Oreno – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sangiovese – 2006 Tuscany
Cost: $80-$85/bottle
A dark opaque purple wine, moderately full-bodied with rather elevated acidity and tannins. Granted, it is young (recently released, that is). Its nose is already revealing— with great black cherries, black raspberries, violets, cedar, graphite, and a touch of vanilla bean. In the mouth, it’s quite layered and velvety, loaded with black fruit and dark tannins. It should rest at least 5 to 7 years, but there is plenty of fruit to support its evolution into something rather special. Despite its youth, I still enjoyed the wine very much; its nose was quite inviting. A solid example of a Super Tuscan at its finest.
Rating: 94
Chateau Clinet 1994, Pomerol, France
Cost: $40/bottle (purchased in 1998)
Dark ruby red, medium-bodied, and with an open nose of black cassis, black cherry, licorice, and a touch of prunes. There is also a haunting nose of cedar wood and something that reminds me of black shoe polish. In the mouth, smooth with a somewhat lean texture but yet holding plenty of those mature cassis and black cherry flavors that unfold nicely through mid and back palate. This wine is predominantly merlot from the right bank of Bordeaux, and it strikes me how amazingly graceful it has evolved, a true testament to the age-worthiness of the Bordeaux region.
Rating: 90
Grgich Hills Merlot 2003 – Napa Valley, California
Cost: $42/bottle
Impressively endowed wine, a merlot that in my honest opinion is the greatest one ever produced in California. This is solid, and ranks even with the finest right bank Bordeaux Grand Cru out there! Complex notes of leather, cedar, black cherry, and cassis with hints of smoke that make this so impressive. In the mouth, perhaps the most smoothest merlot ever made, balanced and loaded with fruit and boasting an impressive finish, this is the quintessential merlot.
Rating: 95
For the record, I enjoyed the 2004 vintage merlot from this winery, and it is consistent and worth every penny.
Accompanied with Beef Negamaki and Black Swan (Peking duck, hoisin sauce, and white rice in a seaweed wrap… YUM! )
= "personne extraordinaire"