1 | Wine | Page 293

"Our 2008 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a dark, rich full-bodied wine with great tannic structure and mouth-feel. It has a garnet color and a nose of ripe boysenberries, cherry liqueur, dark chocolate, sandalwood and a hint of roasting meat. On the palate, it is mouth-coating and incredibly rich in umami. It has a very long, savory finish with the slight grip of fine-grained tannins. Given proper cellaring, this wine should give drinking pleasure through 2030."

"A vibrant, crisp Sauvignon Blanc as only New Zealand can produce. Excellent weight and complexity that goes with many types of food."

"The 2009 Crianza is sourced from Rioja Alta and Alavesa: pure Tempranillo aged in French and American barrels for 12 months. It has a perfumed bouquet of ripe strawberry and Morello, with well-integrated oak that allows the fruit to shine. The palate is very supple and rounded on the entry with corpulent red cherry and cassis fruit. The finish is well-defined, crisp and vibrant, lingering nicely in the mouth."

"Plum, cherry, blackberry, blueberry, warm spice, vanilla and tobacco characters are supported by fine tannins".

"I clearly underrated this wine from barrel. The finest wine made at this estate since 1982, this opaque black wine is a sleeper of the vintage, with oodles of blackberry fruit interwoven with hints of charcoal, forest floor, licorice and damp earth. Deep, rich, chewy, full-bodied and opulent, this is a fabulous Meyney that, because of its low acidity and very ripe tannin, can be drunk in 3-4 years or cellared for two decades. Bravo!"-Robert Parker