Well, maybe some of it is, and that’s the reason this reasoning has gotten traction. But so many quality Merlots are left out of the conversation. Beringer’s Merlots have been stupendous for years, especially the Bancroft Ranch. Pahlmeyer and Pride have Merlots that easily stand above the crowd. Etude’s bottlings are age-worthy, and Shafer Merlots – earlier to mature – provide instant gratification. I’d push any Pinot Noir off the table to make way for a Château St. Jean Merlot, and Joe Cafaro still makes Merlots that sing.

Then there’s Duckhorn, Havens, Keenan, St. Francis, Château Ste. Michelle, and Matanzas Creek. In fact, during an extensive tasting of Merlots for a cover story in Wine News a few years back, I concluded that almost any Merlot from the cooler climes of Carneros would be a special treat.

Through the years, Merlot styles have changed and, after the initial boom-years in the 1990s, better terroir has been chosen for plantings. Below are a few recent tasting notes that might offer a primer on the grape.

  Beringer 2008 (Napa Valley, $21). A rich ruby red, with coffee and licorice aromas hosting hints on dark berries and milk chocolate, forward flavors and nicely balanced. Score: 87

Beringer 2006 Howell Mountain Bancroft Ranch (Napa Valley, $75) Up-front aromas of coffee and dark chocolate, with latent dark berry aromas, soft tannins, sumptuous red fruit, and wonderfully balanced. Score: 93

Charles Krug 2008 (Napa Valley, $24). Deep and dense in color and aroma, black cherry and petrol like Pomerol, hefty body, rich textured and dense fruit flavors. Score: 91

Castello di Gabbiano 2007 Alleanza (Tuscany, $35). Soft red fruit, rich body, tangy acidity, dry impression but fruity finish. Score: 90

Columbia Crest 2007 Reserve (Columbia Valley $30). Delicate aromas but pungent flavors. Score: 88

http://www.pridewines.com/content/default1421.html

We had reached Atlas Peak, the mountain but also the former name of a winery. Founded originally by a partnership between Marchese Piero Antinori, Bollinger, and Whitbread, Atlas Peak Winery was host to newly planted Italian varietals as well as the first ever Sangiovese Symposium in 1997.

The Italian grapes struggled to survive and, now, the new enterprise called Antica has returned to Napa Valley’s preeminent grapes: Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, though some Sangiovese is still vinified by winemaker Nate Weis on the property.

Antinori’s style shows through in the wines, the estate, and the layout of the vineyards, green lines of lush vines that cascade down the slopes from this aerie. Hidden from Napa’s busy commerce on Route 29 and surrounded by lazy hills and cultured vineyards, the landscape below us seemed snatched from a photographer’s rendering of the bucolic beauty of Tuscany. So it is no surprise that the wines should show elegance, respect for tradition, and bountiful flavors. 

The 2009 Chardonnay ($35) has scents of pear and apple, with luscious textures and layered flavors, interwoven with a racy thread of minerality. It would be a perfect pair for trout almondine. The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon ($55) shows black cherry fruit and, while still a little closed, seems to be coming out of hibernation.

So most of us have huddled inside our homes where the air conditioner groans under loads that violate manufacturers’ specs and wait for deliverance. As the perceptibly cooler air wafts about and slowly curbs the rising body temperature, thoughts turn to red wine.

What else? I’ve always said that A/C was invented to make it possible to drink red wine in summertime.

It seemed like a perfect time to test the reports of a superior vintage coming from California in 2007. Vintage scores in the high-90s by many wine publications suggest that there’s much to look forward to.

But why wait for the next anniversary or the hoped-for kid’s scholarship? With temperatures holding steady at Underworld levels, we need to take care of ourselves – - now.

Souverain 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley, $17). Scents of wet earth and oak, black cherry, plums on nose, currants, black cherry, soft textures, full body.

Dry Creek Vineyard 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (Dry Creek Valley, $25). First impression is tobacco smoke and oak, with deep long lasting dark fruit aromas and flavors.

