Page 46 - Blog

As the Sokolin team has been tasting through some of our gems, we've noticed something.  The 2003 vintage in Bordeaux is surprisingly fruit forward, plush and drinking great already. 

We just popped a bottle of the 2003 Monbousquet to see where this Saint-Emilion Grand Cru is in its evolution and drinkability.  Wow!  We were all surprised at the depth and power that came from this extremely reasonably priced "monster" from the 03 vintage.  Weighing in at ONLY $59.99/bottle, this concentrated red has elegance, finesse and incredible length.  It also has 93 points from Robert Parker and is a phenomenal deal.

Dark fruits, smoke, hints of vanilla and earth - with an underlying vein of baking spices and amazing acidity to bring it all together.  This wine has another decade ahead of it, but is drinking wonderfully right now...No

Wine: 2008 Craggy Range Te Kahu Vineyard
Region: New Zealand
Sokolin Price: $14.99/btl
Rating: 92 + RP

This week we are sharing a treasure of a wine from New Zealand, a New World wine region that continues to receive recognition for its wines year after year.  Interestingly enough, it turns out, Te Kahu means "the cloak" and per its wine label, "takes its name from the cloak of mist that covers the hills around [our] Giants winery." 

Craggy Range, a family owned vineyard that focuses on the making of high-quality, single-vineyard wines, comes from Hawkes Bay, which is on the eastern coast of the North Island.  New Zealand is actually divided into two islands, the North Island and the South Island, with wine producing regions on both islands.  

While New Zealand is probably best known among consumers for its Sauvignon Blanc wines, the country has achieved quite the

Being  a Burgundy lover  I'm always on the hunt for high quality Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays.  In the latest Wine Spectator issue there was a great article on Oregon and the spectacular 2008 vintage.  Harvey Steinman from Wine Spectator rated the overall 2008 Pinot Noir vintage 97 points, making it the highest ever for this region. Many believe Oregon's cooler wet climate is better suited than say California, for producing Burgundy-esque wines.  The 2008 vintage in particular produced more highly-rated Pinot Noirs than any previous year.  Also, they were some excellent Chard's produced this year with the added depth and fruit that had been lacking in previous vintages.  A lot of the characteristics from this vintage are supple fresh wines with moderate acidity and great balance.

So with all this great information I was extremely excited to start tasting some of these  '08's!  One winery in particular that seemed to be getting a lot of

I just tried a wine that often gets overlooked.  Minervois is a section in the Languedoc region of France.  Languedoc is the next door neighbor of southern Rhone's most famous region, Chateauneuf du Pape, and is primarily made up of the Carignan grape.  Producer Oustal Blanc takes a less common approach with their wines than what is traditionally found in this region, by blending Grenache, Syrah, and a little bit of Carignan.  This offers the unique palate and style that the producer truly believes in.  Oustal Blanc, while having the terroir in Chateauneuf, focuses more on the likes of Burgundy to produce their wines.

Burgundian style shines through with a medium body on the palate that packs a punch on the nose.  Anise and tart berries shine through instantly with the slightest hints of rosemary poking through.  The plum color offers a unique glare in the glass and a flavor of prime meat hits the middle of your tongue.  This wine is in its

Wine: 2007 Piaggia Carmignano Il Sasso
Region: Tuscany
Sokolin Price: $27.99
Rating: 93 RP

Our virtual wine journey this week has landed us in Tuscany, which is one of Italy's three very well-known wine regions (the other two being Piedmont and Veneto). If we had to pick a favorite, it would be Tuscany. We love what the winemakers there have been able to create with the Sangiovese grape. The newly released wines seem to keep getting better year after year, and they are a true testament to superb winemaking.

We took a bottle of 2007 Piaggia Carmignano Il Sasso (IGT) to a recent dinner party that we were invited to (hosts seem to love it when they see us walk in with any bottle!). Of this wine, Robert Parker said that, "...this is beautiful juice." After reading that, we figured it would be a crowd pleaser. And it most definitely was.

