Page 5 | Published in July 2002 - Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide

Price $36

Good Zins from this appellation are not common, which is too bad, considering how fine this one is. The fully ripened berry and spice fruit is married to intricate, lacy tannins, and the wine is dry. Despite the big flavors, it has an airy, feathery quality, anchored in crisp acidity. — S.H. (7/1/2002)

91

points

Flora Springs 1999 Poggio del Papa Sangiovese (Napa Valley)

Price $35

California has struggled to produce a super-Tuscan that was at once deeply flavored and classically structured. With this wine, Flora Springs raises the bar. It has all the fruity flavors you expect from the vintage, with the architecture of a fine Napa red. The tannins and acids are softly intricate. Mainly Sangiovese and Merlot, with a dollop of Cabernet Sauvignon. — S.H. (7/1/2002)

91

points

Chehalem 2000 Ian’s Reserve Chardonnay

Price $32

Young and sassy, this wine is already showing lovely nuances of toast, spice, lees and mineral. Complex, vivid and beautifully balanced, with a lot of fresh leesy texture and the tangy fruit riding on top. Classy winemaking, elegant and sophisticated. — P.G. (7/1/2002)

91

points

Neil Ellis 2000 Chardonnay (Elgin)

Price $20

While Neil Ellis’s winery is in Stellenbosch, he gets his Chardonnay for this wine from the cooler region of Elgin. It has sweet, almost tropical-fruit aromas, followed through with spicy, creamy, wood flavors and ripe, generous acidity. Despite its richness, it also has delicacy, as much in the finely judged use of wood as in the clean, elegant fruit. — R.V. (7/1/2002)

91

points

Rustenberg 1999 Five Soldiers Chardonnay (Stellenbosch)

Price $33

One of South Africa’s oldest wine estates, established in 1692, has revolutionized its wine cellar and its wine in the past five years. This Chardonnay is typical of the estate’s wines, oozing rich fruit and modern wood flavors, yet retaining a style and elegance that is as much French as South African. — R.V. (7/1/2002)

91

points

Mulderbosch 1999 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay (Stellenbosch)

Price $23

Mike Dobrovic, winemaker at Mulderbosch, coaxes a blend of open rich fruit with a spine of steel from his fruit. The wine is definitely New World in style with its creamy wood flavors, yet it also has the ability to age, which is more Burgundian in character. — R.V. (7/1/2002)

91

points

Sine Qua Non 1999 The Marauder Syrah

Price $75

Though, at present, it isn’t quite as powerful as past vintages, the winery’s newest Syrah still shows some classic SQN hallmarks, such as malted-milk and powdered-cocoa aromas and flavors, a smooth mouthfeel and dusty tannins. Smoke, ash and bacon fat notes appear on both the nose and the palate, as does a hint of green herb. Is, as always, an ode to ripe, juicy… — W.E. (7/1/2002)

91

points

Benziger 1999 Merlot (Sonoma County)

Price $19

Pretty tannic now, with underlying fruity flavors of plum, blackberry, herbs and earth. Drinks very dry and a bit austere, and there’s tartness in the dusty finish. May gain with an additional year or two of age. — S.H. (8/1/2003)

Published in July 2002

Savannah-Chanelle 1999 Zinfandel (Santa Cruz Mountains)

Flora Springs 1999 Poggio del Papa Sangiovese (Napa Valley)

Chehalem 2000 Ian’s Reserve Chardonnay

Neil Ellis 2000 Chardonnay (Elgin)

Rustenberg 1999 Five Soldiers Chardonnay (Stellenbosch)

Mulderbosch 1999 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay (Stellenbosch)

Sine Qua Non 1999 The Marauder Syrah

Benziger 1999 Merlot (Sonoma County)

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