|
September 2003 Collector´s Club
2000 Chase Hayne Vineyard Zinfandel
If the vineyard name rings a bell, it´s because you´ve read of the
extremely good winemakers who swear by its fruit (Turley comes to mind). Add
another winemaker to the list. As you´d expect, it´s rich and
full-bodied. Enjoy it by itself - it´s made for drinking! It runs
$31.75, and it´s in short supply. It´s ready to drink now, although
it´ll hold quite nicely for a couple of years.
2001 James Leigh Cellars Walla Walla Valley Palette
This rich, flavorful wine is made from Merlot, although the winemaker decided not to
call it that. At a recent tasting, this was VERY popular, and for good reason.
It is definitely a wine that shows Walla Walla´s unique terroir.
Yet another good one from one of the fastest-growing wine regions in the country.
It sells for $19.50, and is in good supply.
2001 Syncline Celilo Vineyard Pinot Noir
What can I say about James and Poppie Mantone that I haven´t written before?
That they´re among the most talented winemakers in the state? That
this is the best Pinot from Washington? That I very much appreciate their price
structure? It´s hard to consistently find new adjectives to describe
their wines. Let´s just say that I´m proud to add this one to the
growing list of Syncline wines that are featured in our clubs. There´s
next to none of this left, and it retails for $17.00 - an amazingly low price for the
quality.
2002 Contini Vermentino di Sardegna
Aha! A new grape to introduce! This wine comes from Sardinia, where the
Vermentino grape is widely planted. Other areas that feature it are Corsica,
Liguria, and some recent plantings in Languedoc (Mercy! An Italian grape in
France!) It´s a lively, floral wine that needs a bit of time to open up.
There´s a good supply, and it sells for $13.00. Try it with a pasta
dish with a cream or cheese sauce.
2002 Mantel Blanco Rueda Verdejo
Rueda is a district that is truly coming into it own, mostly for white wines like
this. This crisp Spanish wine is an attractive late summer-early fall quaff;
try it with cheese and cold cuts. It´s nicely priced at $8.50, and
there´s plenty of it around. It´s ready to drink.
2002 Angove´s Bear Crossing South Australia Shiraz
Another good quaffer, this time from the region around Adelaide. At $7.00,
it´s extremely affordable, and every bottle sold generates a donation to help
save koalas. Angove´s also makes a chardonnay, a Semillon-chardonnay, a
cabernet-shiraz, and a few others in the same line at the same price.
Quick note: Once again, we´re sponsoring the West Seattle
Helpline´s annual wine tasting event. At the time of writing, final plans
are still being made, but the date should be the last Thursday of October, and will
be held at Capers in West Seattle!
back
|
