Category:Expensive wine

Expensive wine 169: Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon bottle
Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon 2019/$63-$75

Napa red offers elegance and style for Father’s Day

We’ve waxed poetic about Smith-Madrone wines on the blog before – its riesling is one of the world’s best. But this red is the wine – because of the way the wine world works – that made the winery famous.

Taste it, and you’ll know why.

The Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 ($65, sample, 14.3%) demonstrates what happens when quality grapes meet top-notch winemaking and there is a vision for what the wine should be. That is, not just another 93-point wine, but a bottle that reflects who is making the wine and where the grapes are grown. In other words, wine the way it should be.

This is a stylish and layered red – 83 percent cabernet sauvignon, 12 percent cabernet franc, and five percent merlot – in which the cabernet franc adds a a surprising amount of structure. I didn’t know the blend when I tasted it, but – if I may boast – I figured there had to be something else there to lend that sort of backbone.

Look for all oft the characteristics that define a cabernet from Napa’s Spring Mountain District: tannins that don’t stick out and hurt the back of the mouth, what the tasting notes call zingy acidity, and lots and lots of dark fruit – some berries and some not – plus a touch of black pepper. Know that the wine needs food to stand up to all that it offers.

This is still a young wine, and though it’s more than drinkable now – yes, for Father’s Day – it should age for nicely for four or five more years.

Expensive wine 168: Ceretto Blange 2021

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Ceretto Blangé 2021
Ceretto Blange 2021/$19-$22

Italian white wine shows off the arneis grape

Italian wine, which is full of ironies to begin with, gets especially ironic when it comes to white wine. Most of us don’t think of Italian whites as the equal of the reds, and the most popular varietal is pinot grigio, which is usually used to make vast amounts of indifferent supermarket wine.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t Italian whites that deserve our respect, whether it’s the less expensive grillo from Sicily or arneis from the Piedmont.

Case in point is the Ceretto Blange 2021 ($22, purchased, 13.5%), which I bought as part of the recent expensive wine week experiment. I’ve long enjoyed arneis, and look for it when I want to spend a little more money. It’s both food friendly and a welcome change from the citrus fruit driven white wines that I usually drink.

Hence, the Ceretto, made by a producer best known for making $100 and $200 Piedmontese reds. Which, in this case, means we’re getting a top-notch winery for our $22.

Most arneis is floral and almost nutty – the tasting notes say hazel nuts, but it always seems more almond-like to me. The wine is not quite as rich as a California chardonnay, but always round, with stone fruit flavors.

The Ceretto is a little fresher with less almond and more citrus and apricot than others I’ve tasted. This doesn’t mean that it’s not worth drinking, but just that it’s different. And, frankly, it was head and shoulders above the quality of the other pricey wines I tasted during the expensive wine week effort.

Highly recommended, and just the thing for Mother’s Day – as a gift or for a leisurely Sunday dinner.

Imported by Heritage Collection

 

Expensive wine 167: Ameztoi Hondarrabi Zuri 2021

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Ameztoi Hondarrabi Zuri bottle
Ameztoi Hondarrabi Zuri 2021/$18-$32

Calling all wine geeks – a sweetish, fizzy Basque white

Regular readers know – for all of my wine practicality – that there are a couple of grapes and regions that make the Wine Curmudgeon geek out.

One of which is Basque wine from northern Spain and a region called Getariako Txakolina, featuring the hondarrabi zuri grape. It’s used to make whites and roses, but it’s not for all tastes. Anyone who likes lots of oak or lots of too ripe fruit or lots of smoooth will probably find these wines lacking. But that’s OK; that’s the way wine works.

The Ameztoi Hondarrabi Zuri 2021 ($22, purchased, 11%) is from one of what seems to be a number of smallish producers, in this case Ameztoi (which I’ve not seen before). Having said that, the wine does everything it’s supposed to do – a bit of spritz, a bit of citrus, a bit of sweetness, and maybe even a bit of savory. Because that’s how these geeky wines work – a bottle of contradictions. My only complaint is the price; if you pay much more than $20, you may be disappointed.

I suppose, if one is looking for a comparison, it would be the Portuguese vinho verde. But wines from Getariako Txakolina are more complex and more interesting, in the way cru Beaujolais is more interesting than the supermarket versions.

This is warm weather wine, perfect as spring starts to unfold. Highly recommended, and especially for anyone who aspires to wine geek-dom.

Imported by De Maison Selections

 

Expensive wine 166: Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis 2020

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis bottle
Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis 2020/$21-$30

Once more with feeling – white Burgundy for the Big Guy

The weather in Dallas was porch-like for a couple of days last week, and of course I thought about Mack Turner. It was just the kind of Sunday afternoon that he would have brought a bottle to the house and we would have sat on the deck, sipping and enjoying.

So, though we can’t do that any more, I can still write about the kinds of wines he loved to share with me – like the Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis 2020 ($26, purchased, 12.5%).

Chablis is part of Burgundy; though the wines are made with chardonnay, the style is much different – crisper, leaner, less oak. The Drouhin-Vaudon fits firmly in that style, though it does lean toward a rounder, fuller approach. That means it’s less austere Chablis, so softer (almost stone fruit instead of green apple) and a little less minerally. It’s still well made, of course – just an interestingly different take on the subject.

It’s Saturday night dinner wine, the kind to serve when you want to drink a better quality bottle but don’t want to spend $50.

