The Collector Series Top Pick this month belongs to Joseph Perrier’s Cuvée Royale Brut Champagne.  Joseph Perrier (not to be confused with the more commercial brand Perrier Jouet), crafts traditional Brut Champagne and ages it to perfection.  While other Champagne houses have cut back on the ageing of their Brut Champagnes and have resorted to homogenizing their blends, Joseph Perrier has stayed the course.  The result is a creamy, sensuous, and eminently drinkable Brut Champagne that embodies both elegance and a host of full, exquisite flavors.  And as the name implies, Cuvée Royale is indeed Champagne fit for kings and queens.  It makes an ideal aperitif but also pairs so well with lobster, crab, salmon, and all kinds of fish and hors d’oeuvres that I have to keep more than a few bottles on hand, lest our glasses run dry.  So let’s celebrate the day with a glass of Joseph Perrier Cuvée Royale Brut Champagne and enjoy!

Saluté!
Don

This month’s Premier Series Top Pick pays tribute to the legions of Italian immigrant families who settled in California in the early part of the 20^th century.  These hardy souls, including John and Jim Pedroncelli’s father John, Sr. weathered Prohibition and helped resurrect the wine industry in Sonoma County before going on to make America a wine drinking nation.  Moreover, the Pedroncelli brothers continue to fashion delicious, easy to understand premium wines at prices most of us can afford.  John Pedroncelli grew up on the family property and has been principal winemaker at Pedroncelli since 1948.  Brother Jim was actually born in the winery’s offices, which were formerly the family’s home, and he has overseen marketing and sales at the winery since 1955.  Today, the winery remains a complete family affair with children and grandchildren all involved in daily operations.  It would be hard to find two more genuine people than John and Jim Pedroncelli, so this month I raise a toast to these two stalwart souls with a glass of this month’s Top Pick, the 2010 Pedroncelli Mother Clone Zinfandel – a true California classic.

Saluté.
Don

The Collector Series Top Picks are always fraught with angst, but here is goes.  My first Top Pick this month belongs to the folks at Reyneke and their elegant, flavorful, beautifully balanced 2011 Stellenbosch Syrah.  Reyneke’s 2011 Syrah is truly world class Syrah.  It exhibits the elegance and polish that one expects from top notch producers from France’s Rhône Valley as well as plenty of ripe fruit and a wonderful array of complex flavors.  This is South African wine at the top of its game, a wine to sip and enjoy with cheese or the best meal one can muster.

My second Top Pick is really a toss-up.  Valenciso’s 2011 Rioja Blanco is perhaps the finest white Rioja I have tasted in decades, but it is still young and in need of additional time in bottle to fully blossom.  Rustenberg’s 2010 John X. Merriman is another classic, a meritage or red Bordeaux blend that highlights how good South African wine can be and how dedicated many of the folks on Africa’s Western Cape are to making great wine.  Rustenberg’s John X. Merriman, also, outshines many red Bordeaux and California meritage offerings costing twice the price.  But like the Valenciso Rioja Blanco, it, too, is quite young.  So, decide if you’re in the mood for white or red.

A votre santé.
Don Lahey

This month belongs to the fine white grape varieties of Italy.  Consequently, my first Top Pick goes to Tavignano’s 2012 Torre Villa Verdicchio.  Verdicchio is and always has been a better wine than the mass produced amphora shaped fish bottle that many came to associate with Verdicchio, and Tavignano’s delicious Torre Villa provides further proof of Verdicchio’s consummate charm.  Tavignano’s Verdicchio is a true crowd pleaser: pure, fresh, simple and elegant this delicious white wine delivers pleasure in every sip and slips down ever so easily.

My second Top Pick goes to Cantina del Taburno’s 2012 Greco.  The ancient Greco variety is one of the Amalfi Coast’s and Italy’s greatest white grapes and the folks at Taburno have truly raised the bar with their 2012 Greco – in my opinion their finest Greco to date.  This is a splendid wine to enjoy on its own or with seafood. This month’s red wines shine as well, but for September, I give the nod to Italy’s beautiful white wines.

A votre santé.
Don Lahey

This month’s Collector Series Top Picks give me palpitations.  Not only are the wines tantalizing, picking just two wines this month makes me uneasy. So, here we go.  Miller Wine Works 2007 Sage Canyon Napa Syrah has to be my first Top Pick.  It’s a big beautiful wine that highlights the quality and value to be had from one of California’s top garagistes.  Not all of the best Napa Valley wines come from big names or corporate conglomerates as Gary Miller’s 2007 Sage Canyon Syrah will attest.  One taste of this wine and you’ll know why it gets one of my Top Picks and scored 96 points and earned the Platinum Medal at the Consumer Wine Awards in Lodi, California.  My second Top Pick is a split decision.  Both the 2011 Colli di Lapio Fiano di Avellino and the 2006 Luis Canas Rioja Reserva Selección de la Familia are at the top of their game, and both have garnered tremendous press and are in very limited supply.  Hence, the split decision.  Both wines please me immensely, but for different reasons, so take your pick!  A votre santé.

Don