Tasting Notes
Posted: February 3, 2009
BEST BUYS
CASTLE ROCK Pinot Noir Columbia Valley 2007
Already a restaurant darling for their superb values, Castle Rock crafts this particular Washington Pinot with a blend of 80 percent Pinot Noir and 20 percent Syrah. The aroma is filled with varietal berry fruit and spice, leading to a medium-bodied palate that nicely incorporates spice, vanilla, and mineral flavors.
Score: 88 Cost: $120 Cases: 6,000
PACIFIC RIM Riesling Columbia Valley Dry 2007
This Washington Riesling gets an infusion of Teutonic grapes, with 20 percent of the blend coming from Germany's Mosel. Lean, bright, and juicy, aromas of Granny Smith apples and white flowers lead to a citrusy palate, with a satisfying rounded, yet crisp, mouthfeel. Fruit flavors linger nicely before the dry finish.
Score: 88 Cost: $84 Cases: 50,000
ALTOS LAS HORMIGAS Bonarda Mendoza Colonia Las Liebres 2008
This alternative red from Argentina shows pleasant plummy fruit aromas with warming spice and hints of licorice on the palate. Ripe and juicy, with good acidity and modest tannins, this affordable red is both versatile at the table and an intriguing proposition by the glass.
Score: 87 Cost: $104 Cases: 8,000 imported
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
ARTESA Chardonnay Carneros 2007
Delicate fruit defines the aroma of this California Chard, the green apple, melon, and pear flavors joined on the palate by deftly applied touches of spicy oak, vanilla, and butter. The generous body and good persistence of fruit flavors deliver a wine of supple texture, pierced by sleek acidity.
Score: 90 Cost: $160 Cases: 33,000
BEAULIEU VINEYARD Chardonnay Napa Valley Carneros 2007
Wonderfully ripe and complex, this barrel-fermented Chardonnay is packed with stone fruit, citrus, and pear aromas that follow through on the rich palate. The fruit builds through the long finish, laced with baking spice and a streak of minerality, bright acidity balancing the full body and lush fruit.
Score: 90 Cost: $192 Cases: 15,000
BODEGA FLECHAS DE LOS ANDES Malbec Mendoza Gran 2007
This muscular and modern Argentine Malbec is inky and dense with fruit, a mèlange of blackberry, plum, cherry, even fig, all tied-up tightly and woven with licorice, pepper, and spice. The palate balances the big lush fruit core with lots of firm tannins that carry through on a finish nicely tinged with toasty oak. Certified kosher.
Score: 90 Cost: $180 Cases: 5,000
SPECIALS
DANCING HARES Napa Valley 2005
Shows exquisite complexity, balance, and ripeness, with a concentrated core of raspberry ganache and black cherry pie, wrapped in rose petals and toast. The texture is polished and plush, the rich fruit underscored by chocolate, earth, and herbs on the long finish. Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot.
Score: 95 Cost: $1,140 Cases: 600
TOLAINI Toscana Tenuta Montebello Picconero 2006
This Tuscan red is full-bodied and complex, the floral and red fruit aromas layered with mint and cedary oak. On the palate, the wine shows great polish, with generous fruit, fine tannins, and solid structure. This Tolaini flagship is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, made in small quantity in the best vintages.
Score: 94 Cost: $1,200 Cases: 500
BONNEAU DU MARTRAY Corton-Charlemagne 2006
This grand cru Burgundy is lean, somewhat tight with its aroma, unleashing more flint, chalk, and subtle florals than fruit. The power becomes more apparent on the palate, the citrus and peach flavors joined by some spicy oak, almond, and a linear mineral note, with crisp acidity ringing through the finish.
Score: 94 Cost: $900 Cases: 450 imported
