Layer Cake Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

By Chris and Sherry Hardie
A special holiday dinner deserves a carefully selected wine. If your menu includes prime rib, a roast or even a buffet with cheeses and snacks, select this wonderful cabernet from California.
There are more than 77,000 acres of the king of red grapes planted in California, where the warm days and cool nights provide the ideal climate for ripening. This wine is fermented in different batches, where the combination of careful oak aging and blending helps balance the powerful tannins.
The result is a wine soft and lush, yet supported with firm structure that opens flavors of red berry fruit and spice.
Sherry: "Peppery cherry, black currant and strawberry." 3-1/2 stars
Chris: "Notes of fig with flavors of plum, raspberry and cherry with a hint of cocoa on the finish." 4 stars
Available locally for about $14.
Coming next week: Ruffino Prosecco

Concannon Conservancy Petite Sirah 2008

By Chris and Sherry Hardie
Concannon sources the grapes for this wine from lands in California's Livermore Valley that have been placed in conservancy, ensuring that the vineyards will never be developed.
Concannon was the first winemaker to make petite sirah in America, and 2011 marks its 50th vintage. The wine was used in blends for years and is known for its full-fruit flavors and age-worthy tannins.
There's nothing petite about this robust and hearty wine, which is aged in a combination of French and American oak. It displays lots of fresh berry fruit in a full palate and strong tannins.
Sherry: "Black cherry, plum and a bit of leather with a slight floral finish." 3 stars
Chris: "A bouquet of cedar and tobacco with flavors of plum, blackberry and a black cherry finish." 3-1/2 stars
Available locally for about $10.
Coming next week: Layer Cake Cabernet Sauvignon

Fat Bastard Pinot Noir 2009

By Chris and Sherry Hardie
The label Fat Bastard comes from a British expression describing a particularly rich and full wine. What's inside the bottle is an expression of true French wine.
This wine is a Vin de Pays d'Oc appellation, which means it is basically a country wine that comes from the Languedoc region of France. The grapes are sourced from vineyards influenced by the Mediterranean climate of south France. The wine is made on the lees (dead yeast cells left in the barrel) for a fuller taste.
The result is medium-bodied, bright ruby red wine that displays juicy red fruit flavors and very delicate tannins that mark a fine pinot.
Sherry: "Raspberry, strawberry and cherry with a little clove on the finish." 3-1/2 stars
Chris: "Strawberry and cherry, with a finish of dry mint." 3-1/2 stars
Available locally for about $9.
Coming next week: Concannon Conservancy Petite Sirah

Elmaro Vineyard West Prairie White

By Chris and Sherry Hardie
Elmaro is one of the area's newest wineries. Located near Trempealeau, the winery (http://www.elmarovineyard.com/) had a grand opening of its tasting facility last weekend. It's open Wednesday through Sunday for sampling.
Elmaro specializes in wines made from cold climate hybrid grapes, some of which are grown on site. The first vines were planted in 2006, and more are in the ground. This wine, which won a gold medal in the Long Beach Grand Cru wine competition in California, is made from geisenheim, a hybrid grape between gewürztraminer and riesling.
The wine is almost transparent with just a tinge of gold. It has well-balanced orchard fruit flavors with a hint of citrus. The wine is sweetened with fructose, a natural fruit sugar.
Sherry: "Lightly floral with tastes of honey and pear." 3-1/2 stars
Chris: "Flavors of apple, peach and pear." 3-1/2 stars
The wine is sold out at the winery but is available in local stores for about $13.
Coming next week: Fat Bastard Pinot Noir

Crios Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

By Chris and Sherry Hardie
Argentine winemaker Susana Balbo has named this wine after her two crios, or children, represented by the handprints on the label. It's an expression that the wine isn't as grown up as her Signature label.
But there's nothing immature about this wine, an unfiltered cabernet blended with a 5 percent splash of malbec, grown in high-altitude vineyards in the Mendoza region. The wine spends five months in a combination of American and French oak barrels before bottling.
Whiffs of leather and tobacco give way to plum and fruit flavors with very smooth tannins. We look forward to tasting this wine when it grows up.
Sherry: "Medium dry with black cherry and leather." 3-1/2 stars
Chris: "Flavors of raspberry, plum and a hint of chocolate on the back end." 3-1/2 stars
Available locally for about $12.
Coming next week: Elmaro West Prairie White

The Naked Grape Moscato

By Chris and Sherry Hardie
Naked Grape, a label under industry giant E&J Gallo, promotes itself as a simple wine crafted with a focus on fresh and ripe fruit
flavors.
That's certainly the case with this non-vintage moscato from California. Moscato, otherwise known as muscat, is one of the world's oldest grape varieties, likely cultivated in Greece and brought to Germany as early as the 1110s. It's known for its
distinctive, intense aroma and is usually fermented as a sweet dessert wine.
A bouquet of honeysuckle is on display in this wine, which is followed by sweet orchard fruit flavors and the classic honey flavor. Nothing fancy, as the label suggests.
Sherry: "Medium sweet pear and citrus with honey on the finish." 3 stars
Chris: "Flavors of pear and apricot loaded with honey." 3 stars
Available locally for about $7.
Coming next week: Crios de Susana Balbo Cabernet Sauvignon

