Albert Boxler
August Briggs
Bollinger
Cousiño-Macul
Elyse
Neyers
Provenance
Robert Craig
Ruston
Umberto Cesari
Veuve Clicquot
Zeni Amarone
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Elyse 2001 Morisoli Vinyard Napa Zinfandel
This is a very elegant bottle of red.
With only 2252 cases produced,
this bottle is a great find, a great gift and without a doubt a collectable bottle of zinfandel.
Ripe raspberry flavors flirt with a touch of mint while the smooth tannins
and balanced acidity create a perfect structure.
The finish is sweeps in with a touch of smoke.
Hanging on to this bottle will prove advantageous.
Drink in the next ten years.
Retail price $32. Tasted October 12, 2003.
Elegance, ripe fruit, and value, Elyse Morisoli Zinfandel earns three out of three
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Elyse 2000 Syrah Napa Valley
The nose is elegant and floral.
There is a distinct licorice and blueberry medley on the palate.
The finish shows good acidity and tannins as white pepper and spicy sweep the experience to a close.
This is a great example of how syrah can be the Yin and Yang.
Earthy and savory, yet juicy and ripe, Elyse Napa Valley Syrah is attention getting
with it's variety of flavors.
It definitely has a Northern Rhône Valley influence and can be cellared for 5-10 years.
Retail price $35. Tasted October 12, 2003.
A must for anyone appreciating elegance and powerhouse flavors,
earning three out of a possible three .
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Elyse 2000 Tietjen Vineyard Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
Aged in American Oak, this cabernet sauvignon is very rich and flavorful.
The palate is loaded with seamless wild cherries, raspberries, plums,
and hints of clove, leather, and vanilla.
This limited production cabernet, with only 593 cases produced during this vintage,
is very balanced with ample acidity and tannins.
Another great bottle to stash away for a year or eight.
Retail price $57. Tasted October 12, 2003.
Very interesting and sultry, worthy of a spot in any savvy collector's cellar
earning three out of three .
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Cousiño-Macul 2000 Antiguas Reservas Cabernet Sauvignon
is better than any California cabernet I've tasted in the same price range.
The 2000 Antiguas Reservas has soft vanilla, black cherries, and white pepper on the palate and
has velvety mouth-feel tannins, perfect for grilled meats or heartier foods.
The finish has a hint of spearmint.
The wine maker at Cousiño-Macul obtained Bordeaux clones and prunes for low yield,
which allows his wines to be layed down for many years.
There aren't many cabernets in this price range that have cellaring potential.
Retail price $15. Tasted May 3, 2003.
We give this wine two 
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Umberto Cesari 1999 Liano
is named for a little village in the Emilia-Romagna region.
This is a "Super Tuscan" style wine at a fraction of the cost.
The bend is 70% sangiovese and 30% cabernet sauvignon.
The nose is earthy with a touch of ripe wild cherry.
On the palate, this wine has a smooth presence, yet is very, very structured.
Liano has notes of black cherries, pomegranate, cassis, and green bean.
The use of older, large oak barrels gives this wine a smooth flavor,
yet does not impart any oak flavor, which is a nice touch.
The acidity and tannins are very balanced against the ample fruit as the
wine finishes with a hint of cherry hard-candy.
To drink this wine today would be a pleasure, to hang onto a few bottles would be a reward of its own.
Retail price is $20.
Tasted September 2, 2003. Quality and price land this wine two .
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Ruston 2000 Napa Valley Cuvée Simone
My first impression of this wine swept me away with fond memories as chocolate cupcakes wafted through on the nose.
This blend is rich and interesting.
On the palate black cherries and plums swim in a textured dark chocolate back drop of smooth tannins.
There is a Bordeaux like spiciness of clove, tobacco, and mint on the mid-palate.
White pepper echos on a long finish as hints of fruit spark up as a final note.
Smooth and sultry, this cuvée is a gem.
Drink it now or wait a few years for this sultry Bordeaux blend to grow even more interesting.
Retail price $28. Tasted August 21, 2003.
As well made as they come and Ace'ing our expectations earning three out of three
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Fratelli Zeni 1997 Amarone della Valpolicella
Imagine walking into a potting shed where someone has dried their garden.
