Each month, the San Francisco Chronicle's Food and Wine staff carefully considers wines for our wine club to give members a complete wine experience. Take a look at a selection of our wines:
2003 Alexandria Nicole Destiny Ridge Vineyard Columbia Valley Syrah
The Destiny Ridge Vineyard, perched high above the banks of the Columbia River in the Horse Heaven Hills, has long been a sought after spot for some of Washington state's best grapes. The winery, named for owner Jarrod Boyle's wife Ali, keeps some of the best fruit for itself. This full-bodied Syrah has a lovely floral nose of violet, cedar and dark ripe fruit. Its complex palate offers berry, herb and cedary spice. There's beautiful balance, supple but coating tannins and a lengthy finish.
2004 Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Coda di Volpe
Arguably the most famous winery in Campania, Mastroberardino has established its centuries-old reputation on such grapes as Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo. Here, Coda di Volpe is the grape. It's grown in the Vesuvio Bianco region, in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. Lacryma Christi translates to "tears of Christ." There will no crying over this mouth-filling wine, with its lush green apple, pear and peach fruit, clean acidity and long, fruity finish. Its texture will become even silkier over the next few months.
This Los Olivos winery, north of Santa Barbara, has been focusing on Rhone varietals since the 1990s. The 2005, which won best in class at this year's Chronicle Wine Competition, is Zaca Mesa's 12th vintage of Viognier, a grape native to France's northern Rhone Valley. It aged for three months in neutral oak barrels but didn't receive the malolactic fermentation that often adds creaminess to white wines. Exotic aromas of ripe mango, green papaya and honeysuckle lead to a mouthwatering palate of pineapple, grapefruit, pear and white peach. It's nicely balanced and food-friendly, thanks to its crisp acidity.
2005 Coudert Pere et Fils Clos de la Roilette Fleurie
Of the 10 "Cru" appellations of Beaujolais, all of which use the red Gamay Noir grape, Fleurie's granite soils some of the most elegant and floral wines. Fernand Coudert and his son Alain tend to this small plot, which actually once was part of the Moulin-a-Vent area. The former owner was so angry at the appellation switch in the 1920s that he named the wine after his horse, Roilette. The Couderts took possession of the property in 1967, but Roilette's likeness still graces the label. The vines, at least 25 years old, produce a dense, aromatic wine. A focused nose of crushed gravel and sour-plum tart, with bright fruit flavors and a floral finish.
2005 Hexamer Schlossbockelheimer In den Felsen Spatlese Riesling
From the town of Meddersheim in a less traveled portion of the Nahe, young Harald Hexamer is making a name for himself, mixing modern technology with a traditional hands-off approach to winemaking. This radiant young late-harvested Riesling is from a newly acquired parcel in the storied In Den Felsen vineyard in Schlossbockelheim, on the western end of the Nahe's winegrowing boundaries. It has amazing density and richness; warm sweet flavors of dried apricot and papaya are balanced by nutty, spicy aromas, hints of lavender and jolting grapefruit highlights. Pay the screwcap no mind and give this young wine some time to mellow. You won't regret it: Well-cloaked acidity and rich fruit will reward you in a few months -- or a decade from now.
Here'
s a wine to stump your friends. Winemaker Jim Moore, has a reputation for making some of the best Italian-style California wines around. Cal-Itals are usually made from Sangiovese, but Moore prefers to play with such grapes as Barbera, Nebbiolo and the white variety Arneis. The grapes for this Barbera come from the Lodi vineyard of Rodney Schatz, the chairman of the California Association of Winegrape Growers. (No pressure there.) With a bit of Syrah and Petite Sirah blended in, the wine saw 18 months in a mix of French, American and Hungarian oak. It's packed with plummy dark fruit, along with the red-fruit highlights typical for Barbera, with pleasingly toasty-earthy overtones. Big enough to please Cabernet fans, but far more approachable.
