Louis Calli brings you the experts' secrets to navigating the wine store.
Wow. Light and racy. From 130-year-old vines, this exhibits chai tea and dusty berries with great hints of rhubarb on the nose. Fantastic finish of red fruits and chalky earth. Really impressed by this Lodi interpretation of the fourth most widely planted grape in France.
Gorgeous. Spicy on the nose with big heavy dark fruits and a hint of oak. The word for this wine is lush (although Parker has flayed that word into overuse). Maybe also rich. Finish lingers for minutes with layers of mocha and awesome... well, just lots of awesome. No wimpy food with this bad boy.
Jayson Woodbridge and Bill Harlan will join forces to create a wine so boutique and so exclusive that only one bottle is produced from the over 2000 acres of premium Cab devoted to its production. It will cost 8 trillion dollars and be purchased by Kim Jong Il. Wine Spectator will give in 93 points. Robert Parker will give it 108 points. Wine Enthusiast will not get any.
Ahhh rose: A wonderful wine driven to exile in many domestic markets due to its striking visual similarity to the much sweeter White Zinfandel wines. That being said, it’s probably true that even if white zin were actually white, Rose would still have a tough time breaking into the young male demographic. I mean, let’s face it… the only reason white cranberry juice even exists is so that men will order “camouflage cosmopolitans”. Plus, I’ve sat in quite a few power dinners. When you’re a young professional surrounded by the would-be cast of Mad Men with their two fingers of small batch bourbon and 48 gauge churchills, you don’t want to be the guy who orders 6oz of pink grape juice. I’m just sayin’…
The Sylvia Platt of California Cabernet, lots of brooding dark fruit on the nose. Slightly gamey and brash. Lots of self-loathing.
Like the long kiss goodnight. It's sleek, sexy and deep. Big spice and cola with just enough toasty oak on the nose to remind you who it is. It's huge in the mouth. Smoke and anise. All the good things. The finish leaves you wanting more...so much more. Will she call the next day? Did she like my cologne?
Versatile. Quick but deep. Bright fruit and great acidity make for a tremendously well-balanced wine. Drink with a steak or solo. Awesome.