Featured Wines - Sept 2017

We have tasted many California Brut Blanc de Blancs traditional method sparkling wines, but none offers more pleasure and value than the Signal Ridge Brut – a wine that is crafted primarily from choice Chardonnay grapes (a small amount of Pinot Noir is added for additional complexity). Soft and succulent, yet fresh and vivacious, the Signal Ridge Méthode Traditionnelle Brut offers a very satisfying bubbly that delights the senses. For starters...

To reach the Xiloca estate one must first climb a steep, narrow road into the rugged heart of Aragon. There is no sign to show the way. Instead, a massive orchard of century-old cherry trees with ancient Garnacha vines interspersed among the trees greet visitors brave enough to make the venture, and only this stand of cherry trees confirms to the rare visitor that he has indeed arrived at Xiloca. Whether it is the proximity of the cherry...

“Classic Cabernet Sauvignon” and “a stunning value” are just a couple of the terms used by critics to describe the 2014 Edgebaston Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon. Edgebaston, renowned for its luxurious long-lived GS Cabernet Sauvignon, has turned out a remarkably similar wine in the estate’s 2014 Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon, with one exception: the 2014 Stellenbosch offering is approachable now and downright supple in comparison. Deep in...

The 2014 Mr. Riggs Generation Series Montepulciano d’Adelaide Hills makes its North American debut with The International Wine of the Month Club. In short, this is an International Wine of the Month Club exclusive: we took the entire lot of this limited production. This rare beauty opens with an eye-popping violet hue and an intense aroma of red fruits, eucalyptus and mint. Smooth, rich and utterly entrancing in the mouth, Mr. Riggs’...

Casas del Bosque’s impeccably-made 2015 Pequeñas Producciones Sauvignon Blanc continues to impress critics and consumers alike, as its many 90+ point scores will attest, including 92 points from both Vinous and James Suckling as well as lofty praise from Decanter and others. France once dominated the production of world-class Sauvignon Blanc, but no more. World-class Sauvignon Blancs now flow from California, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa...

Casas del Bosque’s 2014 Casablanca Pequeñas Producciones continues to dazzle critics and consumers and put to rest any notion that Chile’s Casablanca Valley is not one of the finest areas on earth for the cultivation of Syrah. Receiving numerous 90+ point ratings, including 96 points from Decanter Magazine and that magazine’s World Wine Awards Platinum Medal: Best Chilean Red Rhône Varietals as well as 93 points from Vinous and James Suckling...

Once again, Mayu has fashioned a beautiful, crisp white wine in its 2016 Mayu Valle de Elqui Huanta Vineyard Pedro Ximénez. Grown in one of the highest vineyards on earth at an altitude of 6,320 feet, the 2016 Mayu Valle de Elqui Huanta Vineyard Pedro Ximénez offers an appealing array of floral and fruit aromas, flavors vibrant with fresh acidity, zesty minerality, and a long appealing finish. In the mouth, lively citrus and orchard fruit...