“The Vintages August 29 release has two spotlights – Rhône Valley and California Zinfandel – that vibrate the antennae of every red wine fan. Both fall into that realm of fruity, spicy, exuberant reds that are more for hedonistic drinking rather than fussing with cellars and fine dining. And even if they are not the cheapest on the planet they are usually fair value. The reality of the Vintages selections is that once you get pass the amazing Santa Duc 2003 Cairanne(92pts) very few are real standouts in terms of quality or value. Among the Rhônes I also highly recommend Domaine Montmartel Visan 2007 (90 pts) and Château Mourgues Du Grès (89 pts) as the best values. Among the Zins Gnarly Head 2007 Old Vine (89) is the most lush and gulp-able, with Grgich Hills 2006 (82pts) being the most bizarre and disappointing. Elsewhere, the Gretzky wines are evolving well but not quite worth a ticket to the game (the pinot is green and tannic, very at odds with Vintages description). Exotic tropical whites from Australia and New Zealand continue to offer great bang for the buck, try the McPherson 2007 Marsanne/Viognier (89 pts) and Kim Crawford 2007 Riesling (89 pts). From Europe there is yet another batch of excellent 2005 Bordeaux, although pricy. The selections from Italy and Spain are middle of the road to disappointing this time around, although Portugal, as usual, has a couple of bargain reds: Quinta das Amoras 2006 (87 pts, $12.95) andRamos Pinto Duas Quintas 2007 (88 pts, $15.95). To the left are my top picks for quality, value and news value.”
- David Lawrason, VP of Wine at WineAlign
Click here to see ranked lists and reviews of close to 100 wines in this release.
David’s Half Dozen
Henry Of Pelham Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2007 Niagara Escarpment
$19.95, 90pts
Cline Viognier 2007
California
$15.95, 90pts
Reds
Santa Duc Les Buissons Cairanne 2003
Côtes du Rhône-Villages
$17.95, 92pts
Clos Du Val Zinfandel 2006
Napa Valley, California
$21.95, 92 pts
Château Castegens 2005
Bordeaux, France
$18.95, 90pts
Paolo Manzone Magna
Dolcetto D’alba 2007
Piedmont, Italy
$16.95, 89pts
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