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Wine Scores
Below is a listing of the wine review scores we frequently reference in our notes. While these sources remain an excellent source of information, we always recommend that you trust your own palate. Scores in these publications often represent the personal taste of an individual critic, which may not always coincide with your own. We have a huge team of excellent wine professionals that can match wines you've had in the past with new arrivals that meet your flavor profile.
- Allen Meadows - Burghound
- Connoisseurs Guide
- Gambero Rosso
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
- International Wine Cellar
- Wine & Spirits
- Wine Enthusiast
- Wine Spectator
- The Wine News
- Malt Advocate
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Staff Favorites - John Majeski
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Reviews
2006 Les Clos Perdus "Prioundo" Corbières
Review Date: 11-16-2009
'In wildness is the preservation of the vine', to paraphrase Thoreau as my response to the utterly compelling wines of Les Clos Perdus (The Lost Vineyards), a tiny winery born from the beautiful, perfumed scrubland and poor, stony soils of Corbieres and Rousillon in Southwestern France. Resurrecting singularly-unique, isolated or neglected parcels of vines scattered throughout the rugged hillsides is no small effort, and winemaker Paul Olds, a former professional touring dancer, has since 2003 followed his 'other' passion by fully embracing and immersing himself in biodynamic principles of winemaking. The rich result, I'm happy to report, are distinctive wines of grace, complexity and above all, terroir. The 2006 Prioundo, made from 70% old vine Grenache and 30% Cinsaut, is scented with dried roses, violets, black tea, earth and tinges of lavender, leading to an expressive palate of ripe red fruits, supple, powdered tannins and a caressive, lingering finish. A very memorable wine to enjoy with most Mediterranean-inspired or Provencal dishes.
Price: $15.99
2008 Benaza Mencía Monterrei
Review Date: 11-9-2009
In your endless quest for the perfect red to open
this holiday season, look no further than the Benaza Mencía! Made from the mercurially versatile
Mencía grape native to northwest Spain, this is a vibrantly alive, festive ruby of a wine with a redolent nose to outshine Rudolf. Bursting with bright cherry and cranberry flavors wreathed by suave tannins and
precise acidity, it will richly complement a wide array of dishes from roast turkey to oven-baked ham to light appetizers.
The Monterrei DO produces very little wine for export and we're very fortunate to offer this dazzling beauty to you at a remarkable price.
Price: $12.99
Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka from Poland 750ml
Review Date: 11-9-2009
I enjoyed the London reminiscences by my colleague Susan Thornett about this wonderful vodka, and I too confess a special relationship with Zubrowka going back several decades, when I was first offered a bracing shot of this harmonic-bisonic elixir by a friendly Polish waiter in then East Berlin who, sadly trapped behind the Iron Curtain some years before Solidarnösc, desperately wanted to improve his English skills. Maybe it was the effects of the vodka, but before the evening ended I promised to 'secure' him a dictionary from the West even though it was strictly against the policy of the rather coercive East German authorities at the time. Well, anyway, I succeeded, and thanks in part to Zubrowka, the Wall finally came down and democracy was finally restored to freedom-loving East Berliners. And today I'm really glad we can offer this rare vodka to our astute customers, as its singularly subtle and unique flavors of yellow straw, camomile tea and dried coconut promises to both stimulate conversation, energize the appetite and yes, liberate the spirit! Na zdrowie! (To health!)
Price: $26.99
2006 CL Sonoma Coast Syrah
Review Date: 10-31-2009
How can a Syrah sourced from a single Sonoma Coast vineyard, delicately basket-pressed and fermented in small lots in French oak sell for a song? Well, the answer can only be because this tiny winery remains still relatively under the radar, and the wife and husband team of Kendra Craven ('C') and David Lattin ('L') are more dedicated to spending quality time in the vineyard than with their accountant. Flavors of crushed blackberry and briar tinged with damp forest floor, coffee and smoky spice are just some of the evocative elements in this delicious, characterful wine. Uncork this brazen beauty with a hearty beef stew or root vegetable terrine.
Price: $10.99
2007 Adega Pena Das Donas Godello "Almalarga" Ribeira Sacra
Review Date: 10-29-2009
Ribeira Sacra, the vertically-challenged, remote zone in northwest Spain where I first fell into a swoon over the ruby-hearted Mencia grape, is also home to the white Godello variety, an obscure grape that all but disappeared off the planet until the 1990s when a handful of resourceful winemakers realized exactly what they had in their steeply-terraced backyard. A wine of pure silk and finesse, expelling aromas of slate, lemon leaf, melon and apricots. Bring this to a dinner party and astound your friends with this wonderful new discovery from a truly magic region of Spain.
