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Welcome
to the JOTT Best of 2007 List, an annual year-end listing of our
selections for the best wines we've experienced in the past year. We
have poured over innumerable wines (no pun intended) and picked five
whites, five reds, and one rose, sparkling wine and specialty wine.
If
it made the list, then we tried it and loved it and want to share
our joy with you. We have made every effort to also select wines
still available. And although value is always important to us, for
this list we are overlooking our usual $20 or less price point in
favor of the BEST of the BEST - regardless of the price.
And
we are always interested in receiving your recommendations so send
your thoughts on this list or to share
your own BEST of the BEST with us anytime!
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2002
Clover Hill Chardonnay
(Lehigh
Valley, PA, USA)
Price:
$15.99
Awards:
Silver Medal at the 2007 Keystone Wine Competition |
Described
as a very fruit-forward, dry wine exhibiting ripe and lush aromas of
tropical fruit with distinct notes of almond, vanilla and pear. This
wine has a wonderful mouth feel, remarkably creamy and rich which we
attribute to the relatively long ageing process in French oak barrels.
Great
food wine that pairs well with white fishes, butter sauces and even
mushrooms. Also a great "just because" wine too. |
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N.V.
Galen Glen Stone Cellar Grüner Veltliner
(Lehigh
Valley, PA, USA)
Price:
$12.00
Awards:
Silver Medal at 2007 Indy International Wine Competition |
Intensely
structured and mineral toned, this Austrian style wine is unique to
this region and boasts quite an impressive flavor. With classic
herbal nose complemented by bright notes of citrus and spice makes
this a perfect pairing with spicy foods. Grüner
Veltliner is a rising star in the world of white wines.
If you want to try a new white that resembles a dry Riesling, or just
impress your friends with a little known varietal, pick up a bottle
of "Gru Vee" and enjoy! |
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2005
Benmarl Slate Hill White (Marlboro, NY, USA)
Price:
$13.99 |
Opulent
tropical and citrus notes both in the nose and palate and
sun-ripened pineapple, mandarin orange, kiwi and a touch of honey on
the palate as well make this affordable and stylish white one of our
favorite east coast wines. |
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2005
Hope Estate Yellow Rock Semillon Chardonnay
(Hunter
Valley, New South Wales, Australia)
Price:
$8.99 (wine club) |
Lush
honey and tropical fruit aromas. And honey, fig, citrus and a little
toast on the palette. Wonderfully quaffable wine. |
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2004
Bonterra Vineyards Viognier Organically Grown Grapes
(Mendocino
County, Northern Coast, CA, USA)
Price:
$12.99 |
For
the environmentally conscious among us, Bonterra offers organically
grown wines of distinction. This particular wine boasts powerful
aromas of fresh cut nectarines and white peaches, laced with floral
notes of orange blossom and honeysuckle. You will experience complex
fruit flavors of apricot and peach, overlaid with notes of oak
vanilla. The wine is very balanced. Crisp, yet creamy. There may not
be anymore bottles from this particular vintage but Bonterra is a
consistent and well established producer so pick up a couple of
bottles of the 2005 and see how it stands up to our assessment.
Viognier (pronounced Vee-ohn-YAY) is another great alternative to
everyday whites. |
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2000
Lion's Peak Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon (Solvang, Central Coast,
CA, USA)
Price:
$25.00 |
Varietal:
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Lion's
Peak wines never disappoint! The 2000 Estate Grown Cabernet
Sauvignon is a fruit forward, but well balanced wine with notes of
blackberry, plum, currant, and a hint of strawberries and black
licorice on the long finish. Silky mouth feel and 14.2% alcohol makes
this delectable wine one worth lingering over for hours as its
character fully expresses itself over time. |
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2005
Emile Chandesais Bourgogne Pinot Noir
(Burgundy,
France)
Price:
$19.00 |
A
medium-bodied dry wine presenting raspberry and blackberry aromas. A
low tannin fruit forward wine with a velvety soft structure that
melts in your mouth. Pairs well with poultry and light cheeses. It is
hard to find such a red burgundy at this price point. Purchased from
4 Seasons Wine Club at Club discount. |
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2003
Boekenhoutskloof "The Chocolate Block"
Price:
$29.99 |
Wine
retailers have a hard time keeping this one in stock for two
reasons. First, after Chelsea Clinton mentioned how much she loved
it, bottles started flying off the shelves and second because this is
truly an amazing wine for the price.
