Featured Wines - July 2009

Cusumano Sàgana Nero d’Avola makes a profound statement in every vintage and at any age. It is such a deeply colored red wine that it comes across as opaque and black as it steeps in the glass. Stoic and reticent upon first meeting, the 2006 Cusumano Sàgana appears to capture the brooding, often tempestuous pulse of Sicily itself, but thankfully appearances can be deceiving. Sàgana holds a wealth of luxuriant, hedonistic fruit in its beguiling bo...

Although renowned as one of Marlborough’s finest and most consistent producers of Sauvignon Blanc, Ross Lawson took great pride in producing small quantities of world class Gewurztraminer – the winery’s smallest and costliest offering. Ebullient, racy, rich, and satisfying, the 2007 Lawson’s Dry Hills Gewurztraminer is a tribute to Ross’s passion. Packed with a cornucopia of scents and flavors, Lawson’s 2007 Gewurztraminer is unquestionably one o...

The largesse of the 2005 vintage and the sophisticated style of winemaking practiced by Dominique Ay have combined to produce a powerful, complex 2005 Gigondas at Domaine Raspail-Ay. This is a wine that can be drunk now with great pleasure or cellared for three or more years. Although bigger, bolder, and more complex than usual, the 2005 Domaine Raspail-Ay Gigondas retains its balanced charm and sexy seductive feel. It caresses the nose with fecu...

In the 2006 Borra Vineyards Fusion White, one discovers an exuberant, heady concoction of 83% Viognier, 16% Roussanne, and 1% Marsanne that nearly leaps from the glass. From the moment it is poured, bright, tantalizing aromas of cantaloupe, peach, and apricot waft from the glass. In the mouth, layers of peach, pineapple, and twists of toasted almond meld with hints of anise and subtle oak tones to envelope the palate and echo their gustatory chor...

In keeping with the California tradition of field blends, Borra Vineyards has crafted an exuberant, easy to drink red in its 2005 Fusion. An artful, tasty concoction of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouchet, and Zinfandel from the winery’s Gill Creek Ranch, the purple, mouth staining 2005 Borra Vineyards Fusion Red makes its debut with a heady aroma of berries, black fruits, and plum. On the palate it continues to work its magic, as it offers up ...

All of Francois Lurton’s white wines seem blessed with a blithe, gentle spirit, as well as profound purity and plenty of up front appeal and the 2008 Francois Lurton Valle de Uco Pinot Gris is certainly no exception. This is an immensely charming and flavorful Pinot Gris that more than holds its own against a slew of Oregon Pinot Gris costing nearly twice the price. Ripe fruit is the first calling card of the 2008 Bodega Lurton Pinot Gris, but th...

The 2007 vintage was one of the finest in California for Pinot Noir in many years, and the 2007 Trinity Oaks Pinot Noir captures all of the splendor of that year’s long growing season, with its cooler than average day time temperatures. Yields were low in 2007, too, which is reflected in the color and intensity of the 2007 Trinity Oaks’ Pinot Noir. Aromatic and flavorful, this expressive Pinot Noir offers up a good dose of cherry and strawberry f...