Armador Carmenere 2005

Color: opaque purple

Nose: blackberry, mocha, capsicum

Palate: intense smoky dark fruit & mocha with heavy tart & tannin. Noticeably vegetal. Very interesting and well made.

Food Pairing: Argetinean asado

Alcohol: 13.5%

Verdict: very intense & powerful. Not crazy about the presence of vegetal note, though.

Perrier-Jouet NV

Color: bright straw with beautiful bubbles

Nose: honeysuckle, brioche, stewed yellow apple, citrus

Palate: honey, brioche, candied apple, citrus & marzipan. Very long citrusy & chalky finish.

Alcohol: 12%

Food Pairing: raw or fried oysters, soft French cheese, lobster with drawn butter, crème fraiche w/ caviar, creamed soup

Purchased from: Rye Brook, NY

Price: $15

Verdict: Love it! Elegant & refined.

Freestone Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2007

Color: dark ruby

Nose: dark cherry, mocha, orange peel

Palate: intense upfront dark fruit & mocha with a noticeable ashy undertone. Well rounded. Bright and long finish w/ grippy tannin.

Alcohol: 13.5%

Purchased from: Freestone winery directly

Verdict: very intense & ripe fruit, well balanced. However, it seemed to lack some finesse and the restraint that some Oregon Pinot Noirs, e.g. Domaine Drouhin, have.

Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes 2007

Color: opaque ruby

Nose: dried black fruit, cinnamon, baking spices, Earth, chocolate

Palate: up front black cherry & prune. Good acidity. Finished with crushed rocks & grippy tannin. Complex & refined yet showed a lot of concentration.

Alcohol: 15.5%

Food Pairing: winter stews, games, charcuterie

Tasted at: Zachys, NY

Price: $450 ($360 on sale this week). That's right, it's not a typo.

Noteworthy: old vines. WA rated 100 points.

Verdict: Excellent juice!

Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

Color: opaque ruby with long legs

Nose: dark chocolate, cigar box, cassis, sandlewood

Palate: opulent, candied black fruit, dark chocolate, a hint of tobacco, good minerality w/ grippy tannin. Still young, could use another 10 years in the cellar.

Alcohol: 12.8%

Food Pairing: expresso rubbed steak

Purchased from: Silver Oak (vertical vintage)

Verdict: WOW! I think I'm in love.

I opened the bottle because Robert Parker's WA rated 2000 a poor vintage for Calif Cabs, I wonder what other vintages of this wine would taste like.

Cascina Feipu dei Massaretti Pigato 2008

Color: bright gold, oily

Nose: sage/oregano, citrus, stone fruit, pinenuts

Palate: full body. Well integrated stone fruit, ash, glycerin/lemon oil, herbs & pinenuts. Beautiful finish. Complex.

Alcohol: 13%

Food Pairing: butternut squash ravioli with sage butter, pasta w/ pesto sauce

Purchased from: Astor Wines, NY

Price: $22.99

Noteworthy: made from 80 year old vines

Verdict: Lovely! Perfect wine for the fall with some soft cheeses or hearty dishes.

Canaletto Pinot Noir 2006

Color: bright red

Nose: soft, inviting raspberry & pomegranite with a subtle hint of milk chocolate & orange zest.

Palate: bright red fruit, orange peel and high acidity dominated the palate. Ended with a very very long, soft, & elegant finish.

Tasted at: Todd English's Tuscany in Mohegan Sun

Price: $9 per glass

Verdict: A great find! Very easy going and enjoyable, just like a boy next door.

2004 Luigi Baudana Barolo Cerretta

Color: opaque red with brownish hue

Nose: inviting nose of rose, tart, dark cherry, cocoa, tobacco & tea. Very intense & orgasmic.

Palate: Beautiful black cherry, chocolate, candied fruit, sandalwood and tart. Velvety texture with integrated tannin. Ended with a long chalky finish. I've never had any Barolo this intense & complex. Absolutely delicious!

