Featured Wines - December 2001

A gentle waft of woodlands, mingled with roses, violets, bark and dew covered brush rise from the 1997 Villa Giada “La Quercia”. Richly robed, but hardly foreboding, this single vineyard offering captures the charm as well as the power of Barbera. Textured fruit covers a masculine core of alcohol, tannin and an inexplicable strength of character that emanates from the very center of this wine. Slightly rustic yet gracious and polite, the Villa Gi...

A bright cherry, strawberry-tinged robe foreshadows the gorgeous fruit and hedonistic bent of the 2000 Les Marcellins Chenas. Ripe and lush, without ever appearing sweet, this lovely Chenas embodies the essence of Grand Cru Beaujolais. This is a wine that is both fun and fulfilling, offering copious quantities of black cherry fruit along with its ample structure. The 200 Les Marcellins Chenas is one of those rare red wines that can be readily con...

Chandon Brut Fresco combines Champagne quality with a fun, fruit-driven style. This is a golden-hued sparkling wine with a hint of copper. Its fine, persistent bubble, crisp fresh flavors of strawberry, apricot and citrus complement this amazing sparkler’s more supple, creamy side, adding both texture and definition. Excellent bread-yeast tones and hints of caramel and toast provide clean, complex flavors that linger happily on the palate. Moreov...

The 2000 Jackson Estate Sauvignon Blanc exhibits an intense bouquet and flavor of tropical pineapple, fresh mown grass, gooseberry and ripe melon. Traces of spicy lychee also emerge after a few minutes open. Reminiscent of a good French Sancerre or Pouilly Fume, the Jackson Estate is balanced by a crisp acidity, which never allows the wine’s fruit and full, racy flavors to get out of hand. In short, the 2000 Jackson Estate Sauvignon Blanc is a di...