Featured Wines - January 2015

Bellingham’s 2013 Ancient Earth Pinotage Shiraz exhibits a deep purple robe, thanks at least in part to a good dose of Shiraz in the blend. And considering the rich color and wonderful flavors of this intriguing blend of 80% Pinotage and 20% Shiraz (aka Syrah), we have to wonder why more South African producers have not taken greater advantage of this artful blend. Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault (the latter a premium red...

Stefano Massone never fails to turn in a first rate performance in fashioning exceptional Gavi, as the 2013 Massone Vigneto Masera Gavi will attest. A glass of Massone’s Masera Gavi is about as sure of a bet in the world of wine as one can find. The 2013 Masera Gavi offers its usual beautiful straw-colored robe and delicate perfume resplendent with the scents of freshly squeezed grapes, spring flowers and lemon/lime zest. And of course there...

With just one sniff and sip, the 2013 Château de Pizay Morgon befriends the senses and you will know why this Morgon has garnered 90 points from Wine Enthusiast and is being lauded in the American and British Press. Scented, savory and silky smooth the 2013 Chateau de Pizay Morgon could easily serve as the poster child for cru Beaujolais. The wine’s deep crimson color sets the tone, but it’s this Morgon’s amplifying bouquet and flavor that...

Viognier is a difficult grape to grow, and a tricky wine to make, but in the hands of an expert winemaker, there is no better white wine. Fortunately, Jerome Quiot and the folks at Château du Trignon know how to treat Viognier and have turned in a superlative performance in their 2013 Château du Trignon Viognier Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc. Our tasting panels were taken by this wine’s lovely floral aromas, pear and peach flavors, and supreme purity...

Fournier’s 2012 Cuvée Silex is named for a 6 acre vineyard parcel comprised of prime silex soil, a mixture of flint, clay, limestone, and silica found primarily on a few choice hillsides in France’s Loire Valley. The 2012 Fournier Cuvée Silex is a special cuvée, indeed, as silex soil imparts mineral-rich qualities to the wine, which offers an...

We would never have tasted Il Palazzino’s rare, highly allocated 2008 Bertinga, nor had the opportunity to feature the wine, if we hadn’t paid a hastily arranged visit to Alesandro Sderci and his son, Eduardo, one stormy day in June. We have admired Alesandro’s wines for many years and featured one of his single vineyard Chianti Classicos some years ago, but Bertinga was a completely new revelation. The average annual production of Bertinga...

The Revello brothers are known for their supple, yet powerful Barolo wines that can be enjoyed either in the first five years of their life or cellared for a decade or more. In the 2010 Revello, one encounters the essence of the La Morra style of Barolo: elegance and power married to a set of complex, nuanced flavors that lace their way through the wine from the first draught of the wine’s heady aroma to the last sip as it exits with a royal...

We have admired and consumed Ambra’s delicious Carmignano wines for nearly two decades, but for some reason we could never secure quite enough to feature one, until now. Earlier this year, some panel members and I traveled to Tuscany where we became re-acquainted with Ambra’s exceptional wines over a delicious dinner at La Terrazza in the village of Bagno Vignoni. The 2010 Ambra Montalbiolo Riserva really captured our attention. In fact, the...