Herb's Wine Choices

December 2011
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WHITES

2010 Castrovaldes Albariño
This is an interesting white from northern Spain and a perfect example of the varietal. Aromas of lemon/lime and banana rise from the glass and lead to pleasantly bright lime and Granny Smith apple flavors on the palate. The mid-palate shows mineral notes, good acidity, and juicy fruit. The finish is bright with lengthy citrus flavors.

2010 Guardian Chardonnay
This un-oaked Chardonnay has become a perennial favorite. The 2010 has a lovely aroma of tropical fruits and ripe apple. It’s clean on the palate with Burgundian-styled, bright apple and lemon fruit. It’s bright and fresh, but not tutti-frutti. The finish is crisp with lemon fruit and good length. Well done!

2008 Stump Jump Riesling
I like Aussie Riesling because it’s drier with more German characteristics. This example has traditional German aromas of fruit cocktail, wet stone, and petrol. It’s dry on the palate with lime, litchi, and gooseberry fruit. The mid-palate shows a nice mineral component. The finish is bright and dry with lengthy melon/citrus fruit.

2010 Standing Stones Riesling Finger Lakes
This is one of the few New York wines available in Atlanta. It’s a terrific wine. Apricot and floral aromas lead to slightly bright, fresh fruit cocktail and honeysuckle flavors on the palate. It has a dry backbone for structure and balance. The finish has peach and stone fruit with solid length and flavor. Great wine and a great value!

2009 Firesteed Pinot Gris
This is a Alsatian styled Pinot Gris. It has melon and almond aromas that lead to honeyed apple, melon, and mineral notes on the palate. This white has good weight and balanced acidity. The finish is crisp with more melon notes. Easy drinking PG.

2009 Mt. View Chardonnay
Great Chardonnay! This example has a clean aroma of apples that leads to softer pear flavors with a hint of baking spice on the palate. It’s medium-bodied with the faintest hint of oak and balanced acidity. The finish is fairly dry with good length and more apple fruit.

Connoisseur's Guide to California Wine
2009 Dutton Goldfield Chardonnay
"The winemaker's hand shows here insofar as the wine's deep, well-defined fruit is matched step for step with a fair bit of sweet oak spice, and the tactile polish that it displays on the palate makes it a Chardonnay to be enjoyed in the near term. Still, it firms up at the finish in a way that suggests it will keep very well, and whether drunk now or later, it wins easy endorsement...”
92 Points!

2010 Cocoa Hill Chenin
I love Chenin Blanc because it is crisp, refreshing, and offers a less bracing flavor profile than a typical Sauvignon Blanc. This example has a clean, citrus aroma that leads to fresh and juicy flavors on the palate. Its acidity is tempered, which helps the waxy apple and lime flavors emerge and produce an easy drinking white with structure and balance. The finish is crisp with light citrus notes and very nice length.

2010 Santos Semillon
Semillon is traditionally found in Bordeaux and Australia, so an Argentine version is quite unique. This example has a pleasantly round mouthfeel due to malolactic fermenta-tion. It has good ripeness, with mostly honeyed pear flavors and hints of citrus and lichee. This wine has an intoxicating flavor with a balanced elegance. The finish shows mandarin orange flavors and good length. Lovely wine.

2010 Chateau La Graviere
This Semillon/Sauv Blanc white is a terrific find. It has aromas of grapefruit, citrus, and crushed rock. It has a nice roundness on the palate with melon, tangerine, mango, and lime flavors. This blend is clean, fresh, and juicy with excellent fruit and balance. The finish shows ripe lime and superb length. This one over delivers!

Wine Enthusiast - 93 Points!
2008 Schramsberg Brut Rosé
“A terrific blush bubbly, rich and sophisticated in the mouth. The mousse is very fine and silky, and the flavors are just tremendous. Raspberries, strawberries, brioche, sweet vanilla and toast end in a long, opulent swirl of spices. This Pinot Noir and Chard blend comes mostly from Napa and Sonoma counties.”

