2005 Robert Craig Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon

Some tasting notes on Robert Craig's 05 that has yet to be released... A focused nose of deep blackberry and cassis, laced with white chocolate, a touch of anise, smoky cedar and tobacco. Flavors: Mouthfilling mountain fruit and cassis predominate, underlain with mocha, bay leaf and licorice. Finish: The full palette of Mt Veeder flavors carries through on a long finish, bringing forth more dark fruit, supple tannins and notes of tobacco and vanilla. General: A powerful, balanced and complex wine with well-integrated, ripe tannins. Decanting recommended. It will hopefully be released early next year. (yes the pic has the wrong vintage)... Wines.com Tasting Team

2006 Groom Barossa Valley Shiraz - Magnificent!

David Groom is the former wine maker from Pensfold Grange, Australia's darling vintage that is highly sought after. David Groom has been involved in some very high end wine consulting, wine making gigs, including one that is currently underway in San Francisco. From what I understand he's taking the old Presidio property and converting it into the Foggy Bridge winery, which will no doubt be a success. Today we received a sample of the 2006 Groom Barossa Valley Shiraz from his property in Barossa Valley, Australia. This wine is hands down the best Australian Shiraz I have sampled in 8 years. Its got great texture with silky tannins that will no doubt dissipate with some cellaring. It has nice fruit (the right amount of fruit forward) and hints of anise, peppers, blackberries and most important a dash of vanilla. I believe that David Groom has the ability to transform grapes into art. Recommended for anyone looking to make an impression at a rack of lamb or osso bucco dinner. Recommended buy on this one as it will improve substantially with about 5 years in the cellar.

2004 Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto

Yesterday we sampled the 2004 Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto. The Guidalberto is the sister wine to Sassacaia, the mother of all Super Tuscan wines. Guidalberto is a blend of 45% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Sangiovese. Like its big sister, Guidalberto is produced from hand selected grapes, meticulously sorted and blended together to produce this immediately drinkable masterpiece. Most Super Tuscans are just like my good Italian friends, a little sparky upon immediate introduction, but passionate and a pleasure to be around. This wine is unusual because unlike others, this wine opens up with soft tannins, an outstanding bouquet, and a very clean and lasting finish. Basically most Super Tuscans that are young, need some aging, but this one is a cut above the rest. This is a great wine that will cellar well over the next 3-7 years and should be part of any collector's portfolio. The best news is that this is not out of reach like most Bordeaux classified growths, its available for about $65 per bottle at most locations. Enjoy with Friends!

Rosé Champagne ... A brief biography!

Someone asked me yesterday in a brief phone call about Rosé Champagne. Before we go into the production level discussion, its first important to state that all grapes are white on the inside, its the red skin that gives red wine it color. The skins in white wines or champagnes are removed so a Blancs de Noir is basically the white of the Pinot Noir grapes. Producers looking to make Rosé, include the skins of the grapes in the tanks or barrells for around 3-5 days, and then bleed the systems to flush out larger particles of skin or tannins, leaving a small amount of skin causing the wine to appear pinkish. Rosé Wines are produced with Rhone grapes like Syrah, Grenache and Carignan and develop well in hotter regions such as Provence, the Languedoc and Australia. In France, Rosé has now exceeded white wines in sales. In the United States many farmers who did well with the 2005 crop decided to increase the production of Rosé wines and champagnes instead of dumping crop. While historically its not my favorite, I recently attended a wine tasting by the Moet Hennessy. These guys produce the best champagnes in my opinion (my b-day is coming up...hint) and their portfolio includes the top three sellers: Veuve Clicquot ($50), Dom Perignon ($110) and Moet ($45). FYI, the best value in Rosé Champagne is produced by Moet. Its supple, perfectly dry with a hint of residual fruit sugars. Another fantastic champagne is the Moet Nectar Imperial.

Prosecco for the Party

Whenever I start a new job, I like to celebrate. Who doesn't ? When you walk in on the first day, your emotions are a turbulent mix of fearlessness and trepidation. You honestly don't know what to fear, if anything. But oh, that night, the libations they do flow. My choice of celebratory libation, you ask ? Prosecco. Hailing from the Veneto region of northeastern Italy, Prosecco is a crisp sparkling wine that lends itself well to wild celebration. Soft, slightly off-dry and perfect for frothing-at the-mouth, I just think that Prosecco is perfect to liven up the party. Sure, big fat French Champagnes scream, " Congratulations ! " when you pop the cork. Prosecco is a little more on the down-low, softly, yet confidently whispering," Enjoy, but don't get a big head, hubris isn't very becoming.". My ultimate Prosecco is Carpene Malvolti, but the more widely available Bisol is a great second choice. The drier the better.

Cheers, Buckley Wineholt, Wines.com