LIQUIDS |
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NV Krug Champagne Reims , France The ultimate in luxury-one cannot live without it. I grew up with my mother drinking it and always saying to me that one day "you would understand!" I was only ten or eleven years old. The velvety rich finish of this family made "super-champagne" is full of toasty notes and the intense unique barrel fermenting is vivid. A multi-vintage of the best of the harvest has to offer. My personal choice with any meat course. NV Louis Roederer Brut Premier Champagne Reims, France The most delicious, consistent and affordable Champagne I enjoy to share with my guests at the hotel and at home. The bubbles are so fine that they tickle all your senses on the way down. "Biscuits and almonds" are the words that come to my mouth après this yummy Brut. This "bubblicious effervescence" is made by the same family that brings us "Cristal." Hiedler Grüner Veltliner "Löss" Kamptal, Austria This is the most exciting new white varietal growing only in the terroir of Austria . This is a husband and wife team who take great pride in making their wines. Always refreshing and exciting with hints of ripe grapefruit and elegance. A great choice to pair with any cuisine and any food. I love turning my diners on to a "Grüner" instead of any white wine on my list. Domaine Weinbach Riesling Schlossberg Alsace, France When I was growing up in Strasbourg , Alsace , as a young student all I could afford was Riesling from the region. Now that I can afford quality, this is my choice. Combine two sisters who are passionate about winemaking and a region that is rich in culture and sunshine and you have the most complex white wine France has to offer. Rich in acidity and flavor with a very distinct salty finish that is perfect for creating the balance with the higher sugar content in this wine and makes this Riesling a dream match made for rich seafood dishes of any Asian or French cooking. Their single-vineyard wines are superb and more complex but a little too pricey for a daily wine list. Darioush Viognier Napa Valley Then there was King Darioush in the land of Persia who ate and drank only the best that Gods had to offer. This is very intense wine with exotic pear finish followed by a hint of hot spice. This is truly what King Darioush would have called "the nectar of heavens." Steve who makes this Viognier cannot squeeze enough grapes to meet the huge demand but thank Gods for my Persian ancestry-I will never run out of the stuff! Dominus Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley The best-made Cabernet in California by the Moueix family who mastered the best of what Bordeaux has to offer, such as Chateau Petrus and Chateau Magdelaine and other outstanding red Clarets. The best of the grapes from the Jack Daniels' sisters vineyards plus the most sophisticated winemaking technology. I have never seen such modern systems with Old World quality. The wines have a core of cassis extraction with multiple layers of meat and iron. Strong scent of earth and dark berry. Perfect balance of tannins. A revolutionary Claret! David Ramey Chardonnay Carneros District, Sonoma David loves to make wine-as simple as that. With a perfect track record at Matanzas Creek, Chalk Hill and Dominus, he has earned the clarity and the experience to create this perfection. For all those who dislike the over-flavored vanilla-chardonnay (moi included!), David's Chardonnay is the cure. His Carneros District blend matures a little sooner than the RRV or his fantastic and ultra-chic single vineyards. Always elegant and well-ripened with hints of exotic citrus and hints of butter and toast. The best Chardonnay in the valley! Newton Unfiltered Merlot Napa Valley The vineyards at Newton are a perfect picture of what Babylon would look like with its steep rolling hills covered with the most tailored vineyards, the most exotic trees and flowers. This wine may be the last of the rich, smooth and ready-to-drink Merlots from the valley that costs under $50 per bottle. It is made to drink with the complexity of any Pomerol after ten or fifteen years with just the right amount of French oak. The young team of winemakers keep this wine vivacious year after year. Kanonkop Pinotage Paarl , South Africa The first time I tasted Pinotage I could not quiet comprehend the intensity and the multiple levels of the flavors this grape was offering me-it was like an explosion of sunshine and dirt in my mouth! You can taste the sunshine! Very dark, extracted and rich in minerals and earthy tones of dirt, mushroom and peppers. Indigenous to South Africa from grafting Pinot Noir into Cinsault vines. This wine has the elegance of a Pinot with the muscle of a Cinsault. Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Russian River Valley When I met Bob the wine guru in the garage-like warehouse at the winery, I understood the amount of good life that is squeezed into each and every bottle of his wines. The man is the perfect posterboy for living life well and a joy to taste wines with! Once you taste this heavenly rich and earthy extraction of cherry and dark berry you will become addicted to this love potion of life too. They are the first cult Pinot makers in California who used to only sell to those they personally knew. Why can nobody else make wines like this? Royal Tokaji Azsu 5 Puttonyos Hungary The Russian Czar used to send his army to escort this precious cargo of his favorite "water of life" into his cellars during his reign. The perfect drink to wash down the Caspian Sea Beluga Khaviar! The baskets (puttonyos) of dried and shriveled grapes added to the current vintage of Furmint makes this wine perfect for pairing with smoked salmon and or smoked meats. High in acidity and lower in sugar than any Sauternes, you can drink many glasses before you feel the buzz. Azsu is rich in dried apricot, figs and wild honey. The wine is heaven! How could anyone live without it?! Almaviva Bordeaux Blend Puente Alto, Maipo Valley, Chile Like water for dark chocolate! Vanilla and spice, dark velvet and silk. Another huge red wine! Made with mostly Carmenere grapes, this blend is the best Chile has to offer. Hand-picked and hand-made, Enrique the wine maker wants to make a serious impact on the global market in order to show what level of greatness the Chilean wine industry has achieved. Great to pair with a fatty ribeye, any rich chocolate dessert or with a vintage Cubano cigar. |
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