Price: $16.99
2007 Cave de Saumur Selection Rouge
Review Date: 10-29-2009
The textural soils of Saumur contain large amounts of tuffeau, a creamy calcareous stone that was excavated for the building of châteaux and even sent abroad for the reconstruction of London following the Great Fire. The remaining caves were ideal for growing incredible mushrooms and cellaring fine wine, two things the locals knew a lot about. Cabernet Franc flourishes in the cool climate of the Loire, and I have to credit our own epicurean Eric Story with discovering this phenomenal version, a vineyard in a bottle that will sate the appetite, abolish thirst and ballast spirits! Serious, beautifully-balanced wine at an unbelievable price.
Price: $12.99
2006 Frogmore Creek "FGR" Riesling Tasmania Australia
Review Date: 10-29-2009
When I first poured and swirled this Taz Riesling it almost leapt amphibiously from my glass, the aromas were so gorgeously expressive and powerful that a blind nose would have placed its origin half a world away in the slate serpentine heartland of the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. But I didn't care where it was from, one taste and I was lost in its spellbinding otherworldly infusion of beeswax, wildflowers, orange blossom, lanolin and fleshy stone fruit. This dazzling Riesling continued to explode in nanosecond bursts of flavor throughout its pure and cleansing finish. The beauty lay in the structural beam of natural acidity that held the "FGR", or forty grams of residual sugar, in perfect blessed harmony.
Price: $16.99
2006 Frogmore Creek Pinot Noir Tasmania Australia
Review Date: 10-29-2009
The 2006 Frogmore Creek Pinot Noir ($19.99), crafted from premium organic fruit yielding only about two tons per acre, is delicately pure and precise, with strawberry, sweet spice and bright cherry flavors underpinned by an invigorating backbone of acidity and smooth tannins. More subtle in character and style, it is really about focus and finesse rather than flash, and will beautifully embellish a meal of grilled Ahi tuna or wild mushroom risotto....and of course, your Traditional Turkey Dinner!
Price: $19.99
2007 La Fortuna "Fortunello"
Review Date: 10-29-2009
A trusted fungi-foraging friend brought over a kaleidoscopic array of wild mushrooms recently that ended up blanketed between layers of lasagne, béchamel, fresh tomato sauce and finely-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Decadent yes, but even better when joined forces with a bottle of the superb 2007 La Fortuna "Fortunello", a wine made for food, pleasure, food and more food. Ok, you get my point, but you can't go wrong with this vibrant, lusty red that will sing an aria with every sip. Enjoy!
Price: $14.99
2007 Margarett's Vineyard California Chardonnay
Review Date: 10-29-2009
With the holidays fast upon us, there is always the need for that satisfying, dependable and delicious house white to open at the ring of a doorbell to welcome good friends in the spirit of the season. With just a whisper of oak to enliven and spice up the green apple and pear flavors, this wine is an effortless, easy-to-enjoy expression of California Chardonnay. Exclusively bottled for us at a great price, what more could one ask for... a party perhaps?
Price: $7.99
2005 Delord, Côtes de Bordeaux
Review Date: 10-13-2009
Maybe it's a result of the slow economic climate of the past year or so, but we've been fortunate to find more than a few exceptional wines from around our grapeful planet that generously soothe the demands of both the palate and the wallet. And because the 2005 vintage was so unerringly consistent in quality from top to bottom, a wine find like the Delord is a win-win for everyone. Sourced from vineyards in the the relatively new Premières Côtes de Bordeaux AC overlooking the Garonne River, the Delord is surprisingly structured and aromatically appealing, with attractive blackberry and redcurrant fruit up front embraced by mature tannins and restrained oak. A perfect wine at a great price to enjoy with a savory autumn stew or organically-farmed burger.
Price: $8.99
2005 l'Avocat Rouge, Graves
Review Date: 9-29-2009
When I tasted the 2004 vintage of this wine I was justifiably impressed, but the 2005, as promised, was
a wine of uncommon complexity and balance well beyond its modest price. Harvested from an historic elevated vineyard (L'Enclos du Avocat) with average vines aging from 7 to 50 years, this red Graves displays lavish cassis fruit and cedar notes backed by a characteristic mineral core and excellent tannins, and can be decanted and enjoyed over the next decade with medallions of beef tenderloin.
