Featured Wines - August 2013

This classic Corbières is a full-bodied, traditional blend hand-harvested from vines as old as 100 years. What one smells and tastes is a profound, deeply colored wine that is uniformly ripe, ample and packed with flavor. Upon first opening, black currant and raspberry fruit, hints of wild herbs, and plenty of healthy tannins greet the nose and palate, but soon the wine’s youthful tannins begin to recede and take on a supple quality, revealing one of the great attributes of the 2010 vintage as well as Château Ollieux Romanis’ juicy, charming personality.

From Umbria’s most important wine estate comes the delicate, fresh, and immediately satisfying 2012 Lungarotti Torre di Giano, a thoroughly refreshing white wine that tastes as natural and charming as a cool summer breeze. Sporting a bright, sun kissed robe that immediately catches the eye and a fragrant bouquet that captivates the nose with delicate scents of white peach, almond, and pear, we found this blend of Vermentino (40%), Trebbiano (30%), and Grechetto (30%) quite hard to resist.

Lungarotti’s 2009 Rosso di Torgiano stands out as one of this iconic producer’s finest Rubescos. A blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Colorino, the 2009 Rubesco bears some resemblance to the finer wines of Chianti Classico; however, it easily outperforms many of its more famous Tuscan cousins. This wine comes across as a supremely polished, medium-bodied wine replete with tempting aromas of ripe red cherries, sweet tobacco, violets and cloves, all of which follow through in the mouth to delight the palate before culminating happily in a radiant finish.

Henri Poiron’s classic Muscadet reveals the crisp scents of stone fruits, minerals, and sea spray, plus clean, dry, refreshing flavors that enliven the palate. Poiron’s Muscadet is the real deal, a truly dry white wine. The limestone rich soil of the Loire, the scent of the sea, and the delicate flavors of Melon de Bourgogne shine in this crisp, refreshing Sèvre-et-Maine Muscadet. Although Poiron’s Domaine des Quatre Routes can age for a number of years in bottle, we prefer consuming it in the fresh bloom of youth with a moderate chill.

One taste of this wine and you’ll know why it garnered Platinum and 96 pts at the Consumer Wine Awards. Indeed, there is no wimpy wine being made at Miller Wine Works, and the 2007 Sage Canyon Vineyard Syrah is a big, powerful wine that makes one take notice. Deep in color and pronounced in aroma, this Syrah presents deep down blackberry and currant flavors that well up through a patina of aromatic oak that imparts a cachet of sandalwood. Rich, ripe, and in your face, this wine ends with a long and polished finish.

With the 2011 Colli di Lapio Fiano di Avellino, Clelia Romano demonstrates why her Fiano earns top scores and reigns at the head of the class, as recent critics’ reviews will greatly attest. Bright, elegant, flavorful and supremely polished, it offers up alluring scents and flavors reminiscent of stone fruits, spring flowers, and incense, all of which come wrapped in pinpoint precision, refreshing acidity, and gentle minerality. Moreover, the wine finishes with a tangy wave, which always seems to include a refreshing hint of sea spray.

We love Rioja, and the 2006 Luis Cañas Reserva Selección de la Familia is about as fine of a Rioja as one can find. This is a deeply flavored, sophisticated Rioja Reserva that exhibits a fine array of black cherry, cranberry, wild strawberry, sandalwood, white pepper, and dark chocolate flavors. Balanced, beautiful and silky smooth with a patina of polished and well-integrated oak, the 2006 Luis Cañas Reserva Selección de la Familia epitomizes the essence of Rioja Reserva. This rich, personality filled Rioja will continue to improve in bottle for up to a decade.