Wine Notes
by Jeffery Lindenmuth
Cave De Cairanne Côtes du Rhône Le Pas de la Beaume Camille Cayran 2009 Widely available, with the flavor profile and price for by-the-glass serving, this wine offers real Rhône character in a friendly, quaffable package. Flavors of wild herbs, licorice, and lively spice complement the bright cherry fruit. Primarily Grenache, with additions of Syrah, Carignan, and Cinsault.
Score: 86 Cost: $100 Cases: 10,000
Bodegas Borsao Garnacha Campo de Borja Tres Picos 2009 A perennial value, this wine is sleek and charismatic, greeting the nose with a mélange of vanilla, toasty oak, chocolate, wild strawberry, and plums along with secondary notes of fresh flowers and leather. Supple and fresh on the palate, the wine delivers mixed berries and pretty spice with modest tannins.
Score: 88 Cost: $170 Cases: 5,000 imported
Veramonte Pinot Noir Casablanca Valley Reserva 2009 Already well-regarded for their Sauvignon Blanc, Veramonte—and Chile at large—are serving up impressive Pinot for the price, like this fruit-forward red, with a core of dried cherry fruit draped in baking spice, earth, and cigar wrapper aromas. The fleshy fruit flavors meet a deft touch of toasty oak, finishing with soft tannins.
Score: 88 Cost: $120 Cases: 20,000
Altos Las Hormigas Malbec Uco Valley Terroir 2009 Well-known for their Mendoza regional blends, this new entry, part of the “Terroir Project,” is representative of the cooler-climate Uco Valley. Notable for bright red fruit aromas, underscored by blueberry and fig, the juicy palate features peppery spice and licorice, coupled with fine, ripe tannins that contribute structure.
Score: 89 Cost: $200 Cases: 3,000
Tablas Creek Roussanne Paso Robles 2009 This California Rhône varietal wine will fill a hole on many lists for a rich, full-bodied, and complex white that isn’t Chardonnay. The initial aromas of honeycomb, spice, marzipan cookies, and yellow peach follow through on the sumptuous palate, where delicate acidity and mineral notes balance the wine’s overall opulence.
Score: 90 Cost: $300 Cases: 520
Ridge Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley East Bench 2008 A jammy fruit palate—crushed strawberry, plum, and raspberry—ably handles the generous American oak, with all its caramel, dill, and coconut aromas. Pleasing acidity balances its weight, as waves of dark fruit meet rustic tannins in this classic California Zin.
Score: 91 Cost: $260 Cases: 4,350
Mocali Brunello di Montalcino 2006 Dried cherry fruit meets classic aromas of tar, leather, and flowers in this exquisite Brunello. The full-bodied palate offers powerful cherry fruit, woven with warming spice, while firm tannins serve to balance the bounty of ripe fruit through the lingering finish. Well-
balanced now, and built for a decade in the cellar.
Score: 93 Cost: $400 Cases: 4,000
Sojourn Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Sangiacomo Vineyard 2009 Displaying a fine balance of power and elegance, this Pinot is notable for its delicate cherry, raspberry, spice, and earthy aromas that build to a crescendo on the palate, while flaunting its polish and poise. The texture is creamy and mouth-filling, while a beam of fine acidity nicely buoys the generous fruit.
Score: 94 Cost: $404 Cases: 875
Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard 2008 An opaque red color portends the power of this intense Cabernet, brimming with dark fruit–currant, cassis, and black cherry–along with notes of espresso, graphite, anise, and smoke. The full-bodied palate pours forth a mouthful of molten fruit flavors, showing nicely detailed notes of spice box and cedar through the long, focused finish.
Score: 95 Cost: $1,500 Cases: 466
Marcassin Chardonnay Sonoma Coast Marcassin Vineyard 2006 Ripe figs, honeysuckle, pear tart, and mineral notes are among the effusive aromas of this intense white, turning more tropical and vanilla-tinged on the palate, with cedary oak integrated among the copious layers of flavor. Bold and full-bodied, the rich and creamy mouthful finds finesse on the long finish.
Score: 96 Cost: $1,500 Cases: 725
