Volume 33, Issue 11: September 2009
ZINFANDEL SUBSCRIBERS ONLY California's "own grape" has finally been shown to have European roots, but it still performs here in ways that exceed anything it has done across the pond. MERLOT SUBSCRIBERS ONLY No grape has had so much bad press yet produces so much good wines as Merlot. Read on for great buying opportunities in this sometimes under-appreciated red grape. RIESLING SUBSCRIBERS ONLY If Riesling continues to be a hit and miss proposition in California, it has definitely shown its stuff up in the Northwest. And when it comes to value in a light, aromatic white, the wines in this issue excel. Best Buys SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Give your wallet a break and find wines here whose QPR (quality to price ratio) makes them Best Buys seven days a week.				SUBSCRIBERS ONLY CONNOISSEURS' FORUMS with edtiors Charles Olken and Stephen Eliot. · wine price vs rating 2006 Storybook Mountain Vineyards Zinfandel Eastern Exposure Napa Estate Napa Valley There is a sense of seriousness that is palpable right from the start here as the wine smells deeply of ripe, keenly defined berries, rich oak, sweet soil and spice, and both its wonderfully concentrated, multi-layered flavors and its very careful construction confirm that this is a special Zinfandel in every way. It eschews runaway ripeness in favor of absolutely classic varietal fruit, and it promises to grow in refinement and polish for five years and more. $45.00 Score: 95