Featured Wines - January 2003

A bright pale gold color highlights the famous 2000 J. Moreau & Fils Chablis, gold medal winner at Burgundy's prestigious Macon fair. Clean mineral scents, intertwined with white fruits and citrus, provide an amplifying nose. At first sip, the classic explosion of crisp, dry, flinty flavors that characterize most fine Chablis prevails, but as the wine opens, it reveals an added layer of cream that tantalizes the palate. On the finish, an array of...

There is nothing quite so satisfying as a good glass of Chianti, and the 1999 Colognole Chianti Rufina is more than good. Wrapped in a beautiful purple robe and endowed with the haunting scents of violet, earth tone, and subtle black fruits, the Colognole embodies all the charm and grace that makes good Chianti so satisfying. This wine, like the land itself, exudes an ethereal quality that is difficult to define. Purity and what can be best descr...

A classic Cava, the 1999 Mont-Marcal Reserva Brut exhibits a lovely pearl of a bubble that slowly beads to the top of the glass. The soft, clean scents of freshly baked bread, apple, and pear meld with the faintest hint of cinnamon and sesame to beguile the nose. On the palate light fruit, with traces of sesame and almond, caress the mouth. With Mont-Marcal's creamy center and long refreshing finish, it makes us wonder why some people insist on s...

The 2000 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf du Pape is testimony to just how good old vine Grenache can be from Chateauneuf du Pape. A traditional blend of 75 % Grenache, with dollops of Syrah and Cinsault and dabs of another half dozen of the 13 permitted varietals for Chateauneuf du Pape, the 2000 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret offers up an entrancing bouquet of kirsch, black fruits and exotic spices. Fleshy, jammy, and ohhh so drinkable, you will ...