Washington Meritage – January

The Region: The Red Mountain American Viticultural Area (AVA) is Washington’s smallest, at approximately 3,600 acres. Grape growing conditions are almost textbook perfect: slope, exposure, weather conditions, good air drainage, large day/night temperature swings, gravelly soil with high calcium carbonate content and high pH, and the nearby Yakima River to moderate temperature extremes – there could hardly be more positive flavor influences to grapes grown here.

The Wine: A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this wine features great extract, deep color and intense aromatics of dark berry fruit, cassis, peppery spice, cedar and smoke. The seductive nose of this wine foreshadows magnificent texture and flavor, including dark berries, licorice, vanilla and warm brown spices that glide across the palate. The texture and mouthfeel of the wine offer up silky tannins and a velvety smooth structure.

The Food: Marinated & Grilled Flank Steak with Blue Café De Paris Butter.

Ageing: The complexity and structure of this wine will require three to six months to unwind, and it will continue improving for several years. Due to the ripe tannins it will also benefit from decanting before serving.

Sweetness Code: 0 (dry)

South African Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon – January

The Region: Known as “Valley of Wine and Roses,” South Africa’s Robertson Valley has a very hot climate with minimal rainfall—less than a foot per year. Luckily the calcareous red clay loam and clay Karoo soils have excellent water-holding capacity, and the gentle slopes and varied microclimates allow for precision planting to maximize grape quality.

The Wine: Sauvignon Blanc has wild, herbaceous flavors and tart, grapefruit-like character, which shows strongly in the young wine, while Semillon has flavors of honeydew melon and sweet honey that take a bit longer to come out. Together the two grapes make a lush, balanced wine with great up-front fruit and a satisfying, rich finish.

The Food: Pan Roasted Digby Bay Scallops, Jewel Yam Purée, White Truffle Oil & Salsa Verdé.

Ageing: The citrus notes of the Sauvignon Blanc make this wine tempting to drink right away and after three months the Semillon will rise up to give a mellower white wine. It will improve for at least a year, giving deeper flavors of melon and honey as it goes.

Sweetness Code: 0 (dry)

California Petite Sirah/Zinfandel – February

(Limited Edition 2005)

The Region: Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Amador County is sometimes called “California’s Piedmont.”  With vineyards running from 250 to 2,900 feet in elevation, and summer temperatures ranging from 80 to over 100 degrees F, the excellent growing conditions have encouraged diversified plantings.

The Wine: Grippingly tannic, bold and deeply colored Petite Sirah complements the jamminess of Zinfandel, taming the abundant blueberries and blackberries with a hint of dark cherry and vanilla. Full-bodied with a lingering palate and peppery spice, this is a wine of unprecedented power and length.

The Food: Apple Cider Brined Thick-Cut BBQ Pork Chops.

Ageing: This is a wine that shows best with ageing. After one year the blackberries will come out and at two years will tame the tannin’s grip, showing the black pepper and rich dark fruits.

Sweetness Code: 0 (dry)

German Traminer Spätlese – March

The Region: Germany’s most famous growing region, the Mosel Valley, with its mineral-laden soils, produces some of the world’s finest off-dry wines. The sheer mountains and rugged steep slopes make the most of the northern sunshine, but they also mean that vineyard work must be done by hand, and yields are very low. This results in carefully crafted, very intensely flavored wines.

The Wine: Traminer is the parent of the more familiar Gewürztraminer and Spätlese is a German wine term meaning “late harvest,” indicating a wine made from fully mature grapes that are picked at least seven days after normal harvest, so they are riper and have higher sugar levels. This is a gently golden-colored wine, unmistakable in its heady, aromatic intensity, with a pungent fragrance of lychee, tropical fruit and rose petals. Its flavors are ample, lusciously fruity and spicy.

The Food: Peach and Blueberry Cobbler.

Ageing: The intense fruit character will be apparent immediately in this rich wine making it a tempting sipper right away, but the deeper floral characters of rose petal and lychee will become much more apparent after six months to a year.

Sweetness Code: 1 (off-dry)

Spanish Matador Trio Red – April

The Region: From the green damp north to the arid south, Spain is the country with the most land under vine in the world. Mancha is Europe’s largest denominated wine region and its hot, dry growing conditions yield intensely-flavored red grapes.

The Wine: Tempranillo are deep blue-black berries, high in color and extract, with delicate aromas. Cabernet Sauvignon’s small berries yield high tannins and intense structure, while Monastrell adds grip, earthiness and ripe red fruit. Lush, tannic and complex, with intense black fruit flavors of black cherry, raspberry, black currant and notes of plums and tobacco, the wine takes gracefully to oak, adding layers of vanilla, cedar and rich coffee nuances.

The Food: Mediterranean White Bean Salad Marinated with Garlic, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano & Fine Herbs.

Ageing: With soft acidity and lush tannins, this wine is enjoyed after only three to six months, but the black fruits, cherry and plum notes will take six months to show well, and the vanilla/coffee nuances will show best after one year.

Sweetness Code: 0 (dry)