Featured Wines - October 2007

With the words "A glimpse of the divine" and "Awesome" two tasting panel members exclaimed their enthusiasm for the 2004 Dominio Dostares Cumal, while others simply shook their heads and grinned as another member proclaimed: "I figured this wine would be really good, but nothing quite prepared me for the Cumal experience. It's other worldly. Cumal is simply incredible. Where can I get a case of this wine? And what grape did you say this is made f...

The 2005 Picket Fence Russian River Valley Chardonnay oozes old world charm and sophistication. From a golden-hued cup, an enchanting fruit bouquet of apricot and pear dances across the nose, bringing a smile of anticipation to our lips. Once in the mouth, a silky smooth texture evokes images and emotions of comfort and security just as the Picket Fence name and logo suggest. Complex and fruity, the 2005 Picket Fence Chardonnay offers up lemon, c...

The 2004 Surfrider is no ordinary California red. It is an expertly crafted meritage selection consisting of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot from Rosenthal's estate vineyards. Deeply colored, rich, and full-bodied, Surfrider captures all the aromatic fireworks and intense fruit of the finest reserve offerings from Rosenthal's The Malibu Estate. As one ventures further into Surfrider, the thrill really begins. Blackberry, cassis, an p...

Produced primarily from the free run must of Parellada, with minor additions of Macabeo and Chardonnay, the 2006 Can Feixes Blanc Selecció is testimony to the magic of the fine, but relatively unknown Parellada grape. It is, also, an indication of the quality one can expect from the outstanding 2006 vintage. At Can Feixas the native Montonec (Parellada) produces very small, tight-bunched grapes of great structure and aroma. Consequently, the 2006...

Opening a bottle of Caldora wine is always a satisfying hedonistic experience. In the case of the 2006 Caldora Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, the pleasure begins in the eye: this Montepulciano is bedecked in a saturated purple robe that is both immediately enticing and nearly impossible to resist. Moreover, the wine's visual allure is matched by a gush of soft fruit that wafts ever so willingly above the glass. And what follows on the palate is a suppl...

The color of the noon day sun, the 2005 Domaine Alfred Goss Creek Edna Valley Chardonnay caresses the eye as well as the palate. It, also, offers up a heavenly aroma, replete with pure Chardonnay fruit, pear, quince, and delicate spice tones, all deftly accented by toasted French oak. Fresh, flavorful, and long in the mouth, the 2005 Domaine Alfred Goss Creek Chardonnay epitomizes charm and weighs in as one of the finest Edna Valley Chardonnays w...

The 2000 vintage has turned out to be an especially fine one for Santa Monica. The 2000 Santa Monica Private Reserve Tierra de Sol Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits plenty of round fruit and a more polished, Bordeaux demeanor than most Chilean Cabernets can muster. In appearance, the 2000 Tierra de Sol Cabernet displays a deep, dark, youthful robe, which it backs up with an amplifying aroma of blackberry, cassis, dark chocolate, and the classic cigar b...