Sunday, May 30, 2004
Lately I've been experimenting both with older wines from the cellar and new wines that have crossed my palate. One of the best California Chardonnay's I've had in a long time is the 2002 Saddleback Cellars Chardonnay. The ultra fresh, very tropical white wine has a very clean, highly alluring flavor, largely due to the gentle use of oak by winemaker Nils Venge. Notes of pineapple, orange and pear are the key first impressions, but what really hits you is how easy it is to drink. No wonder GM Nick Burns has made this a by the glass pour at Arterra over at the Del Mar Marriott.
2002 Twisted Oak Calavares County Tempranillo is one of the newest and more exciting Spanish varietals made here in the USA. While the bouquet makes you think this is going to be a massive high alcohol wine, don't be put off by that. From first sip to last, the smooth, seductive red delivers spice and berries, plus plums and cassis flavors that will dazzle you.
2000 Napa Cellars Napa Valley Syrah is a rich, very California style Syrah. If you're expecting Shiraz from Australia or Syrah from the Rhone Valley, think again. This very rich, but not dense or tannic red, has loads of Syrah black pepper spice and blueberry fruit, but the very smooth and easy to drink style is what makes it a real favorite. Given how well balanced this small production wine is, expect the mocha, plum and blueberry flavored wine to live an easy five to eight years in the cellars.
1999 Chateau La Canorgue Cotes du Luberon a small, family run winery in Bonnieux, France makes an absolutely stunning red from Syrah combined with small amounts of Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Grenache. The wine, which is priced at about a third of the popular wines from Chateauneuf du Pape, delivers an almost ethereal experience. Rich, ripe, complex and already stunning, the wine offers up copious amounts of blueberry, blackberry, tar, mocha, cassis, plums and black cherry, with a hint of Herbs de Provence. One of the true stars of the region, the current release of 2001 is worth seeking out for purchase by the case. Given the ever increasing price of Chateauneuf du Papes and the ever dropping quality in most mass produced Cotes du Rhones due to more Village and vineyard designated wines being made with the better grapes from their, the wines of Canorgue present an excellent value.
1994 North Berkeley Wines Cuvee Unique Les Baux des Provence
The wine, made as a special cuvee for the Northern California importer and retailer has to be one of the finest examples of how when one region has a so-so vintage, as 1994 was in Cotes du Rhone, that a neighboring region can do so well. Made by Mas de Gourgonnier, one of Les Baux de Provence's older wineries, the blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan, Mourvedre with a hint of Cabernet from the sun drenched Valley of Fire, is drinking very well. Power packed with oodles of raspberry, blackberry and blueberry fruit, the wine which is now fully developed continues to age gracefully, but if it is at peak is more a question of cellar habits. Given this wine has been in a near cryogenic state at 55 degrees since purchase I imagine it still has a good four or five years of enjoyment left. You can find current releases of Mas de Gourgonnier at North Berkeley Wines, which imports and retails the wines including the scintillating Rose and Reserve reds.
Cheers,
2002 Twisted Oak Calavares County Tempranillo is one of the newest and more exciting Spanish varietals made here in the USA. While the bouquet makes you think this is going to be a massive high alcohol wine, don't be put off by that. From first sip to last, the smooth, seductive red delivers spice and berries, plus plums and cassis flavors that will dazzle you.
2000 Napa Cellars Napa Valley Syrah is a rich, very California style Syrah. If you're expecting Shiraz from Australia or Syrah from the Rhone Valley, think again. This very rich, but not dense or tannic red, has loads of Syrah black pepper spice and blueberry fruit, but the very smooth and easy to drink style is what makes it a real favorite. Given how well balanced this small production wine is, expect the mocha, plum and blueberry flavored wine to live an easy five to eight years in the cellars.
1999 Chateau La Canorgue Cotes du Luberon a small, family run winery in Bonnieux, France makes an absolutely stunning red from Syrah combined with small amounts of Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Grenache. The wine, which is priced at about a third of the popular wines from Chateauneuf du Pape, delivers an almost ethereal experience. Rich, ripe, complex and already stunning, the wine offers up copious amounts of blueberry, blackberry, tar, mocha, cassis, plums and black cherry, with a hint of Herbs de Provence. One of the true stars of the region, the current release of 2001 is worth seeking out for purchase by the case. Given the ever increasing price of Chateauneuf du Papes and the ever dropping quality in most mass produced Cotes du Rhones due to more Village and vineyard designated wines being made with the better grapes from their, the wines of Canorgue present an excellent value.
1994 North Berkeley Wines Cuvee Unique Les Baux des Provence
The wine, made as a special cuvee for the Northern California importer and retailer has to be one of the finest examples of how when one region has a so-so vintage, as 1994 was in Cotes du Rhone, that a neighboring region can do so well. Made by Mas de Gourgonnier, one of Les Baux de Provence's older wineries, the blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan, Mourvedre with a hint of Cabernet from the sun drenched Valley of Fire, is drinking very well. Power packed with oodles of raspberry, blackberry and blueberry fruit, the wine which is now fully developed continues to age gracefully, but if it is at peak is more a question of cellar habits. Given this wine has been in a near cryogenic state at 55 degrees since purchase I imagine it still has a good four or five years of enjoyment left. You can find current releases of Mas de Gourgonnier at North Berkeley Wines, which imports and retails the wines including the scintillating Rose and Reserve reds.
Cheers,
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