Ferrari-Carano 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley, $30). Black cherry, cassis and plums on the nose, same impression on the palate, dense cherry flavors, intense, long finish.

Rodney Strong 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (Alexander Valley, $45). Rich, dark fruit and licorice accents on the nose, followed by cranberry, plums, and cassis on the palate, with licorice and mint accents.

Sbragia Family Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte RossoVineyard (Sonoma Valley, $50). Black cherry, cola, and plums on nose and palate, soft approach, incredibly deep and textured, a magnificent wine.

Ferrari-Carano 2007 Tresor (Alexander Valley, $58). Rich vibrant aromas of dark fruit and earth notes, mocha and cassis dominates the flavor profile, layers of black cherry and boisenberry, soft silky finish.

Rodney Strong 2007 Rockaway Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley, $75). Brewed coffee aromas, with concentrated black cherry flavors, dense and chewy, soft tannins, hint of chocolate on finish.

Sbragia Family Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Rancho del Oso (Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, $75). Superb balance, richly textured dense and concentrated, reminiscent of black fruit, herbs, and subtle earth tones, this is a keeper.

Chateau St. Jean 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Cinq Cepages (Sonoma County, $75). Packed with black plum and black cherry aromas, dense and chewy, black plum flavors accented by roasted coffee bean, slight hints of mocha on finish.

“While Massican takes its name from a coastal mountain range in southern Italy, proprietor and winemaker Dan Petroski draws his inspiration from the blended wines of Friuli in the eastern hills of northern Italy.

“His white wine “annia” is a blend of dry-farmed Friulano from sixty-three year old vines, a floral “Muscat Clone” of Chardonnay from Carneros and Ribolla Gialla (Yellow Ribolla) from legendary Napa Valley Italian grape aficionado George Vare. Mr. Vare’s famed vineyard, planted in metamorphic soils at the base of Mount Veeder, is the only known planting of Ribolla in the country and provides grapes to some of the finest winemakers in the Napa Valley.
With subtle honeysuckle and orange-blossom notes mingling with aromas of white peach and Bosc pear, “annia” is quite fragrant. When the wine hits the palate the fresh citrus flavors provide laser-like focus and impressive length.
“The bright, crisp style and modest 12.8% alcohol level make this wine the ideal compliment for salad and seafood courses at The French Laundry. The bad news? With only 238 cases of this wine produced, I expect that it will be sold-out in a Milan-minute.”

Chef Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry has garnered world-wide acclaim from every leading lifestyle publication and newspaper.  It is an icon.  To some it is the equivalent of Mecca.  I began my pilgrimage 6 weeks ago when I called for a reservation and was placed on the waiting list.  I booked my flights and hotel, with faith that I would show up at the gate and be deemed worthy.  The stars aligned and a cancellation 3 days prior to my Saturday visit secured me a table, and I will get to enjoy Mr. Kelly’s recommendation personally.

To be continued…

Steak time, and the next two wines had gone into the decanter right before Scott and Shannon arrived with the steaks and a back-up bottle of 2004 Turley Duarte Vineyard, just in case. I received these bottles of Emblem Oso Vineyard and Emblem Rutherford from the marketing rep, who suggested the wines would be great for Father’s day as they were made by the father-son team of Michael Mondavi and Robert Mondavi, Jr. They were definitely great for the Friday night before Father’s day. I served the wines simultaneously for comparison sake, and I think we all agreed immediately that these wines shared far more differences than similarities. The 2006 Emblem Oso Vineyard was inviting and approachable, with loads of bright red cherries and vanilla. The soft tannins provided a flexible structure that matched perfectly with both the steak and the cheesy potato gratin we were eating. The 2006 Emblem Rutherford was a much taller order. The deep dark fruit in this wine’s nose warned me that this wine was way too young to be opened now. It is dark, chewy and firm with a backbone crafted by fruit that is distinctly Rutherford style. While the Oso Vineyard was open to all senses, the Rutherford was still zipped up even after an hour in the decanter. Both wines were big, maybe even bigger than the sub-$50 price tag suggests. The Oso is ready now, and the Rutherford will pay dividends in 5-10 years.

