Page 37 - Blog

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.

Wine: 2006 Lynch Bages
Region: Bordeaux
Sokolin Price: $54.95/btl
Rating: 92 RP

Wine: 2006 Certan de May
Region: Bordeaux
Sokolin Price: $54.95/btl
Rating: 94-96 RP-NM

2006 Bordeaux Tasting - We decided to take a quick look at a Left and Right bank wine in a vintage with very little hype but very intriguing scores.

First the expert - "I did not expect the highlights of 2006 to be as promising as they turned out. There was little talk about the vintage following the harvest, and after the wine press and the proprietors exhausted themselves with their praise of the 2005s, there was little need to start additional speculative fires. However, the 2006 vintage has produced many fine wines, and overall, it is superior to 2004." Robert Parker

Followed by the legendary 2005 vintage, which is thought to be one

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

Wine: 2007 Marchesi de' Frescobaldi Tenuta di Castiglioni
Region: Tuscany
Sokolin Price: $14.95/btl
Rating: 93 WS

700 YEARS OF WINE HISTORY. It started with a Florentine family and now thirty generations later the Frescobaldis continue their unparalleled dedication to the production of great Tuscan wines. With 5,000 hectares of estate properties, over 1,000 hectares of estate vineyards and nine estates in Tuscany the Frescobaldis have managed the family wine business, harmoniously blending tradition, experience, and innovation.

Sounds amazing right? That is exactly what we were thinking when we were offered the 2007 Tenuta di Castiglioni by the legendary producer. Awarded 93 points by Wine Spectator, "it has intense aromas of currant, raisin and licorice, with hints of toasty oak. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a powerful currant, blackberry and mineral aftertaste..." Wine Spectator.

If you are looking

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,

As the 2009 year comes to a close I thought it would be fitting for me to write about some of my most memorable wines that I've had this past year.

In no particular order here are my Top 5:

1) 2007 Saint Prefert Auguste Favier CDP/ 96 RP / $99.95 - Probably one of the greatest young Chateauneuf Du Papes I've ever tasted. The freshness & abundance of fruit without being cloying, just illustrates what an amazing vintage 2007 was for the Rhone valley. I was at first skeptical of Parker saying this was the greatest viticultural region he's ever tasted in his 30 years, but after tasting this wine I was sold! Stock up on 2007 Rhone's...You will thank me.

2) 2006 Sassicaia / 97 RP / $175 bottle- The best young Sassicaia I have ever tasted and most likely will go down in history as the best Sassicaia ever made. With the legendary 1985 vintage trading for $2500 + bottle this is definitely one to buy a couple cases of.

3) 2007 Frescobaldi Castiglioni / 93 WS /

Wine: 2004 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino
Region: Tuscany
Sokolin Price: $54.95/btl
Rating: 95 RP

The 2004 Brunellos are red hot right now and we found a near perfect 95 point wine for less than $55 that we tried just last night. It was so extraordinary that we had to share it with you immediately! The 2004 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino is bursting at the seams with notes of dark fruit, spice and chocolate covered cherries, and it coats the palate like velvet. This wine is drinking fabulously now and will last another 20+ years. It's really a gem, and for those of you who have been buying wine for years, you know how difficult is to find a 95 point wine at this price. 2004 Brunellos of this pedigree and rating command much higher prices.

These days, we are all looking for value wines that we can share with family and friends without feeling like we overpaid for the bottle. In our last article,