Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

A Bottle under Every Tree: Unwrap your Christmas quaff.

screenshot-2016-11-29-12-13-51As we approach the holiday season, it can be difficult to match the gift with the person on our list.

For wine-lovers, though, it’s easy. We just want more wine! Zircon-encrusted corkscrews look nice but usually end up in a drawer while the reliable old double-pull does yeoman’s duty.

To make things easier this season, Fine Wine & Good Spirits held a Chairman’s Selection® tasting that I was invited to attend. I jotted down some tasting notes and pass them on to you with the hope it will make your holidays and those of your loved ones merry and bright.

Keep sipping, Steve

 

White Wine
Comte de Saint Aignan Sauvignon Blanc 2015, Code 78308, $9.99: Clean, unoaked palate-scrubber with flavors of citrus and peach. Tasty.

Montague Family Estate Chardonnay 2012, Code 78293, $11.99: Easy-drinking, lemony quaff from California.

Steven Kent Chardonnay Winemaker’s Selection 2014, Code 78300, $15.99: Buttery Cali wine with balanced fruit and a long finish.


Ros
é Wine
Raimat Castell de Raimat Rosé 2015, Code 78314, $9.99: Beautiful Spanish wine with strawberry flavors and clean finish.

Clair Diamant Côtes de Provence Rosé 2015, Code 78250, $12.99: Easy-drinking French quaff with floral nose and citrus/strawberry flavors. Matches turkey, ham or shrimp.


Red Wine

Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG 2011, Code 78239, $14.99: Rich and spicy with notes of leather and raisins in a traditional Italian wine.

Nacido del Quorum Selección 2011, Code 78241, $14.99: Spanish Monastrell (Mourvèdre). Jammy fruit and good acidity. Great chance to try a solitary wine with unique personality.

Altocedro Finca Los Gallegos Malbec 2011, Code 78285, $19.99: A hearty wine that has this grape’s good points in spades. Big and fruity with a great finish. Worth the cost.

Gundlach Bundschu Mountain Cuvée Red 2012, Code 78288, $12.99: California blend of seven grapes. Savory spice and cherry cola.

Clos du Bois Marlstone 2012, Code 78321, $24.99: A blend of five Bordeaux grapes a la California. Perfumed nose gives way to mouth-filling fruit. Round and luscious.

Vineyards Found Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, Code 78301, $29.99: Napa Cabernet with all the personality at a reasonable price. To lay down.

Heitz Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard 2004, Code 78431, $99.99: A huge Cali Cab from a storied winery. Mature and ready now with fruity complexity ending in a eucalyptus finish.

Shirvington Shiraz 2008, Code 78359, $39.99: A wonderful Aussie Shiraz from my favorite down-under region, McLaren Vale. A huge fruit bomb with amazing plush smoothness and loads of spice.

Shirvington Shiraz 2010, Code 78360, $39.99: Little brother to the 2008 vintage. More subtle and balanced with nuances closer to a good Rhône wine, but still has the Aussie fruit.


Dessert Wine

Feuerheerd’s Colheita Porto 1990, Code 78257, $34.99: It’s hard to find such a well-aged wine. The sweet fruit tapers off into flavors of hazelnuts.

Author: Steve Juliana

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