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Wakefield, Clare Valley (South Australia, Australia) Riesling 2005

($17, Brown Forman): Wakefield has fashioned a vibrant, bone dry Riesling with long, limey flavors from grapes grown in South Australia’s Clare Valley, north of the Barossa.  Despite its northern locale, which should make it too hot (remember north equals heat Down Under) for a delicate variety like Riesling, the diurnal temperature variation in the Clare produces riveting, lively Rieslings. … Read more

Matua Valley Wines, Marlborough (New Zealand) Sauvignon Blanc 2006

($12, Foster’s Wine Estates): With the soaring popularity of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, it is increasingly difficult to find good, let alone terrific, ones at this price.  So don’t miss this one.  Although New Zealand’s best and most vibrant Sauvignon Blancs come from the Marlborough region, located on the South Island, it was Matua who started it all when they planted Sauvignon Blanc in 1970 at their home base, just west of Auckland on the North Island. … Read more

Perrin et Fils, Rasteau (Rhône Valley, France) “L’Andeol” 2005

($19, Vineyard Brands): Rasteau is one of the 18 villages in the southern Rhone Valley that are capable of making more distinctive wine than the average for the region.  Hence, it and the other 17 carry the village name on the label–as well as the appellation, Côtes du Rhône Villages–as opposed to the more anonymous, ‘Côtes du Rhone’ designation.  … Read more

Clos Pegase, Carneros (Napa Valley, California) Pinot Noir Mitsuko’s Vineyard 2005

($33): Clos Pegase should be complimented for restraint with this stylish Pinot Noir.  With more and more Pinots tasting like Pinot Syrah, it’s encouraging to see producers strive for restrained elegance rather than over-ripe intensity.  Ripe raspberry-like fruitiness is the predominant impression, but black cherry nuances appear in the finish.… Read more

Altano, Douro (Portugal) 2004

($7, Vineyard Brands): For a couple of decades, Port producers have been investing time and money to produce dry red table (non-fortified) wines from grapes traditionally grown in the Douro Valley, home to Port production.  Their efforts are paying off.  This attractive blend of classic grapes used for Port (Tinto Roriz and Touriga Franca, 40 and 60%, respectively) has produced a succulent, yet spicy, balanced wine.… Read more

2005 Burgundies: Don’t Miss ’em, But Bring Your Wallet

Are the 2005 Burgundies as extraordinary as first reports indicate?  The Burgundians themselves are heralding the 2005 vintage–but that’s not news in and of itself, since wine producers always rave about the vintage they have to sell.  However, based on multiple tastings of 2005 Burgundies (during visits to the cellars of Bouchard Père et Fils, Louis Jadot, Louis Latour and Joseph Drouhin in Beaune last September, another visit to Beaune last month, samples from 20 producers imported by Frederick Wildman, and a retasting of Jadot’s wines in New York in January), I believe this is an extraordinary vintage for the reds and excellent one for the whites.… Read more

Craggy Range, Gimblett Gravels (Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand) Te Kahu Vineyard 2004

($25, Kobrand): Craggy Range emphasizes the uniqueness of place–like the French–and focuses their efforts on producing wines from individual (and presumably distinctive) vineyards.  They emphasize this philosophy with the labeling: the precise composition of the blend–in this case Merlot, 77%, Cabernet Sauvignon, 11%, Malbec and Cabernet Franc, 6% each–is found on the back label. … Read more

Perrin & Fils, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Rhône Valley, France) Blanc “Les Sinards” 2005

($35, Vineyard Brands): With only about 5% of the area’s production devoted to white wine–and much of that heavy and unappealing–one sometimes wonders why anyone bothers with white Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  This wine is why.   A blend of 75% Grenache Blanc and 25% Clairette, it has the hint of apricot common in many whites from the southern Rhône, and good intensity, but without a trace of heaviness. … Read more

