All posts by John Boyer

Wine of the Week 2/20 – 2/26

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Nuna Reserve Torrontes 2010 $11.95
Made from 100% hand-selected Torrontes from the best parcels of the estate. The grapes are carefully chosen and fermented in small lots to preserve the vineyard identity.

The Torrontés exhibits a fragrant, floral, honey-accented perfume followed by a full-bodied dry wine with a smooth texture and ripe flavors. An aromatic white wine.

Pairing suggestions: spicy and savory food, especially Chinese or Thai cuisine.

Grapes: 100% Torrontes
Region: Argentina

Don Ramon 2008 $7.95
Ruby dark garnet in color, with an effusive creamy cherry cough drop and aquarium nose; flavors turn more toward deeper, darker black cherry and raspberry on a medium to medium full bodied frame, with moderate tannins and balanced acidity. A subtle earthiness underneath the bright fruit adds some depth and complexity, making for a harmonious glass of red wine, and very good.

Grapes: 75% Grenache, 25% Tempranillo
Region: Spain

Wine of the Week 2/13 – 2/19

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Yalumba Unwooded Chardonnay 2009 $9.95
Pale straw with light green hues, the Yalumba Y Series Unwooded Chardonnay displays aromas of honeydew melon and nashi pear, with hints of grapefruit and pineapple. The palate is silky with flavors of ripe nectarines, guava and grapefruit with a fresh acid finish. Serve with Thai chicken salad or gnocchi with sautéed prawns and a burnt butter sauce.

Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Region: Australia

Monte Antico Toscana Super Tuscan 2006 $13.95
#61 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2009 – According to James Suckling on his WineSpectator.com blog: I came across an incredible value in my office in Tuscany today. Tasting a range of wines from $10 to $25 with Neil and Maria Empson of Empson & Co., I found some excellent wines. But what was the most impressive for the money was the Monte Antico 2006. Its suggested retail is $11, and it could sell for less (like here). And it is in the market now. Granted, I have not tasted it blind yet. But it’s in the very good to outstanding range. The wine is 75 percent Sangiovese, 15 percent Merlot and 10 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. It is made from 25-year-old vines minimum, mostly from Pisa, Maremma and Chianti Classico areas. Of course, the quality of the 2006 vintage in Tuscany shined through on this wine. This is a superb Sangiovese year. The aromatic quality of Sangiovese is mind-blowing for most wines from Tuscany. The 2006 Monte Antico has beautiful plums, berries and fresh acidity.
-90 points Wine Spectator

Grapes: 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot
Region: Toscana, Italy

Wine of the Week 2/6 – 2/12

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Conde Villar Vinho Verde $8.95
The Conde Villar Vinho Verde comes to us from the famous Quintas Das Arcas estate located in Portugal’s northwest corner. It’s made from three traditional grapes – 40% Loureiro, 30% Trajadura, and 30% Arinto. The high percentage of Loureiro gives the first hint of the quality here: Lourerio is the hardest to grow of the three and gives the wine a boost in aromatic complexity.

The 2009 Conde Villar shows Vinho Verde at its vibrant, youthful, best. The Loureiro in the blend delivers a burst of intensely fresh citrus and green pear fruit, lime skin, and floral aromas. Take a sip and you’ll discover more citrus fruit, wet stones, and a touch of yeasty freshness. The finish is bright, crisp, and dry with lingering mineral/yeast and lime notes. A perfect wine to sip on its own on a warm, late-summer, night or to enjoy with shellfish, salads, or grilled veggies.

Grapes: 40% Loureiro, 30% Trajadura, and 30% Arinto
Region: Portugal

Shotfire Barossa Shiraz 2008 $15.95
Deep red in color. The lifted nose has plums and sweet spice – cardoman and cinnamon, with choc mint oak characters. The palate is full bodied but refined with some expressive berry fruit, plums, liquorice and complex spicy oak. There is a great depth of fruit which will ensure the longevity of the wine and also gives it wonderful mouthfilling sensation. The tannins are velvety and combined with the rich fruit and spicy oak gives the wine great length of flavor.

Grapes: 100% Shiraz
Region: Barossa Valley, Australia

Wine of the Week 1/30 – 2/5

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Mackenzie Chardonnay 2009 $10.95
This Sonoma County Chardonnay is fermented in stainless steel tanks and exposed to minimal oak contact after fermentation. This approach retains the bright, clean citrus and apple flavors, and makes this a particularly refreshing (not to mention value-packed) Chardonnay.

Grapes: Chardonnay
Region: Sonoma, California

Château de Ségriès, Côtes du Rhône Rouge 2009 $10.95
The wine is ripe, rich and round, with black raspberry, white pepper and spice flavors. True Cotes du Rhone in a Bistro style.

Grapes:50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, 10% Carignan
Region: Rhone Valley, France

Wine of the Week 1/23 – 1/29

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Coi Soave 2009 $5.95
Medium yellow color, delicate bouquet of exotic fruits, peach and flowers. Pleasant smooth taste, velvety aftertaste and white fruit flavors. Pairs well with pasta dishes, horse d’oeuvre, fish, fruits and peanuts.

