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 |