Features
Introduce guests to a wine they’re unaware of
As we sample a lot of different wines in our business of writing a column each week, we are in constant search for something different. Perhaps it is an interesting blend, an usual grape variety or a region that has eluded us.
If you are tired of the same old chardonnay or merlot, it’s time for change. These wines are great to introduce to guests as a gift or to share. We have tried to keep them reasonably priced.
• Chateau La Paws Cote du Bone Roan 2005 ($14). Kent Rosenblum is a practicing veterinarian who started this special label to raise money to help train assistance dogs for people with disabilities. So not only is the wine good for Paws With a Cause, but it’s just good. This tasty syrah with strawberry and cherry notes is blended with bits of zinfandel, mourvedre and carignane. The white version — Cote du Bone Blanc 2005 ($14) — is a blend of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, viognier, roussanne and marsanne. Very good wines for a great cause.
• Duckhorn Vineyards Decoy Napa Valley Red 2005 ($28). With the ducks and geese in the air, how about wine to get you in the mood? A blend of cabernet sauvignon (45 percent), merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot, this luscious wine packs a lot of concentrated dark berry fruit. Good depth and finish.
Francis Coppola Presents Rosso 2005 ($11). We’re not enamored by the name given to the film director’s 2006 purchase of Chateau Souverain. But we are impressed by the simple flavors of this delicious wine. Intended to mimic the everyday wines that graced the Coppola’s family table, the rosso and bianco are characterized by clean fruit flavors. This rosso is a zany blend of zinfandel (51 percent), syrah, and cabernet sauvignon. Serve it with pizza, pasta, burgers or whatever is on the table tonight. The bianco is a blend of pinot grigio (86 percent), sauvignon blanc and chardonnay.
• Taltarni Three Monks Cabernet Merlot 2005 ($15). Generous plum notes with good spice and herbs. Rich flavors and soft texture — excellent value from Australia.
• Domaine de Nizas Le Mas Rouge 2002 ($13). A very nice blend of cabernet sauvignon (50 percent), syrah and merlot from grapes grown in the Languedoc region of southern France. Explosive blackberry and spicey aromas with simple but balanced dark berry flavors. The producer also makes a pleasing white version of Le Mas — a blend of sauvignon blanc and viognier.
WINE OF THE WEEK
• Kir-Yianni Akakies Rose Amyndeon 2006 ($12). Made from xinomavro grapes grown in a vineyard in northwest Greece, this wine exhibited one of the most beautiful shades of pink/red we have seen. Delightful cherry-scented nose with fresh cherry/strawberry flavors and a wonderful crisp food-friendly finish.
Serve with Greek foods (obviously) or chicken and veal dishes. Drink over the next year.
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