90 Rating
11/152008 /
Stephen & Walker Russian River Zinfandel
2006
The blend: 92% zinfandel, 8% petite syrah
What it tastes like: To me it tastes like fun, because every time I drink the wines produced by these homespun Healdsburg winemakers I seem to have the best time. Flavor is smoky and fruity and a little bit chewy. It’s very approachable to a wide array of palates.
What to serve it with: A big fat juicy burger with a side of red beets. Yes, red beets!
Song pairing: “Shama Lama Ding Dong” -- Otis Day and the Knights version from “Animal House.”
The price: $39
Imbiber rating: 92
Churchill’s Churchill Estate Douro 2005
The blend: Made from traditional Port grapes—Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Cao
What it tastes like: This is a dry, peppery red with soft tannins and a long finish
What to serve it with: Grilled meats and hard cheeses… or grilled cheese and hard meat. Whatever blows your hair back.
Song pairing: The haunting “Vou Dar de Beber à Dor” by the late great Amália Rodrigues,. Considered to be the quintessential recording of Portugal’s most famous singer.
The price: $24
Imbiber rating: 90
The blend: 92% zinfandel, 8% petite syrah
What it tastes like: To me it tastes like fun, because every time I drink the wines produced by these homespun Healdsburg winemakers I seem to have the best time. Flavor is smoky and fruity and a little bit chewy. It’s very approachable to a wide array of palates.
What to serve it with: A big fat juicy burger with a side of red beets. Yes, red beets!
Song pairing: “Shama Lama Ding Dong” -- Otis Day and the Knights version from “Animal House.”
The price: $39
Imbiber rating: 92
Churchill’s Churchill Estate Douro 2005
The blend: Made from traditional Port grapes—Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Cao
What it tastes like: This is a dry, peppery red with soft tannins and a long finish
What to serve it with: Grilled meats and hard cheeses… or grilled cheese and hard meat. Whatever blows your hair back.
Song pairing: The haunting “Vou Dar de Beber à Dor” by the late great Amália Rodrigues,. Considered to be the quintessential recording of Portugal’s most famous singer.
The price: $24
Imbiber rating: 90
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09/292008 /
The grape: Grenache
What it tastes like: It tastes like what I imagine blood would taste like if I were a vampire whose victim has eaten a lot of plums and licorice.
What to serve it with: Phil Collins greatest hits (trust me on this). Gnocchi with chicken, sage, carmelized onions and truffle essence
Say this and sound smart: Grenache is the dominant variety in most Southern Rhône wines.
The price: $28
Imbiber rating: 91
The blend: 51 percent pinto noir; 49 percent chardonnay
Why you should buy it: Cuz it’s some damn tasty Champagne. The chardonnay grapes are from the Côte des Blancs. The pinot noir is grown in Montagne de Reims. A blend of 15 prestigious crus, aged six years.
What it tastes like: It’s creamy and has a little baked apple thing going on. It’s very well-rounded.
What to serve it with: crab soufflé… or frozen pizza in a pinch
Say this and sound smart: La Montagne de Reims est un ensemble géographique boisé, situé entre Reims et Epernay et bordé au nord, au sud et à l'est par des coteaux de vignes.
The price: $95
Imbiber rating: 90
Why you should buy it: Felton Road may very well be the best wine producer in all of New Zealand. No shit! They made “Lord of the Rings” AND “Whale Rider” there – it’s, like, the greatest country in the world. Sure, it’s more popularly known for its pinot noir, but as this bottle proves, the chardonnay kicks serious ass as well.
What it tastes like: You’ll instantly pick up the melon, and that’ll be followed by tart citrus. Then you’ll note the light oakiness and truly breathtaking balance…seriously, that’s exactly how things will go down on your palette. Oh, and Frodo lives!
What to serve it with: It doesn’t matter. I’d pour this stuff over corn flakes and be happier than a Maori princess watching the All Blacks dance the haka.
Say this and sound smart: Central Otago is the most southerly wine-producing region in the world.
The price: $35
Imbiber rating: We love this magnificent vino specimen to the tune of 92 pointskees.
