Inside Scoop SF » The 12 Wines of Christmas — Day 5: Something sweet

Inside Scoop SF » The 12 Wines of Christmas — Day 5: Something sweet

But if you can find the 6 puttonyos aszu wines of the Kiralyudvar house, do not hestate.

Sweet Loire wines: Somewhere in the depths of the basement, I have a bottle of Quarts de Chaume awaiting me. More to the point, if you can hunt down a great Vouvray Moelleux (Huet is the standard-bearer here), it will remind you why Chenin Blanc is the cause of so much rhapsodic wine talk.

7 ideal holiday gift wines - Fortune Features

7 ideal holiday gift wines - Fortune Features

2009 Huet Vouvray Le Mont Premier Trie Moelleux - $65

I'm often asked to recommend wines, and it seems that one of their favorite questions is, "What is the best wine in the world?" There are, of course, infinite answers to that question, but one of the best wines in the world, and certainly one of the greatest wine values on the planet, has to be the wine coming from Huet. Made from Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley, Huet produces a full range of Vouvray, from bone dry to unctuously sweet as well a superb value sparkler, though the sweet wines are what Huet is best known for.

These are wines that are nearly immortal, though not in the sense that they last but because they endure, gaining unbeatable complexity and depth with age. This Vouvray, a selection from a specific vineyard, is packed with sweet yet vibrant fruit and accented with sweet almond and vanilla tones. It's fabulous today but will reach its peak when our grandchildren start drinking.

David Lawrason’s take on Vintages December 10th Release | Appetizer | National Post

David Lawrason’s take on Vintages December 10th Release | Appetizer | National Post

BENMARCO 2008 EXPRESIVO, also from Mendoza, is pricier at $36.95 but it was one of few that I would personally have no qualms buying above $30. It is a very cool, rich yet refined blend of five Bordeaux grape varieties, a common practice in Argentina where the majors like cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cab franc – as well as more difficult petit verdot and tannat – can each be planted at altitudes most suitable to their growing season, then blended after. Altitude blending is Argentine’s secret weapon. Benmarco is not a winery by the way, but a brand produced at an excellent winery called Dominio del Plata, based in the important sub-region of Agrelo. The winemaker at Dominio del Plata is Susanna Balbo, who I consider to be one of the great talents of Mendoza. I was not able to taste her SUSANA BALBO 2010 SIGNATURE CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($22.95) by press time, but I will add my note shortly after the release on Saturday.

Eccentric Wines from Unique Wineries - CNBC

Eccentric Wines from Unique Wineries - CNBC

Bedrock Wine Co.

Notable wine: Sherman & Hooker Shebang! Red

This red wine blend is an offbeat tribute to Civil War generals Joseph Hooker and William T. Sherman, who founded Bedrock Vineyard in California’s Sonoma Valley in 1854. The wine is a project of Morgan Twain-Peterson, son of Joel Peterson, founder of award-winning Ravenswood Winery. He bottles Shebang! in one-liter glass jugs, which he says alert customers to the fact that the wine is affordable and unpretentious. Wine retailers K&L Wine Merchants praise Shebang! Red as “a throwback to simpler times when exceptional wine was available to just about anyone.”

Visitors to the winery learn about the jug’s label, which is a reproduction of an 1849 land grant illustration given to General Hooker, who had so many prostitutes following his troops during the Civil War that people began calling the women “hookers.”

America's Indie Wine Scene, Genre By Genre - Vintage America - Eater National

America's Indie Wine Scene, Genre By Genre - Vintage America - Eater National

Freak Folk

Freak Folk is, more or less, acoustic folk music mixed with all kinds of other stuff, like electronica, off-beat vocals, or just a hefty dose of creative dissonance. Bands like Animal Collective and Akron/Family, for example, have taken folk traditions and fused them with their own freaky avante-garde brands of pop, creating music that challenges the very definition of both pop and folk. Likewise, there are a growing number of producers in California that are drawing from the traditions of northern Italy to make unlikely white wines with off-beat varieties like vermentino, fruilano, and ribolla gialla.

Some, like Vare and Ryme, are taking inspiration from winemaking traditions that date back to antiquity, fermenting and aging some of their whites on the skins. George Vare, a godfather of sorts when it comes to the modern cultivation of Italian varieties in California, has been an enabler for many indie producers seeking to experiment with white wine. The husband and wife team at Ryme bottle skin contact (orange) versions of vermentino and ribolla (which they get from Vare) that are boundary-pushing wines, particularly in the context of the chardonnay-loving Napa Valley.

Champagne's culture clash lets the little guys sparkle - Page 4 - SFGate

Champagne's culture clash lets the little guys sparkle - Page 4 - SFGate

2004 Agrapart & Fils Mineral Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Extra Brut Champagne ($65, 12% alcohol): While this Avize house's nonvintage efforts seem to be getting sweeter, here's where it shows the austere, long-lived potential of Chardonnay grown on limestone. Like Chablis with bubbles, it's got bracing seashell and lemon pith aromas, with richer accents of macadamia nut and Vietnamese coffee that give extra richness. Keep an eye out for the new labels.

