Featured Wines - December 2019

The 2016 Montaña Rioja Crianza, which has garnered 91 points from Wine Enthusiast, emanates from an outstanding vintage and the estate’s old vines, many of which date to the immediate post-phylloxera period. A blend of 97% Tempranillo and 3% Graciano, Montaña’s 2016 Rioja Crianza tastes more like a young Rioja Reserva than a Crianza because of its 12 month hiatus in seasoned French oak barrels (the minimum time in barrel for Rioja to qualify...

Mont-Marçal fashions exceptional vintage Cava that ranks among the best and most consistently satisfying sparkling wines in the world, and the 2017 Mont-Marçal Brut Reserva, the most recent release from this family owned property, already sings beautifully from the glass. Unlike most sparkling wine producers (which includes the finest purveyors of Champagne as well as Cava), Mont-Marçal vintage dates all of its Brut Reserva so that the consumer...

From the moment it is poured, the 2014 Foppiano Russian River Valley Estate Petite Sirah brings its welcome with it. Sporting the varietal’s deep opaque color and a delightful aroma of black fruits and spices which immediately wafts from the glass, it will be difficult not to become enchanted by this wine. In the mouth, rich dark fruit flavors infused with cacao, cinnamon and sage coat the palate, offering layers of flavor and an intensity...

Although best known for outstanding red wines, Dei’s highly allocated, tiny production of Martiena Toscana Bianco is equally impressive. In fact, it is one of the finest white wines of Tuscany. We first tasted Martiena at the winery many 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 are harder to come by. With some cajoling, we...

The 2015 Château Saint Georges St.-Georges-St.-Émilion reflects the preeminence of the outstanding 2015 vintage in St. Émilion and throughout Bordeaux’s Right Bank. Deep, rich and powerful, the 2015 Château Saint Georges will undoubtedly be one of this eminent château’s long-lived classics, but one need not wait a decade to enjoy this superb offering. Well-balanced with silky tannins and plenty of stuffing in the form of red and black fruits...

For decades Bethel Heights has produced many of Willamette Valley’s finest estate grown Chardonnays and the 2015 Bethel Heights Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay, which has garnered 93 points from Wine Enthusiast, appears to be the estate’s finest Chardonnay to date. This Willamette Valley beauty from the pristine Eola-Amity hills that surround the estate offers a pure, seamless, and downright enticing glass of Chardonnay. The 2015 Bethel Heights Eola...

The 2015 vintage has proven to be a banner vintage for Dei and the estate’s highly touted Vino Nobile. Unequivocally, Dei’s 2015 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano looks to be their finest to date. The 2015 Dei Vino Nobile sparkles with a brilliant ruby color, while its aroma offers beguiling scents of ripe cherries, blackberries, and plums – all infused with welcome hints of woodland violets and forest floor.