Millie’s Picks – AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2008

Under $15.00

2006 Hayman & Hill Interchange - Santa Barbara, California
A white blend from Santa Barbara County. 47% Chardonnay, 34% Sauvignon Blanc, 7% Muscat Canelli, 5% Malvasia Bianca, 4% Semillon, and 3% Gewürtztraminer. It's a semi-dry wine with a huge nose of flowers, pineapple and mango. On the tongue it's a fruit bomb of bright citrus and apricot flavors, with lots of acidity and a bit of sweetness. It's an interesting wine, and one that I think would be a good bridge for someone trying to move beyond White Zinfandel or sweet Rieslings.

2006 Peirano Estates “The Other” White Wine – Lodi, California
“One is immediately struck by the vibrant color of this wine. The aromas of apples, pears and peaches are complemented by subtle spice and oak notes. Upon washing this elixir across the palate, a wave of green apple, ripe pears and peaches, with a hint of oak, lead to a long, totally seductive, finish." – Winery

2005 Avalon California Cabernet – California
"We believe that a good bottle of wine should cost about the same as a one-day ticket to Woodstock in 1969. Only by using grapes from around the state can we deliver on that promise. Coastal vineyards impart the core of intense fruit flavors found in our wines year after year. Blending also provides the layers of flavors that sing more like a band than a solo act." - Winery

2005 Jean-Marc Bernhard “Bouquet de Printemp” Pinot Blanc – Alsace, France
The leaf structure, clusters and berries so resemble Chardonnay that there are many vineyards in Europe where plantings of Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay are intermingled. Whether you suspect this is an imposter or not, what’s not in question is the sheer orange blossom and citrus fruity fun of this wine .

2005 Bodegas Martin Codex “Cuatro Pasos” Mencia – Bierzo, Spain
88 Points - Wine Advocate
The 2005 Cuatro Pasos is 100% Mencia from the increasingly fashionable Bierzo region. A custom cuvee selected by importer Eric Solomon, this is the first vintage of this wine made from 80-year-old vines and aged for 3 months in French and American oak. Purple-colored with fragrant plum and black cherry aromas, this supple, ripe wine has excellent depth and medium length. It is a superb value for a wine from Bierzo. Drink it over the next 2-3 years.

Under $20

2007 Two Wives Sauvignon Blanc – Napa Valley, California
92 points Wine Spectator: "Exquisitely fragrant, with orange blossom and honeysuckle notes. Effusive on the palate too, with ripe guava, nectarine, passion fruit and pink grapefruit flavors, with a wonderfully clean and refreshing acidity. Drink now. 963 cases made." (Tasting Highlight, 06/08)

2005 Jimenez Landi Mentrida Red Wine – Mentrida, Spain
90 Points Wine Advocate
50% Merlot, 35% Tempranillo, and 15% Syrah aged for 7 months in a mixture of French and American oak. Purple colored, this wine exhibits an attractive perfume of cedar, lavender, black currant and blackberry. I even got some grapey characteristics. Over all I found a plush wine with excellent depth and concentration, ripe, sweet fruit with firm structure and a long spicy finish. Poultry, even wild hen or pheasant, with a brown butter sauce and mild creamy cheeses like Gouda or fresh Mozzarella.

2006 R Wines “Luchador” Shiraz – South Australia
93 Points DWT / 91 Points Wine Advocate
Velvety texture and rich aromas of cedar, spice and dark fruit. Full on fruit on the palate, blueberry jam, blackberry, eucalyptus, and vanilla. It’s big and rich in the mouth, with a medium body and a long finish that sings of more vanilla and eucalyptus. Drink this great beauty of a wine thru 2014. Bravo!

2007 R Wines “Bitch” Grenache – South Australia
90 Points Robert Parker
Bitch, a provocatively named 100% Grenache from R Wines, achieves the potential of this difficult-to-grow grape. Winemakers Chris Ringland and Lisa Wetherell use fruit from the Barossa Valley in South Australia. Yields from the 25-year-old vines grown in sand over clay are modest, 3 to 5 tons an acre. Ripe quince and lifted spice with a rich juicy concentration, along with intensely perfumed characters come from the sandy loam soil, and dark berry characters from the heavier red-brown soils. Life may be a bitch, but this wine will keep the complaints away, at least while you're drinking it!

2005 Boarding Pass Shiraz – South Australia
92 Points Wine Advocate
The 2005 Shiraz was aged in French and American oakfor 12 months. Purple-colored, it is very expressive, with a nose of smoke, spice box, blackberry, and blueberry jam. Layered, supple-textured, sweet, and full-bodied, this seamless, crowd-pleasing wine offers a remarkably long finish for its humble price. Drink this awesome value over the next 6-8 years. - Jay Miller
 

Under $25

2005 Newton Chardonnay “Red Label” – Sonoma, California
91 Points – Connoisseurs Guide to Wine
This Chardonnay is 40% Napa County and 60% Sonoma County. Delicate aromas of white flowers, crisp apple, fresh pear, and toasted bread translate to rich fruit flavors on the palate. A burst of freshness unfolds with flavors of citrus, pear, apple, and honeydew melon. A discreet presence of oak evolves into spring-like acidity on the finish. Offering a brilliant balance of bright and lush fruits, Newton Chardonnay is a welcome companion to the dining table. Try it with classic seafood pairings such as fresh crab or a rock shrimp salad and with creamy dishes such as roasted sweet corn soup or roasted pumpkin risotto.

