Reference

Country: US / Variety: Gewürztraminer California Winery: Navarro / Anderson Valley Navarro continues at the head of the Gewurz pack, while keeping their prices modest. There’s no mistaking the varietal character of this wine, with its brilliant array of dusty Asian spices, pineapple brûlée, peach, wildflower and litchi, folded into a creamy texture that’s bone […]

Country: US / Variety: Syrah California Winery: Mark Moretti / Santa Barbara County Earns high praise for its deep, complex flavors that suggest fully ripened grapes, well-treated by the winemaker. Waves of blackberries, cherries, herbs, violets, pepper and spices flood the palate, leading to a long, rich, tannic finish. Best opened soon for its freshness.

Country: US / Estate Variety: Pinot Noir Oregon Winery: Winderlea / Dundee Hills Formerly the Goldschmidt vineyard, Winderlea is under new ownership, and has been replanted. This is a light vintage, but beautifully rendered here, with sweet cherry fruit, bracing acidity and a lively mouthfeel that invites further sipping. The underlying minerality carries a hint […]

Country: Portugal / Três Bagos Variety: Portuguese Red Douro Winery: Lavradores de Feitoria / A deliciously rich and spicy wine, very much in the style of the new Douro wines, softly perfumed, with black plums, sweet and dusty tannins, only a hint of dryness. The wine is balanced, with great fruit and acidity to go […]

Country: US / Cask 23 Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon California Winery: Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars / Stags Leap District A very good but not great Cask 23, showing plenty of decadence and flair but not perhaps that extra edge of complexity. It’s forward now in sweet new oak and flashy, jammy blackberries, cherries and raspberries. The […]

Country: US / Gunsalus Vineyard Variety: Pinot Noir California Winery: Savannah-Chanelle / Russian River Valley A well-made and complex Pinot Noir with sumptuous fruit and oak flavors, although the acidity and tannins are tough and warrant time in the cellar to calm down. It’s bone dry, with rich cherries with the chewy skins, black raspberries, […]

Country: US / Jennifer’s Variety: Pinot Noir California Winery: Hartford / Russian River Valley One of the ripest of Hartford’s new Pinots, this is a full-bodied and very rich wine. It offers extreme flavor in place of subtlety, offering a massive palate wash of blackberries and cherries that veers into Lifesaver candy. The bet is […]

Country: Portugal / Preta Variety: Portuguese Red Alentejano Winery: Fitapreta Vinhos / Any doubts that Portugal’s Alentejo region can rival many big New World wines would be dispelled by this extravagant wine. With its intense fruit, sweet tannins, figs, coffee and spice flavors, it packs a serious punch of flavor. For drinking now.

Country: US / Estate Variety: Pinot Noir Oregon Winery: De Ponte Cellars / Dundee Hills In 2007 the winery’s Estate bottling seems to capture a bit more nuance and detail than the reserve, though admittedly it does not have quite the same concentration. For those who prize finesse, this is the wine of the vintage. […]

Country: Portugal / Churchill Estates Grande Reserva Variety: Portuguese Red Douro Winery: Churchill’s / Without doubt a wine that needs aging. The tannins from both wood and fruit are dense, concentrated, layering over the delicious fruit. When it is balanced out—give it a year—then this is going to be a powerful, but impressively elegant wine, […]

Country: France / Clos du Marquis Variety: Bordeaux-style Red Blend Bordeaux Winery: Château Léoville Las Cases / Saint-Julien Definite tannins here, a wine that shows ripe fruits, richness and a solid core. It is not huge, but does have structure, bitter chocolate, sweetness. It’s worth aging this wine 3–4 years.

Country: France / Variety: Bordeaux-style Red Blend Bordeaux Winery: Château Gruaud Larose / Saint-Julien With a high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a structured wine, the freshness coming from intense blackberries. Spice and bitter coffee flavors mingle with the tannins, promising some good aging for the vintage.