Tasting note: This Riesling is sourced from the 9-acre Triangle vineyard located north of the winery, next to the creek at the back of the property. The grapes are hand picked and sorted, and when all is said and done they use only about 2 acres worth of the best fruit for this bottling. The limestone soil gives this wine great minerality both on the nose and taste, and shows great complexity with nuances of peach, pineapple, hint of tangerine and other tropical aromas, that seem to constantly change the longer it remains opened … Balanced through and through: good acidity, great flavours, and just the right amount of sweetness. This just might be Ontario’s best Riesling and once you’ve tasted it you’ll know why it won’t be around long, either on the shelf or in your glass … thank God for the long finish. (Michael Pinkus, www.ontariowinereview.com, April 14, 2006)
Canada Red
Wines - May 2007
British Columbia
BURROWING OWL MERITAGE 2004
VQA Okanagan Valley
695148 (XD) 750 mL $ 65
Tasting note: Smoke-tinged aromas lead into dense chocolate, vanilla bean and blackberry flavors. The mouthfeel bellows complexity, texture, and structure, and the finish is elegant. An enlivening partner for lamb stew (65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and, for the first time in Burrowing Owl's Meritage, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec). Highly Recommended. (Northwest Palate, Jan./Feb. 2007)
USA Red
Wines - May 2007
California
ARCADIAN SLEEPY HOLLOW PINOT NOIR 2003
Monterey
36657 (D) 750 mL $ 64
Tasting note: Medium red. Musky aromas of strawberry, smoke, nutmeg and herbs, plus a whiff of game. Spicy red berry flavors offer good fat and sweetness as well as density, cut and lift. Finishes firmly tannic, juicy and persistent. Score - 90. (Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, Sept./Oct. 2006)
BACIO DIVINO 2003
Napa
979047 (D) 750 mL $ 89
Tasting note: This innovative effort from Claus Janzen is made with the assistance of Nils Venge’s winemaker son, Kirk Venge. Concentrated, serious, and complex is the 2003 Proprietary Red, a combination of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Sangiovese, Petite Sirah, and Syrah. In contrast to the leaner, more austere and streamlined 2002, the 2003 is an exuberant, flamboyant, dense ruby/purple-colored effort offering a rich, sumptuous nose of black raspberries, spice box, cedar, subtle Provencal herbs, and earth. Full-bodied, expansive, and beautifully textured, this is a savory, sumptuous wine to drink over the next 5-8 years. Score - 93.(Robert Parker Jr., www.erobertparker.com, Dec. 2005)
CAIN FIVE 2002
Napa Valley
727925 (XD) 750 mL $ 99
Rated one of the most popular Bordeaux blends in Wine & Spirits' 17th Annual Restaurant Poll. (April 2006). Cain Five 2002 is a blend of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 19% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot and 5% Malbec. Based on quality of fruit, the blend changes each vintage.
DUCKHORN CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2003
Napa Valley
24190 (D) 750 mL $ 79
In its review of 2003 Californian Cabernets, Decanter magazine highly recommended this wine and awarded it **** (out of five). (January 2007)
Tasting note: Bright ruby-red. Very ripe aromas of dark cherry and nutty oak. Silky but firm, with bright flavors of currant and dark cherry nicely framed by harmonious acidity. Finishes with firm tannins and good length. Score - 89. (Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, May/June 2006)
DUCKHORN HOWELL MOUNTAIN MERLOT 2002
Napa Valley
733329 (D) 750 mL $ 98
Tasting note: There are tannins here, but they’re so soft, polished and sweet that they help the wine glide down, adding a textural dimension to the cherry, blackberry essence, cola, coffee and oaky vanilla flavors. It’s an expensive wine, but a really fancy one. Score - 92. (Steve Heimoff, Wine Enthusiast, Dec. 2006)
DUCKHORN THREE PALMS MERLOT 2003
Napa Valley
34785 (D) 750 mL $ 109
Tasting note: Bright, saturated ruby-red. Blackberry, violet and mint on the nose, along with some bourbony oak. Suave and juicy on the palate, with excellent intensity and life to the blackberry and spicy oak flavors. Nicely concentrated wine, finishing with sweet, spicy blackberry and raspberry fruit, ripe tannins and lovely persistence. Score - 90. (Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, Jan./Feb. 2007)
FROG'S LEAP RUTHERFORD RED 2003
Napa Valley
596064 (D) 750 mL $ 109
This wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Frog's Leap's Rutherford Bench vineyard.
