine from Italy’s Veneto, Amarone packs a punch (16%-plus alcohol) and delivers layers of luscious flavors sure to warm the bones and everything else, even without a roaring fire. Bertani, Tommasi and Tenuta Sant Antonio are all trusted names in Amarone and worth seeking out

Barolo – Barolo has been dubbed “The King of wines, and the wine of Kings,” and rightly so. It is arguably Italy’s greatest red wine and just the elixir one needs to make it through a cold winter’s night. Luigi Pira, Paolo Conterno, Querciola, Revello, Seghesio, and Silvio Grasso all make top notch Barolo.

Gigondas – As the Rhône Valley’s heartiest red wine, stouter even than many Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas was once used as bonesetter, AKA wine to beef up the finest red Burgundy wines in cool years because of its strength, vigor, and substantial alcoholic content. Domaine Raspail-Ay and La Vau are two excellent examples of powerful, palate-pleasing Gigondas.

Ribera del Duero – Spain’s grandest, fullest-bodied Tempranillo based wines emanate from the hills along the Duero River. Pesquera, Condado de Haza and Dehesa la Granja (from nearby Zamora), Emilio Moro, and Montecastro are just a few of the top producers who fashion hearty reds from Ribera del Duero, a wine that provides both comfort and warmth during the long winter months.

Syrah/Shiraz – Not all Syrah- or Shiraz-based wines make great winter warmers, but the biggest and best surely do. Chapel Hill, d’Arenberg, Henschke and Torbreck from South Australia; Bellingham’s Bernard Series from South Africa; and the best California Syrahs from Joseph Phelps, Qupé , Runquist and others will more than fill the bill as winter warmers.

Enjoy and stay warm,
Don

photo credit: gfpeck via photopin cc

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