TASTING NOTE: Despite its live-wire acidity, there's enough flesh here to counterbalance it. This creates a fine backdrop for the honey, nectarine and pineapple notes. Elegant and long, with a lemon candy aftertaste. Drink now through 2020.
Score - 93.
(Bruce Sanderson,
www.winespectator.com,
June 15, 2004)
Italy - Sicily
Red
Table Wine
Schietto Syrah 2002 IGT Sicilia
(Dei Principi Di Spadafora) 685172
(XD) 750 mL $39
TASTING NOTE: Another blockbuster Sicilian Syrah from Spadafora that appears splendidly concentrated and inky with deep and penetrating toasted notes and aromas of prune, leather, pipe tobacco and granite. The wine sees 12 months of barrique aging, which gives it a silky, tight texture.
Score - 92.
(Monica Larner,
Wine Enthusiast,
July 1, 2006)
Italy - Tuscany
Red
Table Wine
LE CHIUSE BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2001 DOCG 15123
(XD) 750 mL $54
TASTING NOTE: A well-received Brunello with characteristic notes of earth, blackberry, cherry, dried spice, cola and cedar wood. We appreciated the balance, length and dusty tannic finish. Try with stewed game meat.
Score - 90.
(Wine Enthusiast,
April 1, 2006)
PALAZZO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2001 DOCG 660746
(XD) 750 mL $69
TASTING NOTE: A deep mineral vein adds gorgeous depth and complexity: polished stone, schoolroom chalkboard and campfire coals. Bursting berry fruit and boysenberry with lemon grass highlights. Flavors are ripe and round without sacrificing complexity and the wine will stretch its legs with a few more years in the cellar.
Score - 92.
(Wine Enthusiast,
April 1, 2006)
POGGIO ANTICO ALTERO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO MG 2001 DOCG 25551
(XD) 1500 mL $162
TASTING NOTE: The 2001 Brunello di Montalcino Altero is the estate’s more modern Brunello. A saturated ruby, it offers an expressive, perfumed nose along with nuances of scorched earth, toasted oak, licorice and sweet dark fruit in a richly concentrated, expansive style. This deeply-flavored Brunello will require a few years to integrate and should drink well for at least another decade. Extended aeration is not suggested with this wine, however. Tasted alongside the regular bottling a day after opening, the Altero was less impressive than it was the day before, while the regular bottling was still developing positively. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2019.
Score - 91.
(Antonio Galloni,
www.erobertparker.com,
Dec. 2006)
TASTING NOTE: I prefer the 2001 Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Oro with the gold label, however, very elegant in its aromas and flavors of cranberries and raspberries, tobacco, and violets, vigorous and sustained on the mid-palate and finish and with tasty, textured tannins on the close. It should continue to drink well for another dozen years. Drink 2006-2018.
Score - 92.
(Robert Parker Jr.,
www.erobertparker.com,
April 2006)
Italy - Veneto
Red
Table Wine
LE SALETTE PERGOLE VECE AMARONE 2001 DOC Amarone della Valpolicella 19984
(XD) 750 mL $100
Pergole Vece is Le Salette's flagship wine. This modern styled Amarone is made only in the best years from a selection of their finest grapes and sourced from their three top vineyards. It is cellar worthy but will shine now when matched with pheasant or mature cheeses.
MONTE TABOR SAN RAFFAELE AMARONE 2000 DOC Amarone della Valpolicella 21212
(XD) 750 mL $92
A Gold Medal winner at the 2006 Decanter World Wine Awards.
TASTING NOTE: Intensity, black fruit, prunes nose. Smooth, supple, quite rich with sweetness up against lean tannins. Long finish.
Score - ***** out of 5.
