Featured Wines - October 2000

A lusty, nearly staggering statement of Zinfandel, the 1997 Chateau Potelle Old Vines Amador County Zinfandel reminds us as much of fine Chateauneuf-du-Pape as it does California Zinfandel. Rose petal scents, rich berry fruit and spicy woodlands permeate both the nose and the long, solid flavors of this impressive wine. Herb and liquor, with a pleasant tone of Angostura bitter, run through the fruit to frame the wine, while over a year in small o...

Wow! What a staggering statement. The opaque purple robe of the 1998 Alexander Valley Vineyards Syrah sets the tone for this high-powered, very full-bodied wine (it admits to 13.9% alcohol, but we know better). Scents of black fruits: plums, black raspberry and wild cherry, entwined in new oak, permeate the nose. Long, lush fruit flavors melded to black walnut and lavish oak linger in the mouth before soft tannins and a good dollop of alcohol let...

Floral, butter infused aromas introduce this pleasing wine. In the mouth, the 1998 Hedges Fume Chardonnay is smooth and viscous, exhibiting buttery apple, pineapple and melon flavors which underscore the wine's cepage: 55% Chardonnay and 45% Sauvignon Blanc. This is a delightful, well-integrated mélange that ends crisp, reflecting hints of lemon and vanilla toast on the tasty finish. No doubt the exceptional growing season in Washington in 1998 w...

Straw yellow in color, the 1999 Falesco Est! Est!! Est!!! di Montefiascone exhibits an ample nose of ripe fruit: pears, peaches and spring flowers rise in the glass. On the palate the wine exhibits soft flavors of pear and melon, followed by fresh lemony mineral tones that follow through to a long, lingering finish. Vibrant and fresh, exuberant and deliciously dry, Riccardo Cotarella's Est! Est!! Est!!! is pure simple elegance, as well as a refre...