Cart All of these wines will reward your patience.
We all know that some wines can get better and better with a little age. The challenge is to find the ones that are up to the test. These four structured, concentrated wines will all develop complex, layered secondary and tertiary flavors after a handful of years in the cellar. Sure, they're more than ready to drink now, but all of these wines will reward your patience.
2006 Domaine de la Ville Rouge Crozes-Hermitage Inspiration
Sebastien Girard has a luxury that most young winemakers don't. When he returned to his family's estate in Crozes-Hermitage, the investment had already been made and paid off. His family's precious Syrah vineyards, from the most pristine portion of Crozes-Hermitage, were mature, and there was no shortage of buyers for the fruit. A quick call to Guigal and Chapoutier and poof-- it was gone. But that wasn't enough for Sebastien. After he got back from his winemaking stint with the Courbis brothers in St. Joseph, the family made a little wine. Not much -- only 800 cases -- and only the best.This 2006 is deep purple, muscular, wonderfully rich and brooding -- and clean as a whistle.
2005 Crane Brothers Brodatious Crane Ranch Vineyard Napa Valley
It was the night they figured out the final blend. Also the night they came up with the crazy name. But after hours doing micro-assemblages of tiny lots of estate-bottled Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, finally even a touch of amazing Syrah, the Crane brothers came up with a bit of magic. The 2004 release drew raves from Parker. The 2005 just won the San Francisco Chronicle Gold Medal. The wine was named "Brodatious," a combination of "brother" and "bodacious" -- and maybe just one glass too many of a deep purple, sumptuous Napa Valley red wine that you can't quite put down.
2007 Dutton-Goldfield Pinot Noir Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley
People ask us why we keep going back to Dan's wines? First, our customers love them. Second, we love the way Dan looks at wine, almost visualizing his releases before he makes them. There's genius to his methodology; going from plot to plot on Dutton Ranch, tasting grapes in the last weeks of harvest, extrapolating the colors of flavor like a painter. Dan told us: "In 2007, the colors were so deep. The berries were small. During that long summer I tasted grapes from every site daily. Each afternoon, they seem to have added a subtle shade, starting with bright cherry, finishing with blackberry, violets, currants and black cherry. Green Valley is a special place for Pinot, but the flavors of 2007 were the most colorful in memory."
2006 Ettore Germano Balau Langhe Rosso
The best red wines for the summer are bright, mineral, and aromatic, like this 2006 Ettore Germano Balau Langhe Rosso. Winemaker Sergio Germano's steep hillsides are full of limestone and sand, the obvious source of much bright character of this purple-fruit beauty. But then Sergio invited us to guess the ingredients of this carefully made blend, we were stumped. The color was deep purple. The aromas were full of ripe cassis. On the palate, the upfront fruit gave way to surprising plushness, then finished with fine, bright acidity. We understood the front palate, even the finish, but what of the middle? Where did the plushness come from? Sergio smiled one of those great, warm Piedmontese smiles. "A little bit of Merlot can do wonders in Serralunga. I planted a few rows of Merlot with this blend in mind. The Dolcetto is the upfront fruit. The Barbera is sweet and offers fine acidity; the Merlot gives generosity in the middle."