Tasting note: Cherry cola nose. Intense bright cherry fruit and vanilla spice. Elegant and restrained style. Drink 2009-12. Score - **** (out of 5). (www.decanter.com, 2005)
GRGICH HILLS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2000
Napa Valley
45534 (XD) 750 mL $ 119
Tasting note: 8% Merlot; 2% Cabernet Franc. If long on the sweeter, vanillin, almost root-beer-like elements of very creamy oak, this graceful, medium-dense Cabernet comes with plenty of engaging, easy-to-taste fruit working in its favor and is focused on currants and ripe black cherries throughout. Slightly rounded on the palate and a bit narrow in back, it is a deep, accessible and eminently tasty wine that is thoroughly enjoyable now yet still has a plenty of room for mid-term improvement. Score - 90. (Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine, Aug. 2004)
GRGICH HILLS ESTATE GROWN ZINFANDEL 2004
Napa Valley
903237 (D) 750 mL $ 53
In the Wine News feature story "California's Best of 2006", critic Steve Pitcher ranked this Zin among the "Top Ten Zinfandels of the Year". (Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007)
Tasting note: A claret-style Zin with a Napa Valley estate pedigree, this well-behaved yet exceedingly generous wine offers enticing aromas of wild strawberry and raspberry fruit, some mushroomy decadence and a hint of leather. Co-fermented with 12% petite sirah, the wine's flavors echo the nose and are generous, deep and spicy with medium tannins and fine acid balance. (Steve Pitcher, Wine News, Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007)
JOSEPH PHELPS INSIGNIA 2003
Napa Valley
710400 (D) 750 mL $ 225
Tasting note: The 2003 Insignia performed much better this year than last, when I tasted it right after bottling. A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and the rest Malbec and Merlot, it offers up attractive aromas of licorice, black currants, espresso roast, and background toasty oak. Full-bodied, opulent, and rich with outstanding depth, purity, and harmony, sweet tannin, and a long finish, it is approachable now, but will easily last for 20 years. Score - 94.(Robert Parker Jr., www.erobertparker.com, Dec. 2006)
JOSEPH PHELPS LE MISTRAL 2004
Napa Valley, North Coast
24224 (D) 750 mL $ 58
Tasting note: Monterey County now provides all the fruit for Phelps’ blended Rhone Ranger cuvee, the 2004 Le Mistral (70% Syrah, 20% Grenache, and small amounts of Alicante Bouche and Petite Sirah). Juicy, savory, and ripe, with peppery black raspberry and currant aromas, sweet flavors, a hint of tar, no evidence of oak, and a long, heady finish, it will provide pleasure over the next 5-6 years. Score - 90.(Robert Parker Jr., www.erobertparker.com, Dec. 2005)
L'AVENTURE SYRAH 2003
Paso Robles
30973 (D) 750 mL $ 56
Tasting note: The 2003 Syrah exhibits more jammy pain grille characteristics than the 2004, interwoven with less nuanced blackberry and cassis fruit, a flavorful opulence, considerable intensity, and abundant spice. It is more forward than its siblings, and should drink well over the next 7-10 years. This is a brilliant wine from a Frenchman who has captured the magic of Paso Robles. Drink 2006-2016. Score - 91.(Robert Parker Jr., www.erobertparker.com, Aug. 2006)
ROBERT MONDAVI CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVE 2001
Napa Valley
670463 (D) 750 mL $ 169
Tasting note: The finest Private Reserve since the 1991, 1990, and 1987, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve is extraordinary. There are 8,000 cases of this blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and small dollops of Merlot as well as Petit Verdot. A perfume of smoke, camphor, creme de cassis, cedar, and fruitcake is accompanied by a gentle giant of a wine. Powerful and impeccably balanced, with outstanding concentration, well-integrated wood, acidity, and tannin, and a long, nearly 60-second finish, this saturated ruby/purple-hued effort is a prodigious example of Cabernet Sauvignon. Anticipated maturity: now-2020+. Score - 94.(Robert Parker Jr., www.erobertparker.com, Feb. 2005)
RUBICON ESTATE CASK CABERNET 2003
Rutherford
29553 (D) 750 mL $ 103
Tasting note: I always think of Francis Coppola’s Cask Cabernet as his hommage to the old Inglenook. It’s 100% varietal, grown at the Rutherford estate, and a spectacular wine. Enormously oaky now, with an explosion of char and vanilla, it shows an underworld of black currants, and is huge in sweet, youthful tannins. Yet those tannins are so polished, so refined. This is a glamorous wine, tremendous now, and will hold and develop through 2020. Score - 95.(Steve Heimoff, Wine Enthusiast, Dec. 15, 2006)
