Featured Wines - Sept 2014

The 2011 vintage brought fair weather to Tuscany, so not surprisingly Castello di Monsanto once again fashioned a truly beautiful, complex Chianti Classico Riserva in 2011. The wine has garnered tremendous press, including 92 points from Wine Spectator. This is certainly an excellent score, but it is a score that may prove a bit stingy as Castello di Monsanto’s Chianti Classico Riserva is traditionally one of the more reticent of the great...

William Fèvre’s 2012 Champs Royaux Chablis comes dressed for the weather, sporting a classy zip-up neoprene jacket to keep it at the optimum drinking temperature. In every other sense the 2012 Champs Royaux is classic Chablis. It offers a bright sun kissed robe, replete with Chablis’ characteristic glint of green. The wine’s eye appeal gives way to plenty of green apple, mineral and lemon zest aromas to delight the nose. In the...

Valle Secreto’s 2011 Private Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon-Carmenère displays a brilliant, deep purple color, but that should come as no surprise from a wine made from these three richly colored grape varietals. What truly sets the Valle Secreto Private blend apart are its soaring, full-blown aromatics and rich, polished flavors. Although Syrah constitutes the lion’s share of the blend (55%), it is Cabernet Sauvignon (25%) and Carmenère (20%)...

Bisci’s 2013 Verdicchio di Matelica solidifies its reputation as the pre-eminent producer of Verdicchio – a wine capable of far more than the insipid Verdicchio of yesteryear from fish shaped bottles. The 2013 Bisci Verdicchio di Matelica raises the bar and adds a whole new dimension to the Marches’ most popular wine. For starters, Bisci’s vineyards are cultivated organically and the wine is made with minimal intervention, so there’s no smoke...

Bruno Tait has a knack for making decadent, intense, basket pressed wines, and Tait’s 2012 The Wild Ride is certainly decadent and intense, but more importantly, it is a pure pleasure to drink. Made from 60% Shiraz, 20% Grenache and 20% Mataro (also known as Mourvèdre), the 2012 The Wild Ride displays a deep ruby color, stunning aromatics and plenty of intense fruit. By basket pressing this heady GSM, fresh cherry and blackberry aromas...

There is New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc . . . and then there is New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that is a truly tasty and a cut above the crowd. Mount Fishtail’s 2013 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is both tasty and more than a cut above. It recently received well-deserved accolades from the Wine Enthusiast and it earned a top spot on the magazine’s list of Top Ten Best Buy New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. Like its namesake, Mount Fishtail Sauvignon Blanc soars...

When there is wine as fulfilling and packed with juicy flavors for under $20.00 as the 2012 Casas del Bosque Reserva Carmenère, it has to make you wonder why some people spend money on lesser quality, more expensive wines. The 2012 Casas del Bosque Reserva Carmenère easily merits the 90 point score it received from StephenTanzer’s International Wine Cellar. Deeply colored and packed with pungent aromas and flavors reminiscent of blackberry...