Tasted at: New Canaan, CT

Noteworthy: single vineyard -> Cerretta

Verdict: Pio Cesare, move over.  This is one of the best wines I've tasted in 2010.

2007 Amayna Pinot Noir

Color: dark ruby

Nose: bouquet of dark chocolate, black cherry, spices, plum, cigar box & a bit vegetal

Palate: started out strong with very enticing forward fruit and dark chocolate, but fizzled at the end with a hallow finish. Interesting but still need work.

Alcohol: 14.5%

Purchased from: Astor Wines, NY

Price: $28.99

Noteworthy: one of Jancis Robinson's fav Pinot Noirs.

Verdict: Good, just not for me, especially for the price.

2007 Domaine Antonin Guyon Corton Clos du Roy

Color: dark ruby

Nose: smoke, Earth, mushroom, black cherry

Palate: candied cherries with generous amount of dark chocolate, mushroom and vanilla. Very complex & focused. Soft & polished tannin.

Alcohol: 13.5%

Food Pairing: beef bourguignon or grilled lamb chop w/ a side of rosemary potatoes & candied yam.

Purchased from: Union Square Wines, NY

Price: $49.99

Verdict: Absolutely fantastic! Elegant, sophisticated, has finesse!  Definitely my kind of wine.

Heck, it's a Grand Cru for crying out loud.

2007 Argyle Pinot Noir Reserve

Color: dark ruby

Nose: red raspberry, milk chocolate, vanilla, tea

Palate: gorgeous cranberry & milk chocolate initially attacked the sides of the tongue then finished with vanilla at tip of the tongue.  Very generous red fruit, but not as interesting as the 08 non-Reserve that I tasted yesterday.

Alcohol: 13.5%

Purchased from: Port Chester, NY

Price: $31.99

Verdict: Too much American oak, can't get much tertiary flavors.  I'll pass.

2008 Argyle Pinot Noir

Color: dark ruby

Nose: red raspberry, milk chocolate, vanilla, tea

Palate: gorgeous cranberry & milk chocolate initially attacked the sides of the tongue then finished with coconut vanilla at tip of the tongue. Very generous fruit, but not as interesting as the 08 non-Reserve that I tasted yesterday.

Alcohol: 13.5%

Food Pairing: paired it w/ terriyaki salmon from Fairway, the combined matched very well. The salmon had some smokiness to it, which was offset by the sweat leather/vanilla of the Pinot Noir.

Purchased from: Port Chester, NY

Price: $31.99

Verdict: Too much American oak, can't get much tertiary flavors. I'll pass.

NV Laurent Perrier

NV Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne

Color: bright straw with fine bubbles

Nose: brioche, baked yellow apple, hazelnut

Palate: good acidity and vanilla that envelops the mouth upon entry. Generous vanilla, hazelnut & stewed apple with hints of Earth & mushroom. Slightly more serious than a Veuve or Perrier Jouet.

Food Pairing: poached salmon, caviar on top of crème fraiche & cracker

Purchased from: DFS in Paris

Verdict: Nice!

2008 Ken Wright Pinot Noir Guadalupe Vineyard

Color: ruby

Nose:  cranberry, Asian spices, Burgundian

Palate:  generous cranberry with dusting of Asian spices, soy & vanilla.  Bright acidity with a very long finish.  Grippy tannin makes it very vibrant and interesting.

Food Pairing: salmon with soy sauce, 3-cup chicken over rice, Peking duck

Purchased from:  White Plains, NY

Price: $23.99/half bottle

Verdict: Love everything except the price

2007 Mauro Veglio Dolcetto D'Alba

Color: ruby

Nose: cranberry, red cherry, milk chocolate, vanilla, hints of cabbage & Earth.

Palate: upfront high acidity albeit light body & silky tannin framed this elegant wine. After about 30 seconds, initial bright cherry & licorice turned into brioche, milk chocolate and Earth.

Alcohol: 13.5%

Food Pairing: gnocchi in meat sauce, chicken parm, turkey breast w/ cranberry sauce & stuffing.

