Interested in having your wine reviewed by Dan Dunn. Contact us editor@californiawineryadvisor.com.
Dan’s latest book, "American Wino: A Tale of Reds, Whites and One Man’s Blues” will be released April 5th, 2016. It’s available for preorder now on Amazon.com, Harpercollins.com and other online retailers. Follow him on Twitter @TheImbiber
Now on to the reviews...
Leclerc Briant Brut Reserve NV ($55)
In 2010, after 138 years of ownership by the Leclerc family, the company was sold off and very nearly collapsed. But in 2012 the House of Leclerc-Briant was reborn, thanks to a group of investors led by one of the leading figures in the French wine business, Frederic Zeimett. The former Moet & Chandon exec set about converting the vineyards to organic, then biodynamic production—one of the first to do so in Champagne. The Brut Reserve is elegant bubbly, with a velvety texture and just a smidge of bitterness to temper the wine’s pronounced fruitiness. An ideal pairing with fish, foie gras, and light pasta.
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William Hill Estate Napa Valley Bench Blend Chardonnay 2013 ($40)
As the son of a UC Davis viticulture professor, William Hill winemaker Mark Williams has been hanging out in vineyards since before he could talk. This 100 percent Chardonnay crafted from select blocks on Napa’s finest vineyards speaks volumes about the breadth of Mark’s experience. 2013 was an ideal growing year for Chardonnay in the Napa Valley, with an early harvest that yielded fruit at optimal levels of ripeness and maturity. The Bench Blend is the epitome of the classic California style—you’ll taste sweet pear and baked apple up front, with a hearty helping of oak on the finish.
La Valentina Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2012 ($14)
Feral is the first word that came to mind when I tried this medium-bodied red made with grapes from Abruzzo’s Scafa, San Valentino and Spoltore districts on the central coast of the Adriatic. This wine’s got animal instincts; very raw and earthy. Flavor highlighted by blueberry and licorice, and bolstered with robust tannins. A big glass or two of this with a full plate of meat lasagna, and you’re golden.
Bertani Soave Vintage Edition ($30)
Founded in 1857, Bertani has long been one of the most influential producers of the Veneto province in northeast Italy. This vibrant yellow beauty exemplifies the best the Soave Classico region has to offer. Made in the traditional Soave style, 60% of the grapes are vinified using red winemaking techniques, so as to coax the maximum aromatics from the delicate Garganega grapes. The crisp acidity plays nice with the intense peach and apricot flavors.
Louis M. Martini Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 ($85)
Grape growing sites in California don’t come more highly regarded than Monte Rosso, a fertile patch of red hills clay loam soil positioned along the steep slopes of the Mayacamas range in Sonoma County. It’s hallowed ground, where Louis Martini first planted Cabernet Sauvignon in 1938 on a site formerly known as Mt. Pisgah. fast forward a few decades to 2011, a cool and challenging growing season with a later than normal harvest that took place from mid to late October. The extended hang time agreed with the grapes, though, yielding a gorgeous beast of a wine that delivers all the bold fruit flavor and spice you could want out of a California Cab.
Penthouse Wines ($30)
I have not tried Penthouse Wines. In fact, I only just learned of the existence of Penthouse Wines via a press release that showed up in my inbox about 30 minutes prior to filing this report. According to the release, the wines— sparkling Shiraz and Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir—have been “skillfully constructed” using juice sourced from California and Australia... in much the same way, I imagine, that Penthouse Pets are skillfully constructed by plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills. So why am I endorsing costly wine that I’ve not even sampled? Simple. I’ve always been enamored of the tears that stream down the side of the glass after you swirl it, and with a name like Penthouse, well, the wine is virtually guaranteed to have great legs.
Interested in having your wine reviewed by Dan Dunn. Contact us editor@californiawineryadvisor.com.
Dan’s latest book, "American Wino: A Tale of Reds, Whites and One Man’s Blues” will be released April 5th, 2016. It’s available for preorder now on Amazon.com, Harpercollins.com and other online retailers. Follow him on Twitter @TheImbiber
