Featured Wines - October 2018

A traditional blend of mostly Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from the magnificent 2016 vintage, the 2016 Château Tour de Gilet truly shines. Bolder and richer in flavor than one might expect from a Petit Château, the 2016 Château Tour de Gilet offers up an inviting bouquet of blackcurrant, cranberry and forest floor. In the mouth a delightful mélange of berry flavors (blackberry and currant), dark cherry and damsel plum make a delightful...

Since its inception, Cambridge Cellars has consistently over-delivered on quality, and this month’s feature is no exception. The 2014 Cambridge Cellars CCR Carneros Chardonnay offers a tantalizing bouquet of spring flowers and buttered brioche along with just the right touches of vanilla and caramelized oak. The wine’s aromatics flow through on the palate, too, offering a complex mélange of fruit, lemon curd, freshly baked croissants and toasted...

A blend of Garnacha (50%), Tempranillo (25%) and Cariñena (25%), the perfectly mature 2008 Monasterio de las Viñas Reserva offers layers of smooth, mouthwatering flavors. Lightly scented with the aromas of blackberry, plum, violet, finely tanned leather and unsmoked tobacco, this wine draws you in almost surreptitiously. In the mouth, the wine is smooth and expansive, offering well-integrated fruit, leather, cedar, and cigar box flavors born...

Although Estampa is best known for its Fina Reserva red wines, Estampa’s 2017 Fina Reserva Sauvignon Blanc is every bit as compelling as the estate’s Fina Reserva red wines. The 2017 Estampa Fina Reserva Sauvignon Blanc is an artful blend of predominantly Sauvignon Blanc with small amounts of Chardonnay and Viognier. The addition of Chardonnay adds texture and mouthfeel, while Viognier augments the wine’s already attractive aroma: citrus scents...

It’s not every day that a New World Chardonnay tastes like Puligny-Montrachet or is even on par qualitatively with Puligny-Montrachet, one of France’s greatest white wines from Burgundy – Chardonnay’s ancestral home. Yet the 2015 Josef Chromy Tasmania Chardonnay does taste like Premier Cru white Burgundy and, yes, it does taste a lot like Puligny-Montrachet, and it is indeed from Tasmania, presently the source of many of the greatest Chardonnay...

The 2015 Château Paveil de Luze Margaux reflects the renovation and attention afforded this historic property by renowned wine consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt and the late Fréderic de Luze: the 2015 Château Paveil de Luze is not only a sleeper of the great 2015 Bordeaux vintage, it is potentially the finest wine produced at this property in more than a half a century. The 2015 Château Paveil de Luze is a deeply colored wine with impressive...