Verdict: A wine w/ finesse. Definitely getting a case while my Grand Cru Burgundies age.

2005 Callabriga Douro Reserva

Color: opaque ruby with brownish hue

Nose: smoke, mint, blueberries

Palate: this wine has a big, imposing presence/structure.  Burst of raisins, blueberries, dark chocolate, smoke & mint upon entry.  Complex wine w/ earthy undertone.  Almost like drink a non-fortified Port.  I actually like it slightly chilled.
Alcohol: 12.5%

Food Pairing: grilled chorizo, skirt steak w/ chimichuri sauce, Bandeja Paisa.

Verdict: Nice!

Pierre Moncuit Blanc de Blancs NV RM

Color: bright gold w/ greenish hue.

Nose: brioche, stone fruit, jasmine, citrus

Palate: nice mouthful of citrus, honeysuckle, jasmine and vanilla. Ended w/ a long, citrus, sweet finish!

Alcohol: 12.5%

Purchased at:  RyeBrook, NY for $34.73

Noteworthy: 2005 juice had 9 grams of dosage

Verdict: Lovely!  A steal for the price point.

2003 Château Tour Haut-Caussan Cru Bourgeois Superieur Medoc

Color: ruby with brown tint

Nose: bouquet of dark fruit, licorice, earth & mint.

Palate: Initially, the wine yielded a lot of generous black fruit, licorice, chocolate & mint.   It had noticeable tannin and ended with a long dry finish.  A well structured & balanced wine.  After a couple of hours, there was more tea, tobacco & got more earthy.

Alcohol: 13.5%

Tasted at: A client's home in New Canaan, CT

Verdict: Very nice!

2002 Jordan Cabernet Alexander Valley

Color: opaque ruby with a brownish tint

Nose: generous bouquet of black current, sandlewood, herbs & sweet leather.

Palate: casis, licorice, vanilla, dark chocolate, huge & imposing body, ends with chalkiness & tannin that coat the whole mouth

Alcohol: 13.5%

Purchased from: Jordan Winery

Verdict: Absolutely beautiful! Definitely a steak wine.  Could use another 5-10 yrs in the cellar.

2003 Boutinot Seguret Les Coteaux Schisteaux

Color: ruby

Nose: sweet leather, raspberry, baking spices, tobacco & earth

Palate: vanilla, ripe cherry, red spices, very earthy

Alcohol: 14%

Tasted at: New Canaan, CT

Verdict: Very nice. Ready to drink NOW!

2007 Clos de L'Oratoire des Papes CDP

Color: opaque ruby

Nose: raisin, cranberry, beautiful red/black fruit

Palate: bright acidity, ripe cherry, chocolate, candied fruit, medium tannin with wet stones.  A very complex wine that has got good balance & finesse.

Food Pairing: game, charcuterie, truffle rubbed steak.

Alcohol: 14%

Tasted at: New Canaan, CT

Verdict: Very nice!

2008 Louis Jadot Pouilly Fuisse Village

Color: bright yellow

Nose: white flowers, citrus, green apple

Palate: beautiful citrus and stone fruit.  Nice body with good acidity & mouthfeel.  Ended with a long mineral finish.

Food Pairing: chicken with broccoli, anything with white cream sauce

Tasted at: Louis Jadot, Beaune

Verdict: My absolute favorite out of a total of 13 wines

2008 Joseph Drouhin Clos Des Mouches

Color: bright yellow

Nose: floral & perfumy with hints of baking spices

Palate: beautiful citrus & stone fruit with very good concentration & focus. Lovely finish with noticeable minerality.

Food Pairing: pear w/ arugula salad

Purchased from: RyeBrook, NY

Price: $86.99

Noteworthy: (1) Mouches = bees/flies.  (2) Veronique Drouhin-Boss's grandpa's favorite!

Verdict: Absolutely amazing!