Grapes: 70% Garganega, 20% Trebbiano di Soave and 10% Chardonnay.
Region: Italy

Cueva de las Manos Reserve Malbec 2009 $9.95
“Two winners from Argentina include the 2009 Malbec Reserve, a 100% Malbec aged 12 months in a combination of French and American oak. Copious aromas of chocolate, blueberries, blackberries, tar, and spice box jump from the glass of this inky/ruby/purple-tinged wine. Ripe, succulent, and loaded with fruit with silky tannins and a long finish, it will not make old bones, but for drinking over the next 2-3 years, this is a heck-of-a bargain. ”
– Wine Advocate (Aug. 2010), 90 pts

Grapes: Malbec
Region: Mendoza, Argentina

Wine of the Week 1/16 – 1/23

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Yalumba Y Series Riesling 2008 $9.95
Pale green hues, this wine has a spice and aromatic profile showing feijoa, lemongrass, rose petals and tropical fruit. Long, fine and refreshing, the Yalumba Y Series Riesling shows grapefruit flavours with balanced mineral acidity and fruit sweetness. This leads to a long lingering flavour and persistence on the palate.

Gentle processing of the grapes, and the use of only the clearest juice, followed by a cool even fermentation, ensures that the fresh flavours of the variety are preserved in the final wine.

Grapes: Riesling
Region: South Australia

Luna Nuda Chianti 2006 $8.95
Luna Nuda Chianti DOCG is produced on the Tuscan hills in the zone of the Chianti region located around Florence with a blend of Sangiovese and Canaiolo grapes. Following careful grape selection and maceration of the must over the grape skins for 10 to 12 days, an advanced constant temperature fermentation technique is applied, yielding a pleasant, full bodied wine that keeps its distinctive fruitiness for an extensive period of time.

  • Nose: fruity with aromas of ripe red fruit and an elegant note of spice.
  • Palate: fresh, savory and well balanced, it has a good structure.
  • New world flare with respect for the old world tradition.
  • A very modern take on an ancient wine.

Grapes: Sangiovese, Canaiolo
Region: Chianti, Italy

Wine of the Week 10/17 – 10/23

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Shepherds Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2009 $14.95
This crisp, mouthwatering New Zealand white has an irresistible lemon and lime flavor with enticing gooseberries, herbs and peaches combined together on the palate. It’s difficult to resist a second glass. While dry, this wine is deliciously rich

Rabbit Ridge Le Lapin Multiplicity (Non-vintage) $6.95
”Le Lapin” is French for rabbit. It is also the name of a new line from bargain meister Rabbit Ridge Winery of Paso Robles, CA. It is believed it is a blend of Zinfandel, Syrah and Petite Sirah. It is a plump, juicy red full of black cherry, blackberry, a little plum with spice notes.

Wine of the Week 10/10 – 10/16

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Gouguenheim Syrah 2006 $6.95
An expensive-tasting Syrah that owes its chocolate-rich, plummy fruit to an impeccable upbringing in optimally-sited Argentinian vineyards. Funded by his Cognac-selling father, and steered by leading South American wine consultants Susana Balbo and Pedro Marchevsky, Patricio Gouguenhem put down roots in Tupungato’s ‘Valle Escondido’ (‘Hidden Valley’), an hour’s drive from Mendoza. Susana revels in the fruit quality, making strapping reds like this. Wine for gaucho grills.

Grapes: Syrah
Region: Mendoza – Argentina

Helfrich Riesling 2007 $7.95
Not quite completely bone dry, with a hint of florality and sweetness to the apple/peach fruit. Elements of minerality and just enough cut at the finish, this is a pleasing and versatile effort for the genre with some actual fruit and character. Easy to like.

Grapes: Riesling
Region: Alsace – France

Wine of the Week 04/18 – 4/24

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Benegas Sangiovese 2006 $19.95
Overview: The 2006 Sangiovese is dark ruby-colored with a lovely red cherry perfume, notes of cedar and mineral, and an elegant personality. This smooth, friendly wine could easily pass for Tuscan in a blind tasting. Give it two years in the cellar and enjoy it from 2010 to 2018.
-90 points Wine Advocate

Grapes: Sangiovese
Region: Mendoza – Argentina

Valminor Albarino 2008 $13.95
Overview: A brilliant and lively yellow color. On the nose, the wine shows a great complexity marked by intense fruity aromas of fresh grapefruit, apricot and melon. In the mouth, Valmiñor combines fruity flavors and freshness with a rounded acidity, resulting in a balanced wine that boasts an opulent taste with elegant aromas.

Grapes: Albarino
Region: Rias Baixas – Spain

Wine of the Week 04/11 – 4/17

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Luna Pinot Grigio 2006 $11.95
Overview: Pale yellow-gold color. Slightly yeasty aromas of yellow plum, pear and tropical fruits. Fresh and fruit-driven, with lively acidity giving the middle palate a firmness. I find the saline minerality and subtle florality here to be quite intriguing. Finishes firm-edged, almost tannic, but without bitterness. 90 pts. Stephen Tanzer

Grapes: Pinot Grigio
Region: Napa Valley – California

Col De Vents 2007 $8.95
Overview: This lush blend of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah is filled with notes of blueberry, plum and spice. A delicious example of Corbieres, whose vineyards are cooled by the night breezes off the hills, giving balance and richness to the Rhone-style wines. {Elegant, Blueberry, Red fruit, Medium-bodied}

Grapes: 35% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 50% Carignan
Region: Corbieres – France