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
