Page 15 - Staff Tastings

While preparing dinner for some friends recently, and contemplating what to pair with our delicious pork roast, I decided the perfect paring would be Domaine Comte Armand’s 2007 Clos des Epeneaux.

Domaine Comte Armand has been under the ownership of the same family since 1828, which is very rare in Burgundy.  The Domaine owns only one vineyard, their famous Monopole Clos des Epeneaux.  As a monopole, Domaine Comte Armand is the sole owner and producer of wine from this vineyard, consistently producing one of Pommard’s stand out wines. 

Since his appointment in 1999 Benjamin Leroux, at the time a 23 year-old winemaking prodigy, has risen to be one of the world’s best winemakers.  Benjamin consistently produces one of the premier wines from the Cote de Beaune, it is also a tremendous value at its price point.  These wines usually

With a history going back over 100 years, the Catena family could easily be considered the “First Family” of Argentine Wine and Nicolas Catena Zapata, the country’s First Growth. 1997 was the first vintage for this cuvee, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. After its 2001 release, it was included in blind tastings throughout the U.S. and Europe with Latour, Haut Brion, Solaia, Caymus and Opus One and consistently placed first or second. Luis Gutierrez of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate mentions that the 2010 vintage “has to be one of their finest” so when our first allocation finally arrived, I naturally had to try one!

Bodega Catena Zapata began in 1902 when Nicolas Catena planted his first Malbec vineyard in Mendoza. His son, Domingo, increased their holdings, making the Catena family one of the largest vineyard holders in Mendoza. It was third generation Nicolas

How does a winery stand out and make a name for itself when it is surrounded by such producers as Antinori, Sassicaia, and Ornellaia? They produce single varietal wines to separate themselves from everyone else. At least that is what Le Macchiole did in the early 90’s. Now with a cult like following, Le Macchiole produces 5 wines that all consistently get highly rated by critics. One in particular that I had the pleasure of trying was the 2011 Le Macchiole Paleo which is 100% Cabernet Franc.

Le Macchiole was founded in 1983 by Eugenio Campolmi and wife Cinzia Merli. The first wine they produced was bottled in 1987, but it wasn’t until 1989 when Paleo was first created. Then in 1994 came the decision to start producing single varietal wines starting with the Messorio which is 100% Merlot and the Scrio which is 100% Syrah. Then in 2001 they changed their signature wine the Paleo to 100% Cabernet Franc. In 2002, just as things started to take off at the winery and get a

Piper Heidsieck dates back to 1785 when it was Heidsieck and Company and is one of the best known Champagne houses. The story began when a minister’s son, Florens Louis Heidsiecks, fell in love with a girl from Champagne after which his ambition was to create a “cuvee worthy of a queen”. His creation quickly became a favorite regionally as well as at court. After his death, a nephew teamed with businessman Henri Guillaume Piper and their fame increased with European princes and Chinese emperors among their clients. 

To many modern day Champagne collectors, it is also known as one of the most beautiful bottles, a visual prelude to the captivating contents. The dark green glass is beautifully enhanced by an intricate floral metallic “cuff” almost as though it is wrapped in lace, as a queen might be. To say this presentation is “rare” is an understatement! It is a bottle perfect for a special gift or to pop open for a milestone event.

It's no secret, I am a California Cabernet fan which is why this time around I excitedly chose to taste the 2013 Vineyard 29 Cru Cabernet Sauvignon.  Unfortunately, it is resolution time of year and I am sticking to my diet which does not allow wine, but how can I resist a glass of 2013 Napa Cab?  After reading Robert Parker's review of the vintage, I was more than ready for a cheat day.  I decided my tasting experience would not be accompanied by a well thought out dish, instead the wine would be my treat for the week, and what a treat it was.

