Chateau Ste. Michelle 2000 Canoe Ridge Merlot (Washington St.)

Deep ruby red. Cedar box scent with crushed blackberries. Jammy but not overbearing. Overall nice fruit. Medium long finish with fine tannins and a nice lush mouthfeel.

This was another club shipment from Wine.com for $22. This was a very pleasant surprise and another confirmation that Washington State does some pretty darn fine Merlot. I would recommend this for merlot lovers. Although Wine.com is no longer carrying the 2000 vintage, I would recommend trying the 2002 if you come across it.

2003 Viticcio Chianti Classico Riserva (Italy-Tuscany)

Deep garnet color. Flinty nose with definite blackberry and some vanilla. Earthy and spicy. Medium long length. I loved the 2001 vintage of this wine and I think the 2003 is at the same level or close.

If you have the opportunity to give this a couple years of bottle age, it will soften out even more. If not, try to decant it for about an hour before serving.

This wine is available and can currently be found at Astor Wine and Spirits for $22 which is about the going rate for this wine. It’s very much a recommended wine from me.

2002 Stonestreet Merlot (Napa Valley)

Rudy red color and medium bodied wine with a soft texture and a mid-length finish. Smokey oak on the nose along with an earthy cherry scent. Not very complex but not bad either.

I don’t think this is another buy for me but it wasn’t unpleasant. Fans of Merlot might want to check this out if the price is right. This is $17 from Wine.com and was part of a wine club I used to belong to.

1996 Clos du Marquis (Bordeaux-St. Julien)

Cedar notes and dark fruit on the nose. Soft lush texture with dark cherry and blueberry taste which is interesting as I typically associate those flavors more with a pinot noir, usually the big ones from California. There are also tobacco notes more reminiscent of Bordeaux and the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. Long finish. Wonderful mouthfeel. Fantastic.

This was bought on my trip to Bordeaux for approximately $35. One of the few deals I found on my trip there. I haven’t seen this in a store for a while but it can be found on the internet via WineZap.com from $45 to $60.

August 2006 - Recent Notes and Postings

August is typically a busy month for most people as there are vacations to be taken and the sunny weather to enjoy. For us, there has been that and the addition of a new house (or rather a 100 year old Victorian). Getting it ready for moving into has cut into our wine drinking some but we've managed to uncork a few bottles.

The biggest revelations have been the 2001 Querciabella Chianti Classico from Tuscany and the 2001 Redstone from Coriole Vineyards in Australia. Both are mid-priced wines which you would expect to be quality bottlings but with a couple extra years of cellar age, they really blossomed. Try the 2001 Querciabella alongside the 2003 and you'll see the difference.

The rest of the summer has been filled with crisp whites to combat the heat. The best of these have included the 2005 Leitz Dragonstone Riesling from Germany, the 2005 Domaine de Pouy from France, and a bunch of fantastic 2005 Rieslings from the Finger Lakes region of Update New York. You'll find my notes on these in the coming weeks.

Enjoy.

2001 Querciabella Chianti Classico (Tuscany-Italy)

The 2001 Querciabella Chianti Classico is another wine that has benefited greatly from a couple extra years in the bottle. The wine is dark red in color with wonderful aromas of oak, allspice, cloves and dark forest fruit with earthy elements underneath. The fruit really comes through on the palate with the focus on blackberry. However, notes of chocolate can be detected as well. A nice balance of fruit and tannins leave a wonderfully lush texture a medium long finish.

The 2001 Querciabella is drinking beautifully now, especially when compared to the 2003 vintage. It is another testament to how wonderful a mid-priced red wine can develop into something special with just a little patience.

This wine typically sells for approximately $20 to $25 a bottle and the predominate vintage in stores now is 2003 which is available at Garnet Wines on 68th and Lexington among other stores. The 2001 can be found at Italian Wine Merchants near Union Square for $25 and at De Vino in SoHo for $19. If you can’t find the 2001, try the 2003 and buy a bottle to lay down for a while if you like it.

2001 Coriole "Redstone" Shiraz-Cabernet (Australia)

Coriole’s 2001 Redstone is a testament to how a couple of extra years of bottle age can add an extra layer of complexity to a wine.

The 2001 Redstone is dark red in color with beautiful aromatics including dark fruit and the contents of a spice cabinet. Fruit emerges on the tast buds as well with blackberry, black currant, and cassis. Soft tannins lead to a soft texture with a nice long finish.

The blend is 80% Shiraz and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.