Price: $17.99
2008 Neil Ellis "Sincerely" Sauvignon Blanc
Review Date: 9-7-2009
"I'd like to put the fun and passion back into wine". In Sincerely, cool-climate expert and innovative winemaker Neil Ellis has done exactly that by fashioning a precision sauvignon blanc that confidently expresses itself in a tantalizing, mineral tongue of almost Sancerre-like dimensions. Born of optimal fruit sourced and handpicked from selected sites in the Jonkershoek district of Stellenbosch, this crisp white embraces the palate with its thirst-quenching, enlivened flavors of white grapefruit, fig blossom, herbals and gooseberry. If South Africa and its innovative cadre of winemakers continue to produce sauvignon blanc in this sophisticated, elegant style it will soon compete with both Sancerre and New Zealand for prominence in the new century.
Price: $7.99
2006 Tulbagh Mountain Syrah Swartland
Review Date: 9-7-2009
The proprietors of Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards settled on an isolated farm in the Tulbagh Valley that had never seen a grape and proceeded to chronicle their vinous experiences from 2000 to 2004 in a remarkable online journal entitled Birth of a Vineyard. If you want to truly taste the uncompromising dedication that goes into every bottle of TMV wine (and yes, uncover the tragic fate of Clive the female ostrich), I suggest you savor it in sips, as it runs over 100 pages, while accompanied by a refillable glass of their superlative Shiraz. One swirl, one sip, and you're suddenly immersed in an exotic swath of damp violets, wild herbs, brooding black cherries and sweet smoke. A warming, delicious wine of exceptional appeal, one to open and relish with an elegant meal or a sit-down with a crusty baguette and a round of firm cheese accompanied by a few good friends.
Price: $18.99
2006 Storybook Eastern Exposures Napa Zinfandel
Review Date: 9-4-2009
2006 Storybook Eastern Exposures Napa Zin
With its richly-expressive, protean profile of cracked pepper, ripe blackberries, dense plums, wild brambles, tarry spice and sweet earth, this incomparable Napa Zinfandel achieves near perfect pitch and rewrites all the rules for this popular California varietal. I felt that the 2005 vintage was the finest bottle of zinfandel I'd tasted in many a year, not likely to be soon challenged— well, I humbly admit I was proved wrong. If you cherish great zin, do yourself the rare pleasure of savoring and experiencing this stunning, mercurial wine over the next decade.
Drink from
2009
to
2020
Price: $39.99
2006 Carbonnieux Rouge, Pessac-Léognan
Review Date: 8-15-2009
Being somewhat of a history buff, I can only admire a property that has endured in one form or another since the twelfth century. The lovely chateau dates from the 17th century when winemaking was under the watchful auspices of Benedictine monks who greeted Thomas Jefferson during his grand tour of Bordeaux in 1787. Unfortunately they fell victim to the revolutionary spirit in France and were soon dispatched from the property. The 2006 Carbonnieux is a delightful wine with both considerable mouthwatering presence and a strong future, eluding easy definition because of its youthful charm and attractiveness, with the awareness that it will be a more polished, subtle player in a decade or more. With toasty oak framing the impressive layers of blackcurrant, mint and tobacco-enhanced fruit, the Carbonnieux certainly delivers enough mid-palate character and complexity to hold its own and beyond. I found this wine a fine expression of the 2006 vintage and would not hesitate to lay a case or two down for future indulgence and enjoyment.
Price: $29.99
2008 Fefiñanes Albariño Rias Baixas
Review Date: 8-15-2009
Taking its name from the 450 year old Palacio de Fefiñanes in which the winery is ensconced, this classic 100% stainless steel, indigenous-yeast fermented Albariño is a personal favorite, the scintillating solution to summer's scorch-song trilogy of mid-afternoon picnics, backyard barbecues and beach blanket buffets. From grapes grown in Cambados, Galicia, almost a stone's throw from the Atlantic, the Fefiñanes is inflected with refreshing saline and mineral aromas from the sea, and is so precise, elegant and lively that it can be enjoyed now with a basket of cracked crab or garlicky shrimp or, as with all superior Albariños, allowed to age for several years to greater nuance and complexity. Either way, you're sure to experience a most memorable wine. Highly recommended.
Price: $24.99
2005 Conde de San Cristobal Ribera del Duero (was $23.99)
Review Date: 7-25-2009
Ribera del Duero translates as the "banks of the River Duero", and this is one wine you can take to the bank. A beautifully-polished blend of 80% Tinta Fina (aka Tempranillo) with the balance Cabernet and Merlot, this intensely aromatic wine is invested with rich dark fruit and saturated, mouth-coating flavors that really penetrate the palate. The summer lasts and lasts, but unfortunately this great wine won't, so think charcoal-grilled ribeyes with this riveting Ribera!
Top Value!
