Featured Wines - June 2007

A deeply colored, brooding red wine, the 2002 Pasanau La Planeta resembles at first glance a youthful Château Lafite, one of Bordeaux's greatest wines. Initially, La Planeta's glorious robe appears impenetrable and its packed aroma coquettish, yet hesitant to reveal without commitment the breadth of its inner beauty. However, a little time will more than reward the patient imbiber. La Planeta unfolds slowly, almost imperceptibly, until a seductiv...

With the color of the noonday sun, the 2005 SolÉna Cellars Oregon Pinot Gris is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. A full throttle Pinot Gris, SolÉna's exuberant 2005 Pinot Gris is as big, bold, and beautiful as any Oregon Pinot Gris we have tasted, and without ever going over the top. In the aroma, scents of fresh apricot and the nectar of pure summer fruits caress the nose. And on the palate, the wine is full and rich, but never flabby...

The 2004 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Châteauneuf-du-Pape is testimony to just how smooth and charming old vine Grenache can be when grown in the fabulous terroir of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Although a traditional blend of primarily Grenache (67 %) and Syrah (22%), Domaine du Vieux Lazaret is unique in that its red Châteauneuf-du-Pape contains all thirteen of the appellation's permitted grape varietals. And though young and poised to emerge from its adol... ...

As a super premium New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, the 2006 Dog Point Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc captures all that the mercurial Sauvignon Blanc variety has to offer. In fact, the 2006 Dog Point provides a smorgasbord of Sauvignon Blanc scents and savors that recall the best of the world's Sauvignon Blanc based wines from around the globe. In short, there is nothing ordinary about this wine, with the possible exception of the label at firs...

The 2001 Rosenthal The Malibu Estate Devon Vineyard Merlot is rich in color and flush with flavor. Yet, it is an elegant, easy to drink Merlot that combines the rich, redolent fruit of California with the elegance and suave sophistication of classic, top-notch Bordeaux from St. Émilion. A rich amplifying nose of cassis, cedar, chocolate, tobacco, and plum all recall the best efforts of Bordeaux's most privileged St. Émilion Grand Cru estates. Mea...

A classic Roero Arneis, the 2005 Giovanni Almondo Sparse displays the telltale aroma and flavor of the Arneis grape. The 2005 Sparse is adorned in a sunlit, yellow robe that holds a litany of haunting scents: spring flowers, stone fruits, lemon oil, liquid minerals, and a slight waft of fennel. These same inviting, highly nuanced scents are, also, sunk into the wine's medium body and carry through on the palate and finish, which augments this del...

Without any ado or hyperbole, the 2004 Domino de Eguren Codice Vino de la Tierra de Castilla is plain and simple one very fine drinking wine. From Codice's deeply hued robe to its long, satisfying finish, it could lure a sailor from the sea or even more impressive, turn a consummate Francophile or New World aficionado of all that is California into a stalwart admirer of Spanish wines and the 2004 Codice in particular. As one panel member so humbl...