Volume 34, Issue 4: February 2010
PINOT NOIR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY This issues finds cool-area Pinot Noirs from western Sonoma County, the balanced and rich wines from the Westside Road area of the Russian River Valley and a number of mannerly bottlings from the Santa Lucia Highlands that belie that area's reputation for pushy wines. SAUVIGNON BLANC SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Winemakers offer interpretations of Sauvignon Blanc that run from bracingly acidic and weedy to full-bodied and melony, and this issue finds well-made wines of almost every stripe. Zinfandel Retrospective: 1995 to 1998 SUBSCRIBERS ONLY There has been a concern that higher ripeness levels would diminish Zinfandel's aging capabilities. We look at the middle-aged wines from four vintages in search of the truth. Best Buys SUBSCRIBERS ONLY This edition of Best Buys uncovers offerings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris that offer palate-pleasing character at wallet-pleasing prices.				SUBSCRIBERS ONLY CONNOISSEURS' FORUMS with edtiors Charles Olken and Stephen Eliot. 2007 St. Supery Virtu Meritage White Napa Valley 55% Sauvignon Blanc; 45% Semillon. There is a good deal to like in this wine's slightly developed and nicely layered aromas of ripe melons, creamy oak and fresh hay, and its deep, multi-faceted flavors of honey, sweet spice, soft fruit and herbs very much reprise the complexity of the nose. Fleshy in feel, yet firm where it needs to be firm, and showing decent weight on the palate, it is an interesting wine of both richness and range that is beginning to come into its own. $28.00 Score: 91