2008 Jean-Claude Thevenet & Fils Macon Pierreclos

Color: bright yellow

Nose: vanilla, baking spices, hazelnut, forest floor

Palate: mirabelle, acacia, hazelnut, banana peel, good acidity & minerality.  The perfume & hazelnut finish was very overwhelming and rough around the edges.

Food Pairing: grilled shrimp, linguine with white claim sauce

Purchased from: Steward Leonard, CT

Price: $20

Verdict:  Not for me!

2006 Fontezopa Marine Marche Rosso

Color: ruby

Nose: red cherry

Palate: bright red cherry with medium+ tannin.  Beautiful acidity with some hints of milk chocolate, black pepper & licorice.

Food Pairing: pasta w/ duck raghu, gnocci with meat sauce.

Alcohol: 13.5%

Price: $15 per glass @ Lupa, NYC

Noteworthy: unfiltered and unfined.

Verdict: Very nice!

2007 Jean-Claude Bachelet et Fils Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Vielles Vignes

Color: dark ruby

Nose: attractive milk chocolate & vanilla, mocha, raspberry, licorice, Earth/forest floor & Asian spices

Palate:  bright acidity enveloped the whole mouth then the minerality & tannin kicked in.  Ended with a medium finish at the tip of the tongue.  Very complex & masculine, though it didn't seem to have the long finish that the Potel Vosne-Romanee had.

Food Pairing: boeuf bourguignon

Alcohol: 13%

Purchased from: Astor Wines, NY

Price: $30 (on sale)

Verdict: Very nice!

2007 Nicolas Potel Vosne-Romanee Vielles Vignes

Color: dark ruby

Nose: dark cherry, chocolate/mocha, earth, Asian spices

Palate: bright acidity and grippy tannin coat the whole mouth then it ends with a beautiful, long finish.  Complex wine with lots of actions going on, e.g.  dark cherry, pomegranate, cranberry, soy sauce.

Food Pairing: goat tagine, mushroom risoto, cranberry & walnut couscous.

Alcohol: 13%

Purchased from: RyeBrook, NY

Verdict: Very nice!

Poggio Dei Vigneti Prosecco Extra Dry

Color: pale straw with nice bubbles

Nose: green apple, pear & stone fruit

Palate: bright ripe stone fruit with medium acidity

Food Pairing: grilled octopus & shellfish, watermelon & mint salad, orzo with olives & cherry tomato salad

Alcohol: 11%

2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Auslese Mosel

Color: bright & intense gold

Nose: petro, honeysuckle, ripe white peach, pineapple, orange peel, golden raisins, damp wine cellar (like Bouchard & Patriache)

Palate: luscious honey & toasted nuts.  Complex & fat.  Intense ripe pineapple & orange zest.  Bright acidity w/ a long mineral finish. 

Food Pairing: Great with spicy Chinese or Indian.  Would go nicely w/ pineapple torte as well.

Alcohol: 7.5%

Purchased from: Grapes, White Plains, NY

Price: ~ $35

2008 Maison Louis Latour Montagny 1er Cru

Color: straw/light gold, bright & clear

Nose: generous stone fruit & minerality. Some citrus & green apple note.

Palate:bright acidity albeit w/ a fat body, noticeable chalk on a very long finish.  Got some honeysuckle and pear.  Nice & balanced. 

Food Pairing: Great w/ steamed white fish or chicken in white sauce.
Alcohol: 13%

Purchased from: Stew Leonards, CT

Price: $19.99

2008 Rochioli Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

Color: Bright dark cherry & ruby.

Nose: pronounced coconut, vanilla, mocha, dark chocolate and bright red berries.  Noticeably liquorish.

Palate: Bright red fruit with hints of mocha & chocolate.  Rather full-bodied.  Coats the whole mouth with nice coconut/vanilla flavors then ends with long acidity at the tip of the tongue.  Evolved into more blackberries & vanilla after a couple of hours.  Bit hot on the finish.  Very modern & approachable now.

Food Pairing: salmon w/ soy sauce, goat curry, lamb chops.

Alcohol: 14.5%

Purchased from: RyeBrook, NY

Price: ~$35