Page 38 - Blog

No matter what you're shopping for, EVERYONE likes a great value! I'm not talking about find a cheap version and sacrificing quality... That's different.

Here at Sokolin Wines we are constantly searching for high-scoring, quality-driven wines - and all for a great price. I've put together a list of my top 10 red wines from Southern France that will make you very happy, no matter what the occasion.

What I particularly like about the wines from this part of the world is their versatility. Made from primarily Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre, along with some Cinsault, Carignan and a couple other varieties, these wines are delicious all year round. From the grill of the Summer to the braised meats of the Winter, there is something here that works with all seasons. At a recent family dinner, I popped a bottle of the 2007 Pesquie Terrasses. It's dark fruit, black pepper, spice, well-balanced alcohol and acidity, and soft tannins make it great for early drinking... Fantastic with

Wine: 2007 Roessler Cellars Pinot Noir la Brisa
Region: California
Sokolin Price: $27.95/btl
Rating: 92 WS

2007 California Pinot Noirs are undoubtedly the best vintage we've ever tasted. We were again reminded of just how incredible they are when we served the 2007 Roessler Cellars Pinot Noir la Brisa a few nights ago at a restaurant in NYC. Dark purple in color, notes of perfume and floral hints emerged upon the first swirl and sniff. It is described by Wine Spectator as "tightly structured, firm and concentrated, with a trim beam of spice, earthen floor, dried currant and cranberry fruit that holds onto its earthy tannins through the long finish." Well said.

The interesting thing for us to note is that the la Brisa was the third wine of the evening and followed a polished legendary heavyweight, a 1995 bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothschild that sells for close to $400/btl. To be candid, the Mouton

Wine: 2008 Varner Foxglove Chardonnay
Region: California
Sokolin Price: $14.95/btl
Rating: 91 RP

Looking back at the line-up we've reviewed and brought to your attention thus far, it dawned on us that we hadn't presented any white wine selections to you. It prompted us to sample a young chardonnay, the 2008 Varner Foxglove Chardonnay. For all white wine lovers out there, this one is not to be missed! We paired the wine with baked grey sole (also cooked with a splash of the chardonnay) & baby red-skinned potatoes, & the combination was just right. A light golden color, it smelled of fresh pears, melons, minerals, & gave off the slightest hint of summer flowers. It was crisp & alive upon the first sip & reminded us of sunny days that seem way too distant at this cold time of year.

Robert Parker said that these wines are "absolutely spectacular bargains from the very high-quality

If you drink and follow Bordeaux wines at all you probably have heard about the great wines of Leoville Las Cases. If you get our e-mails you're sure to have seen us extolling this, admittedly great Bordeaux house. Often compared to and sometimes considered at the same level of the First Growths, there is much to love about Leoville Las Cases.

There is also the slightly lesser well known Leoville Barton; while Las Cases often gets press for its high scores Barton is often praised for being a fantastic value. Usually garnering high scores but with a price tag that is very reasonable for Bordeaux, Barton is rightly considered a great buy.

And then there is Leoville Poyferre, situated right between its siblings Barton and Las Cases in St. Julien (all three were at one time a single huge vineyard). Poyferre was once considered as good as the other two even achieving Second Growth status (like the others) in the Classification of 1855. On top of that the vineyard itself has long

Our first drop of the 2005 Renato Ratti Barolo Marcenasco from an order we placed back in June recently arrived and I was anxious to try out a bottle. After all, though one reviewer only scored it 91 points, Wine Spectator awarded it 96 points and a Rank of 7 on this year's Top 100 Wines of 2009 and I was curious to find out where my opinion fell.

This past weekend, my wife wanted to enjoy a nice pasta dish, but something unique that we haven't made or ordered before. While I looked over the wines I recently brought home, my wife read aloud the various pasta recipes listed in a new cookbook we received as a gift. When she mentioned the egg tagliatelle with chestnuts, pancetta and sage I quickly glanced at the Marcenasco and decided that would be our meal for the night and the perfect opportunity to pop this wine.

