Featured Wines - October 2012

The 2010 Cave Chevalier Crozes-Hermitage Marius may still be an infant, but what a gorgeous baby he is. Marius is no brutish young Syrah. Rosy flashes highlight its otherwise purple pigment, and already it exhibits an amplifying bouquet of soft rose petal and blackcurrant aromas. A backbone of ripe, finely grained tannins provide the framework for the mélange of flavors that lay imbedded in the center of this finely crafted wine: dark berry fruits, hints of fennel, herbs, and spices.

Scala Dei’s 2004 Cartoixa Priorat is a powerful, polished wine sporting a saturated purple robe and a stunning bouquet that flirts with the senses. A heady mélange of cassis, rose petal, black cherry, hot fudge and sweet vanilla scents positively captivate the nose. On the palate the 2004 Cartoixa continues to work its magic, offering up a host of complex flavors to match its seductive olfactory. It fills the mouth with smooth, sumptuous flavors full of berry and spice, before culminating in a long, satisfying finish.

The 2010 Plaisir d’Eulalie is an intense, full-bodied wine capturing the heart and soul of Minervois. It offers up an alluring bouquet of black cherry, fennel, violet, and dried flowers that evoke the scented, sun splashed countryside of Provence. What is even more pleasing is how the wine’s complex, constantly evolving bouquet seeps into the marrow of the wine and wells up onto the palate. Rich with ripe tannins, the 2010 Plaisir strikes the ideal balance between fruit and structure.

Joel Gott has once again created a stunning classic in his 2011 Oregon Pinot Gris. Gorgeous fruit, bright acidity, and subtle minerality in this offering add up to one easy drinking, spellbinding Oregon Pinot Gris. As one would expect from Joel Gott, there’s no trace in this wine of the vapid, lackluster commercial renditions of Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio that abound in the market. Instead, supreme freshness, pure ripe fruit, subtle spice and a racy finish make this wine a downright pleasure to drink.

For Fred Loimer, creator of Schellmann’s Ossi Grüner Veltliner, “an ideal wine must be completely dry, complex and elegant, rich in aromas and flavors, intense yet not heavy, and embedded in refreshing acidity.” Happily, one finds all of this in the 2009 Ossi. He’s crafted a light, refreshing wine with an enticing bouquet of fresh apples and exotic fruits and spices that make for a fine opening act, which is quickly followed up on the palate in the form of pure fruit, minerals and spice – all set in perfect harmony.

Joel Gott’s 2010 Alakai is a remarkable Rhône style wine that exhibits vim, vigor, and a gorgeous palate profile. Bright ruby red in color, Alakai is a feast for the eyes as well as the olfactory. It offers up a heady aroma of crushed berries, cinnamon, and pepper, all of which follow through happily on the palate. Lush but not flabby, full but never overpowering, Joel Gott’s 2010 Alakai is a beautifully textured wine that you will find hard to put down. Dazzlingly smooth, it’s a seamless Rhône style wine that’s not to be missed.

Happily, we are among the fortunate few able to enjoy Gilles Noblet’s Pouilly-Fuissé, as very little reaches our shores each year. The 2011 offers up its signature aromatic profile of acacia blossoms, mountain apples, and soft mineral tones. Elegant and seductive on the palate, this wine delivers ripe fruit, pinpoint flavors, and a precision rarely found in other white wines, even other Pouilly-Fuissés. Furthermore, it possesses superb balance and structure to complement the wine’s seductive fruit and nuanced flavors.