One of the things that I enjoy the most about writing this column is sharing some of the terrific wine values that I have discovered over the years. Nothing is more fun than to open up a bottle of wine and do a happily surprised double-take at the price tag. I love finding wines that deliver a lot of quality for a reasonable price — or what I like to call, “Quality-to-Price Ratio.” The QPR is the Holy Grail for wine lovers, and the good news is there is a decent amount of it on the market. However, once in a while, I like to step out and pamper my palate with something on the extravagant side. Splurging on an expensive bottle of wine can be a memorable experience, especially when it is paired with a memorable occasion, such as a holiday dinner or New Year’s Eve party, or, better yet, shared with someone special.
So forgive me if this column is a bit over the top, but sometimes you just have to go big. Retail prices are approximate.
There is simply no better way to get any special occasion started than with bubbles, and the 2002 Laurent-Perrier Brut Millesime ($50) from Reims, France, is a great champagne. Made with equal amounts of chardonnay and pinot noir, this bubbly displays a fragrant bouquet of toasted brioche, ripe apple and honey on the nose. The palate is rewarded with pear, nectarine and apple notes delivered by tiny, precise bubbles.
For chardonnay lovers who are looking for something other than an over-oaked vanilla bomb, try the refined and elegant 2005 Domaine Drouhin Puligny Montrachet ($57) from the Burgundy region of France. The minerally nose offers up scents of apple, nectarine and citrus that leads to a mouthful of ripe nectarine, pineapple and lemon-lime accents.
One of my favorite special occasion dishes is duck, and one of my favorite wines to pair with it is the 2009 Penner-Ash Pinot Noir ($70) from the Shea Vineyard in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. It sports a charming nose of cassis, cloves and cinnamon and a mouthful of great fruit featuring black cherry, ripe plums, Asian spices and orange peel. The elegant finish offers a touch of dark chocolate.
If you’re game for game this winter, there are few wines that can match the power of the 2007 Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape ($80) from the southern Rhone region of France. The aroma of ripe black cherries and barnyard scents fill the bouquet. Elegant, perfectly balanced flavors of sweet cherries, tobacco and cedar coat the entire palate and then linger on the finish for over a minute.
You can’t go big without a visit to the land Down Under where syrah (aka shiraz) is the source of national pride. The 2010 Mollydooker Carnival of Love Shiraz ($89) from the McLaren Vale region of Australia does the country proud. Flavors of blackberries, black cherries and licorice spill onto the palate where they’re joined by notes of plum, coffee and creamy dark chocolate — all supported by solid, precise-but-soft tannins. The classic black pepper highlight rounds it out on the long finish.
If you want to go big — and I mean really big — then break the bank with the 2008 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Insignia Cabernet Sauvignon ($150)
from Napa Valley, Calif. Small amounts of petit verdot, malbec and merlot are also blended in to produce a massive wine that offers up prominent aromas of cassis liqueur, roasted coffee and toasty oak. Layers of blackberry, cassis, dark plum, vanilla and espresso flavors fall over the tongue in waves and are kept in balance by sweet, chewy tannins. The ultra-long finish is marked by a hint of dark chocolate that lends a decadent impression. Make sure you decant this beauty at least two hours before serving it.
