Featured Wines - March 2011

Once again Spain’s “Master of Tempranillo” has fashioned in 2006 a Tinto Pesquera worthy of his name. Although a bit reticent upon release, the 2006 Tinto Pesquera has blossomed into a polished, sophisticated wine of grace and charm. Each time we taste this wine it reveals greater length and depth.

More elegant and ultimately more sophisticated than other Fiano based wines and Campania’s other premium white varietal, Greco di Tufo, Colli di Lapio’s Fiano retains enough verve and natural acidity to assure age worthiness along with a long, clean, distinctive finish. The wine is brilliant now, yet ultimately it is Fiano d’Avellino’s ability to age and develop secondary characteristics that merit its place among the most noble of Italian white varietals.

Clearly, in 2008 Runquist has once again fashioned from the Enver Salman Vineyard the quintessential California Petite Sirah. An intense purple robe the color of a fully ripened plum is the first sign that the 2008 R Enver Salman Petite Sirah will offer a boatload of pleasure. And just one sniff of this majestic wine is all it takes to be convinced that something special is indeed in the offering.

Many parts of northern Italy experienced withering heat in 2009, but Soave seemed unaffected. In fact, Tamellini fashioned another outstanding DOC Soave in 2009, a wine that sports a sprightly robe, replete with a glint of the rising sun at its center and a tinge of gold. It may turn out to be Tamellini’s finest effort to date. Moreover, it offers a beguiling nose, a soft supple texture, and a satisfying finish.

Made from century old vines that grow high atop the Eastern Bench of Dry Creek Valley, Folie à Deux’s 2007 Forchini Vineyard Dry Creek Zinfandel more than holds its own against the very best Zinfandel that California has to offer – at any price. It delivers awesome power (15% alcohol) along with plenty of flavor and hedonistic pleasure, reminding us of the some of the great old vine Zinfandel bottlings of yesteryear. This is a deeply colored, robust wine that offers up scents redolent of blackberry, bramble, and finely ground spices.

Brilliant in the glass in its sporty yellow robe, the finely honed 2008 The Malibu Estate Chardonnay captures all the charm, purity, and ripe fruit that one can ask for in California wine, and then infuses those savory attributes with subtle mineral tones and a precision rarely seen in other California Chardonnays. Add a complex bouquet and a broad palate profile that beckons with intricate fruit, spice, butter, and vanilla tones, and you have one good drinking Chardonnay – all wrapped in one harmonious package.

The folks at Emperador de Barros have pushed the envelope with their 2009 Emperador de Barros Tempranillo, an exuberant, juicy red wine from 100% Tempranillo vines. Frankly, this wine simply blew us away. Moreover, it reminded several of us of the wonderful Tempranillo wines from La Mancha and Castilla y Leon we tasted on a recent trip to Spain.