| December 23rd, 2008 - Happy Holidays!! |
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| Find the hottest newly reviewed wines on WineZap! These are some of the highly regarded wine critics we listen to every week:
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| SF Chronicle - Top 100 Wines of the Year - Sparkling December Every year the Chronicle releases a list of what they consider some of the top wines of the year. Here are a few choice Bubblies for the New Year! NV Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rosé Starting at $18.66 "Once again the Davies family's Diamond Mountain winery delivers with its nonvintage offering, this time the rosé. Rich strawberry, roasted orange and spun sugar lead to lively, tangy peach flavors. Great tenacity on the palate, thanks in part to 48 percent Pinot Noir that adds depth." NV Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut Starting at $15.00 "It's still hard to believe that this Mendocino offshoot of the Champagne house delivers so much for the money. This widely available bottling is fresh and leesy, with green apple and crushed rock aromas. Buoyant acidity and squeezed orange flavors mix with wild berry, an ever-present edge and a refined bead. Winemaker Arnaud Weyrich uses just a touch of malolactic fermentation, which adds a welcome bit of extra body." |
| Wall Street Journal Dec. 22nd, 2008 By Dorothy J. Gaikter and John Brecher 2008's Most Thrilling - "The year's 'Delicious'-rated wines are an antidote to cynicism." Here are a few of the best! 2005 Chateau Latour Starting at $1,038.89 "Profound wine, with a gorgeous ruby color; intense, complex nose; tremendous focus and purity of taste; and a finish like a long drumroll. Harmonious balance of intense, rich blackberry fruit, oak and earth heightened by perfect acidity and tannins. Intricate, like an engraved coil, necessitating small, thoughtful sips. Impeccably made." 2005 Dead Letter Shiraz Starting at $13.99"Best of tasting. Rich and complete, with layers and layers of inky yet juicy fruit. Not even a hint of flab. Could age very nicely for quite some time." 2005 Vietti 'Scarrone' Barber d'Alba Starting at $35.85 "Serious wine, structured and sleek, full-bodied yet balanced. Reliable name." |
Dec. 23rd
The Wine Spectator Insider comes out weekly and often includes wines that are of limited production and often sell out quickly. They are also the best of the weekly tasting and range from good value wines to expensive rarites.
2006 Tor Bennet Valley Rock Cuvee Cooper Judge Family Grenache: 90pts
Starting at $52.99
"Supple, elegant and full-bodied, with a tasty mix of black cherry, plum, nutmeg, mineral and sandalwood notes, ending with finegrained tannins. Approachable now.."
2006 Saxum James Berry Vineyard Paso Robles: 92Pts Starting at $79.99"Pushes the pedal on ripeness, touching on jammy, full-blown and concentrated. Blackberry, graphite, plum jam and wild berry fruit is mouthcoating, as are the tannins. With air, gains a measure of finesse. Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre.."
2006 Dumol Russian River Eddies Patch Syrah: 91Pts Starting at $85.00"Intense and spicy, offering pepper, sage, wild berry and blackberry notes, with leathery scents, that are tight, focused and fullbodied. The flavors are slow to unfold, but as they do they reveal extra subtle nuances and fine-grained tannins.."
2004 Alban Edna Valley Seymour's vineyard Syrah: 98pts Starting at $239.00"Shows amazing depth, richness and concentration. Dark and savory, with tiers of blackberry, blueberry and wild berry fruit that takes on a smoky, meaty, gamy edge. Full-blown, mouthcoating and deliciously complex. The finish goes on and on."