Participating Wineries include Bonny Doon Vineyard, Cline Cellars, Clos Saron, D.H. Gustafson Family Vineyards, Fess Parker Winery & Vineyards, Folin Cellars, Guy Riedel Wines, Katin, Rocca Family Vineyards, Sawtooth Winery, Stage Left Cellars, Stark Wine, Tablas Creek Vineyard, Tarara Winery, Tercero Wines, Terry Hoage Vineyards, and Vina Robles.

Winemaker Rob Folin

The Rhone Rangers held a press tasting at Zola Kitchen yesterday featuring outstanding white wines made from Viognier, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc, and reds made from Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre.  My favorites were:  Folin Cellars 2008 “Misceo” red blend from Oregon, which was lush and velvety with layers of dark berry and a hint of cocoa; Tablas Creek 2008 “Cotes de Tablas Blanc”, which offered hints of tropical fruit, melon and citrus with great acidity; and Terry Hoage’s (the Redskins Superbowl Champ) “Skins” Grenache which was peppery with plums and very refined.

If you can’t catch them while they are in town tonight at the Smithsonian, their wines are definitely worth seeking out.

If she likes sweet wine, consider an Italian Moscato d’Asti, which is produced in Italy’s Piedmont region near the town of Asti. Piedmont basically translates into “at the foot of the mountain,” which is appropriate for this northwestern region containing many mountains and hills. It is also home to Italy’s heavy hitters, like Barolo and Barbaresco.

Among the great producers is Luca Currado Vietti, who has taken the traditions of his family winery into the 21st Century, while also employing modern techniques. James Suckling of the Wine Spectator notes: “Vietti makes some of the cleanest, most terroir-driven wines in Piedmont, with a rare subtlety and elegance. Yet there is also a traditional undertone to the wines, giving them a personal style that wines from other modern young winemakers in the region often lack.”

Try his Cascinetta Vietti, Moscato d’Asti. Like all Moscato d’Asti wines, this is a lightly sweet, low-alcohol wine that is described as being “fizzante,” which means it is lightly fizzy. The Cascinetta is particularly lovely, imparting flavors of peaches and rich honey. Total Wine also sells an even more affordable—just $11.99—yet quite good, Moscato d’Asti called Villa Lanata that is worth buying.

Your local wine shop probably has some other great options for Moscoto for mom. The low alcohol content of these wines–around just 5 percent–makes them a great option for Moms who don’t want too much liquor. In fact, it’s so low that she might want to drink the whole bottle herself!

Another fantastic option is a ruby port-styled wine, which is a perfect match with any chocolates you might also include along with the wine, particularly dark chocolate.

A real special find is the Miller Teodoro Port, Sage Canyon Vineyard, Napa Valley. On the label the first L in Miller is written backward. It was produced by winemaker and former professional chef Gary Miller of Miller Wine Works, using grapes native to Portugal but grown in Napa. Its suggested retail price is $22 for a half bottle, which is very good for this quality.

Europeans would complain that this is not a “Port” wine since it was not made in the Douro Valley of Portugal. Yet it is made the same way, which means a grape spirit is added to the wine before fermentation completes. The high alcohol level kills yeast that would otherwise convert all the sugar to alcohol. Thus, the wine retains sugar and has a relatively high alcohol level, making it lusciously sweet and complex.

Miller’s winemaker notes describe his Teodoro Port as “dark purple, garnet in color, and brimming with notes of sweet black cherries, brown sugar and spice, all finished with a hint of luscious milk chocolate.”

Weekly Wine Pick staff recently enjoyed this wine with a chocolaty desert and we found it outstanding. It has one drawback: it may be very hard to find. Miller only made 77 cases! We located a bottle in a small boutique wine shop in Old Town Alexandria called The Winery, which is located on South Washington Street. If that’s convenient to you, consider stopping in to see if they have any more bottles. If not, you surely will find lots of interesting wines in this shop. It’s small in size, but large in quality.