Wine Enthusiast - 94 Points!
2008 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs
“Made from 100% Chard grown mostly in Napa and Sonoma counties, this charming bubbly is one of the best blanc de blancs on the market. It’s rich and honeyed and feels so good in the mouth, carrying flavors of oranges, sweet limes, Meyer lemons, vanilla and toasty bread. Drink over the next six years.”

The Wine Advocate 94 Points!
2004 Aubry Nombre D’Or
“The 2004 Brut Nombre d'Or is a blend of all of the grapes found in Champagne; 25% Fromenteau and Pinot Blanc, 20% Pinot Noir, 20% Petit Meslier, 15% Arbanne, 5% Pinot Meunier and 5% Chardonnay. This is another gorgeous wine graced with exquisite elegance. An expressive, well-delineated bouquet leads to a crystalline fruit in this superbly crafted Champagne. The Veteres Vites gains volume and breath on the mid-palate but never loses its essential minerality and focus. My sense is that the wine is still holding back quite a bit in reserve. It should be even more fabulous in a few years’ time. Disgorged September, 2010 and bottled with 3 grams of dosage. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024.”

The Wine Advocate - 90 Points!
L. Aubry et Fils Brut
“The NV Brut is a pretty, graceful wine layered with expressive red fruit, dried roses and sweet herbs. It shows plenty of the house’s understated finesse and personality. The finish is round, caressing and totally inviting. The NV Brut makes a great introduction to the wines of Aubry, one of Champagne’s most fascinating growers. The NV Brut is 25% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir, 45% Meunier and 5% other grapes. This version is 45% 2008 juice and 55% a solera reserve spanning vintages 1999-2007. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2015.”

Wine Enthusiast
NV Adami Prosecco
Bosco di Gica
“Adami’s Bosco di Gica is among our favorite Brut Proseccos. The wine is delicate and feminine with drying mineral tones followed by plush fruit and floral tones. Creamy foam and good acidity move it smoothly forward over the palate.”

REDS

2007 Garofoli Colle Ambro
This Montepulciano has a huge aroma of rich, dark cherry fruit. It’s smooth on the palate with dried cherry, lavender, tobacco, and light toast notes from the oak. The finish has good tannins and lengthy dark fruit.

Rosso Veneto 1L
This is the 21st century version of the straw basket Chianti – except it’s mostly Corvina and a much better wine. This Corvino/Cabernet red has a dried cherry and tobacco aroma. It shows dried berry fruit and light earth notes on the palate. It’s full-flavored yet easy drinking and quite enjoyable. The finish shows dark fruit and hints of earth. Great everyday red!

2009 Banshee Napa Cabernet
Hooray economics!!! Increased supply of expensive grapes and low demand for them means bargains for you! This virtual winery buys astutely and sells affordably. This Cabernet has a huge aroma of big blackberry fruit. It’s rich on the palate with dark, black cherry, vanilla, and spice notes. The fruit is perfectly ripe and the acidity is balanced. The finish shows brambly fruit and great length. Stellar Cab!

Wine Enthusiast - 90 Points!
2009 Alexander Valley Vineyards Cabernet
“A fine Cab. for drinking now, and a good value. The wine feels rich and dry in the mouth, with spicy flavors of cherries, cola, herbs and sandalwood. Perfect with a nice charbroiled steak.”
Editors’ Choice

2007 Olos Merlot
This Tuscan Merlot has a light berry aroma with hints of violets. It’s slightly bright on the palate with good berry fruits – a nice combin-ation of blackberry and raspberry – and notes of vanilla. There’s even a hint of earthiness, and it is Tuscany after all, so you must have some terroir. This red has good concen-tration of flavor, too. The finish is medium-dry with tart berry notes and very good length.

2009 Fessy Beaujolais-Villages
This red starts with pretty aromas of dark berry fruit. It’s lush yet elegant on the palate, with richer (for Beaujolais) raspberry, berry flavors and just the perfect amount of acidity. It’s clean as well, with enough weight to pair with the heartier foods of fall. Let this one open up a bit, and you’ll find even more flavors. The finish is medium-dry with light tannins and dark, brambly fruit

2009 Clifford Bay Pinot Noir
I am finding more and more Kiwi Pinot Noirs that are good AND affordable, like this Clifford Bay. This PN has an aroma of roasted, dark red berry fruit with spice and earth notes. It shows great balance, with slightly bright strawberry and raspberry fruit, good acidity, and hints of spice and smoke. The mid-palate even has a slightly creamy texture. The flavors are well-integrated, and this red shows good structure. The finish is lengthy and flavorful with concentrated raspberry fruit.