SEBASTIANI SECOLO 2004
Sonoma County
35402 (XD) 750 mL $ 38
Tasting note: 68% Cabernet Sauvignon; 16% Petit Verdot; 8% Malbec; 7% Merlot; 1% Petite Sirah. Sebastiani's Secolo bottlings have lately been among our top picks when it comes to out and out value, and this latest lovely again stands with the best Cabernet buys to be had. Its deep aromas of currants, berries and cherries are sweetened with carefully placed oak, and its generously filled, ripe-fruit flavors show both layering and a good sense of polish. Its fine-grained tannins firm without toughening, and, while it is bound to tempt early drinking, it is sure to develop beautifully over the next five or six years. Good Value. Score - 92. (Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine, April 2007)
TWOMEY MERLOT 2003
Napa Valley
35261 (D) 750 mL $ 89
Tasting note: Red-ruby. Dark plum, redcurrant, flowers and spices on the nose. Rich, plump and ripe but dry and serious, with complex flavors of plum, redcurrant, tobacco, leather and mocha. Finishes with lush, ripe tannins and a rather sophisticated texture. Lacks only the length for an outstanding rating. Score - 89 . (Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, Jan./Feb. 2007)
USA White
Wines - May 2007
California
GRGICH HILLS CHARDONNAY 2003
Napa Valley
346304 (D) 750 mL $ 75
Tasting note: Luscious and full bodied, this is an intensely flavored Chardonnay (vanilla, apple, grapefruit, lemon peel), with a long finish. Score - **** 1/2 (out of 5). (Restaurant Wine, Sept./Oct. 2005)
GRGICH HILLS CHARDONNAY 2001
Napa Valley
43919 (D) 750 mL $ 78
Tasting note: Brilliant straw-yellow hue. Pear, pineapple, oak and magnolia aromas. Medium-full, with beautiful texture, this has a lengthy and generous finish with perfectly ripe fruit, subdued oak and precise acidity. Well-structured and finesseful. Exceptional. Score - 90.(Judging Panel, The Beverage Tasting Institute, www.tastings.com, Sept. 1, 2003)
USA Red
Wines - May 2007
Oregon
ADELSHEIM ELIZABETH'S RESERVE PINOT NOIR 2005
Yamhill County
959312 (XD) 750 mL $ 49
Elizabeth's Reserve is named after the Adelsheim's daughter and the drawing on the label is by her mother, Ginny. Fruit is sourced from eight different vineyards for this blend, with 90% coming from vineyards on the Chehalem Mountains. Look for a spicy nose and creamy cherry on the palate. This wine will age well for up to seven years and will match well with lamb, duck or plank grilled salmon.
AMITY VINEYARDS SCHOUTEN PINOT NOIR 2003
Single Vineyard, Willamette Valley
983601 (XD) 750 mL $ 55
Tasting note: Light, bright red. Deep and ripe, the nose suggestive of blackberry preserves. Lush and supple, with sweet strawberry and raspberry flavors that are spicy and nicely focused. Finishes with building sweetness and a note of smoked meat. This is drinking well right now. Score - 88. (Josh Reynolds, International Wine Cellar, May/June 2006)
Amity releases its Winemaker's Reserve at the point when it is just starting to hit its stride. In October 2006, The Seattle Times recommended this wine, commenting on its "Burgundian nuances". This wine will mature gracefully for another 3-5 years, but why wait when you can enjoy it tonight with grilled lamb, mushrooms, duck or salmon.
USA Red
Wines - May 2007
Washington State
PEPPER BRIDGE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2001
Walla Walla Valley
27698 (XD) 750 mL $ 78
Tasting note: Good deep medium ruby. Aromas of roasted black cherry, coffee, licorice, fresh herbs and nuts. Sweet, lush and fat in the middle, then a bit minty on the back end, showing firmer acidity than the merlot. But the tannins are nicely ripe. Score - 87. (Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, Nov./Dec. 2004)
PEPPER BRIDGE MERLOT 2003
Walla Walla Valley
27672 (XD) 750 mL $ 68
Tasting note: Produced from equal proportions Pepper Bridge Vineyard and Seven Hills Vineyard fruit, the 2003 Merlot contains 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Malbec. Its aromatic profile reveals spicy black fruits and smoky oak. Medium to full-bodied and velvety-textured, it displays a broad, lush personality awash in candied blackberries. Seamless and suave, this is a full-throttle Merlot that is packed with flavor as well as ripe tannin. Drink it over the next 8-9 years. Score - 90.(Pierre Rovani, www.erobertparker.com, April 2006)
