Featured Wines - November 2018

Although Cinsault figures prominently in many Châteauneuf-du-Papes and other exceptional reds from southern France, it is rarely bottled on its own, except on occasion as fine rosé. However, the 2016 Terres Falmet Cinsault dispels any notion that Saint-Chinian’s old Cinsault vines yield anything but world class red wine. In his 2016 Cinsault, Yves Falmet has created a concentrated silky smooth red of uncompromising quality. A beautiful...

We have tasted many California traditional method sparkling wines, but to date none offers more pleasure and value than the Signal Ridge Vineyard SR Brut – a wine that is crafted from the finest Chardonnay (71%) and Pinot Noir (29%) grapes from California’s prized Anderson Valley. The beauty of the SR Brut begins with eye appeal, as this Méthode Traditionnelle sports a pale yellow color and a delightful stream of bubbles that crown the glass...

The 2015 Cambridge Cellars Meritage combines five of Bordeaux’s premium red varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (43%), Cabernet Franc (5%), Malbec (1%), and Petit Verdot (1%) into a delicious, seamless red that offers the rich, mouth-filling ripeness of Napa Valley fruit along with the finesse of a fine Bordeaux. Born in Napa Valley during the nearly perfect 2015 vintage, the 2015 Cambridge Cellar Meritage puts many exorbitantly priced Bordeaux...

Henri Poiron consistently fashions classic Muscadet and his 2017 Domaine des Quatre Routes Sèvre-et-Maine is no exception. Always bottled Sur Lie, it reveals clean, dry, refreshing flavors to complement its brilliant pale yellow robe. The crisp scents of stone fruits, minerals, and a faint hint of refreshing sea spray emanate from the energetic Muscadet to enliven the nose and refresh the palate. Henri Poiron’s 2017 Domaine des Quatre Routes...

Having earned 91 points from Wine Advocate, the juicy, seamless 2016 Walt La Brisa Pinot Noir testifies to the fabulous vineyards from which La Brisa springs and the acumen of Walt’s winemakers, Steve Leveque and Megan Gunderson Paredes. La Brisa, Spanish for “The Breeze,” pays homage to the brisk Pacific breezes that cool the Sonoma Coast and impart freshness and vigor to Walt’s La Brisa Pinot Noir, a wine that delivers a delicious blend of cherry, plum and wild berry scents and flavors subtlely infused with hints of exotic spices, lavender and minerals. Harmonious, vibrant and thoroughly satisfying, it is hard to imagine a more gratifying young Pinot Noir than...

To drink a glass of Michel Gonet’s 2010 Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut is a real treat; to drink a glass of this exquisite vintage Blanc de Blancs over a delicious lunch with Sophie and Charles Gonet at 37 Avenue de Champagne is a veritable honor. Lest you think the company and setting jaded our tasting panel, I can assure you that 19 additional stalwart Champagne lovers couldn’t be wrong, nor can the critics and legions of accolades afforded to Michel Gonet’s outstanding Blanc de Blancs. The 2010 Michel Gonet Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut delivers a seductive bouquet of orchard fruits, freshly baked brioche, and green apple along with an eye-catching stream...

Marlène and Nicolas Chevalier have fashioned an exceptional Crozes-Hermitage in their 2016 Chevalier Crozes-Hermitage Marius, a wine that has become one of the appellation’s stars (earning 90 points from Wine Spectator) as well as a benchmark for other Crozes-Hermitage producers, even though only 400 cases of this full-bodied, flavorful Syrah were made. The 2016 Marius offers a savory bouquet and a wealth of blackberry and currant flavors, which are nicely infused with spice, tobacco and just enough toasted oak to frame the wine’s potpourri of flavors. Thanks to an ideal September and October in the Northern Rhône in 2016, the grapes enjoyed longer than usual...