Featured Wines - November 2000

Scents of white peach and spring flowers rise from the 1999 Sokol Blosser. White Riesling, making the taster wish he could stick his nose right down into the glass. Riesling is not usually one of the New World's most highly acclaimed varietals, nor is it always sufficiently balanced to please the majority of experienced palates, but we beg of you to throw out all the pre-conceived notions you may harbor regarding this noble varietal. Sokol-Blosse...

Rich, buttery fruit, subtle spice and judicious oak tones form the olfactory attack of the barrel-fermented 1998 Murphy-Goode Chardonnay. The cooler than normal, shy-bearing 1998 harvest produced wines of fine, fruit intensity; and certainly this Murphy-Goode is no exception to the rule. Tropical fruit and a melange of long citrus flavors fill the mouth. Heightened by barrel fermentation and a five month stay in oak barrels, the Murphy-Goode Char...

Dry, ripe black cherry fruit, pure and lush, wafts from the glass, providing a heady seductive aroma. Cherry, kirsch, and a hint of almond complement the pretty fruit on the palate. Delicacy and elegance may be the first words that come to mind when describing the overall impression of the Zenato Valpolicella, but there is more than enough flavor and stuffing in this wine to convince you that we're not talking about child's play; this is serious ...

Deeply robed in regal purple, the 1999 Domaine Les Fines Graves Moulin a Vent bears the tell tale signs of its ageworthy pedigree. Nevertheless, this Moulin a Vent is prettier and more accessible early on than previous vintages. Bright fruit and stuffing surround the tannic core of the wine and offer very pleasant drinking in the near term. Drink this wine cool, within the first year or so of its life while the baby fat of a first-rate Beaujolais...