This wine was originally a gift and is a little hard to come by now but internet searches have shown it still available at some wine shops across the US for around $20 a bottle. This is a great value and again, a testament to what a couple of years of cellaring can do for a mid-priced, solidly made wine.

2005 Domaine de Pouy (France)

Domaine de Pouy from the Gascogne region of France and made primarily of the Ugni Blanc grape is a fantastic white wine value all depending on how much you end up paying.

The 2005, like the other vintages we’ve had before, is straw yellow in color with light citrus and floral aromas mingled in with just a touch of melon. There is a base of minerality here which makes this a very refreshing wine. It’s a medium bodied, medium finish wine with a soft and somewhat round texture. Overall, a great and simple summer quaffer.

The Domaine de Pouy is available in New York at a variety of wine shops although the only place I have seen it consistently at is Union Square Wines which sells it for $10. However, that is at the upper end of what this wine is worth in my opinion and I have bought it for much cheaper elsewhere (and even at Union Square when they first started to carry it). Garnet Wine on 68th and Lexington has had this wine in stock for $6 to $7 at which point it’s a fantastic value. This particular bottle was purchased at Austin Wine Merchants in Texas for $8 which is the most I would pay for it.

2005 Leitz Dragonstone Riesling (Germany)

The 2005 Leitz Dragonstone Riesling is a pale straw yellow in color with a light citrus nose. The emphasis is on lime which also expresses itself on the palate. Medium finish. The wine has a rounder texture with lighter acidity than some other Rieslings I’ve had recently. Overall, this is still a very refreshing and easy to drink wine.

This was bought on a trip to Austin, Texas at a fantastic store call Austin Wine Merchants. The store is very much worth a visit if you are in the area as they have wines that I think are hard to come by even in New York.

The 2005 Leitz Dragonstone Riesling sold there for $15 and I think that is on the high end for what this is worth. Any more than that and I might walk away from it the next time. In New York, you can find this wine at Union Square Wines and at Crush on East 57th St. for $15 or at PJ Wine for $11 at which point it is worth picking up.

1999 Peter McCoy "Clos des Pierres" Reserve Chardonnay (Napa Valley)

The 1999 Peter McCoy “Clos des Pierres” Reserve is an unfiltered Chardonnay from California’s Napa Valley. It has a golden color with a complex aroma containing vanilla, caramel, white pepper, and possibly cinnamon. It also shows its oak wood influence. The wine has a soft texture with a vanilla bean and caramel taste and a medium finish.

This is a complex wine with a lot to offer but its overall lack of any minerality and low acidity left it an unbalanced wine for me.

This was bought at Cellar 72 on the Upper East Side for $32 and at that price point, I could have probably done better for my taste. Fans of California Chardonnays might want to try this and judge for themselves though.

July 2006 - Recent Notes and Postings

It’s been about a month since I’ve posted on the main page but I haven’t stopped tasting wine and in fact, have been adding to tasting notes and have also come across a fantastic restaurant specializing in Alsatian food and wines but its biggest selling point might be a list of over 150 beers from all across the world.

It being summer, we’ve been tasting a lot of white wines. The best of which has been the 2003 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr from Selbach-Oster, a Riesling Auslese from the Mosel Saar Ruwer region of Germany. It’s a beautiful wine that can be enjoyed now but could also benefit from a couple more years of bottle age. Another great find is the 2005 Gramona ‘Gessami’ from Spain, a blend of Moscatel and Sauvignon Blanc that is crisp and refreshing with a lot of minerality. On the value end is the 2005 Jardin de la Fruitiere from the Loire region of France, another bright, crisp wine for summer drinking and a great find at about $10 a bottle. The best red of the month was the 2004 Domaine Alfred Pinot Noir - Chamisal Vineyards from Edna Valley in Central California. It’s an excellent Pinot Noir and at approximately $30, it stacks up well against other Central Coast Pinot’s for $50 or more.

As for restaurants, try and check out Café D’Alsace on the Upper East Side, a fantastic restaurant with great Alsatian food, a fine wine list and an excellent selection of beers and ales from all over the world.

2002 Benton Lane - First Class Pinot Noir (Oregon)

The 2002 Benton Lane – First Class is another Pinot Noir is from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. It’s deep ruby red in color and the nose is a mix of dark cherry, blueberry and blackberry. There is also a lighter scent of spices but overall, its dominated by the fruit. It has a “berry” taste with the blueberries on top and cherries underneath with a long finish.

