Pick a Wine, Any Wine…

If you need help finding that perfect bottle, any of our staff members will be more than happy to point you in the right direction. Here are a few recommendations that earned top marks from two of our most devoted wine-enthusiasts.

Stan: Red Wines

Cover Drive Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine is ruby/crimson in color, with purple tints. The nose shows intensely complex characters of rosemary, mint and coffee. This is followed upon the palate by an eruption of fruit flavors — primarily black cherry and blackberry, with hints of mocha and dried herbs. The tannins are fine grained and supple, and the wine has a long, integrated finish.

As with previous releases of “The Cover Drive”, this wine displays harmonious balance and can be enjoyed now or will reward cellaring for 2-3 years.

Charles Cimicky Petite Syrah

94 Points – Jay Miller – The Wine Advocate
This is the first release from a vineyard Charles Cimicky planted eight years ago. Aged for 19 months in 50% new oak (a mix of French and American), it is opaque purple in color, with aromas of pain grille, smoke, blueberry preserves and blackberry liqueur. This powerful effort is full-bodied and loaded with flavor. Well-balanced and very long in the finish, with enough structure to evolve for at least a decade, this wine should drink well through 2035 for those who wish to cellar.

Poderi Alasia Barbera d’Asti Rive

The purple-highlighted, deeply intense ruby red color of this Barbera foreshadows its vibrant aromas of black cherries and prunes, with toasty undertones and a touch of mint. It is medium-bodied with an abundance of ripe, fruity prunes and black cherries that show through on the palate. Dry with well-balanced acidity and fruit, well integrated into a creamy rich nutty texture, this wine has developed with great structure and lingers on the palate with an almond twist and warm spicy notes.

Stan: White Wines

Luli Chardonnay

This, the inaugural release of 2007 Chardonnay, Luli, was sourced from a vineyard in the middle of the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County. The wine didn’t undergo any malolactic fermentation and sees no new oak. Luli is fermented in 40% neutral barrels and 60% Inox (stainless steel), showcasing the cool climate vineyards of the region. Jeff Pisoni (third generation of the famed wine-producing Pisoni Family) is the mastermind behind this California wine.

Marco Porello Roero Arneis Camestrì

A young, rising star producer from the Roero in Piedmont, Marco Porello produces wines of depth and richness. His arneis is pale yellow with glints of green. It has herb, tangerine and wet stone notes on the nose with a medium body on the palate and the bright, mouth-watering acidity you’d expect from an arneis. This wine makes a great aperitif or a delightful companion to antipasti, particularly salami and olives. The 2007 vintage of this wine was recently named the “Best of the Tasting and Best Value” by the Wall Street Journal. Writers Dorethy J. Gaiter and John Brecher consider the 2006 equally as good, however, calling it: “Thoughtful and balanced.”

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough

A staple New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, this fragrant and complex wine has a pale straw color with touches of green. Classic Sauvignon characters of cut grass and tropical fruits are dominant on the nose, as the wine unfolds upon the palate with flavors of passion fruit and gooseberry with wet stone and oyster shell accents and a subtle herbaceousness. It’s mouth-filling with good texture and finishes well with cleansing acidity and great length. Tangy in style, with plenty of fresh green apple character adding depth to the grapefruit, lime and guava flavors, this wine lingers nicely. Yet another outstanding Sauvignon from a perennial success, this wine is best to drink now.

Jolin: Red Wines

Robert Craig – Affinity 2007

The 2007 Affinity exhibits more graphite, but in essence is similarly elegant, with supple tannins (although more velvety than in the 2006), very young, primary black and blue fruit notes, and superb concentration, texture, and length. This is an exceptionally promising wine that is still hiding behind a rather primary display of fruit. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring and drink it over the next 15 or possibly 20 years.

This is the best group of wines I have ever tasted from Robert Craig Winery. Not only is there not a single disappointment in this portfolio, but these are all noteworthy wines, with thrilling levels of quality. Moreover, they are moderately priced for Napa Valley as well as ageworthy. I think these are the finest wines that I have ever tasted from Robert Craig Cellars.

Fattoria di Felsina Fontalloro 2006

95 points Wine Spectator

The 2006 Fontalloro is much more sweet and open than the firmer Rancia. Enticing, expressive aromatics lead to an expansive core of fruit. Round, finessed tannins give the wine an additional level of polish. Today the Fontalloro is fleshier and more ready than the Rancia. There is superb purity to the fruit and wonderful overall balance. Tar, smoke, licorice, and grilled herbs come to life on the finish. Fontalloro is made from vineyards in both the Chianti Classico and Chianti Colli Senesi appellations. Simply put, this is a great, majestic Fontalloro. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2018.

If you were to cut proprietor Giuseppe Mazzocolin’s veins the man would bleed Sangiovese, such is his passion for Tuscany’s most important native grape. Mazzocolin has a terrific set of new releases on his hands. The 2006s are glorious and benefit from a warm growing season that also saw good alternation of day and evening temperatures before the grapes got a final kick of heat that informs the wines. In 2007, I have only tasted the Chianti Classico so far, but if that wine is indicative, Felsina could have another superb vintage in store for fans of this venerable property. So far 2007 looks to be a vintage of ripe wines made in a more generous, if early maturing style, than the firmer 2006s. Not only are Felsina’s wines magnificent, they also remain exceedingly fairly priced in relative terms. Mazzocolin deserves much credit and support from readers for his consumer-friendly approach, especially in these challenging times.

Juslyn Vineyards Perry’s Blend

2004 Perry’s Blend has beautiful up-front notes of lead pencil shavings, sweet black currant and black cherry fruit intermixed with hints of licorice, underbrush and spice. The wine is long, rich, beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied, and supple, finishing with silky tannins. It should drink beautifully for 10-15 years.

Jolin: White Wines

Delille Cellars Chaleur Estate Blanc 2008

92 points Robert Parker

The 2008 Chaleur Estate Blanc is a barrel-fermented and aged blend of 62% Sauvignon Blanc and 38% Semillon sourced from 4 of eastern Washington’s finest terroirs. Medium gold-colored, it reveals an outstanding perfume of mineral, grilled brioche, citrus, gooseberry, honey, and fig. Creamy-textured, round, and already complex with all components nicely integrated, it should drink nicely for at least 5-6 years.

Stolpman Vineyards L’Avion 2007

93 points Robert Parker

One of the finest Central Coast white wines is Stolpman’s L’Avion. The 2007 is primarily Roussanne blended with a small amount (about 10%) of Viognier. Aged completely in 500-liter pungeons, it offers classic honeysuckle, rose petal, white currant, and quince notes, a floral, honeyed, rich, full-bodied style, and great precision as well as freshness. It is reminiscent of a hypothetical blend of a top-notch Alsatian white wine and white northern Rhone. There are about 1,000 cases of this superb dry white, which should drink well for several years.

Stolpman is a relatively large 220-acre estate (not yet fully planted) in the Ballard Canyon, twenty-five miles from the Pacific Ocean. The winemaker is Sashi Moorman, who continues to demonstrate his enviable talent across a broad spectrum of Rhone Ranger wines.

Prum, JJ Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese Riesling

A completely seductive and appealing ‘06 Spatlese, seamless and airy in texture, layered with peach, citrus and mineral aromas and flavors, enmeshed in a delicate frame. Lovely finish. Drink now through 2015.