This vibrant, structured sparkler is the first Blanc de Blancs from Gran Moraine winemaker Shane Moore. With more than five years on the lees, toasted brioche makes a play on the nose, beside oyster-shell minerality, almond blossom, lemon meringue, fresh pear and savory herbs. An exotic palate of lemongrass, clementine and lime zest is bright and savory, with hints of mushroom leading into the finish.

Dinner at Eleven Madison Park to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Sonoma’s secret star, Verité, with winemakers Pierre Seillan and his daughter Helene was a must-attend. We drank older vintages and the just-released 2018s of their three Bordeaux-style red blends: La Muse (based on merlot), Le Desir (on cabernet franc), and La Joie (on cabernet sauvignon).
I loved the powerful, plush 1998 and 2008 La Joie, but the 2018s were the stars for me, especially Le Desir, with its aromas of berries, violets, and damp earth and dark, brooding flavors. It’s going to live for decades.

Recommended

An 85/11/4% varietal split and made into an early-drinking style that’s taking the Valley by storm. Giant Steps make an LDR – light dry red – but this has an altogether different take with its flavour profile. Super-bright and juicy fruit, a mix of dark plums and red berries, sarsaparilla with a light dusting of spice. The palate is actually quite refined, with svelte tannins and refreshing acidity. Given the style brief, this is pitch perfect. It’s hard to put it down. So I didn’t.

Sauvignon blanc grapes can produce wines in the California style, with a green apple, melon and citrus flavor up front, as well as wines in the classical European style, with a prominent grassy flavor. The Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc lives in both worlds. It has the classical grassy component that has been held in check so that the California style can be the most obvious. This allows the wine to be served with a wider spectrum of foods. The wine will accompany poultry and lighter meats and is a standout with seafood. Just as a piece of history, for years, when ordering a wine in an Asian restaurant it most often resulted in a bottle of Wan Fu, a French sauvignon blanc with a very Asian-inspired label. This confirms the variety’s ability to beautifully accompany Asian foods of any type. Some serious experimentation also has resulted in discovering that this wine will fit nicely with Mexican dishes, as well as being a fine choice to accompany the Christmas and New Year’s holiday dinners.

A chardonnay wine brings out the critic in all of us; you either hate it or love it. The La Crema 2019 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is one of those chardonnays that you will just have to love. The grapes come from the Russian River Valley, which is famous for its award-winning chardonnay wines. The vintage is 2019, when the weather conditions for the grapes were picture perfect but the smoke and heat from forest fires to the south did cause some apprehension. Fortunately, there was no discernible damage done to the grapes, and the harvest and wine-making process progressed smoothly. The aroma is a complex of peach, mango, apple and lemon with hazelnut, caramel and vanilla in the background. Also complex is the flavor, featuring apple, nectarine, peach and apple, ending in a creamy butterscotch and oak finish.

Having experienced the very best of pinot noirs, it’s hard to warm up to new ones. Not only did I warm up to this wine, but it also actually impressed me. I found the aroma and the flavor to be complex and multilayered. The aroma is an ever-changing display of black cherry, blackberry and plum with leather, coffee and clove in the background. The finish is as expansive as the aroma, concentrating on plum, blackberry and boysenberry with oak in the background.

There is a lot going on in this premium-priced pinot noir. Ripe cherry, tart cranberry, cola and spice contribute to this wonderful package. Very good now but should age well for several years at least.

Gran Moraine, Yamhill-Carlton District (Oregon) Brut Rosé NV: There is quite a bit going on here for a Brut Rosé, with strawberry, rose petal, cherry, mixed citrus, stone, and a little yeasty note not often present in the pink sparkler spectrum. I count that as a plus, as it makes the finish quite long, with a nice zesty cherry push coming up from underneath. Very nice!

Wine Recommendations for the Holidays - Mt. Brave 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon recommended

What To Drink Now: Bold Reds For The Holiday
For anything poultry-wise on your holiday table, Pinot Noir is always ideal. Copain Estate North Coast Trousseau is elegant and easy, opening with layers of wild raspberry, boysenberry, and lilac, with a mellow, delicate palate of red fruits, warm spice, and soft herbs.