Their regular Benton Lane Pinot Noir bottling is more available at approximately $25 a bottle. This is about $10 more in cost. You can purchase it from the winery for $35 a bottle or it can be found for the same price at Sherry Lehmann.

2004 Ravines Dry Riesling (Finger Lakes)

The 2004 Ravines Dry Riesling from the Finger Lakes region of New York is straw yellow in color. It has a mineralality to it with lighter notes of citrus, most notably lemon, on the nose. Floral aromas also emerge. The taste is crisp with a nice acidic balance and a medium finish.

Overall this is a good example of a Finger Lake Riesling but I have had better.

The 2005 vintage is out now which I have yet to try but if you believe scores, it received 90 points from Wine Enthusiast. That wine sells for $18 at Vintage New York and can also be found upstate at Northside Wine and Liquor in Ithaca for $16.

Café D’Alsace - East 88th St. and 2nd Ave. (Upper East Side)

Café D’Alcase has quickly become one of my favorite New York restaurants is a relatively short period of time. On two visits, I’ve had and sampled about a half dozen of their Alsacian influenced dishes and have loves every single on of them. If you go, think about having the warm potato salad and a couple of their perfectly cooked sausages. All the entrees are fantastic with my favorites being their Baeckeoffe (lamb shoulder, oxtails, bacon, potatoes, and onion braised in Brooklyn Lager) and the classic choucroute garni (pork prepared as chops, sausages, and bacon serves with sauerkraut).

Topping all of this and making a must destination for beer lovers is their list of 120 beers from all over the world with a heavy emphasis on the classic regions of Germany and Belgium. Not to be overlooked is a very good wine list. Although I have yet to order wine here, I’ve noticed several good Rieslings on the list that I plan to try in future visits.

Desserts are very good with the best of the bunch being an excellent crème brulee.

Digestives are good too with some nicely prices ports and dessert wines. On my last trip I found a 1944 Royal Oporto Colheita for $23. Not cheap but when faced with an opportunity to try anything from 1944, I couldn’t pass it up. The port was light rudy red in color with notes of nutmeg, cherry, chocolate and cedar. Spices also abound with an emphasis on cinnamon and possibly clove. It had a lovely sleek mouthfeel with a long lasting finish. Amazing. The best port I’ve ever had.

This place is worth a trip.

2003 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr - Riesling Auslese - Selbach-Oster (Germany)

The 2003 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr - Riesling Auslese from Selbach-Oster in Germany’s Mosel Saar Ruwer region is bright yellow in color with honey and floral notes dominating. There are also beautiful hints of honeysuckle, pears, apricots, and even lime. It’s a very complex riesling. There’s bright acidy and zing with a nice long finish that coats the mouth. This is an excellent wine that can benefit from a couple more years in the bottle.

The listed retail price of this wine is around $50 which might seem like a lot to pay for a bottle of wine but bargin hunters can find this a D. Sokolin in Long Island for $26. It’s actually the only place I’ve seen it for sale in New York. It’s worth picking up a couple of bottle of this for lying down.

2005 Jardin de la Fruitiere (Loire - France)

The 2005 Jardin de la Fruitiere is a very bright and crisp wine with a straw yellow color. Melon, citrus and light floral notes mark the nose along with nice minerality on the palate. Very balanced with a crisp finish.

The wine is from Domaine de la Fruitiere in France’s Loire Valley and is a blend of Chardonnay, Melon de Bourgogne, and Sauvignon Blanc.

This wine is a good value wine at $10 from Chelsea Wine Vault and at this point, I think it’s the only place I’ve seen it sold at.

1996 Chateau de Sales (Pomerol - Bordeaux)

The 1996 Chateau de Sales from the Pomerol region of Bordeaux is ruby red in color. The fruit that comes out the most is blueberry but other than that, it’s a bit single noted. It’s very minerally in the mouth with a medium finish. It lacks acidity and that makes it slightly off balance. The wine is probably nearing the end of its lifespan. I wish I had tasted it in its more vibrant state.

This wine can be found for $22 at Sherry Lehmann but beware of the $45 price tag at Park Avenue Liquor Shop. It’s not worth that kind of price.

1999 Ruffino Riserva Ducale (Chianti - Italy)

The 1999 Ruffino Riserva Ducale from Italy’s Chianti Classico region is a rich dark red in color with a fruity, predominantly blackberry nose mingles with an oak and earthiness. Soft mouthfeel with a medium finish. Nicely balanced overall and a good wine.

