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Sandy Springs
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December 8th, 2005
Gift Wines
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When you want to give a fine wine gift to someone important
to you--whether your sweetie or the boss--you want it to be
something special. You want to find an unusual grape type,
perhaps, or a really special blend, or perhaps even a familiar
grape but from a region that's out of the ordinary.
But for most people, reaching for three-figure wines, even
though they may be splendid, is just out of the picture. Here
are a half dozen really fine values, ranging in price from
$15 to $75, that we think are outstanding examples of their
type. They would happily enhance a holiday meal, or the lucky
recipient may prefer to cellar those that are appropriate
for aging. Either way, they'll not disappoint.
Jane Garvey
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Where to Get: Bottoms Up (Seven
Winds/Alpharetta); Fairway Package (Duluth); Midway Package
(Decatur, Covington Dr.), Whitlock Package (Marietta), Athens:
Wine & Spirits Warehouse; Village Wine & Spirits, Five
Points Bottle Shop; The Butcher's Market, Cleveland Hwy., Varnell,
near Dalton. |
Adriano Ramos
Pinto Porto Fine White (NV)
Porto, Portugal
Tasting Notes: Full-bodied, medium-sweet
deep gold aperitif wine. Aromas of very ripe pineapple and sugar
cane, with a slight touch of sweet wet hay. Silky textured,
with rich yellow fruit flavors, especially pineapple, with a
touch of caramel. Finish is drier than mid-palate. Crisp and
long. Extended skin contact, long fermentation with pumping
over (that gets the color up) and lengthy aging in wood result
in complexity and richness. Substantial alcohol (19.5%) and
moderate residual sugar (3.1%). Grapes are Malvasia Fina and
Codega. Serve chilled in small tulip-shaped glasses, or on the
rocks with tonic water and a squeeze of lime as a cocktail.
Very traditional in Portugal, but even Port lovers are unfamiliar
with white Porto. Do not cellar; must be drunk young and fresh.
Food Pairings: As an aperitif
with hors d'oeuvres: Creamy liver pate or mousse; cheese straws
or coins; tiny cocktail crab cakes; grilled garlic shrimp,
salted toasted almonds; creamy bleu cheese (such as Gorgonzola)
Price: $15
Wholesaler: Empire Distributing
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Where to Get: Embry Village
Wine & Spirits (3-liter only, $200); Fairway Package (Duluth);
Ansley Wine Merchants, Roswell Beverage, Green's, The Wine
Store. (Roswell); Athens: Village Wine & Spirits (Georgetown
Shopping Center, Barnett Shoals Rd.)
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Pol Roger
"Extra Cuvee de Reserve"
Brut Champagne NV
Champagne, France
Tasting Notes: Full-bodied dry
sparkling white wine; medium pale gold. Aromas of toasted bread,
yeasty, flavors of pear and exotic apple (like Fuji or Gala),
with good acidity yielding a crisp finish. Very dry, dosage
only about 1.25%. Grape varieties evenly spread among the classics:
Pinot Meunier; Pinot Noir; and Chardonnay. At least two, but
usually three or four vintages compose 20-30% of the base blend.
Moderately chilled, about 50 degrees, in tulip-shaped glasses.
Food Pairings: A full-meal
Champagne for rich dishes: Substantial appetizers, such as
dim sum or Japanese shumai (especially the pork-filled ones)
with appropriate dipping sauces (but go easy on the wasabi);
shellfish mousses; goose liver mousse; crab cakes or crab-stuffed
shrimp or flounder; baked salmon with Hollandaise; grilled
bacon-wrapped scallops with Dijon-mustard French mayonnaise.
Borderline with ikura (salmon roe caviar) and Mexican crema
amarga. I think it's too rich to go with Beluga or Osetra,
but it was a close call with ikura. Creamy baked oysters might
work, but raw ones didn't in my view.
Price: $44
Wholesaler: National Distributing Company
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Where to Get: Color of Wine (Cumberland
Pkwy.), Dixie Beverage Outlet (Woodstock); Kroger Ansley, Mac's
(Midtown); Sigman Bottle Shop (Conyers) |
Arcadian
Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Pinot Noir 2002
Santa Lucia Highlands, CA
Tasting Notes: Medium-bodied
dry red wine; medium-deep dark cherry red. Aromas of dried herb
(thyme), with savory herb-influenced cherry flavors. Not a classic
California cherry fruit bombe. Instead, savory and complex,
with well-integrated flavors. Silky, luscious texture, round
tannins, with a long, clean finish. Perfect balance. I'm not
typically fond of California Pinot Noir, but I confess to being
seriously enamored of this one. Winemaker Joe Davis' mentor
is Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac in northern Burgundy, and
that explained its haunting familiarity. Similar philosophy
of winemaking. Unfined/unfiltered. This is awesome work. A potential
keeper. Serve at cool room temperature, about 60-65 degrees,
in a good Burgundy glass (round bowl with a slight hip in the
middle).
