TRIVENTO SELECT TORRONTES - 2008

100% Torrontes with 13.5% alcohol from Argentina.

TASTING NOTES:

Pale gold color with a nose of pineapple and tropical fruit. Some frizzante in the glass. Crisp, clean with sharp acidity. Hints of peach and floral notes, citrus as well as some petrol. Simple but with good minerality.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

87 PTS

A very enjoyable white wine with a vibrant nose and good weight. Retails for around $10 making this a great wine for Summer. It is 90 degrees in NYC today. I'm ready to fire up the BBQ and grill some fish to pair with this April summer white.

CONCHA Y TORO CASILLERO DEL DIABLO SAUVIGNON BLANC RESERVE - 2008

Made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc in Central Valley, Chile. 13.1% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Pale yellow color with a very aromatic nose of citrus. On the palate there's a blend of peach, grapefruit, and gooseberry. Crisp, clean, round with vibrant acidity on the back-end. Very good mouthfeel and weight with hints of honey on the finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

87 PTS

When it comes to Sauvignon Blanc, Chile is far from the first place I turn. I instantly think of New Zealand, California or French Sancerre, but I think I may be overlooking some real potential. This white is simple, solid and delicious. A real find for a highly competitive suggested retail of $12 a bottle which means you can probably find it for about $10.

CONCHA Y TORO CABERNET SAUVIGNON DON MELCHOR PUENTE ALTO - 1999

From Chile.

TASTING NOTES:

Rich, dark red color with newly paved tar, loam, and coffee on the nose. Complexity abounds with asphalt, oak, black cherry, plum, black currant and mocha. The wine is smooth and superb with chocolate covered raisins on the finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

94 PTS

I think I bought this bottle for $35 on release. What a difference a few years have made. The new vintage retails for close to $70 and the Don Melchor has established itself as one of the great wines breaking into the Wine Spectator Top 10 on more than one occasion. Top notch Cabernet with a Bordeaux sensibility and Chilean terroir. A terrific, explosive wine with elegance.

PILLITTERI ESTATES CHAMBOURCIN - 2005

11.5% alcohol. From Niagra on the Lake, Ontario.

TASTING NOTES:

Ruby red color with aromas and flavors of smoky cigar, earth and dark fruit. There's tar and roses lurking underneath that is almost Barolo-esque. Sweet tannins on the mid-palate and plum skin and tart cherry on the finish. Light in body but big in flavor.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

90 PTS

Whoever said that red wine from Ontario isn't good? This is a great and impressive wine. A terrific varietal for Ontario and one that really shines. Retails for around $15 making this a steal.

MASTINO AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO - 2000

70% Corvino, 10% Molinara, 20% Rondinella.

TASTING NOTES:

Transparent red color with brown edges. Spicy pepper and dark musty floral nose. Barnyard on the palate with prune, leather and asphalt. As the wine opens up blackberry and black raspberry flavors emerge.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

87+ PTS

As Amarones go, this wine has a lot going on in terms of flavor. It is well-rounded and structured but it doesn't come across as something to savor. At $40 a bottle, you should get something electric and alluring and that's not what's here.

DOMAINE DE L'HORTUS DE BERGERIE CLASSIQUE BLANC VIN DE PAYS DE MONTFERRAND - 2007

Made from Chardonnay, Roussanne, Sauvignon Blanc, Gris and Viognier. 13% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Pale yellow color with floral aromas. Beautiful apple and pear also on the nose like those found in gourmet fruit teas. Lots of citrus and buttery oak on the palate accented by banana.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

89 PTS

Rich aromatics drive the experience of this Languedoc white. The flavors profile is solid although it doesn't come together quite as harmoniously as one might expect. Retails for around $15.

TENUTA CAPARZO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO - 1999

13.5% alcohol. 100% Sangiovese from Italy.

TASTING NOTES:

Transparent reddish-brown color with cedar, mossy earth, licorice and leather on the nose. Sweet cherry, black currant and tobacco flavors. Soft, round and supple with nice acidity on the backend. Plum and hints of blue cheese on the finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

92 PTS

Very Old World. Refined. Subtle in its approach. Great balance. Retails for around $60. This 10 year-old wine is drinking really well although it is not exactly a value driven option in this economy. However, you won't find too many inexpensive Brunellos so it is competitive in its category.

DOMAINE DU VIEUX TELEGRAPHE CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE LA CRAU - 2004

14.5% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Transparent ruby red color with aromas of raspberry, strawberry, spice, incense/forest pine, chocolate and red and black licorice. On the palate it is soft and graceful but has a big back-end attack with substantial tannin. There's lots of red fruit, licorice, light oak and well-balanced acidity. Kirsh, raspberry-ganache on the mid-palate. There's also some minerality that injects a bit of a metallic undertone to the wine.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

93 PTS

This is an exceptional wine with a ton of the complexity. The mid-palate is short but emphatic. The seductive nose is the best aspect of this wine as it seems to contain a ton of slowly evolving dynamic aromas. Retails for around $70 which makes this an very expensive wine worth splurging for if you are CDP fanatic.

CECCHI VAL DELLE ROSE MORELLINO DI SCANSANO RISERVA - 2004

Made from 90% Sangiovese and 10% other complementary grape varietals. Long skin contact and temperature controlled fermentation are followed by soft pressing. Malolactic fermentation and aged for at lease one year in French oak. 13.5% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Ruby red color with lots of charred oak, grape jam and vanilla on the nose. Cherry, plum, and blackberry dominate the palate with sweet tannins on the long, dry finish. Spice, tobacco leaf and oak flavors linger.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

88 PTS

This is quite an intriguing bottle. There is something almost Bordeaux-like when you first pop and pour the wine, especially in the way the charred oak integrates with the black fruit. Perhaps it is the French oak doing its thing. A really nice and enjoyable Sangiovese effort that retails for around $22 a bottle.

CECCHI BONIZIO SANGIOVESE DI MAREMMA - 2007

90% Sangiovese, 10% other complementary grape varietals. Made in temperature controlled stainless steel followed by at least 3 months of bottle aging. 12.5% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Bright red color with aromas and flavors of simple cherry, mineral and spice notes. Soft berries on the mid-palate and light tannins. Acidity is restrained and the wine is somewhat one-dimensional.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

84 PTS

Suggested retail for this wine is $10 a bottle which means you can probably find it in some stores for a few dollars less. This is a serviceable entry level Sangiovese. I would not recommend this wine for big Sangiovese lovers because it lacks saturation and complexity. However, it is easy to drink and a good introduction wine for those just starting to get into red wines. It does not have big tannins or high acidity that can often turn "white wine only crowds" away from reds.