Published in Early December 2009
Wines, Spirits and Beers published in the Early December 2009 issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
Captain Lawrence Rosso e Marrone
- $12
An amber-brown colored brew, aged in French and American oak wine barrels for over two years with brettanomyces, and Merlot and Zinfandel grapes added. Prominent aromas of horse blanket, wet hay and earth backed by notes of rhubarb, vinegar, sour cherry, wine-soaked oak and tart red grapes. The mouth is as intense as the nose but with more of the oak notes along…
— L.B.
(12/1/2009)
Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2007 Guardiola Red (Etna)
- Cellar Selection
- Online Exclusive
- $46
From what may be the most beautiful vineyard on the planet with gnarled and knotted limbs of head-trained vines that emerge from blackened volcanic soils, Guardiola is an extraordinary wine. It is elegant inside and out with penetrating aromas of licorice, violets, coal, mesquite, black currants and cassis. The tannins are polished but firm and the wine promises a…
— M.L.
(12/1/2009)
Etude 2006 Heirloom Estate Grown Pinot Noir (Carneros)
- Cellar Selection
- Online Exclusive
- $90
Big, powerful, soft, rich and ageable. In other words, classic Etude Heirloom. Resembles the rich 2002, with massive flavors of cherries, raspberries, cocoa, anise, bacon and smoky sandalwood. Enormously complex, a wine that changes with every sip as it breathes and warms. Shows the density of Cabernet, with Pinot’s silkiness. Now–2014.
— S.H.
(12/1/2009)
Dutton Estate 2007 Dutton Ranch Dutton-Thomas Road Vineyard Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley)
- Online Exclusive
- $48
Beautiful. Really impresses for its power and elegance, but way too young. We’re entering a new era where some Pinots require cellaring and this is one of them. It’s all acidity, oak and primary fruit now, but with such a nuclear concentration of cherries, raspberries and pomegranates that it will easily develop. Could be something special by 2012.
— S.H.
(12/1/2009)
Dutton Estate 2007 Dutton Ranch Karmen Isabella Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley)
- Editors' Choice
- Online Exclusive
- $38
Easy to like a lot now for its terrifically rich flavors of cherries, raspberries, pomegranates, mocha and smoky sandalwood flavors that take over and dazzle the palate. Also shows a silky, airy mouthfeel. But it’s way too young now, an obvious ager, and in fact demands time in the bottle. Stash this beauty. Best 2011–2013, possibly longer.
— S.H.
(12/1/2009)
Adelsheim 2007 Boulder Bluff Vineyard Pinot Noir (Chehalem Mountains)
- Cellar Selection
- $58
This is the first vineyard-designation for the vineyard, and it’s easy to see why it was done. The wine has pinpoint focus, bright fruit, natural layering of spice, fruit and herb, with a punchy, briny spine that seems to gather force and go on forever. If a wine can ever be salty, this is the wine.
— P.G.
(12/15/2009)
Longboard 2007 Late Harvest Sémillon (Sonoma Valley)
- Editors' Choice
- $35
A gorgeous dessert wine. Supersweet in honey, apricot jam, orange blossom, crème brûlée and vanilla flavors, it’s balanced with rich acidity, and finishes with a spicy touch of smoke. Compelling and addictive, this is one of the best sweet wines of the year.
— S.H.
(12/15/2009)
Peju 2006 Fifty/Fifty Estate Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot (Napa Valley)
- Online Exclusive
- $85
Much more tannic than Peju’s other ’06s, it’s deeply flavored in blackberries, blueberries, currants, dark chocolate, spices and sweet, smoky oak. Beautiful and dramatic. The blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot. Drinkable now, with decanting, and should develop over the next 4–6 years.
— S.H.
(12/1/2009)
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