France, Italy, and California shine bright this week

The best way to describe this weeks tastings is an “an embarrassment of riches”.  Our lineup this week featured one winner after another. It was so hard to choose a Top 5 that I gave up and listed 7 wines for your viewing and drinking pleasure.

2012 Clos du Caillou ‘Les Quartz’, Chateauneuf du Pape

Wine Spectrum 95+, Wine Advocate 94: The 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape les Quartz is one of the more powerful, structured 2012s and exhibits wonderful black raspberry, creamy licorice, smoked earth and crushed rock/liquid minerality. Medium to full-bodied and classically styled on the palate, with a broad, expansive feel, it has sweet fruit, plenty of tannin and beautiful length. Give it another year or two and drink bottles through 2027. This Chateauneuf Estate is located directly between Chateau Rayas and Chateau Beaucastel, and costs a fraction of the price! Learn more about Clos du Caillou.

2010 Giovanni Corino ‘Giachini’, Barolo

Wine Spectrum 95, Antnoio Galloni: Giuliano Corino’s 2010s are dark, fleshy and relatively accessible for the vintage. As always, the Corino Barolos are made in a forward style that offers plenty of near-term pleasure. Over the years, the wines have also aged gracefully. Beautifully perfumed and seamless in the glass for a Barolo, the 2010 Barolo Giachini is weightless and impeccable in its balance. Rose petal, spice, licorice and sweet tobacco notes lift from the glass in an aromatic, perfumed Barolo long on class and style.

2009 Martinelli ‘Terra Felice’ Syrah Russian River Valley

Wine Spectrum 95: Helen Turley crafted this delicious, no-holds-bar syrah from Russian River Valley.Opaque blue/purple in color, from yields of less than one ton of fruit per acre, this wine demonstrates what can be achieved from ripe fruit fermented dry and aged in 100% new French oak. A classic Syrah, it possesses aromas and flavors of blackberry liqueur intermixed with cassis, eucalyptus, and bacon fat. Tremendous viscosity and unctuosity. Just a few hundred cases produced. 

2012 Honig ‘Bartolucci Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

Wine Spectrum 95: A rich Cabernet, combining aromas and flavors of blackberry and cherry, and spices wrapped in vanilla and toasty oak. The texture is silky, rich and layered on the mid-palate, with a beautiful, lasting finish full of cocoa powder and black tea, and dense and structured tannins. While enjoyable upon release, the wine will cellar until 2020 and beyond. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Learn more about Honig Winery.

2013 Gerard Raphet Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru

Wine Spectrum 95:  Aromas of grape jelly, raspberry coulis, and tart cranberry with flavors of fresh and sautéed summer fruits and baking spices. Layers of complexity dance across the palate. A long, mouthwatering finish.  A very captivating Charmes. Learn more about Gerard Raphet.

2013 Martinelli ‘Jackass Vineyard’ Zinfandel Russian River Valley

Wine Spectrum 95: Martinelli’s 2013 Zinfandel Jackass Vineyard is another dark, meaty wine, but it also has a bit more integration than the Vellutini Ranch. Smoke, game, incense, graphite and leather flesh out in an intense, powerful wine with more than enough density to drink well for many years.

2013 Honig ‘Late Harvest’ Sauvignon Blanc, Rutherford

Wine Spectrum 95: Dessert in a bottle, with the aromas of dried apricot, peach cobbler, figs and honey, spiced with nutmeg and vanilla. Rich, bright and exquisitely balanced – with just the right amounts of sweetness and lively acidity. 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Aged in 100% new French oak for 10 months. Learn more about Honig Winery.