For an unfortified version of a sweet red wine with less alcohol, a fantastic option is Cline Cellar’s Late Harvest Mourvèdre, a silver-medal winner at the 2008 Los Angeles Wine and Spirits Competition. Cline Cellars only produce this wine during the best quality vintages, which means it’s unlikely you will a bad vintage. Their literature describes it as “luxuriously sweet” with flavors of “coffee, chocolate and berries.”

This wine is rich and savory—almost like eating eating chocolate cake with layers of very ripe cherries. Like port, it would work well with chocolates for mom. With a larger distribution, you may find this wine at a local wine shop. Unwind in Alexandria on King Street recently had some on the shelf.

There are so many other options for sweet wines for mom. Ask your local wine retailer about Moscoto and other ruby port wines that they might stock.

If mom is dry wine drinker, browse some of our other posts with dozens of selections from our sommeliers. You might consider getting her Women of the Vine Tempranillo, which the Weekly Wine Pick reviewed earlier. It is available at Whole Foods in Alexandria, as well as a number of shops on the East Coast. Check for more locations on Wine-Searcher.

Joseph Carr’s 2008 Sauvignon Blanc and 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley

The white was impressive and went great with the cheese and charcuterie I put out before dinner.  It was rich clean with refreshing acidity.  There is a lot of melon on the nose with a hint of honey.  The ripe melon continues into the mouth accompanied by a mix of mild citrus flavors.  Very enjoyable, especially for less than $16.

The Napa Cabernet was fantastic, and stood up proudly to the heavily-seasoned pork shoulder that had spent 7 hours roasting.  Much of the fruit in this wine comes from Oakville, which I think lends to the smoky nose and ultra dark fruit flavor.  The wine had the character and structure of a high-priced Napa Cab with about 5 years of age on it and was amazingly ready to drink at such a young age.  At $22, Joseph Carr is practically giving this wine away.  My neighbors, who joined us for dinner and regulary drink budget wines, were absolutely delighted that such high caliber wines could be had for just a couple dollars more than they usually spend.

1997 Pontet Canet and 2004 Double Diamond Amber Knolls Vineyard

I picked up both of these wines at internet auction for a song.  My expectations for the Pontet Canet were fairly conservative after enjoying a bottle from the 2000 vintage a few weeks before; that one was tremendous.  What a pleasant surprise that the ’97 was still showing strong.  It had a much heavier body than I expected and notes of smoke, tobacco and currant.  I preferred it to the Double Diamond, which was a bit flat and flabby.  I was excited about the Napa wine as I like most made from the Beckstoffer Vineyards, but this one just didn’t impress.  I will continue to seek these out because they are made by talented winemakers who use very good fruit.

Like me, they had the delight of visiting the winery. The Artesa facility itself is a sight to see, one of Napa’s most unique. Indeed, it is almost all located underground with a grass roof. The ultra modern interior includes original artwork of the artist in residence, and the tasting room staff and tour guides are unpretentious and friendly.

Artesa stands for “craftsman,” which is appropriate for a winery that crafts its wine with great care under the leadership of their winemaker, Mark Beringer. Artesa achieves a different, softer style because they do not crush any red grapes (they do crush white grapes releasing juice to be fermented without skins). They leave red wine grapes to begin fermentation inside the skins, which break open on their own and release juice. When making red wines most winemakers gently crush the grapes to release the juice. Crushing is perfectly fine and makes wonderful wines, but just a different style.

Aresta’s no-crush approach makes wines that are softer and fruitier because fewer bitter flavors from skins and seeds are released into the wines. Their wines are rich and velvety with a softer style than many “big” Napa Valley reds, yet they are still wonderfully flavorful and complex.

