Featured Wines - July 2005

Produced from only ten blocks of estate grown Chardonnay, employing natural wild yeasts, the 2003 Hope Estate Hunter Valley Chardonnay is no ordinary Australian Chardonnay. Absent is the over the top level of alcohol and copious quantities of raw oak that mar far too many Chardonnays from “Down Under.” Instead, the 2003 Hope Estate is loaded with ripe tropical fruit, a creamy texture, and subtle nutty tones. Both in the nose and on the palate, th...

An excellent vintage for Sauvignon Blanc, the 2004 autumn in New Zealand produced a Wither Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc that sports a pale yellow robe, with a sparkling green hue, brilliant clarity, and oodles of flavor. What's more, a vibrant bouquet of citrus and tropical fruits, with hints of cut grass and capsicum, delights the nose. On the palate, the Wither Hills exhibits crisp elegance, excellent weight, and considerable mouth feel. A...

The 2002 Landskroon Cabernet Sauvignon is as dark, deep, and foreboding as a wine can be, but don’t let that scare you off. What lies within is as beautiful and exhilarating as the great continent that produced it. Reminiscent of Cahors, the “black wine” of France, or an old vine Coonawarra Cabernet from South Australia, the charm of the Landskroon lies in the heart of the wine, in the layers of rich flavor that suffuse it. The savor of dusty bla...

Bearing more than a passing resemblance to the great Syrah based wines of France’s Rhône Valley, the 2002 Hope Estate Hunter Valley Shiraz sports a deep purple robe, an amplifying bouquet of black fruits and spice, and enough flavor for at least two wines. With a minimum of thirty minutes of breathing, and we do suggest ample airing of all young Shiraz, the redolent scents if ripe juicy plums, mocha, and even chocolate emerge from the glass and c...