This wine is comprised of 70% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet and

Located in the Heart of Priorat, Spain lives Rene Barbier. He is one of the founders of the Priorat revolution and is the winemaker of Clos Mogador. This Spanish blend has long been considered one of the top wines of Spain and I was fortunate enough to drink the 2007 vintage last night.

Although quite young and big this wine delivered some great fruit on the nose and was quite balanced on the palate. As we went around the room we were calling out tastes of anise, black cherry, licorice, blueberry, coffee, chocolate, and it didn't stop. This dark purple blend did not disappoint.

The 2007 Clos Mogador is a blend of Garnacha, Carinena, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Jay Miller of the Wine Advocate gives it 96 points and it will drink at least 15 more years. My advice: buy now and wow your friends at future celebrations. At $69.95 this wine is a steal and when you open it in five years it will blow your mind.

Wine: 2006 Brovia Barolo Garblet Sue
Region: Piedomont
Sokolin Price: $69.99/btl
Rating: 95 RP

This week, our virtual wine journey kept us planted in Italy, but moved us northwest of Tuscany to the Piedmont region, which borders France. The Piedmont area is home to two important wines - Barolos and Barbarescos. Nebbiolo is the predominant grape in both of these wines, which grows almost nowhere else in the world. It is truly home to the Piedmont region. The Nebbiolo grape is known for its supreme power, muscle, high tannin, grip and can take your palate by storm. Barolos are wines meant to be aged, and they can last for a very long time. In fact, Barolos must legally be aged for a minimum of three years before they can even be released.

We are selling three Barolos produced by the Brovia family - the Garblet Sue, the Ca'Mia & the Villero. Of this producer, Robert Parker said, "The Brovia family

I don't know if the producers of white Burgundy have an official bird.  But if they don't they should consider the American Robin!

Nothing says Spring has sprung and better weather is on the way than that first sighting of a robin!

I finally saw a few robins over the weekend (even though it was wicked cold out) and I immediately thought of warmer weather and the perfect wine for the Spring and Summer...

CORTON CHARLEMAGNE!!  This wine goes everywhere; the grill, the beach, weddings, long weekends...and with everything!

And we have one of the all time best deals ever for Corton Charlemagne available:

2006 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne - 94 Burghound - $85 bottle | $1,020 case.  This one is ripe and ready and to go.  With gobs of fruit braced up with that smooth minerality that makes Chardonnay from this region like none other made anywhere else in the world.  It's big enough to drink while it's still cold but when the

Some of us attended an amazing 2008 Leflaive tasting last week at The Modern restaurant in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. The winemaker, Eric Remy, was on hand to guide us through the 10 different wines while giving us a thorough explanation of the differences between each appellation and the overall evolution of Domaine Leflaive through the years.  Here are my tasting notes:

Bourgogne Blanc - Great minerality, sweet, full and pure with subtle floral and spice flavors. Nice texture but definitely the lightest of the bunch but also the most ready to drink.

Puligny Montrachet - A bit more spicy oak than the Bourgogne Blanc. Classic peach and steely Puligny type flavors. Good balance and length.

Meursault sous le Dos d'Ane - Creamy again with less acidity. Interestingly,

1997 was the vintage that truly brought Tuscan wines to the forefront of global recognition.  An optimum growing season, combined with years of improvements in the vineyards and wineries, helped winemakers fashion compelling wines. 

I can remember reading various reviews of the '97s as they were released.  One that caught my attention, probably also because of the photo of the label, was the 1997 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva Grandi Annate in Wine Spectator's October 31st Issue.  It was designated 'Highly Recommended' and a few issues later appeared in the Top 100 Wines of the Year at the 4th Rank.  James Suckling commented then (and again during a 1997 Italian blind retrospective) that it was "the greatest Vino Nobile ever made." I was never fortunate enough to score a bottle back then and had to add it on my wish list of wines to try.

About 5 years later my wife and I were lucky enough to stay at a friend's villa in Tuscany, in