Featured Wines - December 2016

Casa Silva consistently works magic with the mercurial Carmenère variety. How Mario Geise manages to turn out balanced, robust Carmenère every year remains a mystery, but one doesn’t argue with the result. The 2014 Casa Silva Cuvée Colchagua Carmenère continues the winery’s great success with full-flavored Carmenère, earning 90 Points from Wine Spectator and elsewhere. A blend from estate vineyards, including those from the Angostura estate...

Vermentino is hardly the wine on the tip of most Americans’ tongues, though it deserves to be, nor does Vermentino routinely garner the attention it deserves from critics and writers; but, thanks to Antonio Galloni and Vinous, Mura’s Cheremi Vermentino di Gallura is receiving some of the recognition it deserves. The 2014 Mura Cheremi Vermentino di Gallura received 90 Points from Vinous, and it impresses with its rich straw color, amplifying...

“Pure pleasure,” remarked one seasoned tasting panel member. “Classic, beautifully wrought Côtes-du-Rhône,” chimed several others, while “sexy and elegant” were the words the panel used to sum up their take on this wine and convey their appreciation for the 2015 Domaine de Servans Côtes du Rhône. All the grapes for this wine were organically grown in sand and clay soils in two different parcels from around the domain and from a nearby vineyard...

Although best known for outstanding red wines, Dei’s highly allocated, tiny production of Martiena is equally impressive. The 2015 Dei Martiena captures the glow and positive energy that radiates from Caterina Dei and her beloved estate. We first tasted Martiena at the winery some years ago and thought it one of Montepulciano’s best kept secrets. While there is no shortage of wonderful Tuscan reds, fine Tuscan white wines such as Martiena...

Although not quite as structured or as tannic as its 2008 predecessor, the 2009 Valenciso Reserva more than compensates for its slighter build with explosive aromatics, lush fruit, and a hedonistic bent that thoroughly captivates from the moment it is poured. And as we have found with each and every vintage from this superbly-run estate, the 2009 Valenciso Reserva embodies much of the confidence, personality, and charm of winemaker Luis...

Miner’s Napa Valley Chardonnay is the wine that first put Miner on the map, and the 2014 vintage continues Miner’s tremendous success with Napa Valley Chardonnay. By fashioning another bold, full-bodied Chardonnay, Miner’s 2014 Napa Valley earned Gold in the 2016 New York Wine Competition. As always, Miner’s 2014 Napa Valley Chardonnay is sourced from select low-yielding vineyards in Napa Valley and offers everything one could ask for in a...

A deep purple potion made in the style of Italy’s legendary Amarone, the 2014 Nugan Estate Alfredo Dried Grape Shiraz not only sports the deep, nearly impenetrable robe and power of traditional Amarone, it trumps many of Italy’s more renowned Amarone in both aroma and depth of flavor. With only a few minutes of aeration, Nugan’s Dried Grape Shiraz offers up an electrifying perfume of blackcurrant, dried cherry, rose petal, and forest woodlands.