The wine can be found at a wide range of prices. While I haven’t seen the 1999 vintage in NYC Wine Shops in a while, a quick search of WineZap.com shows it for in the $30 to $40 range. However, you can find the 2002 for $25 at K&D Wines on the Upper East Side and even for $18 at PJ Wine and Liquors in Upper Manhattan.

2004 Ognissole Primitivo di Mandura from Feudi di San Gregorio (Italy)

The 2004 Ognissole Primitivo di Mandura from Feudi di San Gregorio is dark garnet colored and earthy wine. There’s a noticeable mineralality on the nose with tar, blackberry and dark cherry fruit. My biggest knock against this wine is that it’s a bit too acidic, hot, and off balance. It ends with a medium-short finish.

Even with it being slightly off balance, it’s a good example of an Italian Zinfandel and a decent value if you can find it under $15. If not, look around for a better value. This bottle was park of a wine club from Wine.com and costs $20.

2003 Ambra Carmignano (Italy)

The 2003 Carmignano – Santa Cristina in Pilli from Ambra is dark red in color with blackberry and currant along with other dark fruit on the nose. It’s a very fruit forward wine with nice balance, a soft texture and a medium finish. Very easy drinking.

I bought this wine as a way of trying to learn more about the Carmignano grapes from Italy and as a way to break out of the “Chianti” mode when looking for value oriented Italian red wines. Overall this fit nicely into that mold.

I bought this for $11 at Garnet Wine and Liquor on 68th St. and Lexington.

2005 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand)

Another great New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is the 2005 Kim Crawford. It’s straw yellow in color with a certain luminescence and a very nice floral and citrus-lemon nose. Nice balance and a fresh, crisp finish. This is a real easy drinker for the summer.

This is the house wine at the Renaissance Hotel in mid-town Manhattan which is where I had it most recently. However, it’s widely available and can be found at K&D Wines on the Upper East Side and Beacon Wine on the Upper West Side for $14. PJ Wines in Upper Manhattan has the best deal around where it sells for $11.

2004 Vina Godeval (Spain)

The 2004 Vina Godeval from Valdorras, Spain is deep yellow in color with tropical fruit and hints of citrus on the nose. The wine is dry, even with the tropical fruit, is well balanced, and has a nice medium finish. It’s not overly complex but is great for a hot summer day and could also be used as a white alternative for a red wine at a BBQ.

The Vina Godeval sells for $16 at Slope Cellars in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
This wine note was contributed by Lisa Bocchini, a good friend and wine enthusiast who has been turning me on to great German Rieslings that she has come across in her Brooklyn travels.

2004 Van Duzer Pinot Noir (Oregon)

The 2004 Van Duzer Pinot Noir is from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The wine has a black cherry color. The nose is smoky oak and spice with dark fruit underneath. The woodsy or earthiness of the wine masks a taste of sour cherry. Soft tannins with a medium long finish. Overall, I think this is a slightly tart and off-balance wine that is a disappointment when compared to their fantastic 2003 offering.

Van Duzer has been a hard wine to find in the stores of late and I really haven’t seen it carried in many NYC wine stores. This bottle was found at Liquor City in Syracuse, NY for $24.

2005 Gramona ‘Gessami’ (Spain)

The 2005 Gramona ‘Gessami’ is a Spanish white from Catalonia that is a mix of Moscatel and Sauvignon Blanc. Straw yellow color with notes of honeydew and grapefruit along with floral notes. There’s also a nice minerality the wine. It’s crisp and has a nice balance of fruit and acidity. It’s a great refreshing summer white.

The only place I’ve seen this wine is at Vino Vino for approximately $16 but keep an eye out for it at other wine shops. It’s worth picking up a bottle.

2001 Cantina Zaccagnini Riserva (Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - Italy)

The 2001 Cantina Zaccagnino Riserva from Italy’s Montepulciano d’Abruzzo region is garnet colored with lots of fruit, including strong notes of blueberry and kirsch. Smooth texture with a medium finish.

This is a good everyday wine but not wine to ponder much. I’ve also found it better in the past having had both the 1999 and 2000 vintages.

I discovered this wine as a $20 bottle at Po, an Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village that used to be run by Mario Batali as his first endeavor in New York and is now run by his partner Steve Crane. It’s fantastic and this was one of the best wine values on the list.

The wine is also commonly known as “The Twig Wine” because of the twig wrapped around the neck of the bottle. It can be found at Garnet Wine on 68th and Lexington for $12 and they almost always have it in stock.