Featured Wines - December 2015

Dominique Ay has once again fashioned an outstanding Gigondas in his 2012 Domaine Raspail-Ay Gigondas. The 2012 Raspail Ay Gigondas is a richly fruity, beautifully textured wine that can be drunk now with great pleasure or cellared for seven or eight years. It sports a brilliant red robe and offers an amplifying bouquet that thoroughly delights the nose: black fruits, cherry, garrigue, herbes de Provence and hints of violet flowers, pepper...

It is easy to like Luis Valentin and Valenciso’s elegant, fragrant 2008 Rioja Reserva. Luis Valentin, one of the most engaging winemakers we have encountered, exudes true charm, quiet confidence and genuine self-assurance born of discipline, patience, and a true love of people and wine. Luis articulates his passion for wine and the pursuit of excellence with an earnestness rarely seen today in any profession. Spending time with this gracious...

The 2011 Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez El Vinculo continues Alejandro’s hot hand and ultimate success with old vine Tempranillo. With El Vinculo, whose name means the tie or the bond in Spanish, Alejandro has not only demonstrated La Mancha’s ability to produce high quality wine, he has inspired other La Mancha producers to up their game. Like its predecessors, the 2011 El Vinculo exudes an infectious charm with beautiful aromatics and plush...

Composed of a unique blend of 69% Riesling, 24% Viognier, 4% Chardonnay and 3% Chenin Blanc, the 2014 Bouchard Finlayson Blanc de Mer provides enormous drinking pleasure. Without prior experience with this wine or knowledge of the blend, we thought by the name it might be just a light, simple wine suitable to accompany the Western Cape’s abundant seafood. We were wrong. What we found in the 2014 Blanc de Mer is a complex white wine for seafood...

We first encountered Château Andréa’s Graves Blanc in the 2013 vintage. It wowed us with its seductive aroma and purity of flavor. The 2014 Château Andréa Graves Blanc (this month’s feature) is even more compelling. It offers an entrancing aroma imbued with subtle floral, citrus and ripe melon scents. In the mouth, it offers elegant, polished fruit and mineral driven flavors that delight the tongue and slip easily down the thirsty throat.

The 2010 Château Laronde Desormes is an exclusive offering of The International Wine of the Month Club and a few of the nation’s finest French restaurants, which pour Château Laronde Desormes at no less than $14.00 per glass. Having been stunned by the quality of Laronde Desormes in lesser vintages, we eagerly awaited the release of the 2010 Laronde Desormes, which is nothing short of outstanding. Cabernet Sauvignon fared particularly well in...

The 2013 Château Beauregard Ducasse Cuvée Albertine Peyri underscores the success of white Graves in the 2013 vintage. This youthful white Graves displays a brilliant crystalline color, and it offers a delightful array of floral and fruit aromas that entice the nose. Dry and rich in flavor, the 2013 Château Beauregard Ducasse Cuvée Albertine Peyri demonstrates the essence and charm of traditional white Graves. With a predominance of Semillon...