Featured Wines - May 2007

The 2001 Cos d'Estournel St. Estèphe is one of the finest wines of the excellent 2001 vintage, eclipsing even its first growth neighbors in Pauillac and Margaux. And the 2001 Les Pagodes de Cos is not far behind the Grand Vin in quality or style. At present, Les Pagodes de Cos is in fact the more accessible and enjoyable wine, while Cos d'Estournel remains the firmer more structured sibling. The 2001 Les Pagodes de Cos is elegant and immediately ...

Casa Lapostolle's series of wines known as Cuvée Alexandre are the estate's luxury or reserve offerings, and they are named after Alexandre Marnier's great-father, Alexandre. They represent the finest varietal Chardonnay, Cabernet, and Merlot that this estate can fashion, and that alone says a lot. Unequivocally, the 2005 Casa Lapostolle Cuvée Alexandre Chardonnay constitutes a real tour de force in winemaking. It is, also, one of the very finest...

A gorgeous deep ruby robe sets the table for the majesty of the 2004 Podere Il Palazzino La Pieve Chianti Classico. Better yet, within a few minutes of pulling the cork, entrancing, profound aromas emerge from this heaven scented, medium-bodied Chianti. A bouquet of deep down fruit, sizzling bacon, and lush woodlands resplendent with wild strawberry, iris, and violet, springs from the glass. However, the best is yet to come. On the palate, the Il...

The 2006 Alta Vista "Premium" Torrontes offers a unique and tasty alternative to Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and the world's other, more commonplace white wines. It also provides a needed break from the homogenization and parochial approach adopted by many New World producers, who deem it their duty to transform nearly every white variety into a Chardonnay look alike or at the very least a fat, full, highly oaked affair. In the case of the 2006 ...

A hauntingly aromatic, classically wrought Merlot, the 2005 Casa Lapostolle Rapel Merlot puts to shame the fast majority of its California brethren and many of its French cousins, too, even quite a few of those with Grand Cru St. Emilion status. Medium-bodied but positively packed with charm and flavor, the 2005 Casa Lapostolle Rapel Merlot epitomizes everything that makes excellent Merlot so appealing and easy to drink. Within the Casa Lapostoll...

As a delicious, full throttle, gooseberry and herb laden Sauvignon Blanc, the 2006 Tuatara Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc provides everything a top notch Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc should . . . and then some. Bold but not brazen, the 2006 Tuatara Sauvignon Blanc offers up a wonderfully pure nose of fresh citrus, gooseberry, and herb. It then follows up the delightful olfactory with plenty of round, voluptuous varietal flavors, which are gently lace...

The 2005 The Show is a crowd pleaser of a Cabernet. In fact, if more California wineries made affordable Cabernet like Bieler, Gott, and Scommes, there wouldn't much of a market for high end California Cabernet Sauvignon, let alone Merlot or Syrah. The Show opens up with an eye catching, royal purple robe and plenty of aromatic fireworks. Soft scents of black cherry, cedar, and chocolate quickly set the tone for the wine's next act – a palate ple...