Along the walls are flowers, cherries, tomatoes, herbs, large tobacco leaves, berries,
and all sorts of aromatic gems.
Zeni Amarone is liquid potting shed.
Fill a bowl full of dried cherries, add a few dried blackberries and blueberries, add some sun dried tomatoes,
top it off with a pinch of dried herbs and dried flowers and there you have it.
Oh, I forgot to mention that there is a riding saddle in this little potting shed,
so a bit of saddle leather sweeps through the notes too.
The dried black and wild cherry flavors were very, very pronounced on the mid palate
while the leather and tobacco flavors bring on the finish.
The acidity and tannins really bite you back, but as you adjust to the high acid content, the lovely dried flavors unfold.
This wine is extremely interesting and can be enjoyed now, but a patient collector would be very well rewarded.
Retail price $30. Tasted August 20, 2003.
One star for now and two for the patient .
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Bethel Heights Estate Pinot Noir:
It is a joy to taste a well made pinot noirs.
I was very impressed with the quality of this wine for the price.
Fragrant cherries on the nose follow through on the palate as the jammy sweet yet sour cherry
flavors balance in your mouth as fruit and acidity compliment each other.
Slight cola nut rounds out the finish.
This bottle will deepen in flavor for the next five years.
Retail price $25. Tasted June 05, 2003. We give this wine two .
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Bethel Heights 2001 Flat Block Reserve Pinot Noir
is a Burgundian style pinot noir. Soft and spicy on the nose.
The sultry wild cherry, clove, and white pepper flavors make this wine a great choice
for white meats and grilled fish. The tannins in this wine
bolster the flavor and allow enough structure for at least five years of aging.
Retail price $40. Tasted June 05, 2003. We give this wine two .
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Domain Drouhin 1999 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
is an attention getter!
The acidity was big, bright, and bold, while the fruit had depth enough to make you stop what you're doing to
admire it's beauty.
The wild cherries, raspberries, white chocolate, and rose hips echo on your tongue from first sip to finish.
The tannins are silky.
With the intensity and extraction of fruit, I suspect this wine will be around for a few years.
The boldness of flavors, the density of fruit, and the seamless experience are what good Oregon pinot is all about.
It is what you'd expect from Bourgone trained Artisans.
Retail price $40. Tasted September 8, 2003.
An event in its own right with two .
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August Briggs 2000 Carneros Pinot Noir
is blended from eight different Dijon Clones.
The nose on this wine is floral like roses.
On the palate, there are ripe wild cherries, strawberry, deep plum flavors, and snappy acidity.
The finish has this enchanting cherry hard-candy finish.
The favors are layered and the finish long and memorable.
August Briggs Carneros Pinot Noir is a delight to drink now and has the acid content to hang around for a few years.
At a little better than 400 cases a year produced, this wine is a scavenger hunt with a bottle of gold at the end.
Retail price $40. Tasted September 4, 2003. This is what pinot is all about, two  .
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August Briggs 2000 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
is all mountain fruit.
The nose is mint and earth.
This blend of Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain, and Diamond Mountain fruit has cassis and plum with
a sultry black licorice finish.
The acidity creates elegance.
The finish has gripping tannins, but the structure is quite balanced and will drink well for
many years.
August Briggs produces only 4,000 cases of wine a year.
Not only is this a great Napa Cabernet,
but it is an in-the-know wine that doesn't suffer from Trophy wine
pricing.
Retail price $50. Tasted September 4, 2003.
Worth every penny earning two .
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August Briggs 2001 Calistoga Zinfandel
I've tasted some really expensive zinfandels in the last few years and although very
impressive, I think the price doesn't alway coordinate with the wine.
August Briggs Zinfandel proves that a zinfandel have the quality of a great cabernets,
Super Tucans, or Riojas.
This Old Vine gem brings a sly smile to the knowing Zin-drinkers of the world with its
tar and earth on the nose and its subtle tobacco on the palate.
It is spicy, rich, and ripe.
The finish has zippy white pepper tannins.
Again, another small production bottle at only 850 cases produced in this vintage.
Whether you're a collector or a thirsty Zin-drinker looking for a really special bottle, you'll
agree that this wine is what makes zinfandel in a class of its own.
