8 Awesome Wines I Can't Afford (and 1 that I can)

I recently got to taste some amazing wines, most of which I can't afford to enjoy on a regular basis . . . but if you are so fortunate, you should check them out!

FOXEN Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir (2003)
WOW! Pinot noir has never been one of my favorite varietals, but when I find one I like, I LOVE it!!! I really loved the Siduri we used to carry at tayst, and now the Foxen is my new favorite. It's a small production winery, and was supposedly featured in Sideways (though I dont remember that part), as well as on the cover of John Cleese's new wine course video (well it's not on this cover version, and I haven't watched this yet, but anyways . . . "")
But all that crap is really not important. What is important was the amazingness of this wine . . . so complex!! Tons of bittersweet chocolate, a nice white pepper spice, and notes of game on the finish. Medium body. I hate wimpy, lite pinots! This wine was elegant and refined, yet still bold. It retails for about $30. Not bad!
I also tasted 2 pinot noirs made by Caymus which go under the moniker Belle Glos. The first, the more moderately (about $27) Santa Maria Valley '02 was way too light for me, though nice and acidic and crisp. The second, however, was great, though I still prefer the Foxen. It was the Clark and Telephone Vineyard, also '02. Really dark color, nice fruit, very velvety and rich. Not quite as "badass" or manly as the Foxen. But still really nice. And most astounding, the Caymus rep told me that the winemaker is the son of Chuck Wagner . . . and that he is only 22 years old. Tres impressive!!! It's about $37 retail.


In addition to the pinots, we the rest of the Caymus wines today. Needless to say, it was a good day!! I thought that the ever-popular Mer Soleil and Conundrum were nice, but you can find better/comparable wines for less ($30-something for Mer Soleil (a chardonnay; thankfully not overoaked and some bright tropical fruit, very good) and $27 for Conundrum (a Rhone-style white blend, slightly oaked, young and middle aged women go nuts for this stuff)). The Mer Soleil Late, a late harvest Viognier, was very nice - it was like a honeyed apple juice. Very indulgent! yet lighter than a sauterne or muscat. The winner was of course the '02 Caymus Special Selection . . . this cab is really complex, with lots of chocolate, and just the right amount of oak and fruit. Basically, it is rich and balanced. The perfect hybrid cab. I find it very interesting that this wine, though 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, was not single vineyard, as that is sort of the industry standard for charging a crapload for a wine. But it makes sense, as explained here. Now I see why my coworker, Josh, is so crazy about Caymus. Though I'm not sure it's worth $129.99. But if you've got it to spend, fab. If not, come talk to me and I can get you something amazing for half that.

In conclusion, a few awesome Italians:

I recently revisited an old favorite, the Solo Maremma Micante at dinner at tayst the other night with my uncle. I love this mostly-sangiovese Italian wine - it's medium bodied, and, please dont take this the wrong way, has an almost syrupy quality - gorgeously overextracted, super-ripened fruit that just melt in with the earthiness of the rest of the wine. Also a bit of floral qualities. Gorgeous, and it was perfect with the awesome "BLT" dish (bacon-wrapped pork with stewed tomatto and collard greens). It's only $16.99 retail - well worth it.

We also tasted the Allegrini Amarone at work - wow. Deep, deep extraction . . . jammy in that elegant, yet slightly rustic Italian way . . . never-ending finish. Allegrini is a producer in the Valpolicella DOC of Italy (in the north east, near Venice; the most used grape is called Corvina). Valpolicella used to be known for producing tons of swill to be used in cheap Italian restaurants, but they are starting to turn around, and Allegrini is one of the wineries leading the revolution. One unique thing about the Valpolicella region is that the grapes are dried to concentrate the sugar content. In amarones, all the grape sugar is fermented out to alcohol so that the wine is slightly bitter. We sell it for about $65. Worth it. Definitely.