Somm’s Picks for January 2020
Pick 1: Old World Wine Pick
Ch. La Dominique Grand Cru Classé 2010
Dry black and red fruits that are mature on the palate with layers of graphite and espresso all sitting over silky tannins. The historic 2010 vintage is drinking at a peak right now so you don’t have to let this one age anymore!
La Dominique is a next door neighbor to the famous Ch. Cheval Blanc, considered to be the best producer in St. Emilion.
– 94pts Wine Spectator –
Pick 2: Crowd Pleasing Wines
Nickel and Nickel ‘Harris Ranch’ Merlot 2016
The big blueberry, ripe blackberry, and luscious dark cherry flavors rounded off with vanilla and balanced by Oakville’s signature minerality makes this wine one of the easiest drinking and over delivering rich Napa reds that I’ve ever enjoyed (a bit too quickly!).
Nickel and Nickel is a single vineyard single varietal project started by Far Niente in 1997. They are dedicated to producing the best wines they can from unique terriors. – 4.3 Vivino –
Pick 3: The Great Ones
Altair Red Blend 2013
An intense and wound cabernet blend from Chile that delivers layers of dark fruit, sweet spices, gravely minerality, perfumed menthol notes, with underpinnings of savory olive. A big wine that manages to harmonize every layer of the blend without compromise.
Altair is a project started in 2001 with the goal of producing Chile’s best red wines. To achieve this goal no expense has been spared from picking remote vineyards with perfect exposure to doing all the work in the vineyard by hand.
– 94pts James Suckling –
Pick 4: Value Spot Light
Il Fauno di Arcanum 2015
The nose starts tight but opens up beautifully with notes of blackberries, raspberries, red plums, with violets, coffee, and hints of sage. The palate is super smooth with nice freshness and medium richness. This easy drinking wine shows many layers and is just as great at the dinner table as it is at a cocktail party.
The Arcanum estate traces its roots to the pre-Roman Etruscan civilization and the label gets its inspiration from an ancient statue located on the estate.
– 93pts Robert Parker –
All of these wines were hand selected by our Somms Richard and Carlos Fonseca. For more information on any of these wines, reach out to us on Facebook, or see us in the store.