Featured Wines - November 2003

Fleshy, plump and ripe for the picking, the 2002 Heinrich Zweigelt recalls all the best attributes of Heinrich's splendid 2001 Zweigelt but with even more fruit and warmth than its predecessor. Moreover, this wine has critics rightfully proclaiming the virtues of Zweigelt, Austria's very own varietal. Wrapped in a regal purple robe, the 2002 Heinrich possesses all the charming vinosity of Grand Cru Beaujolais but with more bouquet, body, power an...

The 2001 Alexander Valley Vineyard Two Barrel Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon is true to the Alexander Valley Vineyard style. It is deep, dark, lush, and hedonistic. A hypothetical blend of a top notch Australian Shiraz and a great California Cabernet, its bouquet is redolent with the scents and savor of black fruits, cassis, eucalyptus, wood smoke and vanilla. Dense and masculine, this extroverted charmer is not without backbone. It possesses a substan...

With the color of pale straw and a sparkle, the 2002 Rockbare Chardonnay sets the stage for the complex aromatics that leap from the glass. Many on the tasting panel perceive peach, mango, and pear tones in the nose, while others subscribe to lime, passion fruit, and pineapple as the dominant aromatic profile. In addition, a crisp Chablis-like minerality, complete with steel, lemon and hints of tangerine, emerges in the bouquet and on the palate ...

Lovely, lovely, lovely, is how one taster described the 2002 Maria v. O. Riesling, and we heartily concur. The 2002 Maria v. O. Riesling possesses a pretty nose, redolent with apple, pear, nectarine and mineral tones that seem to grow with each successive sniff. On the palate, the stony, pinpoint essence of the Saar meets soft, natural tasting fruit that is joyfully accentuated by a faint spritz. This sprightliness adds just the right amount of z...