Hot Sheets

Puglia, located on the heel of the boot in Italy, can certainly be a maze when it comes to finding wines of balance. Racemi wines, particularly this unoaked Torre Guaceto line, succeeds where so many other wines from Puglia fail.

100% of the Negroamaro grape, blue fruits, Italian herbs, roasted earth and smoked meat follow through to a chewy, very direct texture that has first-rate depth and personality. As it unfolds in the glass, it develops more savory sea-breeze aromas for further complexity. Vibrant, redolent and inviting on the extending finish it's big and buxom, but maintains its enlightening fruit and earth character. At 12 bucks this is a virtuoso over-achiever! Try it with penne pasta done arrabbiata style - tomatoes and hot chili flakes.

Prototypical Provençal farmers, the Boutiere family of Domaine du Pesquier have been bottling Gigondas under their own label since 1965. 4th generation Mathieu Boutiere is now in charge and is killing it with his wines. We have been buying, selling, cellaring and drinking these wines since the 1995 vintage and always give them our highest recommendation, but something very special has come out of these cellars in 2010.

If you're a Rhône wine fan you already know that 2010 is perhaps the most complete vintage since 1990. With its core of generous fruit, detail of origin, backbone and freshness, these wines have all the trappings for greatness. Penetrating, muscular but not without class. Soulful scents of blackberry, balsamico, licorice and rosemary all in a seamless package. Well-concentrated with plenty of dance and elusiveness – fleet-footed for being this full and intense. Livens and brightens on the high-toned, very lengthy finish that seemingly has herbes de provence sprinkled about. Ultimately this wine should go into the cellar and be consumed 2015 – 2024. however, if you were to decant, it can be consumed with a fat grilled steak slathered in peppercorns.

At 7 bucks, this hearty, supple red embodies warmth and diversity of Portugal. Lovely berry, smoke, vanilla and coffee tones lead into a pleasurable, fleshy and engaging mouth-filling texture. Drink with sausages or on any weeknight while looking at stars.

93 POINTS – THE WINE ADVOCATE
A few weeks back I was perusing price lists to fill a request for some Napa Valley Cabs and was flabbergasted at just how little was available for under 50 bucks, and even that was a stretch. Fortunately I was able to find one from a dynamic producer who seemingly still gets it with their pricing. Now for how long, I don’t know, but in the mean time, if you like Napa Cabs, this is certainly one worth looking at, especially given its pedigree and price point.

“The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon The Ranch bursts from the glass with masses of dark red fruit, tobacco, licorice and cassis. The wine shows marvelous depth and texture as the aromas and flavors build effortlessly to the dramatic, sweeping finish. This is a superb effort, and certainly one of the very finest Napa Valley wines available for the money. This is a big and hugely delicious wine. In 2009 the blend is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18.2% Cabernet Franc and 6.8% Petit Verdot. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. Snowden Vineyards lies in one of the more remote corners of Napa Valley, next to Sloan and Hall on one of its borders. Unpaved roads accessible only by 4x4 lead to the hillside vineyards. Over the last few years, the Snowden family has made significant investments with the goal of improving viticulture. As for the wines, they are terrific and getting better under the leadership of Diana Snowden Seysses, who also makes wine in Burgundy with her husband, Jeremy Seysses of Domaine Dujac. Talk about a power couple!”

Providing some of the most terrific values in White Burgundy, the current state of wine in Burgundy's Macon region has never been better. Forget about drinking wines from large negociants, the cool and best wines are in this region are at the grower level. The transparent whites from Thevenet always delight and send the mind reeling due to his fanatical practice in the vineyard and seamless translation into the winery. The only negative note is that we never get enough. The Thevenet brothers are true terroirists and following in the footsteps of their father, set out to maintain the pristine flavors of this land. No intrusive oak is ever used; this is chardonnay in its most naked and defined state.

Intense yet tender aromas of lemon, freshly cut crisp yellow apple, plenty of flint and mineral enhance the wine to let you know where it is from. Ripe, but almost diamond-like precision and finesse shine in the mouth. Firm and electric on the finish, with great texture and depth of flavor that hangs around nicely; have it with very simple fish dishes, roasted chicken rubbed with fresh herbs or a light mushroom pasta dish. 2010 is a magnificent vintage for white Burgundy, this wine drinks beautifully now and will continue over the next 2-3 years.

Contrary to popular belief, not all of Southern Italy is blazing hot and produces solely red wines. In fact there are more and more scrumptious whites coming from many different growing regions down there. The Campania region has long been a leader and is one where whites thrive alongside reds. D’Antiche Terra is a fine producer and this white from the Falanghina grape is a glassful of aromatic energy. Contributing to the unique style of this wine is that the grapes are grown in the volcanic soil of Mount Vesuvius.

Pronounced and aromatic scents of white flowers, ripe melon, pineapple, roasted pine nuts and minerals carry into a texture that is medium-bodied, concentrated and pure. Tropical flavors interlace with crisp minerality and a lingering finish. Have it with tomato-based seafood dishes or grilled seafood with lemon and capers.

It has been quite a while since we’ve offered up a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on one of our Hot Sheets, perhaps it’s been due to many selections having poor quality-price rapport. Cairnbrae’s Sauvignon Blanc just happens to be one we found that we very much appreciate both in quality and in value.

Detonating scents of aromas of passionfruit, white grapefruit, mandarin and peppery spices. Mouthwatering, with flavors that are kept nicely in balance by lemony zesty briskness. Enjoy the fresh flavors of this wine over the next year with salmon, prawns, lemongrass soup and young goat cheeses.

Damn I love Chablis, especially when it comes from supreme producers and renowned vineyard sites. Montée de Tonnerre is of the Chablis Premier Cru vineyards that are seemingly starry-eyed and can often have qualities of a Grand Cru, Servin’s version is destined for greatness!

Youthful and packed. Pondwater, mineral, blitzing lime and gunsmoke. Really walks the line of being powerful and being tactile. Firm, structured and extremely everlasting, a great wine from a great vintage. This Chablis is the real deal and a kickass value for $35!! Hold this beauty until 2015 and drink it through 2024+. If you’re serious about white Burgundy/Chablis/top-notch white wine then you must grab some of this.