Price: $19.99
2005 Paradigm Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon
Review Date: 7-21-2009
During our recent successful tent fundraiser in June I navigated through the sea of conviviality to Paradigm's table, extended my glass with a smile, sniffed and swirled, swirled and sniffed, and then it hit me....the eagle has landed! This extraordinary wine was as effortlessly balanced as a perfect liftoff, as graceful as a spacewalk, and as dark as daylight on the far side of the moon. Luna culpa: I'm writing this little note on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing, so please forgive the starry-eyed similes. Let me just state for the record books that the 2005 Paradigm Cabernet, under the screaming eagle-eye of Heidi Peterson Barrett, is pure liquid velvet, an expressive, expansive heavenly bottle of a wine to carefully cellar for a decade or more and joyfully uncork on the 50th anniversary of that famous walk on the moon. This is serious out-of-this-world wine—'one small sip for man' …..
Top Value!
Drink from
2015
to
2035
Price: $59.99
2008 Domaine Begude Sauvignon Blanc Vin de Pays d'Oc
Review Date: 7-20-2009
Sometimes you have to just keep searching until you find it, that perfect spot of land to lay down your vines and make some fine wine. Such was the case of Catherine and James Kingslake, proprietors of Domaine Begude, who ultimately discovered their vinous Holy Grail at the foothills of the Pyrenees in 2003, after an exhaustive search through some 50 vineyard sites. They established their new winery on superb clay-limestone soils that have supported uninterrupted vineyards since the late 16th century, a very good sign of excellent terroir and inherent quality. Situated at 400m, the cool climate at Domaine Begude promises a long, gentle growing season, ensuring perfect ripening of the fruit and crisp acidity. The organically-grown grapes were harvested at night, pneumatically pressed and fermented in stainless steel tanks at extremely low temperatures for two weeks to bring out optimal varietal flavors and aromas. Exhibiting the racy, zesty essences of 'pamplemousse and citrin vert' (okay,grapefruit and lime), this delicious wine will pair nicely with a variety of appetizers, fresh oysters or shellfish. A great pairing for parties too, at only 11%abv!
Price: $12.99
2007 Bodegas Olivares "Altos de la Hoya" Jumilla
Review Date: 7-18-2009
Ink in a bottle? Maybe, but don't write with it, drink it please! Monastrell, better known as Mourvèdre in France, is believed to have originated in Catalonia during the Roman occupation, migrating north and south until it found its true home in the arid, high desert plateau of Jumilla, in the Murcia province of southeastern Spain. You'd figure that any grape grown in such an impossible drought-stricken region would ripen unmercifully into an intolerably high-alcohol, raisin-faced creation, but this just isn't the case here. Because of the relatively high altitude and dry, continental climate, the ungrafted Monastrell vines in Jumilla endure extreme fluctuations in day and night temperatures, a prime factor in preserving good acidity and sugar levels while assuring perfect ripening and smooth, unaggressive tannins. Crackling with lively blackcurrant, mineral, mocha and blackberry flavors, the Altos de la Hoya is a robust, intense wine filled with great character and polish, far more sophisticated and complex that one would expect for the incredible price. The perfect answer to the midweek question of "What to drink tonight?" Or any night, in my mind. Highly recommended!
Top Value!
Drink from
2009
to
2010
Price: $9.99
2008 Gemtree "Tadpole" Shiraz McLaren Vale South Australia
Review Date: 7-13-2009
After initially tasting this wine I pulled an eye muscle over the shelf price, wondering aloud how a wine of such phenomenal fruit thrust, savoriness
and sinuosity could be such a bargain. Youthful and vigorous, with just the right degree of brambly spice, cassis and mulberries to keep going back for a
second sip, and a third.....oh, let’s just call this the perfect wine for a backyard barbecue of grilled marinated spareribs and skewered veggies!
Top Value!
Price: $10.99
2008 Kilikanoon "Mort's Block" Riesling (Watervale) Clare Valley South Australia
Review Date: 7-13-2009
Recently awarded 2.5 stars by the San Francisco Chronicle, the fruit for this Riesling was membrane pressed with only free-run juice in the final blend, followed by cool fermentation for up to three weeks. Lively, crisp citrus aromas direct you to a palate of ripe lemons and limes and flowers and sunshine. (I know, you can’t taste sunshine, but you know where I’m coming from.) Finishes clean and pure and tart. Maybe now is the perfect time for that lightly sauteed, hazelnut-crusted halibut?
Price: $17.99
2006 Leeuwin "Art Series" Riesling Margaret River Western Australia
Review Date: 7-13-2009
The 2006 Leeuwin Art Series Riesling ($19.99), with its supinely happy frog on the label by Australian artist John Olsen, virtually leaps from the glass with such vibrancy and zip and precision that the very first sip can be totally disarming—how did they get so much wine in one damn bottle?