Top 100 wines 2011: Cheers to thinking small | Page 15 of 15

Top 100 wines 2011: Cheers to thinking small | Page 15 of 15

Arnot-Roberts Chardonnay,
Kongsgaard Napa Valley Chardonnay,
Foxglove Central Coast Chardonnay,
The Ojai Vineyard McGinley Vineyard Santa Ynez Valley Sauvignon Blanc,
Ryme Cellars His/Hers Las Brisas Vineyard Carneros Vermentino,
Wind Gap Sonoma Coast Syrah,
Kutch Falstaff Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir,
Littorai The Haven Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir,
Rhys Family Horseshoe Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir

Wine Peeps: A Wine Blog » Sineann’s Peter Rosback…a Jack of Many Vineyards

Wine Peeps: A Wine Blog » Sineann’s Peter Rosback…a Jack of Many Vineyards

While Sineann is located in Newberg, Oregon, in the heart of Pinot Noir country, and Rosback got his start with that grape, his portfolio of wines includes much more than Pinot. Almost all of his wines are single-vineyard designated from vineyards in Oregon, Washington, California, and even New Zealand. Sineann’s Sauvignon Blanc is closed with a screwcap while all of the other wines are sealed with glass closures.

The Bacony Goodness of Côte-Rôtie | On Wine by Jay McInerney - WSJ.com

The Bacony Goodness of Côte-Rôtie | On Wine by Jay McInerney - WSJ.com

Call it a prejudice, but I seem to be drawn toward the blonde side of the hill, and to those wines that contain a small percentage of the white grape Viognier—like René Rostaing's Côte Blonde

Impress Your Holiday Party Hosts With These Expert-Approved Bottles of Wine - The Chaser - December 2011 - Chicago

Impress Your Holiday Party Hosts With These Expert-Approved Bottles of Wine - The Chaser - December 2011 - Chicago

Shebnem Ince, sommelier at Henri and The Gage in the Loop
Bring it: “One item that should be in everyone’s fridge is dessert wine, and one of my favorites is Tokaji,” says Ince. “It’s a sumptuous category of dessert wines from Hungary, and the wine tastes like an orange and salt caramel lollipop. Two good producers are Kiralyudvar and Oremus.”

Washington Syrah - Page 2 - SFGate

Washington Syrah - Page 2 - SFGate

2010 Owen Roe Lady Rosa Yakima Valley Syrah ($45, 14.1%): This new arrival from the Northwest's talented David O'Reilly is still a youngster. But sourced from the Erickson Road and DuBrul vineyards in western Yakima, this brings a ton of game meat, peppercorn and tar to its slightly closed but stylish cherry-leather profile, devised from aging in mostly neutral oak. All the Washington kick you'd want, in a very pretty package.

Discerning drinker: Christmas Champagne | Life & Style

Discerning drinker: Christmas Champagne | Life & Style

Marie-Courtin Résonance Brut NV, mostly pinot noir, is dry but fragrant and spicy, very individual (The Sampler, £31.32). And in the "brut nature" extra-dry style, where little or no extra "dosage" is added to the bottle for its final fermentation, Larmandier-Bernier Tradition Extra Brut Premier Cru NV oozes crisp elegance

Judgement of Paris Returns- Moscow Style

Judgement of Paris Returns- Moscow Style

The audience voted for 2009 Chassagne-Montrachet by Fontaine-Gagnard from Burgundy as their top Chardonnay,

Wine Focus: Chateau Sainte Marie Reserve and Venison for Christmas | Bordeaux Undiscovered – Nick's Blog

Wine Focus: Chateau Sainte Marie Reserve and Venison for Christmas | Bordeaux Undiscovered – Nick's Blog

I discovered Chateau Sainte Marie’swhite wine a few years back and was deluged by requests from customers to acquire their red. This has proved to be a wise choice as their Reserve Bordeaux Superieur 2008 (£9.95) is a lovely wine and its quality is belittled by its price. I am recommending it as a good match for venison this Christmas as it pairs beautifully with game.

The renown of Château Sainte Marie goes back several centuries, as the vineyard belonged to the 12th century Benedictine Abbaye de la Sauve Majeure (one of the most ancient abbeys in France, located just a mile from the Château). Much of the Château was devastated by fire and only the giant 400 year old sequoias remain.

The Dupuch Family have been making wine at Château Sainte Marie since 1956 with fierce commitment, talent and a great attachment to the originality of the terroir. The south facing vineyards stretch over 2 sunny hilltops which are amongst the highest points in the Gironde and resemble 2 small islands standing proud in a sea of green.

Thanksgiving Wine Review 2011 - Wine - Santa Barbara Edhat

Thanksgiving Wine Review 2011 - Wine - Santa Barbara Edhat

The forth wine we tried was the 2006 BenMarco Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina. I found this wine at Costco in 2008, and purchased it due to its very high ratings from the critics, and its sub $15.00 price. I wanted to bring something different to the dinner and I was also interested to see if the guests would like it. Most people think they like Malbec, but I don’t believe that many people have actually tried it, or have tried good Malbec. I’ve had a few while traveling around in Paso Robles and further north, but have yet to have a good or enjoyable one. I hoped that since this one had been aged for 5 years, that we might see it at its best. I was right! Everyone loved it, and the wine showed beautifully. On the nose, there is a hint of pretty flowers, metal and blueberries. On the palate, you get a nice sampling of boysenberry and blackberry. The impressive finish features nice minerality and dark fruit. This wine is still powerful, and would probably be better in 3-4 years. Everyone loved it, and I rated it 92 points. I believe you can spot later vintages of this wine at Costco in Goleta from time to time.

Among Great Wines, Plenty of Choice — The Pour - NYTimes.com

Among Great Wines, Plenty of Choice — The Pour - NYTimes.com

Arnot-Roberts is known for syrahs, but I love its fresh, tobacco-scented Santa Cruz cabernet from Fellom Ranch. Napa may be the benchmark, but I’ll settle for the Santa Cruz Mountains.