The Wine Advocate - 88 Points
2008 Ilurce Solnia
“Ilurce’s 2008 Solnia is a blend of 50% Tempranillo and 50% Graciano. This purple-colored offering displays a bouquet of spice box, violets, and black cherry leading to a racy wine with vibrant acidity and plenty of savory black fruit for balance. Drink this excellent value over the next 4-5 years.”

2010 Barone Fini Merlot
This unoaked gem from Italy is a solid offering. It starts with aromas of dark, ripe berry fruit with a hint of spice. It has good weight on the palate with black fruits and dark plums. This red has good acidity and concentration of flavor. The finish is slightly bright with lengthy plum fruit. Solid red.

2007 South Six Napa Cabernet
Ignore the golf themed label and focus on this – prime Diamond Mountain fruit from a stellar vintage at a darn good price and by the way they only made 36 cases!!! This has an excellent aroma of cherry, brambly fruit, and dust. It has good concentra-tion on the palate with rich, dark fruit with a hint of Bordeaux dryness. This Cabernet has lovely fruit and is full-bodied yet easy drinking. The finish shows good grip with intense cherry fruit and huge length. Stellar Cab!

2009 Baron Solar Jumilla
This is why I love Spanish wine – superb price to flavor ratios. This example has an outstanding aroma of roasted blueberries and violets. It’s concentrated on the palate with liqueur-like black fruit and that leads to raisiny, caramel notes. The finish is concentrated with Port-like flavor of dark berries and very nice length. Great red!

2008 Razor’s Edge Cabernet
This is a fine Cabernet from Australia. Aromas of dark cherry, dust, and a hint of bell pepper lead to fresh cherry flavors on the palate. There are cedar, earth and menthol notes as well. This red has good structure and grip and the finish is quite lengthy with strawberry, raspberry, and hints of toast.

The Wine Advocate - 91 Points!
2007 M.Philips Shiraz 9
“The 2007 Shiraz 9 was aged for 18 mo. in a mix of new and used French and American oak. Opaque purple-colored, it delivers an excellent nose of cigar box, spice notes, mineral, blueberry, and blackberry. Full-bodied and firm on the palate, it has excellent depth, enough structure to evolve for several years, and good integration of oak, tannin, and acidity. Drink it from 2010 to 2020.”

The Wine Advocate - 91 Points!
2007 M. Philips S2 Cabernet
“The 2007 S2 Cab spent 16 mo. in oak. A glass-coating opaque purple color, it emits enticing notes of cedar, leather, earth, black currant, and blackberry. Medium to full-bodied, this firm Cabernet has enough structure to evolve for several years. It has excellent depth, savory black fruit flavors, plenty of spice, and good length. This well-balanced effort should be at its best from 2010 to 2017.

Wine Enthusiast - 92 Points!
2009 B Side Napa Cabernet
“A dramatically ripe, concentrated Cabernet, with fine, firm tannins framing blackberry, blueberry and cassis flavors. Really easy to drink now, and the price is quite good for the quality.”

Wine Enthusiast - 90 Points!
2009 Dom. Fontenille
“This blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah displays a complex array of aromas and flavors, ranging from black cherry to black olive and from clove to licorice. It’s richly structured, yet juicy, with a velvety feel. Drink now–2018.”

ADVENTUROUS

Vermut Falset
This Vermouth is made from Garnacha from the Montsant/ Priorat region in Spain. It’s aged in large oat vats employing the solera system, where some of the Vermouth in the vats is close to 100 years old. Falset uses 120 different herbs and spices in production. This yields aromas of thyme, rosemary, mint, and lavender with rich flavors of sweet cherry, mixed herbs, and bitter orange. The acidity, bitterness, and slight sweetness are well balanced, producing an interesting, complex, and flavorful aperitif. Amazing product.