Wherein I’ve culled my FEB posts for all wine recommendations…
… and now post them in one heaping, streaming glob.
At the end of each month, I’ll post these as an actual post.
… then start all over again.

Keep on my wine reviews by viewing the Judgemental category

sometimes wordy, sometimes blunt …
… what do you want for free?

Lillet Blanc - I’ll write about this a lot. I love aperitifs, and this one, with a slice of orange is one of my favorites. An orangy-sweet, blossom rich aroma, mouth-coating feel, hint of sweetness, and great acidity. This gets your tongue firing on all cylinders, ready for food. ($16-20)available at all major liquor stores

Deutz - the only negociant Champagne that I drink, period. And also the most complex and lovely. Their house style is all about finesse. ($30-37) imported by Maison Marques & Domaines, MMD

Sweet-smelling, soft, herbal aromatics, so subtle, layered and fine. Maturity of taste–like the difference between a fresh vintage of new world Syrah, and a cellared French version. This wine isn’t flashy; it’s slinky. This wine isn’t wearing the short, crotch-bearing skirt of overripe fruit. This is a finely grown gown of dried raspberries, plummy/cherry fruit leather and all those red fruits that border on purple. Mouthfeel–this wine has a rich flavor that lacks the density of new fruit, or the sandiness of young tannins. It’s what we mean by the word “silky.” On a good day, most wine pros would narrow this down to Chianti, Gigondas, or an old Dolcetto, maybe. If I had to come up with a one sentence pitch: The Cabanon Bonarda tastes like the love child of a mellow, elegant, old world Grenache and a high-end Valpolicella.

an aromatically stunning, rich yet razor sharp proper Champagne–like a velvet teddy bear sporting chinese stars 1996 Lenoble Blanc de Blancs is a Daniel Johnnes Selection ($55-65)

… last of my righteous 1985 Ceretto Zonchera Barolo that possesses everything delicious and holy that is the Nebbiolo grape: silken plum/cherry fruit, the smell of tar & violets, and a complexity that turns most Pinot green with envy ($ you’ll have to Google that shit) (Bacchus Imports)…

2002 Syrah La Genisse Lafond Vineyard - French for heffer, this wine is the result of some Syrah barrels that weren’t really floating Joe’s boat for the full-on Arcadian label. So he bottled it under a different name. And proof that sometimes shit happens, this wine came alive in the bottle and now tastes like way more than $18 (it might be less in Cali). The dark berry and plummy fruit is very voluptious and fresh, REAL tasting. I smell and get lightly slapped with fresh cracked pepper on the finish. (I’m into that.) Balanced with an unassuming, but undeniably there structure. Meaning, bitch looks like a million bucks and like she only took 5 minutes to get ready but that dress is a work of tasty architecture. This is the under $20 Salma Hayek hottie-Syrah from Cali for which I’ve been searching. www.arcadianwinery.com

What white can handle arugula and blue cheese? Chateau de Varennes Savennieres–one of my favorite freaky whites that is the only mandatorily dry expression of the Chenin Blanc grape in the Loire Valley, smells like a complex dessert wine, feels viscous, and yet is still dry, dry, dry. And ages like Catherine Deneuve ($18-22) (imorted by Riservati, Seattle)

… the elegant, heady, and balanced Arcadian Pisoni vineyard Pinot Noir that bookended the mushroom pan jou of our bird at Ripe Family Supper reminded me why Joe Davis is one of my favorite American winemakers ($50? $60?) (Joe’s is the only Pisoni that actually tastes like Pinot, go figure) …

appetizers and tapas sing, sang, sung with a zesty Blanco Nieva Verdejo, brought to us by Jorge Ordonez that smelled like lemongrass and white pepper. ($15-18)

thumbs up to the Pio Cesare Barbera from Maison Marques & Domaines, MMD–it had a bold red cherry flavor that knew when to shut up and let the food talk and an acidity and texture made for the table, and my lamb shank at Crave. A bolder Scala Dei Priorat, imported by Eric Solomon, also made for good dining–lush and a bit more structured and not as mui macho as most of that region’s wines. (Both hover around $15.)

Domaine de la Charmoise 2004 Touraine Gamay - This was all peppery fresh goodness, all Gamay. Gamay doesn’t have to taste all circus peanuty or banana candy-like (that’s how most cheap beaujolais and other crass manufactured French wine smells to me) This one is high-toned, but with enough fruit to keep it from tasting brash (brash, like green tea steeped too long). imported by Weygandt-Metzler ($13-15)

Philippe Alliet 2004 Chinon - I really haven’t had a Chinon that tasted quite like this in a long, very long time. Most can be kind of acerbic and bitchy, especially with some of the biodynamic/organic whackos (loveable though they may be) This sucker is down right juicy, but still very much everything it’s supposed to be. brought to you by Beaune Imports ($17-20)

Marchesi Alfieri “Sostegno” Monferrato Rosso - I love this wine. I love that it tastes like a much older wine. The overall balance, the plush texture, the developed complexity of the fruit. I love that the Pinot Nero shows its kinder, gentler side to the pluckier Barbera fruit. I love that most people guess it to be a late 90’s Bordeaux. And I love, love, love that it’s only $15. (imported by Wineworth LLC

Domaine Saint-Damien 2003 Cotes du Rhone Vielles Vignes - Ooooh, that’s fine, damn fine. You get all of that pretty pretty red Grenache fruit that almost smells Pinot-like, then this wine rolls across your tongue like the finest, softest silk. I thought she was older, cuz she’s very, eh-hem, mature for her age. I swear she said she was a 2001 Gigondas. imported by Weygandt-Metzler ($13-15)

Domaine Hubert de Montille 2003 Bourgogne Rouge - How the hell did this man make a Burgundy that tastes like this, in such a crappy vintage? Because he’s sly like fox, that’s renard in French. Monsieur De Montille rented the only refrigerated catering trucks in the area to bring the grapes in, keeping them at a cool temperature in the face of montrous heat. And the result, si c’est bon. Many of these vines used to carry the Volnay village designation before the shifted some top soil around. You can keep your fancy pants Cotes d’Or. I love Volnay–all elegance, delicately fragrant, with soft dusty earth, a classic…like Grace Kelly. all thanks to Beaune Imports ($30-35)

… the Clos Mimi Petite Rousse was rich, dense, and blackberryicious. Not too alcoholic–check. Pepper–check. Woody, sweet spice–check. It’s memory will be protected in my mind as one of the best values in California Syrah…($18-20) www.closmimi.com