Volume 34, Issue 1: November 2009
SYRAH SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Big and brawny, balanced and spicy, expensive and priceworthy, Syrah covers the waterfront in almost any style you would like and is often well-priced to boot. Sonoma Co. Chardonnay SUBSCRIBERS ONLY No sooner does the world decide that California can't make balanced Chardonnay than up pops wine after wine with all the depth and energy that the variety is capable of mustering. Sure, there is a bright, fruity quality that marks the wines from Sonoma, and so is there plenty of bristling acidity. SPARKLING SUBSCRIBERS ONLY West Coast sparkling wine has become consistently good, incredibly priceworthy and the best value you can get whether you are spending $15 or $50. Best Buys SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Look no further for great values that will be pleasing to your palate and to your wallet.				SUBSCRIBERS ONLY CONNOISSEURS' FORUMS with edtiors Charles Olken and Stephen Eliot. 2006 Kuleto Estate Syrah Napa Valley Rife with deep, well-ripened blackberry fruit and fit with loads of sweet oak, this expansive, full-bodied effort goes for drama rather than finesse, and it comes up a big winner in so far as real richness is concerned. For all of its considerable extract, however, and its out- and-out plushness, it is still surprisingly well-balanced with a solid spine of integral tannin that confidently points the way to better things yet if its near-term appeals can be resisted for five or six years. $45.00 Score: 94