Page 26 - Staff Tastings

Me being a Pinot Noir lover I'm always on the look out for great Pinot's that won't break the bank. This is always a challenge when trying to locate one from Burgundy. So I've recently been sampling wines from the great 2007 California vintage (see Article #4 - 2007 California Pinot Noir - "Is it Really that Good?").

California has long-struggled with the fickle Pinot Noir grape, but cooler climate regions like Santa Rita hills, Russian River Valley, & Mendocino's Anderson Valley have all emerged as prime spots for Pinot Noir in California. Luckily we have access to some of the best producers in these regions & our latest score is limited production Pinot's by Melville from Santa Rita Hills. Greg Brewer is the winemaker & in my mind one of the best in the region. He also does Brewer-Clifton & if you've read the latest Robert Parker Wine Advocate you'd see that 10 of the Top 17 "Recommended California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir" are from Brewer-Clifton.

While

In virtually every appellation in Bordeaux, 2004 was a great vintage that produced many palate pleasing wines that sell for reasonable prices. Sandwiched between the highly celebrated (and freakishly awesome) 2003 and 2005 vintages, 2004 is often over looked by collectors. But 2004 Bordeaux are highly respectable wines, and, though they might not turn out to be as long lived as some other vintages, will provide much drinking pleasure for the short term. Due in part to this point, and also to the reasonable pricing, 2004 is a perfect vintage to collect for everyday drinking. The wines, while slightly austere, are firm and medium bodied, with a palate pleasing crispness.

We recently did a tasting of 3 wines from this vintage, which I'll take this opportunity to review with you. To start, we tried the 2004 Sociando Mallet (90 pts RP), which was slightly less than impressive in this sitting. The wine had nice color, but was hollow, possessed a short finish and was lacking fruit. It

Champagne is one of the most fun things to drink, especially with a large group. It doesn't matter if it's with clients, colleagues, family or friends? the feeling is the same. Festive and Fun.

Large formats, that range from 1.5L up to 18L (that's 2 cases in one bottle), also have great names that add to the fun.

1.5L - Magnum (16 glasses)
3L - Jeroboam (32 glasses)
4.5L - Rehoboam (48 glasses)
6L - Methuselah (64 glasses)
9L - Salmanazar (96 glasses)
12L - Balthazar (128 glasses)
15L - Nebuchadnezzar (160 glasses)
18L - Melchior (192 glasses)

I was just recently at an event with 30 other guests and a 9L of Bollinger Special Cuvee - what a great wine. This non-vintage Champagne is truly a great balance of finesse and power. Beautiful citrus notes marry seamlessly with yeasty toast. Muscular and bold on the palate, yet finishes with great acidity and length. An absolute treat.

And without much surprise, within

I recently came across the fascinating term: "Shadow Vintage". No these are not wines produced by some clandestine vigneron organization that only harvests at night using truffle pigs and costs $10,000.00 per bottle.

Shadow Vintages are those years that are caught near other highly regarded vintages and are over-shadowed by them.

And the poor 2004 Bordeaux and 2006 Rhone vintages are prime examples. Both were almost immediately eclipsed by the legendary vintages that came next. Robert Parker has called both the 2005 Bordeaux and the 2007 Rhone vintages, "...the greatest vintage produced during my 30-year career..."

But, shadow vintages can offer great value and do have great wines. The best "inside information" regarding "shadow wines" is that they often get the best juice that would normally go into a Grand Vin from Bordeaux or the Reserve bottling in the Rhone.

Here are my picks for two of the best Shadow Wines. One is from 2004 Bordeaux and the other is

Every Fall the sales team at Sokolin gets amped to hit Wine Spectator's New York Wine Experience. It's a chance to try numerous wines, meet with clients and chat with producers. It's also a chance to get a feel for a particular vintage.

This year there was plenty of representation of 2006 Tuscans and it was easy to reconfirm all the good press about this Legendary Vintage. One wine that exemplifies the vintage is Saffredi, Fattoria Le Pupille's flagship Cru. Like many of the finer wines of the vintage, the 2006 Saffredi is full-bodied with plenty of tannins that will allow this beauty to age effortlessly. What is exceptional about this wine, is though it delivers plenty of ripe dark fruit, it also displays wonderful floral aromatics on the nose, as well as a deep minerality on the palate.

