Zind Humbrecht Gewurztraminer 2005

9 1/4 Screwcaps

So Thanksgiving is around the corner and you don't know what to get? BUY THIS GEWURZTRAMINER!!!! OK, let's start out by saying it correctly. Sound it out: "ga-VERTS-tra-mener," or in short you can say "ga-VERTS." People seem to walk into the misconception that chardonnay is the key wine for Thanksgiving and that is ok, but remember, with turkey, you are also having stuffing, cranberry, yams and other flavors. Nothing can bring these flavors out like a solid Gewurz, especially from the people at Zind Humbrecht. This wine has flavors of melon, honey and slate, which enhance fruits and vegetables. PLUS, the spiciness of the stuffing is complemented perfectly with the subtle touch of sweetness in the wine. (By the way, for that reason, Gewurz is also amazing with Asian Cuisine!) Turkey will melt in your mouth with this wine. Serve it cool, but not cold.

Ch. Haut-Bages Liberal, Pauillac 2004

9 Screwcaps

Mid-priced Bordeaux with high quality isn't the toughest item to find, but it isn't always easy on this side of the Atlantic. My example for this superb quality is Haut-Bages Liberal from the Left Bank of the Medoc River. Cabernet leads with Merlot and Petit Verdot as supporting characters, which when combined form a black currant, blackberry, minerality and peppery taste with a nose of plum, slight bacon and a hint of cherry. Try this wine with either a New York Strip or some Gruyere or Comte. You won't regret it!

Palin Syrah 2006

8 Screwcaps

Oh you betcha this is a nice syrah. You can drink this while looking at Russia from your house! Oh, it has a nice black cherry and coffee aroma with a great maverick taste of cherries, minerals and licorice. You can drink this now or wait as long as 4 more years to enjoy this Chilean wine, valued at $17.00. Try it with Manchego Cheese or any type of glazed moose...I mean, pork.

Ommegang "Three Philosophers " Quadrupel Ale

9 Screwcaps

Today the word "synergy" has a specific meaning....well, two: if you are in a corporate meeting, it means blowing smoke up someone's butt with people getting fired. In this case, it means the blending of wonderful flavors. Expect to get a mouthfeel for dark chocolate, cherries and creme brulee. Effervescent but not too bubbly, this beer drinks like a port wine. A delicious port wine. Because of the comparison, enjoy this after dinner with a decadent blue cheese such as Gorganzola, Roquefort or Blue Stilton. Beware in that this isn't your typical beer. It has a kick at almost 10% alcohol and is priced at around $13.00 for a 4 pack. Trust me, you want to try it and with the recent laws in South Carolina having been changed, you can find this at your specialty alcohol stores.

Dom. de la Presidente Cotes du Rhone Villages 2005

8 1/2 Screwcaps


In the Rhone Valley, 2005 set record prices, just like the Rhone Valley's big brothers in Burgundy and Bordeaux. That having been said, it's all about finding the value. Look no further.
This Cotes du Rhone Villages ("Villages" means that there are a specific amount of villages in the Rhone Valley that have consistent quality that can produce this wine) is a blockbuster of cinnamon, currant and white pepper with a nose of cherries and vanilla. Typical for a GSM from the Rhone Valley (Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre), it needs a little more time for the acidity and tannins to settle down. Age this baby from 2-4 more years and just let it laugh with you at others that chose to buy a $300 bottle from the same area. At around $13.00/btl., you will laugh a lot!
Try this wine with lamb, roast beef and camembert cheese.

Barboursville Cabernet Franc 2006

8 3/4 Screwcaps

Virginia has many distinctions amongst the United States. It is the birthplace of Presidents, home of the Capital of the Confederacy, home of Arthur Ashe, the true country roads that are old Virginia (Look it up, under the Statler Brothers, not that hack John Denver). It is also the home of the best area to grow Cabernet Franc in the nation. And if Virginia is the capital of this grape, Barboursville is the White House.
With a beautiful nose of plum, green peppers and mushrooms, it follows through with cherries and fig as though it were handpicked from Sancerre in the Loire Valley. Buy it today and although you can drink it today, put about 1-2 years of age on this beauty.

Ca' del Solo Estate Vineyard Albariño 2007

8 5/8 Screwcpaps

A great expression of a wine welcoming the hot summer months. This California wine has it's roots in northwest Spain, the seafood capital of Europe. Brought overseas, Ca' del Solo's screwcap version of this Albariño shows great strength in character as made by it's screwy winemaker (who titled himself "President for Life"), Randall Grahm.
Initially having a subtle slate taste on the front of the palate, this wine opens up with a plethora of pineapple and a healthy handful of honeydew taste with ample acidity to cut through any fatty seafood, but it is at it's best when you drink it while eating scallops or oysters. Drink this over the next year.

Charles Shaw Chardonnay 2006

7 Screwcaps

I will start off by saying that "Two Buck Chuck" earns the best 7 Screwcap rating that I have EVER given. Sold in specific stores at the llllooooowwww price of $2.99 (Exclusive at Trader Joe's stores), this wine is a fantastic cult wine, not necessarily judged on character of the wine, but more character versus price. You will taste pear, apricot and cheap. Try it now. Don't hold on to it for more than 1 year. Just buy and drink. It will surprise you!

J. Lohr Arroyo Secco Chardonnay "Arroyo Vista Vineyard" 2005

8 2/3 Screwcaps

A delicious approach to an oaked chardonnay! Normally, I stick toward the unoaked chardonnays, being that I am sometimes sick of biting into an oak tree. Well, I needed a change of pace and this wine was a perfect pace changer! As though I were drinking birthday cake batter, this wine had intense flavors of, believe it or not, Golden Grahams. Needless to say, the wine was wonderful. The food I would match this up with, believe it or not, stuffed tortellini with a creamy marinara. Yes, I am suggesting a white with a red sauce....get over it and try it. I think that you will find out that I am right. In your face Chef Boyardee!

Celler de Cantella "Cervoles" 2004

7 1/2 Screwcaps

This is a nice wine. Medium in body with a nice amount of spice and blackberry. It just didn't really impress me as I had hoped it would, with the $30.00 price tag that I paid. While being fruit forward on the palate and the nose, there was a very short finish to this Tempranillo, Cabernet, Grenache and Merlot blend. Perhaps this could benefit from some aging. At most, I would drink it over the next 3 years.

Krug Grande Cuvee NV

9 7/10 Screwcaps

This is simply the best non-vintage champagne (let alone wine in general) that I have ever tasted, and for the price, it damn well better! Fortunately, we have wonderful people that look after the Wine Team, including the Wine Team itself and was gifted this bottle to taste when the ball dropped. Fortunately, the ball wasn't dropped when this champagne was made. It is easy to reminisce about the pear and candy apple tastes, but what really separates this bottle is the barrel fermenting/aging. See, most champagnes are fermented/aged in stainless steel, which mostly leave a good to great finish. Krug and your higher up champagnes will use oak barrels in the old traditional form. Thank God that some things just never change, because the hazelnut in this baby would leave the makers of Frangellico scratching their heads, wondering where they went wrong.
Now as said, the price can get up there (about $135), but let me tell you that if you regard champagne as a wine for special occasions and want to seal that occasion with something that you will never forget, then get this wine immediately! You will not regret it!