After a brief hibernation following the college football bowl season (you might even infer the BCS championship game put me to sleep!) I’m back at work and revving into tasting mode.
I must admit it’s easier to find your mojo when the wines being tasted excel, and that was the case with my first big tasting effort of the new year.
I came away with 24 recommendations, which have been posted on the WRO Reviews pages this week (along with another 21 from Editor Michael Franz and Columnist Michael Apstein).
Some of them bear mention because they reminded me why I love my job. I absolutely fell in love with the Mount Veeder 2004 Reserve, a red meritage blend from the deft hand of winemaker Janet Myers, But at $80 I don’t see myself loading up the back of the Explorer with more than a few bottles. Not to worry, the 2005 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon is that rare “value” Napa Valley Cabernet that’s truly an affordable collectible at $40.
I was jazzed, too, by an unusual red from Italy’s Veneto region, the Inama Carmenere Piu. This is a spicy, sexy red from Italy’s most renowned Soave producer. Go figure. It’s imported by Brian Larky’s Dalla Terra Winery Direct — and Larky is as good as there is at discovering eclectic Italian wines that will rock you.
And once again I was blown away by the combination of quality and price when I evaluated Sonoma Cutrer’s latest Russian River Ranches Chardonnay, the most underrated Chardonnay made in California.
Check out this week’s Reviews page. I’m quite certain you will find something to like!
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