2003 Legaris “Tempranillo” Crianza – Ribera del Duero, Spain
90 Points Wine Spectator
"A silky texture carries plum, tobacco, coffee and mineral flavors over ripe tannins in this balanced red. Berry and vanilla notes linger on the finish. Drink now through 2013. 23,000 cases made." Legaris Crianza 2003, produced by the Legaris winery, has been awarded the Golden Bacchus in the latest Bacchus World International Wine Competition.

2001 Sensi “Testardo” Sangiovese/Cabernet – Tuscany, Italy
90 Points Vinosaurus / 87 Points Wine Spectator
Sensi is a Super Tuscan from the Chianti region of Italy. The term "Super Tuscan" means that the wine is using French style grapes in addition to the more traditional ones. The Sensi is a blend of 30% Cabernet with 70% Sangiovese. The wine is aged for 12 months in oak, then another 24 in the bottle. It has rich berry flavors, with a smooth mouthfeel and long finish.

2001 Crociani Vino Nobile di Montipulciano Riserva – Tuscany, Italy
90 Points Vinosaurus
Made from Prugnolo Gentile, Canaiolo Nero and Mammolo grapes. The color is Ruby red with orange tints due to maturation. The bouquet is delicate and intense with pronounced notes of violet. On the palate it is dry, bitterish, harmonious, slightly tannic. Released for sale after at least two years' ageing in oak barrels.
Because of its characteristics it can be described as a "meditation wine" after long ageing.
Minimum alcoholic strength 12.5° To be drunk with roasts of red meats, poultry and game, it should be decanted beforehand and served at a temperature of around 18/20°C.

2005 Slingshot Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa Valley, California
91 Points Vinosaurus
Slingshot's Napa Valley Cab is vibrant and precise, full of black fruit and pencil lead on the nose, with hints of purple sage. In the mouth black berries, fresh roasted coffee and caramel mingle with savory herbs and hints of vanilla. The flavors are framed by soft, round tannins and a burst of acidity. Enjoy it now for its youthful exuberance or lay it down for a few years to let it develop the more subtle nuances of age.

Must Try at Any Price

2003 Corte Riva Merlot – Napa Valley, California
92 Points - Robert Parker (Wine Advocate)
***Very Few Left in Stock
"The 2003 Merlot is knock-out stuff, with a big, chocolaty, berry nose, a dense plum/purple color, and broad, intense flavors of smoke, berries, herbs, and chewy, fleshy fruit. This is a beauty to drink over the next 5-7 years."

2002 Kiona Cabernet Sauvignon – Columbia Valley, Washington
89 Points Wine Spectator / 88 Points Wine Enthusiast
Blended from selected vineyards to emphasize good fruit and supple structure, our Washington Cabernet utilizes entirely free-run juice. The wine is taken through a complete malolactic fermentation to improve complexity and richness, and is aged in French and American Oak for approximately 18 months. It is deeply colored, contains moderate to high fine grained, well integrated tannins and will age well. Bordeaux blending with Merlot and Cab Franc make this a Cabernet not to be forgotten.

2006 Penner Ash “Dussin Ranch” Pinot Noir – Willamette, Oregon
90 Points Wine Spectator
“Smooth and velvety, with a lithe feel to the plum, pepper and sweet spice flavors, lingering softly and becoming more expressive with each succeeding sip. Best from 2009 through 2013. 725 cases made. –HS”


2006 Molly Dooker Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz – South Australia
96 Points - Jay Miller - The Wine Advocate
***Very Few Left of Vintage
"The 2006 Shiraz 'Blue Eyed Boy' is predominantly Padthaway fruit. Purple-colored, it has an intense aromatic display of smoke, violets, mulberry, blueberry, and chocolate. This leads to a full-bodied, plush, wine with layers of ripe, spicy black fruits, excellent focus and delineation. The tannins are well-concealed but this wine has enough stuffing to evolve for 6-8 years. Drink it through 2025."

2001 Etude Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa Valley, California
93 Points Wine Spectaor / 91 Points Connoisseur’s Guide
***Very Few Left of Vintage
“A bold, rich, concentrated wine with lots of flavor dimensions and excellent structure. Dense and complex, with currant, anise, cedar and fresh earth flavors, it picks up chocolate and mocha on the finish, and should only get better over the next couple of years. Best from 2005 through 2013. 2,200 cases made. JL” – Wine Spectator “High in loamy, woodsy, caramelly complexities and solidly fruity in both nose and mouth, this fairly full-bodied bottling is supple and ever so slightly fleshy in palatefeel with underlying strata of ripe fruit, tannin and a dollop of finishing heat. Its solid center of fruit and good depth carries it and allows full expression of its black cherry, curranty, oaky flavors, and those attractions hold admirably in the lingering aftertaste.” – Connoisseurs Guide