Although I taste wines (and often drink!) virtually everyday, the majority don’t land on the website to bask in the glory of my good graces. Maybe they’re too expensive for the quality, or taste nothing like the grape listed on the label, or maybe they’re just plain plonk and don’t deserve the attention. Occasionally, despite all the momentous efforts of the winery (’cause why would they want their wine to be crappy?), the bottle is cooked or corked… always a tragedy and sometimes avoidable. But many make the cut…
The following six wines ranging from $12 to $32 have left an indelible mark on my memory and hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I did.
- For the fun of it and winegrowing in California, this wine can show Italy a thing or two about Sangiovese: Terra d’Oro 2008 Sangiovese
- To prove that Italy still has it and doesn’t want to let it go (to California): Nozzole 2008 Chianti Classico Riserva
- To smell the refreshing scents of summer and how cooler vintage weather can transform a Sauvignon Blanc: Dry Creek Vineyards 2010 Sauvignon Blanc
- Because summer (or anytime, for that matter) should be about pink wines: Clayhouse Wines 2011 Adobe Pink
- To be proud that a time-tested winemaker can still have a few, purely passionate tricks up his sleeve: pureCru Sangio Vetta 2007
- Hailing one of the best vintages of Pinot Noir Northern Sonoma County has seen since I’ve been writing about wine: Handley Cellars 2009 Pinot Noir