(www.decanter.com,
2005)
Spain
Red
Table Wine
R. LÓPEZ DE HEREDIA VIÑA TONDONIA RESERVA 1998 DOC Rioja 356337
(XD) 750 mL $80
TASTING NOTE: Dark red. Penetrating, complex bouquet of red berries, cherry skin, minerals, dried rose, tobacco, cured meat and baking spices. Youthfully taut, but opens slowly to show deep cherry and plum flavors with suggestions of succulent herbs and graphite. This medium-bodied wine b roadens on the back, the intensely flavored fruit softening and sweetening. A remarkably elegant, balanced and complex wine that's still very young: I'd give it at least another five years of bottle aging.
Score - 93.
(Josh Raynolds,
Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar,
Sept./Oct. 2006)
White
Table Wine
R. LÓPEZ DE HEREDIA VIÑA TONDONIA RESERVA WHITE 1988 DOC Rioja 356352
(XD) 750 mL $80
TASTING NOTE: The flavors may be fading a bit, but the structure is still fresh and firm in this mature white. Elegant, with almond, chamomile, beeswax and honeysuckle flavors that expand and linger. Not powerful, but intense. Viura and Malvasia. Drink now.
Score - 92.
(Thomas Matthews,
www.winespectator.com,
March 31, 2007)
Australia
Red
Table Wine
CLARENDON HILLS BROOKMAN SYRAH 2004 McLaren Vale, South Australia 702209
(XD) 750 mL $93
TASTING NOTE: A black, sexy beast, the 2004 Syrah Brookman (aged in 50% new French oak) offers up amazingly full-bodied, intense, blackberry fruit intermixed with notions of roasted coffee, flowers, and creme de cassis. Full-bodied, rich, beautifully textured, opulent, and long, it should drink well for 10-15 years. It appears to be slightly more forward than it was last year. Drink 2006-2021.
Score - 95.
(Robert Parker Jr.,
www.erobertparker.com,
Oct. 2006)
CLARENDON HILLS HICKINBOTHAM GRENACHE 2004 McLaren Vale, South Australia
928143
(XD) 750 mL $63
TASTING NOTE: Firm. Calls to mind a huge bowl of red fruit, with raspberry, wild strawberry and guava flavors accompanied by heady aromatics of white pepper and sweet spices. Drink now through 2016.
Score - 93.
(Harvey Steiman,
www.winespectator.com,
Oct. 15 2006)
CLARENDON HILLS PIGGOTT RANGE SYRAH 2004 McLaren Vale, South Australia
15701
(XD) 750 mL $197
TASTING NOTE: The 2004 Syrah Piggott Range (from 40-year-old vines) requires 3-4 years of cellaring. This is a powerful, intense Syrah meant for true connoisseurs who have cold cellars as well as enough patience to wait it out. A perfume of crushed rocks, acacia flowers, blackberries, roasted coffee, pepper, spice, bacon fat, and a subtle touch of eucalyptus is followed by a deep, rich, full-bodied wine that should age for 20-25 years. Drink 2009-2031.
Score - 95.
(Robert Parker Jr.,
www.erobertparker.com,
Oct. 2006)
HENTLEY FARM THE BEAUTY Barossa Valley SHIRAZ 2005 South Australia 29199
(XD) 750 mL $55
TASTING NOTE: Dark ruby. Strong floral notes accent bright raspberry and strawberry preserve aromas, with subtle suggestions of musky underbrush and sweet mocha. Silky in the mouth, with an almost sweet expression of red berries and cherry. Finishes with lush, round tannins and a sweet note of candied cherry. Awfully sexy right now, but there's ample concentration here for cellaring.
Score - 92.
(Josh Raynolds,
International Wine Cellar,
July/August 2006)
KAESLER OLD VINE Barossa Valley SHIRAZ 2004 South Australia 4192
(XD) 750 mL $54
TASTING NOTE: The 2004 Old Vine Shiraz (from a vineyard planted in 1961) was aged in 100% French oak. Its opaque purple color is followed by earth, graphite, and melted road tar characteristics as well as a long, full-throttle palate that has more layers, finesse, and concentration than The Bogan.
Score - 93-95.
