BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

L’Ecole No. 41 2007 Merlot
91 (Columbia Valley); $28. This is a
beautiful wine from the nose on out. Complex
and aromatic, it has Italian-style tobacco scents,
fresh acidity, leafy highlights, and undertones of
tar, licorice and clove, all wrapped around tart,
pie cherry fruit.
91
White Cottage Ranch 2007 Risa
Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley);
$40. What a nice Cabernet this is. It’s so dry and
well-structured, tantalizing your palate with hints of
richness instead of swamping it with fruit and oak.
Shows summer-ripe, briary blackberry and black
currant flavors, with grounding notes of dried
herbs, violets, tobacco, licorice and cedar, leading
to a distinguished finish. Now–2013.
90
Cadaretta 2006 Springboard
(Columbia Valley); $50. A limited-production
Bordeaux blend, this is a vineyard/barrel
selection by now-departed Cadaretta winemaker
Virginie Bourgue. It’s silky and deep, with penetrating
black fruits and toasted, roasted coffee barrel
flavors. Seductive and smooth, this is an elegant
wine that warrants cellaring.
90
90
Cadaretta 2007 Windthrow
(Columbia Valley);
$50. Cadaretta’s Windthrow
is a limited-release southern
Rhône blend of 37% Syrah, 27%
Mourvèdre, 18% Counoise and
18% Grenache. The fruit is just
ripe enough, clean and juicy,
with a spicy and tart mouthfeel.
What’s most surprising is
the length—the wine seems to
gather itself and push on
through a full-throttle finish,
adding nougat and vanilla custard
to the mix.
Healdsburg Ranches 2009 Appellation
Series Pinot Noir (Russian
River Valley); $19. Great price for a Pinot
Noir this rich and fancy. It really flatters the
palate, offering waves of raspberry, cherry, root
beer, vanilla and sandalwood flavors, with a spicy
finish. The light, silky texture is especially nice, as
is the low alcohol balance. Editors’ Choice.
90
Kunde 2007 Syrah (Sonoma Valley);
$18. A beautiful Syrah, richly textured
and delicious. Held back for three years, it’s
perfect now for the soft texture, and the raspberry,
cherry and orange zest flavors have a spicy
edge. Complexity is enhanced with additions of
Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Barbera, Grenache and
Viognier. Editors’ Choice.
90
Scharffenberger NV Brut (Mendocino
County); $19. Great price for a
brut this classically structured. Made from Pinot
Noir and Chardonnay, it’s dry and crisp, with a
fine mousse that gives it a creamy smooth mouthfeel.
The pineapple, raspberry and vanilla flavors
are delicious. Editors’ Choice.
90
Starmont 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Napa Valley); $27. Pretty
good price for a Cabernet this elegant and rich.
Starmont is a kind of second label to the excellent
producer, Merryvale, and this ’07 shows a fine
pedigree, as well as the general quality of the vintage.
It’s dry and balanced, with complex blackberry,
currant and oak flavors. Drink now–2013.
90
Vina Robles 2007 Signature Estate
Cuvée (Paso Robles); $39. A little
too soft in both acidity and tannins to have perfect
structure, but it’s fine enough, and the flavors
certainly are complex and compelling. They
range from blackberry tart and cherry pie
through Dr. Pepper cola and anise liqueur to
bacon and sandalwood. If that sounds good, it is.
Ready now.
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