From time to time, we will be expanding our reviews to become the Double Dozen, and with this initial doubling up we offer everything you need for the December holidays – sparkling, white, red and a couple of after-dinner spirits. Looking for a gift that will be remembered? Check out the Courvoisier at the end.
Deck the halls, y’all.
NV Domaine Bousquet Mendoza Rosé Sparkling Wine ($18) – Very crisp, very lean with tart apple flavors – quite refreshing.
NV Wente “140th Anniversary Small Lot” Arroyo Seco Brut Sparkling Wine ($55) – Full-bodied with soft fruitiness and some nice stony minerality, but perhaps a tad short in the finish.
NV Champagne Delamotte Brut ($62) – Wonderful crispness and minerality with flavors of fresh apple and vanilla bean, good structure and a fine finish.
NV Champagne Delamotte Blanc de Blancs ($84) – 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay, with crisp fruitiness and minerality and some hints of brioche – long and elegant
NV Champagne Delamotte Rosé ($99) – Extremely enjoyable – strawberries and vanilla/straw flavors, good intensity without being too lean, with a lovely freshness in the finish and persistence on the palate.
2021 Trapiche “Tesoro” Uco Valley Chardonnay ($15) – A lot of nice minerality, some fruit oils, a little spicy with dusty tannins.
2022 Masciarelli “Villa Gemma” Abruzzo Bianco ($18) – Lovely baking spices on the nose and palate with flavors of apples and a hint of tart citrus – very vibrant, very nice.
2022 Wente “Louis Mel” Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc ($18) – Full-bodied, a little creamy with green fruitiness.
2021 Wente “Riva Ranch Vineyard” Arroyo Seco Chardonnay ($22) – Well-balanced, very enjoyable with fresh apple flavors – toasty but not overpowering, with notes of vanilla.
2021 Cormorant Cellars “Zabala Vineyard” Arroyo Seco Chardonnay ($27) – A ripe and fruity wine with spiced apple flavors, moderate body and a crisp finish.
2020 Masciarelli “Marina Cvetic” Trebbiano d’Abruzzo Riserva ($49) – Complex and enjoyable – tight structure with flavors of cracked grain and quince and with good acidity in the finish.
2022 Masciarelli “Villa Gemma” Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Superiore ($19) – A rosato, but a bit more like an early-release nuovo – fresh, light, cherry spicy, enjoyable.
2017 Muriel “Finca de la Villa” Rioja Reserva ($15) – Lean but with good cherry fruit, good substance, a little leathery and mild tannins.
2021 Trapiche “Tesoro” Uco Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($15) – Warm and generous blackberry fruit with a hint of brambles, a little spicy, and considerable tannins.
2021 Trapiche “Tesoro” Uco Valley Malbec ($15) – A nice value with straightforward structure and slightly tart, light cherry fruitiness.
2022 Alavida Tupungato Malbec ($19) – Fresh and lively with a muted red berry and cherry spiciness and a savory hint of almost-chocolate in the finish.
2019 Dominio del Soto Ribera del Duero ($22) – Good fruit and savory spiciness, medium-bodied and well-balanced with dark berry flavors.
2019 Masciarelli “Marina Cvetic” Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva ($30) – Very pleasant tart berry flavors with more tannins that one would expect in a wine of this weight and a nice, savory earthiness in the finish.
2019 LangeTwins “One Hundred Vineyard” Jahant Petite Sirah ($31) – From Lodi, a lovely floral wine with elderberry flavors – the wine equivalent of fresh baked bread with good structure and dusty tannins.
2021 Wente “Riva Ranch Vineyard” Arroyo Seco Pinot Noir ($35) – Smooth but tangy, with rooty and cherry flavors and a lean finish.
2021 Three Sticks “Gap’s Crown Vineyard” Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($75) – Elegant, inviting aromas and flavors of ripe cherry and elderberry flavors, a nice touch of earthy smokiness, full-bodied and velvety.
2018 Masciarelli “Villa Gemma” Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva ($89) – It’s showing its age in a good way, with lean and spicy berry flavors and lip-smacking tannins.
NV Poli Negroni Cocktail ($30) – A mellow gin and Vermouth concoction from Italy, fruity but not overly so, mild bitters, smooth on the finish.
NV Courvoisier XO Royal Cognac ($300) – A great Cognac in a lovely decanter makes a fabulous holiday present for anyone who has proven to be “worthy.” Lovely mellow fruit and cask aromas and flavors with tastes of cracked grain, Sherry, honeycomb and caramel, very long on the palate with a pleasant saline nip in the finish.
Prices listed are generally SRP or from wine-searcher.com. As more wineries are now shipping direct-to-consumer, check the winery website if you can’t find a bottle in your retail store.
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