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Delicato Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 – 3 Corks

Delicato Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Ever had one of those days when you want some comfort food to make you feel better. Not like eating a bag of potato chips but a nice bowl of soup that warms you up and calms you down. I’m not a big proponent of drowning your sorrows because the cure’s aftermath screws things up even worse. I wasn’t looking for soup. I wanted to maintain my cheap bastard mantra of not spending any money and still drink something that was relaxing. I had a glass of Delicato Cab. I actually opened it several days ago so this wasn’t the first pour out of the bottle. I’ve had some inexpensive wines that have a completely different experience a few days later. Those wines remind me of Monty Python’s Review of “Australian Table Wines” where Eric Idle says the Château Chunder is”specially grown for those keen on regurgitation.” Regurgitation wasn’t what…

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Dennis Sodomka

Bennett Lane Maximus 2005

Bennett Lane, Maximus Red Feasting Wine, Napa Valley, 2005 Cost: $34-37 What: This full-bodied, hearty blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 11% Syrah is full of ripe fruit flavors, but packed with enough tanins and acidity to give it some backbone. Aromas of black cherry, black raspberry and cocoa lead to black cherry, plum and tobacco on the palate. The feasting label is appropriate because this highly rated wine drinks like something you should have at a joyous feast on a cold, dark winter night. This is a full-bodied wine that has a lingering finish. It is a lush wine to drink now, but will age for several years. This makes a great present for your Valentine sweetie, especially if you pair it with the winery’s special treat: Maximus chocolate wine sauce. The sauce is pure decadance, and you can only buy it at the winery or from…

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Dennis Sodomka

Mo 2006

Mo, Bodegas Sierra Salinas, 2006, Spain Cost: $13-15 What: When you pour the wine you notice a rich, deep purple color with cherry and berry fruit aromas. The wine is lush and smooth in the mouth, with flavors of plum, cherry, blueberry, spices and some tannins. It has a rich, fruit taste. As the wine mixes with the air it softens and develops complexity, so I would recommend opening the bottle some time before you drink it. Made primarily from monastrell grapes, with grenacha tintorera, syrah and cabernet sauvignon. A great value for an elegant wine. The Winery: With a long history in the wine industry, the Castano family founded Bodegas Sierra Salinas in southeastern Spain in 2000. The Monastrell vines on the property are 20 years old. The family is committed to making top-value wines from Monastrell, a grape not grown in many places. In France and California the…

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Dennis Sodomka

Quivira Sauvignon Blanc

Quivira Sauvignon Blanc, Fig Tree Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, California Cost: $17-19 What: A powerful aroma of lime and grapefruit leap out of the glass, preparing you for the fresh grapefruit and tropical fruit taste. A very refreshing, complex wine. The vineyard is named for a 130-year-old Mission fig tree that stands among the vines located where Dry Creek and Wine Creek come together. The well-drained soil has an extensive gravel layer, giving the grapes a distinctive taste. The wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks, a departure from previous vintages. It serves to concentrate the characteristic crisp mineral and citrus taste of the sauvignon blanc. The Winery: Quivira (pronounced key-VEER-ah) is a family owned winery practicing organic and biodynamic farming processes in the heart of Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley. They specialize in Dry Creek’s outstanding varietals: zinfandel and sauvignon blanc, as well as some Rhone style wines. The…

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Dennis Sodomka

Sonoma-Cutrer

Sonoma-Cutrer Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, California Cost: $23-26 What: Sonoma Cutrer has been making great chardonnay for 30 years, and this is another fine example of the classic California style. If you like rich, buttery chardonnay, this is the one for you. The aroma is flowers, citrus, ginger and maybe a little cedar. Apple, pineapple, lemon are the tastes that jump out when you drink the wine. It’s a well-balanced wine, with a solid acid base to hold up to the second, or maloactic, fermentation that gives the wine it’s buttery smoothness. It has a long, lingering, pleasant finish. The Winery: When Sonoma-Cutrer began in 1973 they planted several grape varieties in marginal land that later became known as the Sonoma Coast Appellation. The area is ideal for growing chardonnay because the cool breezes and fog from the ocean allow a long growing season with modest temperature fluctuations. The owners decided…

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Dennis Sodomka

Mumm Napa

Mumm Napa Brut Prestige, Napa Valley Mumm Napa Brut Rose, Napa Valley Cost: $18-21 Prestige, $22-25 Rose What: If you’re looking for something with which to ring in the new year, you can’t go wrong with either of these wines from Mumm Napa. These two elegant American sparklers are excellent examples of using Old World techniques on New World fruit to produce spectacular, inexpensive wine. The pink salmon color of the Brut Rose alerts you to the fruit forward pinot noir that dominates this blend (85% pinot noir, 15% chardonnay). The creamy taste is mainly strawberries, cherries and plums. The Brut Prestige has a pale peach color, with citrus aromas and vanilla, citrus, spice and melon flavors. It’s a blend of 51% pinot noir, 46% chardonnay, 2% pinot meunier and 1% pinot gris. The Winery: In 1979, the French Champagne house of G.H. Mumm began looking for the ideal winegrowing…

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