Though accessible now with some time in the decanter and served with food, one will benefit most by cellaring this gem for a few years. For those who don't have a problem waiting for this

To keep with my theme of finding killer Pinot's that won't break the bank my next find is the 2007 Paraiso Pinot Noir. 2007 Paraiso Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir was one of the top values in Wine Spectator's recent 2007 California Pinot Noir report. Of the 384 wines they tasted, only 8 earned 90 points or more and carried a release price of $30 or less. So needless to say when we received our shipment of the Paraiso Pinot the sales staff was pretty amped to give it a try.

Upon popping, it was drinking great! Delicious ripe fruit of strawberries, cherries, a hint of vanilla and nice minerality which led to a well balanced, seamless finish. Nice acidity as well so this will definitely pair great with food. At 92 points and only $19.95 you could call it the Waterstone of Pinot Noir & with Thanksgiving fast approaching I can't think of a better wine to serve! Also, add a set of our Burgundy Riedel glasses and it will make a great gift for the holidays.

Most people know that the great Chateaux of Bordeaux produce excellent quality 'second wines', which are priced for everyday consumption (Leoville Las Cases makes the Clos du Marquis, Montrose makes La Dame de Montrose, etc). However many people may not realize that this practice is not unique to Bordeaux! There are many great second tier values to be found from outstanding properties in other parts of the world as well. And one of my favorites is Tuscany! The 2006 Tuscan wines are hot, hot, hot right now. I'll review two of the famously successful properties of Tuscany and the second cuvees that they produce, all of which can be purchased right here at Sokolin!

Let's begin with a wine that has been a best seller at Sokolin for over a year now, the 2006 Sette Ponti Oreno. The Wine Spectator ranked this wine in its Top 100 of 2008 at #15! It is a beautiful, smooth Super Tuscan blend, scoring 96 points from Wine Spectator and 93 points from Robert Parker. At $79.95/btl, you may think

This vintage of Bordeaux is unquestionably one of the greatest in history. Over the years, the prices of 1982 Bordeaux have skyrocketed and still continue to escalate... especially among the finest producers. This makes it a great time to drink what you have and grab a few of what you don't, before it's all gone!

At a recent wine dinner, I had the privilege of tasting one of the best - 1982 Gruaud Larose. Robert Parker calls it "A massive wine that is clearly of first-growth quality in this vintage...", and he is certainly right about this. The 82 Gruaud is currently drinking perfectly. It has an amazing balance of fruit, earth, acidity, elegance and power. It glides across the palate with absolute finesse. Hints of graphite, cassis and leather lead to an incredibly long finish that begs for another sip.

If you're lucky enough to have some 1982 Bordeaux in your cellar, drink up and enjoy! Now is the time to have these beauties at perfect maturation. If you'd like some 1982

For the past few years as my knowledge and appreciation for wine grew I was still under the personal impression that I did not take wine too seriously. I just happened to love what I did for a living and was lucky enough to thoroughly enjoy the "products" that I sold. That impression was shattered just about a year ago!

I was at an annual family gathering at my wife's uncle's house; lovely people, great food and I had brought some fantastic wine. I was, especially, looking forward to a Rose' champagne that I brought. I have always preferred the taste of Rose's over white (although I'd drink '96 Salon Clos Mesnil any time!) and I find they look very festive as well; just the perfect thing to start a nice holiday meal. And that's when it happened. I was in charge of opening the bottles and my wife in charge of pouring, so I wasn't in the room as the table was set and the champagne was being poured. As I came in I was horrified to see my gorgeous (tasting and looking) Rose' champagne

Right next to Tuscany you can find the lesser known region of Umbria, where many wine enthusiasts now look for value. Just as 2006 was an amazing vintage for Tuscany, so it is for Umbria as well. So when we were offered a sample of a 2006 Montefalco Rosso we gladly accepted.

Montefalco Rosso is the entry level wine for Milziade Antano. The rep could have given us the '05 Riserva, or the '04 Sagrantino, or maybe a coveted bottle of the single vineyard Sagrantino Colleallodole which many consider a benchmark for the appellation. But the 2006 Montefalco Rosso was the smartest way to go. Why show something more expensive, when an affordable choice can 'WOW' you as well?

Milziade Antano's wines have that rustic appeal that many purists search for, yet the 2006 vintage provides plenty of fruit for anyone used to a slightly more modern touch. Dark berries and spices are present on the nose. Bright red fruits shine first on the palette. Earthen notes of brick and clay then follow,