Volume 33, Issue 2: December 2008
CABERNET SAUVIGNON SUBSCRIBERS ONLY What is it about recent vintages that end in 5s? They have all produced cooler, longer harvests than the ripe years that directly preceded them, and their Cabernets have been tight, long-lived but often a bit underplayed. 2005 could have been just such a vintage, but its wines are deep, focused and wonderfully collectible. CHARDONNAY SUBSCRIBERS ONLY The multiplicity of styles that have shown up in Chardonnay of late is here demonstrated in spades with a deep, succulent, dramatic wine from Pahlmeyer set immediately next to the well-stuffed but brighter style found in Patz & Hall’s top-rated brace. Tête de Cuvée Champagne SUBSCRIBERS ONLY California may have it all over Champagne when it comes to value at the mid-priced end of the competition, but if one wants classically great Champagne, the wines reviewed here, from Dom Perignon and Roederer Cristal to Pol Roger Cuvée Winnie and Bollinger Grand Année are simply a hard lot to top. YEAR IN REVIEW SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Our Wine of The Year is revealed along with our picks for the other top wines of 2008. Best Buys SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Check into Best Buys for listings of Syrahs, Merlots and California Sparkling Wines that are not to be missed at the price. TO CORK OR NOT TO CORK SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Comments on the ongoing controversy about the best closure for our favorite tipple.				SUBSCRIBERS ONLY CONNOISSEURS' FORUMS with edtiors Charles Olken and Stephen Eliot. · wine price vs rating 2005 Betz Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Pere de Famille Columbia Valley 84% Cabernet Sauvignon; 8% Merlot; 6% Petit Verdot; 2% Malbec. Steering ever so slightly to herbs, dusty earth and a bit of pencil-box spice and away from immediate fruit, this deep and quietly complex effort conveys a sense of refinement and claret-like grace while hinting at potency at the same time. Its seeming reserve holds it in good stead for development, and we would not be at all surprised to see it improve for upwards of a decade or more. $55.00 Score: 91