Marqués de Riscal, Rioja (Spain) Gran Reserva 1999

($37, Shaw-Ross International): One of the great things about Spanish wines is that many producers age them for years–sometimes even decades–before release so the consumer has an opportunity to taste the complexity bottle aging imparts.  This 1999 Gran Reserva, the current release, still has tannins of youth, but mature leather and coffee nuances peak out from under fresh dark fruit flavors. … Read more

Pascal Jolivet, Pouilly-Fumé (Loire Valley, France) 2005

($26, Wildman): Jolivet owns about 70 acres of vines split evenly between the neighboring wine regions, Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre, that face one another across the Loire Valley.  Made entirely from Sauvignon Blanc, his 2005 Pouilly-Fumé shows the minerality and verve of the region, and shines because the flavors are not distorted by barrel fermentation or aging. … Read more

Change at Lagrange: Global Warming and Robert Parker

What do Robert Parker and global warming have in common?  They are the two major forces in Bordeaux over the last two decades, according to Marcel Ducasse, who has a unique perspective on the changes in Bordeaux during that time.  Ducasse will be retiring next month after 23 years as the managing director of the now resurrected cru classé property, Chateau Lagrange in St.… Read more

Emiliana, Central Valley (Chile) Cabernet Sauvignon “Natura” 2005

($10, Banfi Imports): Emiliana, an affiliate of Concha y Toro, one of Chile’s best wineries, is making a name for itself with wines made from organically grown grapes bottled under the Natura label.  With over 3,500 acres in several of Chile’s prime grape growing regions — Maipo Valley, Casablanca and Colchagua — they must be one of the largest, if not the largest, growers of organic grapes in the world. … Read more

Fire Block, Watervale (Clare Valley, South Australia) Grenache “Old Vine” 2003

($19, The Australian Premium Wine Collection): It’s rare for a young wine to deliver mature flavors, but this 100% Grenache, aged in old oak barrels, does.  It has an alluring combination of bright raspberries — characteristic of Clare Valley Grenache I’m told — spice and hints of caramel, which I usually associated with older, developed wines.… Read more

Ruinart, Champagne (France) Blanc de Blancs Brut NV

($69, Moet Hennessy USA): Ruinart, the oldest Champagne house in the world and dating from 1729, is making a welcome reappearance on these shores.  The Chardonnay grapes for this Blanc de Blancs come exclusively from premier cru villages.  A small amount of the Chardonnay comes from the Montagne de Reims, an area traditionally known for Pinot Noir, not Chardonnay. … Read more

Oyster Bay, Marlborough (New Zealand) Sauvignon Blanc 2006

($15, American Wine Distributors): I have a fondness for Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand.  This one is particularly attractive and supports what many New Zealand producers have told me, ‘2006 is a great year in Marlborough.’  It certainly has the zing and freshness you’d expect from Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, but it also has minerality and length to accompany the herbal notes, which makes it especially appealing.… Read more

Veuve Clicquot, Champagne (France) Brut “Rare Vintage” 1988

($100, Moet Hennessy USA): This has to be the Champagne deal of decade.  Veuve Clicquot, like many Champagne houses, opted to re-release older vintages into the market so customers can discover the glorious taste of mature Champagne.  Aged on the lees–the dead yeast–for almost a decade and then aged for an equal time in the bottle, this wine delivers a complex array of nutty, toasty and yeasty flavors balanced beautifully by an uplifting freshness–acidity imparted by the bubbles. … Read more

Guigal, Crozes-Hermitage (Rhône Valley, France) 2003

($22, ExCellars): Crozes-Hermitage is the flatter, less well situated land around the prestigious hill of Hermitage.  From conscientious producers, like Guigal, these wines can be great values. This wine shows the ripeness of the vintage without being marred by over-extraction. There is an almost Australian-like quality to the flavors–although not so flamboyant with alcohol–but its European lineage shows in the acid/tannin structure.… Read more