(Robert Parker Jr.,
www.erobertparker.com,
Oct. 2005)
LENGS & COOTER RESERVE McLaren Vale SHIRAZ 2002 South Australia 28852
(XD) 750 mL $63
TASTING NOTE: Medium ruby. Seductive, rich aromas of blackberry and coffee liqueur, accented by tangy fresh herbs and file powder. Sweet, plump and round, with attractive flavors of blackcurrant, dark cherry and ripe plum. Chewy, thick and dense, with well-managed tannins and a finishing note of kirsch.
Score - 90.
(Josh Raynolds,
International Wine Cellar,
Sept./Oct. 2005)
SHINGLEBACK D-BLOCK RESERVE SHIRAZ 2003 McClaren Vale, South Australia 672865
(D) 750 mL $72
In 2004, this wine won gold medals at both the Royal Melbourne Wine Show and the Royal Hobart Wine Show. It displays primary aromas of mulberry and blackberry with hints of fresh cocoa and roasted coffee followed by well integrated oak and fine grained tannins.
New Zealand
Red
Table Wine
KIM CRAWFORD SP COMELY BANK Marlborough PINOT NOIR 2005 South Island 26005
(XD) 750 mL $30
Kim Crawford's Comely Bank Pinot Noir won a gold medal at the New Zealand International Wine Show in 2006. This is a big modern-styled Pinot Noir with plenty of red and black fruit up front followed by toasty oak and a plump round mouth-feel. The soft tannins make this accessible now, though it has enough stuffing to hold 3-4 years in the cellar.
PISA RANGE ESTATE BLACK POPLAR BLOCK PINOT NOIR 2003 Central Otago, South Island 589655
(D) 750 mL $44
TASTING NOTE: Grown at Pisa Flats, north of Cromwell, in Central Otago, this is an enticingly scented and supple wine ... The 2003 matured for a year in French oak casks (one-third new), is full-coloured and perfumed, with substantial body (14.5 per cent alcohol) and good but not great depth of raspberry, cherry, spice and herb flavours, fresh, vibrant and well-rounded.
Score - **** out of 5.
(Michael Cooper,
Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide to New Zealand Wine,
2005)
UNISON VINEYARD SYRAH 2004 Hawkes Bay, North Island 5124
(XD) 750 mL $36
TASTING NOTE: ...Estate grown in the Gimblett Gravels and matured for 16 months in American and French oak barriques, the 2004 vintage is densely coloured, with powerful, deliciously ripe flavours of blackcurrants, plums and spices, seasoned with toasty, nutty oak. Warm and supple, with lovely fruit sweetness, it's already approachable, but best cellared to mid 2007 onwards.
Score - ***** out of 5.
(Michael Cooper,
Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide to New Zealand Wine,
2007)
South Africa
Red
Table Wine
KAAPZICHT ESTATE STEYTLER VISION CAPE BLEND 2002 WO Stellenbosch 685677
(D) 750 mL $52
A Gold Medal winner at the prestigious Michelangelo International Wine Awards in 2005.
TASTING NOTE: Danie Steytler's standout version of the Cape blend features 50% cab, 10% merlot with, of course, pinotage. 02 triumphs in difficult vintage, structure & flavours fully in tact - just a slight shyness. Big & sweet-fruited, richly concentrated, massive underlying structure cloaked in dense dark-berried fruit; winds up to long, dry finish still with brush of youthful but ultra-ripe & generally unobtrusive tannin. 5-8 yrs+ maturation potential.
Score - ***** out of 5.
(Irina von Holdt,
John Platter South African Wines,
2006)
Chile
Red
Table Wine
SANTA RITA CASA REAL CABERNET SAUVIGNON 1998 Maipo Valley 653931
(D) 1500 mL $119
This large format Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon is just entering its peak, as the tannins begin to integrate and the fruit aromas evolve. It has a dense black colour with a hint of garnet on the rim. The nose reveals primary aromas of black fruit and plums with some undertones of roasted coffee and chocolate. The palate is dense and rich, with soft silky tannins and a long finish revealing vanilla and spicy oak.