Aromatic flourishes of fruit and flower and river stone wash upon the palate as concentric waves of flavor—tart apples, limes, pears, mandarins—all held
in precise place by that wonderful acidity. A perfect food pairing would be mango chicken or Burmese spicy smoked pork with vegetables!
Price: $16.99
2006 Rusden "Driftsand" Grenache-Shiraz Barossa Valley South Australia
Review Date: 7-13-2009
The 2006 Rusden “Driftsand” Grenache-Shiraz blend is truly a synergistic creation, bringing the best of both Rhône grapes in a fine harvest to a well-toned, harmonious intensity. The Grenache adds a mélange of
cherries, spice and savoriness to the fruit-laden backbone and fragrant sweetness of the Shiraz. This wine is generous, joyous and gratifying.
Price: $27.99
2006 Viña Maquis "Calcu" Red Blend Colchagua Valley
Review Date: 7-13-2009
This wine is a sleight of vine combining Cabernet
Sauvignon, Carmenère and Cabernet Franc into an artful, lightly oaked, easy-to-drink, fruit-laden wine. Subtle baking spices, red cherry pie and
blueberry conserve are framed by toasty vanilla notes. Reflecting fruit from diverse vineyards in Colchagua, its goal is simple liberation and unrestrained pleasure. Why not tonight?
Price: $11.99
2005 Viña Maquis "Lien" Red Blend Colchagua Valley
Review Date: 7-13-2009
Viña Maquis is a recent state-of-the art gravity flow winery, but the immaculate vineyards have been held by the Hurtado family for more than a century. By selecting only the ripest, hand-sorted grapes from
their unique plot and aging them for 12 months in French oak, the wine that emerges is a real stunner. Leave it to their winemaking alchemist team of Ricardo Hurtado and Alejando Jofré to conjure a wine with Syrah,Carmenere, Cabernet Franc,Petit Verdot and Malbec, each grape adding, like a distinctive coin, to the final shining creation in the glass. Ravishing black fruit up front, a structured mineral core,
soft oak in the back, and pleasing acidity embrace the sweetness to elevate this wine well beyond its generously affordable price.
Top Value!
Price: $14.99
2006 Domaine du Péras "Giroflet"
Review Date: 7-11-2009
One afternoon I casually asked Mulan, our inimitable Rhone/French Regional expert and wine buyer, for a reliable red recommendation from the Languedoc, and she immediately pointed to the Giroflet Rouge. Sure, great, thanks! And then I took it home, opened it and experienced a minor 'epiphany' (not a word we toss around lightly here). The fifteen known and obscure grape varietals planted in that single hectare are all spry geriatrics by now, having endured endless harvests, great depressions and world war, so they're not ones to give it up lightly, every solitary grape matters in the final infinitesimal tabulation of things, as it should with each of us. See, I wax philosophically— blame it on the dark, spicy and harmonious wine, the sun and soil filtered through time and root and vine that ends up as the glistening soul of the Languedoc in your glass.
Price: $19.99
Sorelle Bronca Prosecco
Review Date: 7-11-2009
This delightful Prosecco is a strong contender for best in class among its growing legions of fans, delivering dependably delicious flavors of sliced apples, citrus blossoms and almonds in a pure and sparkling persona. Showcasing both freshness and mineral vibrancy, it should complement most summer fare from salads to appetizers, and would be the perfect match for a basket of lightly-fried calamari.
Price: $16.99
2000 Señorío de P.Peciña Crianza Rioja
Review Date: 7-10-2009
Burnished by a decade or so in bottle, this arresting, charismatic crianza has only improved over time, with an array of aromas ranging from dried rose petals to sweet tobacco to antique cedar chests. The expressive palate contains complex flavors of red currants, cranberries and leather. Where it will go from here I can only guess, but why wait- it is drinking superbly now! Señorío de P.Peciña crafts wines that linger long on the palate and in the mind.
Price: $19.99
2007 Pablo Menguante Garnacha Cariñena
Review Date: 7-6-2009
Our passion is to discover luscious food-friendly wines from around the world for incredible coin, and this little lime-green label from Cariñena clearly delivers! Maybe it has something to do with the octogenarian vines as thick as a donkey's thighbone, with thirsty roots that sink deep into the parched rocky subsoil. Garnacha responds quite well to poor soils, arid conditions and moderate stress, achieving lower yields and tightening of its fruit, resulting in a medium-balanced wine that while young, delivers great charm and unpretentious appeal. Perfect with tapas— gambas al ajillo or breaded cilantro-lemon chicken.
Drink from
2009
to
2012
Price: $10.99
