1 | Wine | Page 410

"The 2010 “The Hall of Famer” Chardonnay is rich and delicious, and will pair wonderfully with salmon, poultry or pasta in a cream sauce."

"It is reticent at first and takes time to open up. It retains a pleasing sense of aloofness, which one would want from this South African icon. Patience is required, for it eventually rewards you with blackberry, briary, fresh tobacco, cedar and mint...not a million miles away from Pauillac! The palate is medium-bodied with fine, supple tannins: blackberry, raspberry and graphite all perfectly delineated with great refinement married with intensity on the finish. You would be hard pressed to find another wine that delivers such class at this price."

"The 1999 Taurasi Radici Riserva is simply beautiful. Sweet dried cherries, licorice, menthol and spices waft from the glass. Made in an elegant style, this complex Riserva shows some of the slightly advanced and oxidized flavors one might reasonably expect from 10 year-old wine, yet the balance is utterly compelling. The finish is long, sweet and ethereal, as pretty suggestions of mint come back to frame the wine beautifully."

"An intensely perfumed bouquet displays dark berry preserves, cherry-cola, vanilla and woodsmoke. Lush, palate-coating blackberry and boysenberry flavors are complicated by notes of licorice and candied violet. Shows very good intensity on the gently tannic finish, which clings with noteworthy tenacity."

"The 2010 Pinot Noir is surprisingly juicy for the vintage. Black cherries, spices and flowers burst from the glass in this deep, expressive Pinot. The wine reveals gorgeous depth and purity all the way through to the resonant finish."

"Subtle and racy, with lemon rind, vanilla cream and dried pineapple. Very spicy and intense. Full-bodied, with great length and flavor. Electrified yet refined, with medium sweetness and a wonderful finish. I love the class of this, and the length. Has afterburners."

"The dense purple-colored 2006 Madrona Ranch is extraordinary. Its nose of charcoal, espresso roast, blackberries, cassis, crushed rocks, and white chocolate is followed by a ripe, pure wine with a fabulous mid-palate texture (a characteristic of all these wines), and good balance as well as length."