Recommended Wines: Q4 2007

This is my quarterly list of wines I've first tasted or re-tasted in Q4 that I recommend you try. As this quarter is just beginning, this list is a bit sparse.

For a fuller list see my previous quarter's recommendations, since that quarter has ended.

Upto $10:

1. Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet 2004 ($7 TJ) - Wow. That's what I said upon tasting this. Tastes like a fruity, oaky cab should taste. Berry with oak, vanilla, coconut and hints of chocolate. Medium body with a smooth finish low acid. No tannins. I'll retry this a bit and if it is consistently this good, I'll get a case. My first bottle and overall score: 91. I've retasted this four times and it remains my highest recommendation. It won't bowl you over with power but it's sweet, smooth, oaky, and just delightful. I just had my last bottle over lunch at work and under sub-optimal circumstances of a cloudy sky outdoors, it was delicious throughout. ((Notes: the 2003 is not nearly as good, so look carefully for the 2004's which are just coming out as of Sep 2007. I've seen some Trader Joe's carry both years side by side and they look identical. The Columbia Crest red wines do not age well in every sense of the word. In particular, if you open a bottle, do not expect it to be good the next day... but at this price, it's not a big deal.))
   
2. Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot 2004 ($7 TJ) - Yes, it seems I'm on the Columbia Crest bandwagon.. but that's because they make great wines. This has been a bit more erratic with some excellent bottles (2) and some not so exciting bottles (2). The last bottle was quite good with characteristic dark berry, oak, spice and vanilla; I'd score it a 90. Similar in style to the Cab, but a bit heavier and darker.
3. Yellow Tail 2005 Reserve Shiraz ($10 Safeway, Bevmo) - A serious, concentrated wine with intense blueberry and other berry flavors. Good acidity. Hints of meat initially. I liked it much more the 2nd day when it was sweeter and smoother, but my wife liked it the first night. Check it out. This is the Reserve bottling, not the regular bottling.
   

From $10 to $18:

In this price range, you start to get a lot of variety for pretty good wines.

1. Montes 2005 Alpha Syrah ($15, Costco, and more) - my favorite wine for the summer/fall of 2007. Tremedous fruit, spice and loam flavors in a very well balanced, complex wine. Intense nose. I used to hate Chilean wines, but this wine has completely won me over. Also got 92 from Wine Spectator.
2. Beringer 2005 (or 2004 or 2003) Alluvium ($12 Wine Club)- a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion. A refreshing complex white with both acidity and smoky richness. The last bottle I had on 9/30 (technically still Q3) had a "toasted oak/cheerios" (me) or "yeasty" (my wife) nose. It wasn't as good as previous bottles, but it constantly evolved. Only one glass really hit the spot over the weekend.
   
3. Hess 2004 Allomi Cabernet Sauvignon ($18 Costco) - I had some at a Ruth's Chris in Charlotte in late Sept. A rich fruity cabernet, that went nicely with my filet. Quite nice. Why is it that so many wines just taste better in restaurants.?
4. Yes, it's a repeat from Q3, but I'm having a lovely Marquis Philips 2005 Shiraz. Rich, ripe, sweet fruit with spice in a thick luscious frame. Not simple, but not incredibly complex, but who cares. So yummy.
   

Best wines I can remember having recently. You may or may not be able to find these, but it's what I thought was really nice.

1. Montes 2005 Alpha Syrah - the first authentially Chilean wine that I've liked. I was NOT a fan of chile and this wine may have single handedly turned the tides. Though I've discovered many other wines not from Chile also have the loamy funk I associate w/ Chile. A complex, fruity, spicy wine. At $16, just buy it.
2. Marquis Philips 2004 Shiraz ($12) - I had forgotten about this and "discovered" a few bottles in my remote cellar. Tasty fresh berry with lots of sweet spice and a minty edge at the end. All in all, quite delicious. I'd give this a 92. I'm also wondering if the Marquis Philips should be aged for a few years, given how nice this is. I have a bunch of the 2005 and 2006's but should probably lay some down. ((The 2005 is also very nice and recommended in my Q3 2007 blog, but of course they aren't available anymore as the 2006's are just coming out.))
   
3. L'Oratorie 2005 Chataueneuf Du Pape ($28 WC) - my first CdP. The first taste was a shock, thick and sweet. This was the reknowned CdP? But as the wine breathed, the mineral element came about and the fruit died down a bit. So it was like a massive fruity cote du rhone. I had some with a flatiron steak at a restaurant (I brought the bottle) and it was superb. At a wine tasting at work, this was the favorite of most people. .... And I found the 2003 of this wine at my local Safeway. It is not as big, but given some time to breathe has a nice fruit and balance. Together they make for a nice micro vertical.
   
4. Rosenblum 2003 Fran's Syrah Rockpile Ridge ($40, winery) - huge, burly purple fruit with spice and oak with vanilla. I found the tannins to be drying, but everyone else just loved this to death.