Featured Wines - October 2010

Pinot Noir is perhaps the most demanding of all premium grapes to cultivate and the least forgiving wine of its creator. Woe to the winemaker who does not understand this finicky varietal and is unwilling to cater to her whims. And even if all is done in the cellar with the utmost care and attention, the idiosyncrasies of weather and terroir can easily wreak havoc and ruin upon the soul brave enough to tackle the task of producing world-class Pin...

Ferrara’s Greco di Tufo possesses a beautiful texture and an alluring glitter, and it is wonderfully consistent from vintage to vintage. Nevertheless, cognoscenti and critics alike find this wine hard to describe as it changes repeatedly over a course of an hour or more in the glass, much like a fine red wine.

Hans Herzog’s Spirit of Marlborough, né Meritage, is the fullest, most concentrated red wine we have ever tasted from New Zealand. More importantly, it is also one of the purest, most delicious Meritage wines we have had the pleasure to drink, from anywhere.

As expected, the 2008 Cave des Grands Crus Blancs St. Véran offers real up-front appeal. For starters, the wine’s bright sunshine imbued robe and pronounced bouquet of soft scents immediately begin working their magic: white fruits, citrus, minerals, and butter all come to fore to beguile the nose.

Endowed with a beautiful cachet of crushed cranberry, wild cherry, wood smoke, and spice, the 2006 Pietra Santa Sangiovese positively sings from the glass. On the palate this wine continues to work its magic by offering up rich fruit and spice flavors along with a smooth patina that reminds us of one of Tuscany’s finest red wines – Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

Bright and fair in color with just a glint of the sun, the 2008 Pietra Santa Chardonnay appeals immediately to the senses; its forward vibrant bouquet reveals heady scents of crisp mountain apples, pears, melon, and soft indulgent spice tones.

A bright, polished Tuscan red, the 2006 Moro pays tribute to Marco Razzauti’s talent as well as the beneficence of the 2006 vintage in Tuscany.