Sometimes a recently released wine can be 'closed' or 'locked up', and sometimes it can be very 'forward' and full of primary traits. The bottle I opened Saturday

As we recently mentioned in one of our previous articles, the 2004 Brunello di Montalcinos are extraordinary, and top industry critics have given these wines rave reviews. But, the Collemattoni Brunello di Montalcino takes excellence to another level - this wine absolutely has the "wow factor." Loaded with hints of black licorice, dark fruit (especially cherries) and earth, this wine is extremely velvety, supple, silky and in a nutshell, very appealing.

Camped by the fireplace, we enjoyed this bottle of wine without any food, and it was wonderful. You know a wine is amazing when you don't even need to pair it with food to experience its full effect and splendor. The glycerin content was high, as evidenced by the wine's long "legs" that slowly made its way down the glass. The finish seemed to go on forever. We expect this wine to drink well for another 15 years.

Of all the amazing '04 Brunello di Montalcinos we've tasted (and we've sampled a lot!), the Collemattoni Brunello

Last Wednesday I was lucky enough to attend a tasting at the delicious Tocqueville Restaurant in NYC & for those who haven't had a chance to dine here I highly recommend it. Jo-Ann & Marco are great hosts & the food was on point as usual!

It was a tasting built around great wines from Tuscany & they did not disappoint. Here are the flights along with my tasting notes for each.

Enjoy!

First Flight:
2006 Vinnaioli Jermann "Dreams" - 92 WS - (Jermann is one of the wineries that put white wine from Friuli-Venezia Giulia on the map) An Oaky full bodied Chardonnay with lots of carmel & butterscotch undertones. Plenty of fruit... definitely needs to be paired with food. Enjoyable for a glass but not my favorite Chardonnay.

2004 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino 'Montosoli'- 95 WS - This is their single vineyard offering that is always one of the top Brunellos year in and year

Wine: 2006 BV Tapestry Reserve
Region: California
Sokolin Price: $27.99
Rating: 93 WS

During a quiet night at home, we decided to sample one of our most recent best-selling wines, the 2006 BV Tapestry Reserve. Upon first taste, it was easy to understand why. This wine is rich with dark fruit bursts, scattered with a dash of graphite and black licorice and exudes old-world style. With its blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot & petit verdot (a classic French blend), it has obvious similarities to a Bordeaux wine and could be mistaken for one by some. It's a rare opportunity to taste a combination of Bordeaux style intermingled with the power and finesse of California fruit. With its long finish, this wine should hold up well over the next 15-20 years.

Now the critics: Robert Parker said that this wine "is the finest example of this cuvee I have

I always feel guilty cracking open a bottle of wine when I'm the only one drinking it. It's much nicer when you can enjoy this experience with someone. There's also a feeling of foolishness or maybe even guilt about knowing that you can't finish the bottle-what a waste. But there I am standing in front of my brother's wine cooler, peering in as though a kid in a candy store gazing at the vast collection. I found my decision to be quite difficult. The fact that none of the bottles were mine, and most, quite expensive, made the decision even more taxing. A rare Heitz Cabernet Bella Oaks hiding on the lowest shelf was extremely tempting. 1985 Latricieres Chambertin would have been amazing. As I was placing back another gem, I saw a bottle of 2006 Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva, perched on the top shelf. Thinking to myself, "I think I can afford to replace this bottle." I had wanted to try it after the 2003 vintage stunned my taste buds, for only twenty dollars. The 2006 had to be even better,

Wine: 2006 Argiano Solengo
Region: Tuscany
Sokolin Price: $69.95/btl
Rating: 93 RP

Anyone who subscribes to our daily offer and collector's corner emails knows very well that we firmly believe that the 2006 vintage was an incredible one for Tuscany.  The critics seem to agree.  "The 2006s are big, full-bodied wines loaded with super-ripe fruit, but with plenty of stuffing underneath..."  "I continue to be impressed with the consistently stunning 2006s from Tuscany."  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

Given these outstanding reviews that we are constantly reading, we again opted to try a wine of this vintage and chose the 2006 Argiano Solengo (meaning, to go it alone).  With this wine, we served a whole roasted duck, along with red bliss potatoes cooked in some of the duck fat.  In one word: delicious!  Selecting the Solengo proved to be a wise choice on our part