Featured Wines - January 2004

Richly robed and golden hued, the dazzling 2002 JJ Hahn Riverlflat Barossa Valley Semillon exudes the seductive scents of ripe citrus and fresh honey, with just the right amount of a certain sensual je ne sais quoi. Perfumed, fleshy, and all together decadent, this Barossa Valley Semillon is nothing short of hedonism in a glass. If the JJ Hahn Riverflat Semillon were anything but wine, it would be arrested for indecent exposure. And happily, this...

Happily, the 1998 Rosenthal Malibu Cabernet Sauvignon follows in the footsteps of its illustrious predecessors. It also qualifies as the finest 1998 California Cabernet we have tasted, without exception, so forget everything you have ever heard or experienced with other 1998 California Cabernets because the 1998 vintage in southern California was as sensational in Malibu as it was disappointing in Napa, Sonoma, and elsewhere along the entire Nort...

The 2002 Huia Chardonnay is a racy, elegant, Burgundian style Chardonnay that embodies the purity of New Zealand; yet, it exudes the elegance and panache of fine Côte d'Or white Burgundy. All of the grapes for this stylish wine emanated from Huia's own vineyard, the major portion of which is devoted to the highly touted Meursault clone of Chardonnay. In addition, only the vineyard's natural indigenous yeasts were used for fermentation, adding an ...

The Altos Las Hormigas Malbec has been consistently excellent from vintage to vintage, but the estate's present offering, the 2001 Malbec, has raised the bar. Exceedingly deep in color and infused with purple overtones, the 2001 Altos Malbec sets the stage for the grandeur of the vintage as well as the varietal. Scents of ripe black cherries, hickory, sandalwood, and bacon fat waft from the glass in what can only be described as a command perform...