Gamay

Gamay is a purple-colored grape variety used to make red wines, most notably grown in Beaujolais and in the Loire Valley around Tours. Its full name is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc. It is a very old cultivar, mentioned as long ago as the 15th century. It has been often cultivated because it makes for abundant production; however, it can produce wines of distinction when planted on acidic soils, which help to soften the grape's naturally high acidity.

FranceGeorges Duboeuf 2010 CHATEAU DE LA PIERRIERE BROUILLY
Louis Jadot 2007 MOULIN-A-VENT—91 RP—90 WS
 

Pinot Noir and Blends

Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French words for "pine" and "black" alluding to the grape variety's tightly clustered dark purple pine cone-shaped bunches of fruit.

oregonA—Z 2011
Adelsheim 2010
Williamette Valley Vineyards WHOLE CLUSTER BEST BUY—90 W&S; 2011
 
FranceChateau de Sancerre LOIRE VALLEY 2008  
CaliforniaRex Goliath CENTRAL COAST
Francis Ford Coppola “VOTRE SANTE”
Pedroncelli RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY 2011
Beringer NAPA VALLEY, 2010
Artessa 2009
Etude ESTATE CARNEROS 2010—88 WE
Byron SANTA MARIA VALLEY, 2010—90 RP
Foxen SANTA MARIA VALLEY 2009—91 WE
Domaine Carneros NAPA 2009
 
new zealandCroney Estates “TWO TON” MARLBOROUGH 2009—90 WE
South TASMANIA 2008—90 WA
The Crossings MARLBOROUGH 2009—89 WE
 


Spanish Wine

Spanish wines are wines produced in the southwestern European country of Spain. Located on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has over 2.9 million acres (over 1.17 million hectares) planted—making it the most widely planted wine producing nation but it is the third largest producer of wine in the world, the largest being France followed by Italy.

Portuguese Callabrigia Duoro Red 2008—90 WS
Portal Douro 2009—93 RP
 
Spain Legaris CRIANZA 2004
Marques de Riscal RIOJA RESERVE 2007
Montecillo RIOJA RESERVA 2010—90 WN
 


Merlot

Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird (Turdus merula), probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines usually have medium body with hints of berry, plum, and currant. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its earlier ripening, makes Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin.

New YorkLamoureaux Landing 2008 
CaliforniaCK Mondavi
Blackstone SONOMA
Kendall Jackson SONOMA 2010
Simi SONOMA 2009
Markham NAPA 2009
Ferrari Carano SONOMA 2008/2009
Trinchero 2005
Stag’s Leap NAPA WINE CELLARS 2006
Duck Horn NAPA 2009
 
WashingtonNorthstar COLUMBIA VALLEY 2006—91 WS—91 RP  
ChileCasa Lapostolle 2010—88 WE  


Zinfandel and Blends

Zinfandel grapes typically produce a robust red wine, the taste of the red wine depends on the ripeness of the grapes from which it is made. Red berry fruits like raspberry predominate in wines from cooler areas, whereas blackberry, anise and pepper notes are more common in wines made in warmer areas and in wines made from the earlier-ripening Primitivo clone.

CaliforniaCline 2010
Gnarly Head LODI 2010
Peachy Canyon “WESTSIDE” 2010
Klinker Brick LODI 2010
Renwood SPECIAL RESERVE GRANDPERE 2010
Brazin “OLD VINE” 2010
Marietta CUVEE ANGELI 2007—RP 92
Ravenswood “ DICKERSON” 2008
Ridge Geyserville 2009
 


Syrah/Shiraz

Syrah/Shiraz wines display firm tannins (although they are typically ripe and smooth, not abrasive like younger reds can be), a medium to full body, and the rich round flavors of black cherry, blackberry, plum, bell pepper, black pepper, clove, licorice, dark chocolate and smoked meat.

CaliforniaConcannon PETIT SYRAH 2010
Michael David PETITE PETIT 2010—89 WS
Zaca Mesa 2008
 
washingtonHogue Genesis COLUMBIA VALLEY 2009  
Austtralia Greg Norman 2008
Jacob’s Creek BAROSSA VALLEY RESERVE 2009
Mitolo Jester MCLAREN VALE 2009
 
FranceDelas ST-ESPIRIT, COTES DU RHONE 2010 
South Africa Rudi Schultz 2007—91 WS—91 WE  


Italian Wine

Veneto Zenato Amarone 2006/2007—95 RP—94 WS  
chiantiCapraia Chianti Classico Riserva 2008—92 RP 
TuscanaRuffino Superiore CHIANTI
Rocca Delle Macie SUPER TUSCAN SASYR (SANGIOVESSE, SYRAH) 2009
Ruffino Gold Label RESERVA DUCALE 2007
 


Cabernet Sauvignon and Blends

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon became internationally recognized through its prominence in Bordeaux wines where it is often blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. From France, the grape spread across Europe and to the New World where it found new homes in places like California's Napa Valley, Australia's Coonawarra region and Chile's Maipo Valley. For most of the 20th century, it was the world's most widely planted premium red wine grape until it was surpassed by Merlot in the 1990s.

WashingtonRed Diamond 2010
Spring Valley URIAN, WALLA WALLA 2005
 
FranceHob Nob LANGVEDOC 2010
Chateau Rollan de By BORDEAUX 2008—90WS “TOP 100 WS 2010”
 
CaliforniaJ. Lohr 7 OAKS 2009
Upper Cut NAPA 2009
Kendall Jackson 2010
Francis Ford Coppola CLARET BORDEAUX BLEND 2010
Beringer KNIGHTS VALLEY CABERNET 2010
Worthy Napa 2007
Stags Leap “HANDS OF TIME” 2010
J. Lohr HILLTOP 2009
Estancia MERITAGE 2010
BV Rutherford 2009—91 RP
Hess 19 Block Cuvee “MT VEEDER” NAPA VALLEY 2008
Simi Landslide 2008
Whitehall Lane 2009
Buoncristiani O.P.C. “OL’ PA’S CUVEE” NAPA 2008—92 WE—90 WS/RP
Mt Veeder NAPA VALLEY 2009
Clos du Bois “MARLSTONE” SONOMA COUNTY 2008
Signorello NAPA 2007—90 RP—90 WS
Dominus NAPANOOK 2009
Jack Nicklaus NAPA VALLEY 2009
Faust NAPA VALLEY 2009
Franciscan “MAGNIFICANT” NAPA VALLEY 2007
Jordan SONOMA COUNTY 2008
Stag’s Leap ARTEMIS 2009
Caymus NAPA VALLEY 2010
 
chileSanta Rita RESERVA 2009—87 WE  
south africa Excelsior 2009—88 WE  
australiaJacobs Creek RESERVE 2009
Jim Barry “THE COVER DRIVE” 2008
Two hands “SEXY BEAST” 2010