Featured Wines - May 2018

The 2014 vintage in Napa Valley yielded a bevy of bold, flavorful Merlots and Cabernets, including the mouthwatering 2014 Fore Family Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot from the Meister Vineyard. With this Merlot, put aside any preconceived notions about Merlot being a light, less than stalwart companion to Cabernet. In Fore Family’s 2014 Meister Vineyard Merlot, a deep, nearly impenetrable color underscores this Merlot’s hearty structure and...

Simone Santini always fashions pure, exemplary Vernaccia di San Gimignano, so expectations ran high upon the release of the 2016 Tenuta Le Calcinaie Vernaccia di San Gimignano. With that said, it appears that Santini’s 2016 vintage is not only truly exceptional, it is the finest Le Calcinaie he has produced to date – no mean feat considering the previous vintage, the delicious 2015 Le Calcinaie Vernaccia di San Gimignano, made Wine Spectator’s Top 100...

Ernesto Catena’s biodynamic 2014 Tikal Natural from organic grapes is a masterful blend of Malbec (60%) and Syrah (40%). Tikal’s 2014 Natural from a vineyard in Mendoza’s renowned Vista Flores region adds further evidence to Argentina’s ability to craft world-class red wines that do not require bank loans to enjoy. A more natural, plush, and thoroughly satisfying red wine will be hard to find as the 2014 Tikal Natural captures the essence of biodynamic...

The 2016 Château Ducasse Graves Blanc underscores the success of white Graves in the superb 2016 vintage throughout Bordeaux. This youthful white Graves displays a brilliant crystalline color with a flash of green along with a delightful array of floral and fruit aromas to entice the nose. Dry, yet rich in flavor and texture thanks to the preponderance of Semillon in the blend, the 2016 Château Ducasse Graves Blanc underscores the charm of traditional...

Thanks to ideal weather in 2015 and Amancio Fernández’s deft hand, the 2015 Losada Altos de Losada Bierzo Mencia ranks as another great success from this superb property. The 2015 Altos de Losada offers a deep purple robe and an alluring set of aromatics. Savory notes of blueberry, black cherry, purple plum, and Asian spices caress the nose and grace the palate. Bold but balanced, Amancio Fernández’s 2015 Mencia offers lush flavors, profound...

Awarded a trifecta of 90 point ratings from Wine Enthusiast, Vinous, and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, among several others, the 2015 Morgan Highland Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay is a focused, elegant wine that combines the finest attributes of New and Old World winemaking, or as one panel member quipped, “Morgan has put the best of Burgundy and California all in the same glass.” The 2015 Highland Chardonnay includes 67% fruit from...

Priorat enjoys a reputation for turning out bold reds, and once again the serious, warm-hearted Albert Pasanau has fashioned an exceptional and complex Priorat in his 2012 Finca La Planeta, a wine which impressed our tasting panel greatly, as well as Wine Enthusiast which awarded it 94 points. Exhibiting a deep, nearly impenetrable, color from predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2012 Pasanau Finca La Planeta appears at first glance to be more like...