Featured Wines - December 2005

A super saturated wine, the 2003 Tamiz Ribera del Duero Tinto recalls in appearance the “black wines” of Cahors from southwest France, but as the Berenstain Bears and all perspicacious adults soon come to realize “appearances are deceiving.” Indeed, the Tamiz is as dark and foreboding in color as any red wine, but here the comparison of the 2003 Tamiz Tinto to Cahors and other deep, brooding tannic monsters abruptly ends. The scents of fresh blac...

We bet you haven’t had an Insolia before, but then there is a first time for everything. First and foremost, the 2004 Cusumano Insolia is one tasty white wine, but please put aside all preconceived notions because Insolia is not like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or any other white wine you may have tasted in the last month … or year. The 2004 Cusumano Insolia is a bright, festive wine that sports a slight golden hue that reminds us ...

A unique blend from prized lots of Sonoma County Zinfandel; the 2001 Friends Zinfandel is one huggable wine. Rich in color and pleasantly aromatic, this medium bodied Zinfandel displays a good deal of berry fruit, both in the nose and the flavor. All that is good in Zinfandel: blueberry, raspberry, and a hint of bramble, which has come to serve as Zinfandel’s calling card, all come happily together in the 2001 Friend’s Zinfandel. Meanwhile, trace...

Produced from 90 and 100 year old vines that are the oldest in Colchagua, the 2005 Casa Silva Sauvignon Gris is reason alone to propagate more of the rare Sauvignon Gris variety. As a relative of Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris often yields a dry medium weight wine with lots of aromatic profile, but this Casa Silva offering takes this excellent but obscure variety to new heights. The 2005 Casa Silva Sauvignon Gris sports a beautiful color and a g...

A deep, dense, and fully packed Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the 2003 Domaine Chante Perdrix is one of the most delicious young Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s we have ever tasted. Youthful, rich, and voluptuous, this wine already drinks well; however, it is just starting to strut its stuff. Poised to blossom, this huggable Châteauneuf-du-Pape offers up the decadent scents of an exotic market: coffee, herbs, incense, oriental spices, and a hint of smoke. On the pa...

An audacious wine, the 2004 Guigal Condrieu embodies all the flamboyant charm and unique qualities that make Condrieu the world’s most beguiling Viognier. For starters, the bouquet is haunting. In fact, it is so entrancing that one could almost forget to drink the wine. Initially, the scent of the 2004 Guigal Condrieu, with a perfume reminiscent of ambrosia that is infused with jasmine and spring flowers, wafts from the glass and tantalizes the n...

Regal in robe and still youthful in appearance, the 1998 Dominio de Conté Reserva exudes an enchanting powerful Pomerol like perfume, which befits the most elegant and stylish wines of Bordeaux as well as Rioja. Scents of cassis, plush hedonistic fruit, and oriental spice pervade the nose. Yet, when this wine graces the palate, it turns to all charm. The Dominio de Conté’s flavors are pronounced but gentle and well integrated, an elegant melange ...