1 | Wine | Page 426

"Opaque purple in color, it offers up a brooding bouquet of earthy minerality, Asian spices, incense, and assorted black fruits. Velvety-textured, sweetly-fruited, layered, relatively forward, and lengthy, this seamless effort admirably reveals the strengths of the great 2009 vintage and is a superb value to boot."

"Those of you who look for Burgundian style of pinot from California will love this wine. It is the lowest in alcohol of all of my pinots, medium body yet beautifully structured, smooth, zesty and refined. Perfumed on the nose with violets and crushed rocks. Inky in color, a complex and mysterious offering."

"From the sandy hills of Sta. Rita Hills this is an elegant, charming and complex expression of this great appellation. It has a hint of black cherry on the nose with light smoke and forest floor. Mid bodied, it is seductive yet structured and balanced."

"Thick and intense, it coats the mouth with burnt molasses, caramel, but also an aged, oxidative note that sets it apart form its peers. Fruitcake, sultana and bitter chocolate accents add to its appeal. It's harmonious and finishes surprisingly elegant."

"The 2007 Barolo Ciabot Mentin is one of the greatest wines I have ever tasted at this address. Deep, sensual layers of fruit flow from the glass as this full-throttle, intense Barolo reveals its profound, breathtaking personality. The 2007 shows tons of Ginestra nuance, but with extra dimensions to the fruit that literally covers every nook and cranny of the palate. Tasting this next to the 2006 is quite a comparison, as both wines are fabulous. Readers who can should be sure to own bottles of both. A side-by-side comparison is sure to be fascinating as the wines develop over the coming years. Astute readers will note the slight name change here, which is the result of new regulations that require the use of the historic vineyard name, in this case Ginestra, or a proprietary name. Call me nostalgic, but it is sad to see one of the iconic labels in Barolo disappear."

"The 2011 Urban Uco Malbec is aged in a smattering of French and American oak. It has a beautifully defined bouquet of dark cherries, red currant, a touch of fruitcake and orange blossom. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, fine tannins that lead to a compact but focused finish of dark cherries, blackberry, dark chocolate and a dash of white pepper. It displays impressive length and as for the price? Outstanding."

"The 2010 Robola has evolved brilliantly with a little more time to settle down, finally showing better integration of its parts and revealing itself to be ageworthy as well. This is a rather obscure grape for most consumers and little understood. This shows what it is all about. Pulling this wine out of the refrigerator and tasting it promptly is a really bad idea. It is big and crisp. At 50?F or below, it was all acid, no fruit, austere, shrill and charmless. In the mid-fifties, I began to see hints of the wine I first saw again, and it did not really hit stride until it passed 60?F, finally becoming somewhat more fruit forward – relatively speaking. This, in short, not only remains lovely, but seems to have improved considerably, showing the ability to project both fruit and power. The finish is intense and gripping. It has somewhat grassy, but restrained nuances. It should hold better than I first thought, although I am going to remain a bit conservative, and it is not yet at peak. Just for a cherry on top, the price is nice, too."