Food Pairings: Liver pāte;
sauteed chicken livers with country ham and Madeira; grilled
sweetbreads, assorted mushrooms (no cream); grilled skinless
(otherwise too much oil) salmon or tuna, lamb steak, veal
chop or venison steak; roast Cornish hen, chicken or duck;
game (furred or feathered); meat dishes with soy or other
Asian flavors, grilled vegetables, mild firm aged cheeses
(Dutch Paranno or aged Gouda); or mild creamy bleu cheeses
Price: $45
Wholesaler: Quality Wine & Spirits
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Where to Get: Cost Plus (2001
vintage); Kroger (Monroe Dr., 2001 vintage); Tower (Doraville);
Mink's (I-75/Delk Rd.); Athens: ABC; Gainesville: Vine &
Cheese (2001 vintage); Savannah: Savannah Wine Shop. |
Stuhlmuller
Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Alexander Valley, CA
Tasting Notes: Full-bodied dry
red wine; medium dark ruby red. Initial intense, black-fruit
centered aromas burst out of the glass, ringing with them a
rich, ripe mouthful of blackberry and black currant fruit. Touch
of strawberry in the finish, and just a hint of a chocolate
(cocoa). Good acidity makes the wine stand firm. Well-structured
with firm yet not harsh tannins, the wine is good now or will
keep a fair duration, thanks to those tannins and to some generous
acidity. Classic Alexander Valley, with a distinctive spice
and complexity. Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc in the blend.
A potential keeper. Serve at cool room temperature (about 65
degrees) in a big tulip-shaped Bordeaux-style glass.
Food Pairings: Peppered liver
pate; steak, both beef and lamb; roast pork; layered potato-beef
casseroles; roast duck; crumbed baked chicken or grilled chicken
with sun-dried tomatoes and capers; pasta with rich meat sauces,
such as pappardelle with game sauce or meat from braised ox
tails or short ribs; game; rich blue cheeses (Stilton) and
firm aged cheeses (Dutch aged gouda or Parrano); dark chocolate
Price: $43
Wholesaler: Quality Wine & Spirits
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Where to Get: JAX (Cumming, 1998
and 2000); Harry's Alpharetta (2000); Peachtree Wine Merchants
(Brookhaven); Sherlock's (Brookhaven; Toco Giant; Wine Gallery
& Market (Piedmont at Sidney Marcus);Wine Shop/Parkaire;
World Beverage (Cumming); Rome: East Rome Beverage Center |
Chateau St.
Jean Cinq Cepages 2001
Sonoma County, CA
Tasting Notes: Full-bodied
dry red wine; deep purple red. Enticing aromas of dark fruits
(plums, black cherries and black currants), with a notch of
mocha and a slight floral element. Dark fruit flavors accented
by black pepper and aromatic brown spices. Clean, rich, complex.
Long finish. Classic Bordeaux blend California style. Grapes--Cabernet
Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot--
come from Alexander, Sonoma, Knights, Dry Creek and Russian
River valleys. Very young; needs decanting a couple of hours
ahead of serving in large-bowled Bordeaux glasses (tulip-shaped)
at cool room temperature.
Food Pairings: Well-seasoned
red meat dishes: Peppered liver pate; steak au poivre; prime
rib well rubbed with black pepper; grilled red meats and furred
game; firm aged cheeses (Parrano); dark chocolate with almonds.
Price: $70
Wholesaler: United Distributors
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Where to Get: Happy Herman's
(Cheshire Bridge Rd.), Smyrna World of Beverage, Beverage Resort
(Kennesaw), 678-581-3277; Gainesville: Vine & Cheese, Athens:
ABC & Five Points. |
Churchill's
Late Bottled Vintage Porto 1999
Oporto, Portugal
Tasting Notes: Full-bodied
sweet red dessert wine; inky deep crimson-edged purple. Heady
aromas of dark fruits--plums and black currants--with plenty
of spice; intense plum/spice flavors. Silky textured, with
easy tannins and a long finish. Perfect integration of fruit/oak.
Complex, compelling, concentrated. A great value. All the
usual varieties: Tinta Cao; Touriga Francesa; Touriga Nacional;
Tinta Roriz (a/k/a/ tempranillo) and Tinta Barroca. Churchill's
founded 1981, the kid on then block, gets all grapes from
Grade A vineyards.. Serve at cool room temperature (60-65
degrees) in small tulip-shaped glasses. Unlike most LBVs,
this one will improve with age and likely will throw sediment,
in which case decant it.
Food Pairings: Dark chocolate
macaroons; dark chocolate roulade or flourless cake; turtle
bars (Whole Foods); Stilton cheese and walnuts; firm fruit
cake; simple cookie; dense pound cake.
Price: $26
Wholesaler: Grapefields
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