Featured Wines - March 2019

It is easy to like the 2013 Laderas de Cabama Rioja, an elegant, fragrant Rioja that brings out the feminine side of Tempranillo at the same time it offers balance and bold flavors. Luis Valentin’s magic touch with Tempranillo shines through in the 2013 Laderas de Cabama, which earned 92 points from James Suckling and impressed our tasting panel greatly. Produced from 100% Tempranillo, this wine delights the nose with savory scents of woodland...

A traditional blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, the 2017 Château La Gabarre Bordeaux Blanc comes across as the quintessential white Bordeaux. Given the Gabards’ expertise with Bordeaux varietals and a late spring frost in 2017 that reduced yields, the 2017 vintage yielded exceptional white Bordeaux and the finest Château La Gabarre Bordeaux Blanc to date. The wine’s bright glint in the glass makes a fine first impression, which is quickly...

Nugan’s 2015 Single Vineyard Scruffy’s Shiraz is anything but scruffy or even hard around the edges. Named for Nugan’s Shiraz Vineyard Manager, the 2015 Scruffy’s Shiraz shines from the moment it is poured. This a deep purple potion that offers spicy blackberry, cherry, and currant aromas infused with hints of violet flowers and Asian spices to woo the taster. The wine’s beautiful olfactory carries through on the palate, where it offers a...

Always consistent, the sunny, straw-colored 2016 Domaine Talmard Mâcon-Chardonnay exhibits all the classic, time-honored goodness of Mâconnais Chardonnay. From its ebullient straw colored robe emanate orchard scents of ripening apple and pear, coupled with soft floral tones reminiscent of acacia and mimosa. Interlaced among the wine’s floral aromas is beguiling limestone minerality, the very calling card of the finest Mâconnais Chardonnays...

Mauritson has garnered a cult following for its Zinfandels, and for good reason. They are simply delicious. In the case of the 2015 Mauritson Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, which has garnered 93 points from Wine Spectator, it is not only delicious and easy to drink; it offers a degree of complexity and sophistication rarely seen in Zinfandel. A superb blend of 95% Zinfandel and 5% Petite Sirah, Mauritson’s 2015 Dry Creek Zinfandel positively sings...

Domaine du Grand Tinel’s classic full-bodied 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc offers ideal drinking now and for the next several years. Grand Tinel has been on a roll in recent vintages with its Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, and their 2017 vintage is perhaps the finest to date. From this light straw-colored wine, which holds more than a glimmer of the shimmering Provençal sun, emerges the seductive scents of tropical fruits: pineapple, guava...

Born in a perfect vintage in America’s premier appellation for Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2016 Consortium Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is already an absolute delight to drink. Bold but not brazen, this superbly crafted Cabernet exudes exceptional flavor, charm and precision. From the moment it reaches the glass, the 2016 Consortium begins to work its magic by offering beguiling scents of blackberry, Morello cherry, plum, and hints of bay leaf...