Felton Road 2007 Pinot Noir Central Otago
Why you should buy it: This is, undoubtedly, some of the finest pinot noir this scribe has ever tasted. Indeed, 2007 is considered to be a subpar year for wine from Central Otago, but Felton Road pulled off a miracle.
What it tastes like: Perfectly balanced, fruit forward (but not a fruit bomb) with some Snickers bar action. This wine has SPINE!
What to serve it with: Mushroom risotto, preferably prepared by the chef at Comme Ca in LA. To die for, really.
Say this and sound smart: All of Felton Road’s vineyards are managed organically and biodynamically
The price: $45
Imbiber rating: 95
J Pinot Noir Nicole’s Vineyard 2006
Why you should buy it: J’s legendary winemaker George Bursick is a slave to fashion, and in fact may very well be the most stylish man in all of Healdsburg. His designer duds cost major bucks, so by buying his wine you’re helping to sustain haute couture alive in style-challenged Sonoma County!
What it tastes like: Pure elegance. I suspect it’ll only get more refined after a few years in the bottle, but it’s ready to drink now.
What to serve it with: Liberty Farm duck in a red wine barley sauce
Say this and sound smart: Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy.
The price: $65
Imbiber rating: 91
07/242008 /
Chivite Coleccion 125 Reserva 2001
The blend: 58% tempranillo, 29% merlot, 13% cabernet sauvignon
Why you should buy it: ‘Cuz it’s made from the best of the best grapes from Julian Chivite’s Senorio de Arinzano winery in Aberin (Navarra region).
What it tastes like: The black fruit comes at you and comes at you hard. There’s a smokiness to it as well, along with some hints of licorice.
What to serve it with: A Portobello mushroom burger prepared on a barbecue (click here for a recipe)
Say this and sound smart: The Senorio de Arinzano estate was designed by famed architect Rafael Moneo, the man behind the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles.
The price: $47
Imbiber rating: 90
Don Miguel Gascon Malbec 2006
The blend: 100% Malbec
What you should know about it: It’s made in Argentina, and Malbec is the single most important grape in Argentina.
What it tastes like: There's coffee, cherry, plum and blueberry flavor in there.
What to serve it with: It’s a versatile wine that pairs well with virtually anything.
Say this and sound smart: The Malbec grape arrived in Argentina from France in 1852
The price: $12
Imbiber rating: 88
The blend: 58% tempranillo, 29% merlot, 13% cabernet sauvignon
Why you should buy it: ‘Cuz it’s made from the best of the best grapes from Julian Chivite’s Senorio de Arinzano winery in Aberin (Navarra region).
What it tastes like: The black fruit comes at you and comes at you hard. There’s a smokiness to it as well, along with some hints of licorice.
What to serve it with: A Portobello mushroom burger prepared on a barbecue (click here for a recipe)
Say this and sound smart: The Senorio de Arinzano estate was designed by famed architect Rafael Moneo, the man behind the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles.
The price: $47
Imbiber rating: 90
Don Miguel Gascon Malbec 2006
The blend: 100% Malbec
What you should know about it: It’s made in Argentina, and Malbec is the single most important grape in Argentina.
What it tastes like: There's coffee, cherry, plum and blueberry flavor in there.
What to serve it with: It’s a versatile wine that pairs well with virtually anything.
Say this and sound smart: The Malbec grape arrived in Argentina from France in 1852
The price: $12
Imbiber rating: 88
07/152008 /
Meyer Family 2004 Mendocino County
Syrah
The blend: 100 percent Syrah
A little bit about it: Meyer Family Cellars is a little bitty family-owned winery up in the Yorkville Highlands. Justin and Bonny Meyer, the founders and former owners of Silver Oak, established the winery in 1987.
What it tastes like: My God, this is a smooth and delicious wine! If there’s a place called Wine Heaven, you can bet the ’04 Meyer Family Syrah is on the list. It’s not all that easy to accurately describe how “balance” manifests itself in a wine, but even neophyte oenophiles know it when they taste it. Well, this is an exquisitely balanced wine. You’ll taste vanilla and cherry pits and a little tobacco on the back end. Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum. Let it breathe a while after pulling the cork…it’ll open bigger than a Will Smith movie.