The one word that came to mind with my first sip - outstanding.  The elegance of this bottle was second to none and with each swirl of the glass this 2013 continued to open, showing the hard work and dedication that the winemaking team at Vineyard 29 displays in their bottlings year after year.  The 2013 Cru was given 93 points

With 20+ years of professional experience in the wine trade and a few more years on top of that of shear wine appreciation the Southern Rhone remains close to my heart and a region I always gravitate towards. Janasse, Telegraph, Pegau, they all have their place but their luxury cuvees tend to be a bit expensive. The “Reine De Bois” from Mordoree comes in at a more modest price point and delivers the same quality as the big boys on the block. With holiday parties in abundance I decided to bring the 2012 Mordoree Reine De Bois to a new friend’s house to compliment some lovely appetizers and good conversation.

The derivation of Domaine de la Mordoree comes from a wild game bird, known as a woodcock, hence the logo on the label. In keeping with that same tradition, their high end luxury cuvee which made its debut in 2003 is called La Reine des Bois, which translates into “Queen

According to their website, Paolo Conterno founded the Casa della Ginestra back in 1886. Always focused on the high potential that the various parts of the Ginestra hillside could provide, the Conterno family has been producing wonderful wines from Dolcetto, Barbera and of course Nebbiolo ever since. They are fortunate to own roughly “ten hectares of calcerous-clayey loam…at an altitude of between 300 and 360 metres, arranged on slopes of up to 38%, prevalently exposed to the south and in part to the south east,” perfect for the production of Nebbiolo.

Antonio Galloni includes the Ginestra Cru as one of ten receiving his Highest Classification of Exceptional. He finds it can produce “generally big, broad-shouldered wines with firm, chalky tannins and the structure to develop beautifully in bottle,” with dark spices, balsamic-inflected nuances and dark fruits being typical to the wines. 

He also finds the 2007

With the holidays quickly approaching, it’s time to start planning what gifts you will be giving to loved ones, coworkers and everyone in between.  If you still haven’t decided on the perfect bottle of wine, look no further than the latest release from Waterstone Winery, the 2012 Waterstone Cabernet Sauvignon.

Year after year the Waterstone Cabernet is one of our best-sellers and the reasons why are simple: this wine is fabulous and always a great value. As Dave Sokolin said about the 2012 vintage, "It tastes like a California Cult wine, and there is some cult wine in the blend. Only this one is $25.95, and not $700/bottle!" This bottle should be on every wine-lover’s mind and table this year.

The 2012 growing season was ideal for producers in California, harvesting large quantities of quality fruit which excited the North Coast. Upon tasting my first bottle of the

In 1990, Jaboulet produced a stellar Hermitage Thalabert that had Parker proclaiming it was the best since 1978. Then nearly two decades of less than impressive results - the vintages were all scored 90 or below and in 1993, all of the fruit was declassified and no Thalabert was even produced. In the late '90s Gerard Jaboulet passed away. To say that the future looked bleak might be an understatement. The wine world may have forgotten this Northern Rhone producer and the 112 acre Domaine de Thalabert had it not been for Caroline Frey who also does amazing work at La Lagune in Bordeaux.

Her hard work combined with an amazing 2009 resulted in the highest scored Thalabert in history! Parker awarded it 95 points and added "If you have been off the Jaboulet bandwagon over the last decade or so, now is the time to jump back on..."  For Syrah lovers, the news couldn't be better - Jaboulet delivers amazing quality for the price.

Having all of this in mind, I quickly

This week’s selection may be a bit foreign to many of you, but wine exploration and searching out new and interesting regions, grapes and winemaking techniques is what this is all about. Hence, I’m introducing you to the 2008 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici Riserva Antonio. A vintage dedicated to and named for Antonio Mastroberardino, who passed away in early 2014 at the age of 86.

Antonio Mastroberardino's legacy has left an undeniable mark on Italian winemaking, as well as the world's perception of the wines that hail from southern Italy. This gem is produced from Campania’s native Aglianico grape. In the post WWII era when many producers were abandoning their native grapes and replacing them with lower quality, higher yielding vines, Antonio remained steadfast having the vision and commitment to the traditional grapes of his homeland. Now in its twenty-second