Featured Wines - June 2000

If you’re looking for a light, wispy wine, you should bypass the 1999 Gewurztraminer. In the style of great Alsatian examples of this varietal, Lawson’s Dry Hills offers up a cachet of scents and flavors reminiscent of the lychee, rose petal and, of course, spice. (Gewurztraminer means spicy traminer in German.) Mouth filling, and viscous without residual sugar, Mike Just’s ‘99 Gewurztraminer captures the essence of this varietal. This is a supe...

In typical Moulin a Vent fashion, the 1998 Janodet is rich, concentrated and brooding, requiring some coaxing before the lush, velvet tones emerge with breathing. We suggest that you allow the wine to breathe for at least a half hour before serving, in order to fully enjoy the deep cherry and kirsch flavors of this big-boned Beaujolais. Considered to be the top Grand Cru of Beaujolais, Moulin a Vent ages well, and this Janodet is no exception. A...

Argiolas Vermentino 1998 Scents of the awakening land; spring flowers and the good earth, dew glistening meadows, infused with the waft of wild flowers and a taste of honey, greet the imbiber. Smooth, very easy to drink flavors are dominated by the savor of eternal spring. Whether you refer to this wine as ethereal, or simply a wine that possesses a certain "je ne sais quoi", as the French like to say, it has a tendency to disappear in a hurry. H...

Argiolas Costera 1996 "Wow! I love this wine...where did we get it," were the first words uttered by a senior member of our tasting panel, sentiments the rest of the group was too captivated to sputter. It’s no wonder, from the very first draught of the 1996 Argiolas Costera, we were hooked. The captivating scent of violets and roses, fragrant woodlands and berries caress the nose. It’s almost impossible to draw your face away from the glass to s...