Photo courtesy of Downer Avenue Wine & Spirits
Come this holiday season do you know what the best stocking-stuffers will be? Yes, either a Usinger’s “Yard of Summer” sausage or Jedi light saber would fill the bill, but I had something more oenological in mind.
Truth be told, a bottle of fine wine is often the most welcome gift you can give to your wine-loving friends. And if you have exquisite taste and a worthy-enough friend, then a really nice bottle is worth the investment. The only thing better appreciated than a very thoughtful gift is a very thoughtful gift that costs more money than you would normally spend.
Are you with me so far? This also works with potential girl/boyfriends and recalcitrant supervisors whom you are trying to impress.
We can’t speak to your budget, but the suggestions below may help identify wines worthy of your consideration assuming your friends are worthy of the wines. Again, that’s your call.
Let’s talk first about Far Niente, Italian for “without a care” and one of Napa Valley’s most historically significant wineries. It also is one of the most beautiful, having been founded in 1885 by John Benson, a California gold rush “49er” and uncle of American Impressionist painter Winslow Homer. The grapes are sustainably farmed and the resulting wine is outstanding.
• The 2018 Far Niente Estate Bottled Chardonnay ($70) is a classically produced white that delivers a silky palate with notes of citrus, melon and toasted oak. The nicely structured wine has a long finish and is clearly one of the best Chardonnays we’ve ever tasted.
• EnRoute, part of Far Niente wine family, has released what the winemakers call an “adventurous” 2018 Les Pommiers Pinot Noir ($60) from is Russian River Valley vineyards. Expect a fragrant nose and palate lush with dark-fruit flavors accented by spice and cloves and featuring a smooth, elegant palate from start to finish.
• The Far Niente team also scored a hit with its 2017 Bella Union Cabernet Sauvignon ($80) recently named one of Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Cellar Selections. The classic Napa Valley Cab is robust, with a spiced nose and palate of black cherry and blueberry flavors and hints of cocoa.
But there are others to consider. In 1948, Mario Trinchero packed up and headed west from New York City seeking a better life for his young family. They landed in Napa Valley, purchasing an abandoned pre-Prohibition winery and pursuing a new trade. Things obviously clicked and now Trinchero Napa Valley includes multiple vineyards at various elevations located throughout the valley from which second-generation winemakers Bob and Roger Trinchero produce award-winning wines. Here are some highlights from the winery’s Heritage Collection.
• The 2019 Mary’s Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc ($35), named for Mario’s wife, is crisp and well balanced from start to finish, boasting a nose of melon and minerality. The palate offers mouthfuls of pineapple and passion fruit with bright citrus undertones.
• The 2015 Mario’s Cabernet Sauvignon ($60), with grapes grown in the vineyard named for the winery’s founder, pours a deep ruby with purple overtones. The nose of blueberry and black currants carries over to a moderate palate with light tannins.
• The 2014 BRV Cabernet Sauvignon ($80) ratchets everything up a notch. Blended from grapes grown at higher elevations on Atlas Peak and Mt. Veeder, this Cab pours with a nose of plum and licorice and an abundant palate of blueberry and blackberry. Firm tannins will help usher the wine to a ripe old age.
Finally, one doesn’t necessarily think of Canada for its wines unless one has visited the Niagara Peninsula, a delightful confluence of bike tails and vineyards just north of Niagara Falls. It’s here that Inniskillin Winery and winemaker Bruce Nicholson create some of the world’s best icewines, produced from grapes left on the vines well into the winter months to concentrate and intensify their flavors. Though often too sweet or intense to serve as dinner wines, nothing matches an icewine paired with an elegant dessert.
• The 2017 Inniskillin Cabernet Franc Icewine ($85 for a 375 ml) is our new go-to favorite. The palate literally bursts with strawberry, rhubarb and raspberry flavors with a hint of fresh vanilla cream. Still struggling to find a wine that pairs perfectly with chocolate mousse? Look no further.