Artesa’s Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are grown in its Napa Valley Carneros-based winery, while some of the other red grapes are grown in warmer areas in Sonoma and Napa. Carneros has a surprisingly cooler climate than the rest of Napa. At a visit during one of the hottest  weeks this summer (while it was well over 100 degrees just an hour away in Sacramento), Carneros was down-right chilly by comparison, with cool breezes coming off the San Pablo Bay. Meanwhile, that week, unbearably hot weather plagued Pinot Noir grapes at Oregon vineyards, which are considered some of the best sites for Pinot Noir in the country because their usually cooler climate. Carneros is indeed a particularly unique place. In addition to cool breezes fog blankets vineyards in the morning, keeping grapes cool before it is burned off by bright sunlight. These factors produce good ripening of grapes with a relatively long-hang time on the vine.  They can then develop complex, fruity flavors and sugar, while maintaining enough acid to make balanced wines.

Not surprisingly, Artesa produces fantastic Pinot Noir wines, at all price points. Their value-priced Pinot Noir has a delicate profile–as Pinot Noir should–but it is still packed with fruit flavors and spice with complexity. You can get the 2006 Pinot Noir Carneros for $20-$25.

Artesa Chardonnay is a particularly nice, balanced wine, in contrast to other California Chardonnay wines that some say receive excessive oak or other treatments. Fifty percent of the wine is fermented in oak barrels, is aged with the yeast (aged “on its lees”), and receives malolactic fermentation. The other half is fermented in stainless steel and does not undergo malolactic fermentation. In addition, the French oak barrels are 34 percent new (which extracts more intense flavor) and 66 percent used (which exacts subtle if any flavor). French oak imparts flavors that are less intense than American oak, which is commonly used in California Chardonnay.

Also worth hunting down are Artesa Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot wines. If you visit you can taste some of them at the winery in Carneros, but the grapes are sourced from their vineyards in warmer areas—one in Napa’s Atlas Peak area and the other in Alexander Valley in Sonoma. These reds offer opulently rich and velvety flavor and texture with deep, dark fruit flavors. Try the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa/Sonoma made with 55 percent Napa grapes and 45 percent Sonoma-sourced grapes.  It is aged in French oak barrels for 24 months. It is available for $20-$25.  Total Wine has a Napa Valley only Cabernet for $29.99, worth trying.

If you have a bigger budget and are willing to do mail order, Aresta’s single vineyard and limited release wines are nothing short of fantastic. Artesa also markets wines under the label of Ridgeline, which are quite delicious. I recently mail-ordered from the winery half a case to enjoy this summer. You might also locate some on on Wine Searcher. Check out the others available on their website.

On the 7th day...

Sunday evening normally ushers in two emotions.  One is the anxiety around waking up on Monday morning to face the week’s unkonwns.  The other is tension from whether a glasses of wine (or two) will clarify or cloud the judgment I need on Monday morning.

If you decide that Sunday night is one of the best nights of the week to crack open a bottle, regardless of the cuisine or company, you’re not alone.  I found myself facing multiple reasons to stay up past my bedtime last Sunday:  Celtics, Oscars and wife with a stomach bug.  I consulted Cor.kz for the wine in my basement that I could admit to drinking alone.   Despite being an off year, I wanted to save the ’97 Pontet Canet for a friend who is a fan of the property.   The next 4 on the list I had opened recently, so my choice was a Napa blend I had recently acquired from auction at a respectable discount.

The 2001 Merryvale Profile had appropriate color transparency and aromas of red fruit, cedar and chalk, which conjured memories of sailing an approach to the pacific northwest after a long year at sea.  Were I tasting blind, the first impression shortly after opening would have had me guessing 2005 vintage or later.  Fresh and fleshy with spongy tannins, the Bordeaux blend from St. Helena offered a hint of evergreen, olive, flint and other minerals.  At the end of the bottle the structure had softened a bit, and I was left wishing I had decanted for an hour.  This was one of a number of Napa reds I’ve had from the 2001 vintage that are running on all cylinders right now.

Though I woke up 20 minutes late the next morning, I was able to reflect on a great bottle while on my ride to the office.