What To Drink Now: Bold Reds For The Holiday
I am a huge fan of Right Bank Bordeaux, heavy on Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and the latest vintage of Chateau Lassegue St. Emillion Grand Cru Bordeaux verified why. Consistently, even in inconsistent years, the skilled hands of seventh-generation vigneron Nicolas Seillan showcases the elegance of the region and the historic Lassegue property. Following in his father’s, master vigneron and winemaker Pierre Seillan, Nicolas highlights the terroir filled with predominantly clay soils, mingling with limestone, to craft the traditional Right Bank blend heavy in Merlot, giving red and blue fruits, graceful character, and spice, with aromatic Cabernet Franc, and a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon giving power and structure to the tasteful blend.

This is a supremely glamorous wine – the winery's inaugural and eponymous Merlot, before it was renamed La Muse. Beautiful maturity on the nose of old rose petals, incense and something sweet. The palate becomes a lesson in textural purity – all cashmere. There are roses, violets and a whole flower garden in the mouth, hedonistic in its plushness and abundance but remaining elegant, charming and lightfooted. Enjoying it over a number of hours was a particularly delicious experience. It still has an innate power amid all that cashmere texture and fruit finesse.

Aromas of fresh Asian pear, Meyer lemon, and hints of bread dough are followed flavors of Granny Smith apple, lime, and hints of pie crust. The 2016 vintage from Saralee’s Vineyard presents balanced acidity and a mouthwatering finish.

Mt. Brave: Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
My love for wine was born in California, when I was 21. I’d often take weekend trips an hour north of San Francisco to discover the gems of Napa and Sonoma. Suffice to say I fell head over heels in love, and I’ve visited every year since to get my fill. Mount Veeder is one of the iconic regions within Napa Valley, famed for us big boisterous chocolate smothered fruits. This estate produces tiny yields, focusing much more on quality over quantity, which makes me love it even more. Incredibly complex, you’ll find violet, espresso, baking spices and blueberry on the nose. The palate is super ripe, think sticky black fruits with a sweet vanilla, tobacco and freshly dusted cocoa. For me, this is the kind of wine that creates memories, where you sit back and really appreciate life with each sip you take. Which is just what this time of year is about.

Probably best known for their chardonnay, La Crema Sauvignon Blanc is also a star with tropical fruit aromas followed by delicious zippy acidity and a long finish.

Cherry, raspberry, spice and earth. Good plus.

Dark cherry fruit, slightly meaty, just a dash of dark soil, and maybe some rose petal highlight the nose. The palate is laden with fruit–this is not shy or understated–but the acidity works hard to keep that fruit in check. Very Good.

With rugged hillsides that get cooled by ocean breezes and fog, the Sonoma Coast has long been considered a prime region for the best Pinot Noir grapes.
No wonder La Crema considers its Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir its signature wine.
The 2018 La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, of which I received a sample, is fruit-forward with a strong backbone of earthiness.
A Pinot Noir that tastes more expensive than it is.
Think pomegranate, plum, juicy blackberries, and violet candy with a touch of vanilla.
This is a lush, full-tasting Pinot that offers a lot of bang for the buck for $20 or less. Find it at Vivino, BuyWinesOnline, and Wine.com.
Cheers: Enjoy with roast duck, roast pork, veal or quail, especially if it’s glazed with a lush, dark berry-infused sauce.

Red Wines for Turkey, Duck or Goose
Verite La Muse 2017
Is this California’s greatest red? It’s certainly a strong contender – La Muse is a blend of the finest merlot and smaller amounts of other Bordeaux varieties.
Produced in the Sonoma region, La Muse is a very polished and sophisticated wine, with explosive aromas of graphite, plum, Christmas cake, lemon and blueberry. Basically, this is wine of immense depth, opulence and richness.
Expensive? Oh yes. But an incomparable wine treat for Christmas 2021.

Rich and expressive, with concentrated dried red cherry and berry flavors that are filled with beef carpaccio and allspice notes. Fine-edged tannins support the mineral-infused finish that also features cedary and loamy nuances. Drink now through 2026.

Refined, with well-honed dark fruit and dried flavors that are supported by racy acidity and fine-grained tannins. Offers rich forest floor notes midpalate, with a finish loaded with Asian spice and minerally accents. Drink now through 2026.

Well-structured, with a lush spiciness to the red berry and cherry flavors. Juicy richness midpalate, with underbrush notes backed by fine-grained tannins on the finish. Drink now through 2025.

Well-knit, with a rich core of dark cherry and plum pastry flavors that are accented by cocoa powder and wild spice accents. The loamy finish lingers with notes of forest floor. Drink now through 2025.