Featured Wines - November 2015

The highly touted 2012 Blue Jay Anderson Valley Pinot Noir is a tour de force in winemaking. It is packed with aroma and flavor beginning with concentrated blueberry, lavender, and mineral tones in the nose. In the mouth, the wine displays full, rich fruit flavors and plenty of deep down spice tones, all backed by broad powerful tannins. Blackberry fruit, subtle complex earth tones and warm, spicy flavors that include cinnamon and nutmeg...

Joseph Perrier continues to craft traditional Brut Champagne and age it to perfection. While other Champagne houses have cut back on the ageing of their Brut Champagnes and have in many cases homogenized their blends, Joseph Perrier has stayed the course. The result is a creamy, sensuous, and eminently drinkable Joseph Perrier Cuvée Royale Brut, a full flavored exquisite Champagne crafted for an intimate evening. It is a special Champagne...

Jacques Girardin consistently fashions authentic, elegant red Burgundy, as Girardin’s 2012 Clos Rousseau Premier Cru Santenay readily attests. The truth be told, it’s difficult to imagine let alone find a red Burgundy better than Jacques Girardin’s 2012 Santenay Clos Rousseau, even at two or three times the price. A sexy, seductive Pinot Noir with a knockout bouquet of rose petal, violet and Asian spices, this Premier Cru from Jacques...

Tenuta di Tavignano continues to push the envelope on quality with all of its wines, but most especially with its premium Verdicchio, the 2014 Tavignano Misco Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore. The bright flavorful 2014 Misco is produced from 100% Verdicchio grapes that burst with flavor and a freshness that mirrors the pastoral beauty of the Marche and the alluring gleam of the nearby Adriatic Sea. The wine’s beautiful...

Zinfandel is California’s own special variety and there is no better place to find exceptional Zinfandel than in California’s Russian River Valley. The 2013 Cambridge Cellars Elsbree Vineyard Russian River Valley Zinfandel provides ample testimony to support that claim, as it is deeply colored, beautifully balanced, vibrant and rich in flavor. One hardly notices the wine’s 14.9% alcohol as it delivers up an enticing bouquet of blueberry and...

Mont-Marçal fashions exceptional vintage Cava that ranks among the best and most consistent sparkling wines in the world. Unlike most sparkling wine producers (which includes the finest purveyors of Champagne as well as Cava), Mont-Marçal vintage dates all of its Reserva Brut so that the consumer knows the age and freshness of the wine. The 2012 Mont-Marçal Brut Reserva is the latest release from this family owned property and is an absolute...

Antucura enjoys a reputation for fashioning bold, age-worthy wines that are literally packed with flavor, and the 2011 Antucura Calcura certainly reinforces the winery’s enviable reputation for over-delivering. The 2011 Antucura Calcura offers a visually intense ruby color, brilliant aromatics, and stunning concentration. A blend of 40% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 27% Malbec, the 2011 Antucura Calcura is an outstanding meritage-style...