Michel Picard Cotes du Rhone 2009

By Chris and Sherry Hardie
The Cotes du Rhone (pronounced coat doo roan) region lies in the southern part of the Rhone Valley in southeastern France. It produces a wide variety of red and white wines from its 170,000 acres of vineyards, making up about 14 percent of the country's production.
This red is a blend of grenache (75 percent) and syrah (25 percent), which more than covers the region mandate of at least 40 percent grenache. It comes from vineyards owned by Michel Picard, who runs the family operation with his wife and children.
The wine shows scents of leather and licorice, features red fruit flavors and finishes dry and earthy.
Sherry: "Bright, fruity cherry with floral notes on the finish." 3 stars Chris: "Flavors of raspberry, plum and cherry with balanced tannins." 3-1/2 stars
Available locally for about $9.
Coming next week: The Naked Grape Moscato

Aveleda Follies Touriga Nacional 2007

By Chris and Sherry Hardie
Port is the famous wine of Portugal, but there's always opportunity for diversification.
That's exactly what the Aveleda family of northern Portugal has done with its Follies line of wines, named after an architectural structure with no purpose other than to bring pleasure and joy.
Touriga nacional is the predominant grape for port. The grapes are fermented in small tanks at controlled temperatures and undergo malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged in French oak for a year before spending another year in the bottle.
A bouquet of cocoa and spice gives way to fruit and fig flavors layered in firm tannins.
Sherry: "Dry with raspberry, mint and a bit of a floral finish" 3-1/2 stars
Chris: "Raisin, cherry, vanilla and plum with a dry, mint finish." 3-1/2 stars
Available locally for about $10.
Coming next week: Michel Picard Cotes du Rhone

Kitchen Sink White

By Chris and Sherry Hardie
Not every California winemaker is a farmer, preferring instead to leave the viticulture to others. That's always been the philosophy of Adler Fels, which purchases bulk wine from Russian River Valley growers, blends it with other wines and finishes it.
That's the case with this non-vintage white, which is a blend of chardonnay (36 percent), chenin blanc (32 percent), gewürztraminer (21 percent) and other mixed varieties (11 percent). It is a veritable kitchen sink of wines and is cold fermented in stainless steel.
But the blend works surprisingly well, offering juicy melon and citrus notes and a tart, crisp finish. It's a good value, too.
Sherry: "Tart lime flavor with almond on the finish." (3 stars)
Chris: "Peach and pineapple layered in citrus." (3 stars)
Available locally for about $7.
Coming next week: Follies Touriga Nacional

Marques de Riscal Tempranillo 2006

By Chris and Sherry Hardie
Spain is the sleeping giant of the wine world, with more than 5,500 wineries and the most grape acreage planted. But it falls behind France and Italy in terms of production and still suffers from the perception that its wine is of poor quality.
That's certainly not the case with this red wine from the Rioja region in northern Spain. It's made with 100 percent tempranillo - the national grape of Spain - by one of the oldest wineries in the Rioja region.
Very aromatic with notes of spice and earth, this is a dry wine laced with red fruit flavors and a long, lingering finish.
Sherry: "Dry, peppery cherry with a hint of red licorice." 3-1/2 stars
Chris: "Raspberry, cherry and plum, layered in a dry, cocoa finish." 3-1/2 stars
Available locally for about $8.
Coming next week: Kitchen Sink White

Bridlewood Blend 175 2009

By Chris and Sherry Hardie
The name of this California red blend comes from the winery's claim that it took 175 tastings of different blends before winemaker David Hopkins gave his approval.
Blend 175 probably sounds better than "try and try again."
The blend is a mixture of syrah, cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel, with syrah as the primary grape. The grapes are sourced from the Central Coast area, and the wine is given six to eight months of oak aging.
This wine is surprisingly sweet - jam-like to be precise - and provides many layers to challenge your taste buds. The tannins are very smooth, and it has a soft feel in the mouth.
Sherry: "Medium-bodied with tones of licorice, plum and raspberry." 3 stars
Chris: "Prune and raisin bouquet with flavors of raspberry and cherry." 3 stars
Available locally for about $13.
Coming next week: Riscal Tempranillo

Trapiche Oak Cask Pinot Noir 2009

By Chris and Sherry Hardie
Finesse is certainly an attribute of all good winemakers and best describes how to make pinot noir. This challenging red wine grape requires perfect growing conditions and skillful handling to produce some of the world's most elegant wines, especially in the Burgundy region of France.
This pinot comes from Argentina and the foothills of the Andes Mountains. The grapes are hand-selected, and fermentation begins with 30 percent of the grapes still with stems. The grapes are machine-pressed, and the wine ends with nine months of oak barrel aging.
The result is a dry, tart wine with hints of red fruits, telltale cherry and a medium body.
Sherry: "Tart, with nuances of cranberry, raspberry and cherry." (3 stars)
Chris: "Beefy bouquet with subtle flavors of cherry and strawberry." (3 stars)
Available locally for about $10
Coming next week: Bridlewood Blend 175

Hogue Gewürztraminer 2009

By Chris and Sherry Hardie
Here's a white wine with a German name that makes a perfect companion to spicy bratwursts in this season of Oktoberfest.
Gewürz means "spice" in German, and traminer is a grape variety that hails from Italy. Made in the Columbia Valley of Washington, which is at the same latitude as the Bordeaux and Burgundy regions of France, the grape thrives in the warm summer days and cool nights.
The result is a semi-sweet wine with intense floral and orchard fruits that is layered with the same fruit flavors and a soft, mineral character. The wine is cold-fermented in stainless steel.
Sherry: "A spicy blend of pear and honey." 3-1/2 stars
Chris: "Floral and pineapple notes, pineapple and apricot flavors and a bit of citrus on the finish." 3-1/2 stars
Available locally for about $10.
Coming next week: Trapiche Pinot Noir