Retail price $35. Tasted September 4, 2003.
Sexy and more sexy with two .
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Provenance 2000 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon is exactly what you'd
expect from the ex-wine maker at Duckhorn, Tom Rinaldi. I found this cabernet to be
very interesting with it's rich spicy flavors of clove, vanilla, and black pepper, dusty Rutherford
texture, all splashed against a juicy cassis and black cherry canvas.
Mr. Rinaldi has done an outstanding job on this cabernet.
It's one of those cabernet sauvignons that you just have sit and ponder while you're sipping along
blissfully.
Tasted February 4, 2003. We give this wine two .
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Robert Craig 2000 Affinity is an elegant
bottle of wine. I was struck by ripe blueberries on the nose. A subtle touch of blueberries carried
through on the palate as I tasted soft flavors of cedar and a hint of green olive.
It finished with a touch of smoke.
This wine was a nice change of pace from all those huge cabernets.
Wines of this caliber usually cost much more.
The flavors were very delicate, elegant, and intense.
Retail price $48. Tasted August 5, 2003. We give this wine three .
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Las Gravas 2000
is named for the gravel the old vine morvedre, (monastrell) is grown in.
The nose is has a touch of molasses and raspberry leaves.
Their struggle produces juicy, boysenberry, mullberry, and licorice flavors, with attention getting
tannins on the finish.
An inky, juicy, drink now, this bottle will get better with a little time.
The wine is a bit closed when you open it, so give it a little room.
Retail $20. Tasted April 28, 2003.
Price, taste, and quality earn it three .
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Altos De Luzon 2000 Jumilla
is produced from a majority old vine monastrell, with some cabernet and tempranillo blended in also.
I really love old vine monastrell and this bottle of wine is scrumptous with its ripe black berries, vanilla,
clove, and black pepper.
The tannins are prominent, but very appropriate for the level of fruit.
The finish is savory with hints of vanilla and smoke.
This bottle should grow a touch smoother and more interesting a few years.
Retail price $17. Tasted March 14, 2003.
Quality and price earn this wine two .
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Abadia Retuerta 2001 Rivola
Such a buy for the price!
The color of this 60-40 blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon is deep and violet.
The nose has vanilla, raspberries, and a bit of lavender.
On the palate, the fruit is extracted and deeply layered.
Cassis, clove, licorice, vanilla, and hints of smoke are followed by a spice finish of
savory cherries and a turn of black pepper.
At this price, you can lay a few down without a second thought about the price,
the problem will be not drinking them right away.
Retail price $14. Tasted April 28, 2003. Earning three .
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Veuve Clicquot Vintage 1996 Brut is
a collectable bottle of wine.
Aged for five years, it's comprised of two parts black grapes and one part chardonnay.
The nose has a bit of mineral, sassafrass, and flowers, while the palate was rich with toasted honey, white
flowers, and mushroom.
It has an abundance of rich, black fruit flavors, yet peaks with brighter flavors.
This is one occasion where the wine is the event!
Retail price $70. Tasted August 10, 2003.
Delighted at three
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Bollinger 1995 Anneé is completely
Grand Cru and Premire Cru grapes from some of Champagnes most notable vinyards.
It is bright with facets of rich honey flavors.
There is an interesting depth about this sparkling wine and as you drink it you find yourself noticing
its balance and grace.
The rich flavors are adorned by floral notes and a zesty mineral finish.
Lady Bollinger inferred in her famous quote that you should drink Champagne anytime.
I thought of that quote and how appropriate this Cuveé would be for that job.
Retail price $55. Tasted September 8, 2003.
A Grand treat earning two .
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Albert Boxler 2001 Pinot Blanc
is as elegant as it is layered.
The nose is honeyed and floral.
I found the white peaches, spicy notes of fruit tarts, and clean, bright fruit finish to be mouthwatering.
The acidity was perfectly balanced to the fruit.
I have the artwork for the Riesling on the site, but the pinot blanc has a similar style label.
Although a little hard to find, if you appreciate quality Alsatian wines, this is a great bottle for now or
later. Albert Boxler's Pinot Blanc will lay down for at least ten more years.
Retail price $25. Tasted September 8, 2003.
This elegant bottle earns two .
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