What to serve it with: Whatever you feel like eating. Just focus on the wine. I had it with edamame and seared tuna, and it was delicious.
Say this and sound smart: “Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.” — Aristophanes
The price: $30
The Imbiber’s rating: We don’t give numbers like this out very often but this wine earned it… (drumroll please)… a 95!!!
Luke Donald Collection 2005 Claret – Napa Valley
The blend: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot
A little bit about it: This is collaboration between professional golfer Luke Donald of Great Britain and wine pro Bill Terlato.
What it tastes like: It’s really good… not Tiger Woods level good, mind you, but certainly good enough to, say, win a few times on the PGA tour, which Donald has done.
What to serve it with: Whatever rich old white guys at country clubs are eating these days.
Say this and sound smart: Donald had wanted to play his college golf at Stanford (where Woods went for a minute) but he was not admitted to the university. He wound up at another great school instead – Northwestern.
The price: $40
The Imbiber’s rating: 90
Shannon Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Lake County
The blend: 90% cabernet sauvignon, 10% petit verdot
A little bit about it: Lake County, which was created from parts of Napa and Mendocino counties, was known for producing world-class wines in the early 20th century. During prohibition, however, most of the vineyards were torn up and replaced with pear orchards. The vino comeback began in the 1960s.
What it tastes like: Bing cherries with toasty vanilla bean
What to serve it with: Sweetbreads might work; a big juicy burger definitely would.
Say this and sound smart: The cabernet sauvignon grape is the result of a chance crossing between cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc in France sometime during the 17th century.
The price: $19
The Imbiber’s rating: 88
The blend: 100 percent Syrah
A little bit about it: Meyer Family Cellars is a little bitty family-owned winery up in the Yorkville Highlands. Justin and Bonny Meyer, the founders and former owners of Silver Oak, established the winery in 1987.
What it tastes like: My God, this is a smooth and delicious wine! If there’s a place called Wine Heaven, you can bet the ’04 Meyer Family Syrah is on the list. It’s not all that easy to accurately describe how “balance” manifests itself in a wine, but even neophyte oenophiles know it when they taste it. Well, this is an exquisitely balanced wine. You’ll taste vanilla and cherry pits and a little tobacco on the back end. Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum. Let it breathe a while after pulling the cork…it’ll open bigger than a Will Smith movie.
What to serve it with: Whatever you feel like eating. Just focus on the wine. I had it with edamame and seared tuna, and it was delicious.
Say this and sound smart: “Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.” — Aristophanes
The price: $30
The Imbiber’s rating: We don’t give numbers like this out very often but this wine earned it… (drumroll please)… a 95!!!
Luke Donald Collection 2005 Claret – Napa Valley
The blend: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot
A little bit about it: This is collaboration between professional golfer Luke Donald of Great Britain and wine pro Bill Terlato.
What it tastes like: It’s really good… not Tiger Woods level good, mind you, but certainly good enough to, say, win a few times on the PGA tour, which Donald has done.
What to serve it with: Whatever rich old white guys at country clubs are eating these days.
Say this and sound smart: Donald had wanted to play his college golf at Stanford (where Woods went for a minute) but he was not admitted to the university. He wound up at another great school instead – Northwestern.
The price: $40
The Imbiber’s rating: 90
Shannon Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Lake County
The blend: 90% cabernet sauvignon, 10% petit verdot
A little bit about it: Lake County, which was created from parts of Napa and Mendocino counties, was known for producing world-class wines in the early 20th century. During prohibition, however, most of the vineyards were torn up and replaced with pear orchards. The vino comeback began in the 1960s.
What it tastes like: Bing cherries with toasty vanilla bean
What to serve it with: Sweetbreads might work; a big juicy burger definitely would.
Say this and sound smart: The cabernet sauvignon grape is the result of a chance crossing between cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc in France sometime during the 17th century.
The price: $19
The Imbiber’s rating: 88