Mack would have liked this, too. Our only disagreement would have been over price. I would have said it was a better value closer to $20 – since it Chablis, after all – and he would have given me one of his looks and said he enjoyed it a lot and why were we quibbling over a couple of dollars.

Imported by Dreyfus Ashby

 

Expensive wine 165: Roederer Estate Brut NV

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Roederer Estate Brut bottle
Roederer Estate Brut NV/$25-$35

Can a $27 wine deliver value? Yes, if it’s this Roederer bubbly

Buy this wine for $27, as I did, and you’ve found one of the world’s great values in sparkling wine.

How can this be, WC, some of you are asking – a $27 wine? Trust me. When I wax poetic about a $27 wine, it’s a value.

Now, some of the reason for this is that sparkling wine prices, including many previously affordable cavas and Proseccos, have gone wacko for reasons I won’t whine about now. Just know that it’s difficult to find a quality bubbly for less than $20 any more. Hence, $27 isn’t as ridiculous as it used to be.

The other thing to know? Roederer makes terrific sparkling wine, and California’s Anderson Valley is a terrific place to make sparkling wine. And it doesn’t hurt that a major Champagne house owns Roederer, so there isn’t much of a learning curve.

This bottle ($27, purchased, 12.5%) is an example of all of that, a blend of more chardonnay than pinot noir. So look for firm, tight bubbles (and lots of them), as well as lots of fruit (lemon, green apple). It’s also very fresh – much fresher than I expected – with a hint of yeast in the back.

Highly recommended, and especially if you can find it for around $25. And yes, this is the perfect wine for The Holiday that Must Not be Named next week.

 

New Year’s sparkling wine 2022

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Pouring sparkling wine
“Do you think this will be enough for all the people coming tonight? The WC has recommended this wine, after all.”

New Year’s sparkling wine 2022 recommendations in an otherwise problematic year for bubbly

If the 2021 New Year’s sparkling wine post was about shortages, this post is about the opposite — almost too much wine, and too much of that of indifferent quality, and too much of that costing more for no particular reason. How about a $14 rose Prosecco that was intentionally flat and bland and apparently aimed at the Mimosa market? There’s premiumization for you.

Speaking of flat, those of us who don’t buy $75 Champagne may find some of the sparklers we buy without much fizz — again. Three of the last five $15 or so bubblies I bought for this post were flat, and they came from reputable producers. My guess? More problems from last year’s supply chain woes.

Nevertheless, the WC found wine to drink this New Year’s — and that doesn’t cost $75.  As always, keep in mind the blog’s annual wine gift guidelines and our sparkling wine primer.

• Juvé y Camps Brut Rosé Pinot Noir NV ($15, purchased, 12%): This cava is a long-time favorite, even though it is made with decidedly un-Spanish pinot noir. Nevertheless, it is always impressive. Lots of berry fruit, but also a darker, more earthy undertone one doesn’t expect from pinot. Firm bubbles, but not creamy; rather, fresh and long finish. Highly recommended. Imported by Vintus

• Zardetto Prosecco Z Brut NV ($13, sample, 11%): A step up from supermarket Prosecco — hardly sweet, much tighter bubbles, more citrus fruit (some orange, in fact), balanced, and even a little structure. Don’t waste this on a Mimosa. Imported by Winebow

• Casteller Cava Brut Rose NV ($12, purchased, 11.5%): This wine uses a Spanish grape, trepat, instead of pinot noir, and you can taste the difference. It’s dark, almost caramel, and my even have some earth. Plus, berryish fruit and tight bubbles. Highly recommended. Imported by Ole & Obrigado

• Graham Beck Brut MCC NV ($15, purchased, 12%): South African sparkler made in the Champagne style and always a tremendous value. It has tight bubbles, enough fruit so that it’s noticeable (green apples and lemon?), some minerality, and even a little creaminess.  Imported by Beck Family Estates

More about New Year’s sparkling wine
• New Year’s sparkling wine 2021
• New Year’s sparkling wine 2020
• New Year’s sparkling wine 2019
• Wine of the week: Domaine Bousquet Sparkling Rose Brut NV
• Enough with the Champagne glass conspiracy already – can’t we just drink and enjoy?

Photo: Maria Orlova via Pexels

Expensive wine 163: Domus Aurea Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Domus Aurea Cabernet Sauvignon label
Domus Aurea Cabernet Sauvignon 2019/$65-$90

This Chilean red speaks to tradition and Chile’s history of top-notch wine

Twice in my career, wine experts have told me that Chilean cabernet sauvignon could be the best in the world. It would combine the traditions of France with the technology of California to produce wine that outdid both.

This never really happened. Chalk it up to market trends, consolidation in Chile, or just the fickleness of the wine business. But the Peña family’s Domus Aurea Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 ($80, sample, 14.9%) shows what might have been possible.

This is a top-notch red wine, layered and subtle and complex. And though it’s certainly drinkable now, it’s nowhere near close to its potential; maybe a decade left of aging?

Since it’s more traditional in style, it leans more toward red Bordeaux than Napa cabernet. That means lots of green herbs, a bit of black pepper, and the tannins pushed back but still doing their job. Meanwhile, the acidity is in balance with the barely ripe black fruit, and the alcohol doesn’t get in the way. It’s a surprisingly nuanced wine given that the alcohol is almost 15 percent.

This is holiday prime rib wine, as well as a gift for someone who likes cabernet but understands that it doesn’t always have to rich and fruity. And though I’m not sure an $80 wine can be a value, its price compares favorably to similar labels from France and California.

Imported by Global Vineyard Importers