Dark,
rich purple in appearance. Notes of fig, spice, earth, leather and
blackberry in the nose. Tantalizing tastes of chocolate (of course),
plum, blackberry, tobacco, currant and smoke in mouth with a rich,
delightful finish. Probably food friendly but we enjoyed it on its
own. Stores can hardly keep this on the shelves. Only 81 barrels. You
do the math and get several when you find it. Will surely age well
and should probably be decanted before consuming. Beautifully
executed Rhone blend with everything from Syrah to a hint of Viognier! |
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2005
Alma Rosa Pinot Noir
(Santa
Rita, Central Coast, CA, USA)
Price:
$36.00
Wine
Spectator: 90 pts |
Bright
and bursting with fruitiness, almost candy-like (but without the
sugar-sweetness)&ldots; here are strawberry-rhubarb-raspberry tones
under laid with classic Pinot Noir spiciness, a soft and easy
acid-tannin texture and a pleasing minerality on the palate. |
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1999
Lions Peak Zinfandel
(Paso
Robles, Central Coast, CA, USA)
Price:
$20.00 |
Truly
an exceptional wine, even at this young age! Far from an average
California fruit bomb, this wine exhibits remarkable structure with
sufficient fruit and overall balance to make the drinking experience
sensual. Deep purple in color, exhibiting notes of blackberry, plum,
fig and licorice. Also some leather. The aroma jumped out of the
glass at first, but it really calmed down given some time in the
glass. The wine would benefit from a little decanting. Buy several of
these and watch the brilliance unfold. (Can you tell we liked this one???) |
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2004
Consilience Rodney Shull Vineyard Grenache
(Santa
Barbara County, CA, USA)
Price:
$28.00 |
Intense
dark fruit, fig, tobacco. Lush, well balanced. Big red! Succulent,
long finish. One of the best we've ever experienced. |
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Krug
Grand Cuvee Champagne
Price:
$114.99
Wine
Spectator: 93 points |
Any
Krug champagne is worth it's weight in gold. But this selection is
particularly wonderful if you're willing to think outside the
"Dom" and "Cristal" box and dare to be
distinctive as you bring in the New Year. |
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Clinton
Vineyards Cassis
(Hudson
Valley, NY, USA)
Price:
$35.00
Gold
Medal Winner, Los Angeles, International Wine Competition. BEST
IN CLASS! |
Okay,
so they are not giving this stuff away but if you understand the
intricate and complex process that goes into making this nectar then
you won't balk at the price point. This is that "special"
something to have at the end of a fine meal to complete a perfect
evening. By the roaring fire, with someone you love. A classic style
CASSIS made exclusively from black currants. Can be sipped as a
dessert wine or used for a KIR
or KIR
ROYALE (click
here
for "how to make" video from Video Jug). |
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Va
La Vineyards
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Family-owned
and operated winery offering wines crafted by the brilliantly insane
Anthony Vietri. There are too many amazing Va La wines to mention on
the JOTT Best of 2007 List. We've studied them all extensively and
have earned an unofficial advanced degree in Va La-ology. So consider
them all listed, especially the latest Rustico, Cristallo and La
Prima Donna.
And
high-tail it over to Va La to purchase wine. It's a wonderful
holiday trip to take and they are open every day in December except
Christmas day. FYI, by the time word gets out to the mainstream about
their new releases, those lucky enough to be on the pre-release list
have already bought up a considerable amount of the available stock.
And once they're gone, they're GONE.
Learn
more about Va La |
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Linganore
Winecellars |
What's
in a name, you ask? Well, I'm not sure but the name Anthony must
mean "amazing vitner" in some other language. The wines are
hand-crafted by another brilliant winemaker named Anthony. This time
Anthony Aellen.
Linganore
is another beautiful family-owned and operated winery that offers a
full spectrum of wines for every palate - from fun to elegant to
opulent. You must visit the property to fully experience all that
Linganore has to offer. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Learn
more about Linganore |
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Copyright
2007 Evans-Walls. All rights reserved. |
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