Feudi di San Marzano’s 2010 Primitivo is unquestionably one of this month’s top Premier Series picks.  Why?  It tastes great, and it could easily serve as the poster child for Primitivo – the missing link to California’s Zinfandel.  Yes, Primitivo, the ancient early ripening varietal that hails from Greece and/or the northern Balkans is the forbearer of California Zinfandel.  Primitivo was most likely brought to southern Italy more than 2,500 years ago by the Greeks, who named Apulia and the nearby Italian peninsula Enotria – land of the vine – because of Apulia’s natural proclivity for the production of wine.  Today, Primitivo remains one of the most important grape varietals of southern Apulia, especially on the Salento Peninsula.  Moreover, Feudi di San Marzano’s Primitivo is the ideal accompaniment to southern Italy’s signature dishes.

My other top pick is a tougher choice.  I am very fond of Pazo de Arribi’s wines.  They do an excellent job with Bierzo’s two traditional varietals, Mencia and Godello.  Nevertheless, Edgbaston’s 2011 Honey Pot gets my nod this month.  Why?  It’s an excellent example of how far South Africa has come in producing wines that the rest of the world wants to drink.  Edgebaston’s Honey Pot is a tasty blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Viognier.  It wasn’t too long ago that South Africa could barely give away its rustic, full-bodied reds, now it is making world class red and white wines.

A Votre Santé!

Don

It’s time for my monthly confession. Yes, confession is good for the soul.  My top picks this month are both red wines.  I know there may be a special warm place for me in the life hereafter for passing over a truly fine white Burgundy that I must confess I really liked, but in the month of February I believe I can be forgiven without having to suffer a colossal penance.  Why?  It’s cold in February and this month’s Collector Series reds can take the chill out of cold winter nights.

Furthermore, Valenciso makes great Rioja Reserva (their one and only wine) and the 2005 Valenciso Reserva is quite extraordinary.  It is a flawlessly balanced Rioja that is delicious now but will continue to improve in bottle for a decade or more.  My other top pick is Alejandro Fernandez’s 2005 El Vinculo.  Alejandro Fernandez is Spain’s King of Tempranillo and El Vinculo is La Mancha’s greatest old vine Tempranillo. It’s a knockout.  For my penance, I will enjoy Jacques Girardin’s 2009 Les Terrasses de Bievaux Santenay in between drinking this month’s reds.

A Votre Santé!

Don

There is quality and there is preference.  Sometimes, it’s difficult to ascertain where one begins and the other ends, especially when forced to choose among four high quality wines, all of which I enjoy.  Nonetheless, a choice must be made.  With that in mind, my top wine picks this month belong to Donati Family Vineyard’s 2007 Claret and Gilles Noblet’s 2010 Domaine de la Collonge Macon Fuissé.  Why?  Let’s start with this month’s primary white wine: Nobody makes consistently better Macon-Fuissé and Pouilly-Fuissé than Gilles Noblet, and he does it at a fair price so that savvy consumers can afford to purchase his wines more than once a year.

My other top pick is Donati’s delicious 2007 Claret.  Donati, like so many other small California wineries outside of Napa and Sonoma, has flown under the mainstream wine press’s radar for far too long.  Wines from smaller wineries such as Donati can go un-tasted and therefore un-sung amidst oceans of more commercial brands.  A juicy blend of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc, the 2007 Donati Claret is both immediately satisfying and subtlety complex.  I also believe blends are one of California’s potential growth areas and true strengths, but such blends are often eschewed in favor of varietal bottling.  On the subject of blends, give this month’s Gualbenzu Vierlas a try.  It, too, is an artful blend from a lesser known region of Spain.

A Votre Santé!

Don