L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano PAGE��� 20 is the 2008 Mt. Veeder 19 Block Cuvee, a Cabernet based blend, with Malbec, Merlot and Syrah ( $36. at the winery). At the northern edge of Napa Valley, way up on Howell Mountain, sits Robert Craig Winery. This area begins at 1,400 More Wines to Know in Napa Valley FRANK MANGIO CONTRIBUTOR There is no debate that the best known wine country in America has been under a lot of stress due to the economy, challenging grape growing weather, price cutting and carpetbagger-discounters. It���s been a struggle the past 5 years for the famed Napa Valley. What a difference a year has made. 2012 will be forever known as the great turn around year for this small place with the big reputation, that produces just 4% of California���s wine grapes but sells some 80% of its wines. I have come to be convinced that ���mountain wines��� in the Napa Valley are in many ways, the most intense and flavorful. Three appellations stand out, so let���s start with Mt. Veeder to the south, and Hess Collection, founded by Swiss born Donald Hess in 1978. Hess now has 310 acres under vine on Mt. Veeder plus two other Napa vineyards and one in Monterey, and sustainably farmed according to the Hess philosophy: ���nurture the land, return what you take.��� The wine name to know at Hess Hess Collection Senior Wine Educator Emily Eckerman pours a 2011 Small Block Pinor Gris ($24. at the winery). feet above the fog, meaning warmer mornings and cooler afternoon breezes. Cabernets rule here and Zinfandels do well also. Rocky, volcanic soil allows porous conditions with superior drainage for deep roots. Robert Craig grows great Cabs at 2,400 feet on just 9 acres, planting only where nature allowed. He has 34 acres at neighboring Spring Mountain. He was with Hess Collection when he founded his vineyard in 1978, then started the Robert Craig name in 1992. He makes only mountain Cabernet and calls it the ���Iron Fist in the Velvet Glove.��� Try his flagship 2009 Affinity, a delicious splash of dark berry flavor with hints of espresso and anisette ( $45. at the winery.) November���s San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival brought in Michael Keenan of the Spring Mountain District of Napa Valley, winemaker and owner of Robert Keenan Winery. The winery is known world-wide for its brilliantly crafted Merlots, harvested from Keenan���s 3 vineyards. ���We���re in a big turn around on price and quality,��� he asserted. ���My favorite wine is Merlot. It goes with almost everything I eat; it���s round and elegant with a sensual taste. It is an uphill struggle only because it doesn���t get the publicity other reds get, and too many wineries were making bad Merlot. The best thing that ever happened to Merlot was the movie Sideways because it forced a lot of wineries to get rid of their mediocre Merlot. Women love it as an alternative to the tannic Cabernets.��� 2012 was excellent for the Merlot crop and gave it powerful flavor enhancement. I recommend the 2009 Keenan Napa Valley Merlot, a big tasting Merlot mostly from Spring Mountain ($36. at the winery). Wine Spectator has just revealed its #1 wine in the world and I am happy to announce, it���s a Napa Valley wine: the 2008 Shafer ���Relentless��� Blend, a combination of Syrah and Petite Syrah, made on a hill in the Stags Leap District. ($60, at the winery) Frank Mangio is a renowned wine connoisseur certified by Wine Spectator. He is one of the leading wine commentators on the web. View and link up with his columns at www.tasteofwinetv.com. Reach him at mangiompc@aol.com. THURS DAY, ��� DECEMBER��� 6, ��� 2012 Luxury Wines from a Land of Value REBECCA CANAN TERROIRIST.COM Last weekend at my sister���s wedding, my family served a lot of wine to a lot of people. Our vino of choice was an everyday Concha y Toro from Chile, poured out of magnums, helpfully plastered with Americanfriendly varietal names like Cabernet-Merlot, Malbec, and Chardonnay. The wines were undemanding, easy drinking accompaniments to the party. Many people view Chilean wines as an inexpensive, approachable budget alternative. However, the industry as a whole has been trying to shake this image and stand on equal footing to some of the world���s other high-quality, luxury wine labels. (Mike Veseth wrote about this challenge on Tuesday.) It���s a difficult journey, as most people who are going to spend $100+ on a bottle don���t want to take a gamble on an unfamiliar producer from a region that has historically billed itself on bulk wine. I recently had the opportunity to visit the high end of Chile at a fantastic tasting and lunch hosted by Wines of Chile at New York���s Colicchio and Sons. It was a really special, well executed event featuring ten equally special Chilean wines. I left with three main takeaways. First, I���d rather have a one bottle of $70 high quality Chilean wine than 7 bottles of $10 good quality Chilean wine. For me, the jump in quality is exponential relative to the jump in price. Second, Chile, unsurprisingly, is a land of tremendous diversity, both geographically and with its wines. It is a joy to explore, even with the chance that you���ll come across those crazy green Carmeneres sometimes. And finally, while Chilean cuisine hasn���t quite come into its own, Chilean wine is worth inclusion on wine lists at fine restaurants. The high-end treasures are worth exploring and worth sitting next to the plate of a great meal. These are some of my tasting notes and highlights. I encourage you to seek them out. 1.Cipreses Vineyard 2011, Casa Marin (Lo Abarca, San Antonio Valley): Herbal lime and a little grapefruit on the nose; spicy herbs, saline, and freshness on the palate. Really nice Sauv Blanc & one of the crowd favorites. (SRP: $28) 2.Casa Real 2009, Santa Rita (Maipo Valley): From one of the oldest wineries in Chile; a strange descriptor but I smelled warm clay & blueberry; a sensual perfumed flavor palate of spicy dark plum. (SRP: $85) 3.Don Melchor 2008, Concha y Toro (Puente Alto, Maipo Valley): Dark, brooding, and beautiful wine with dark chocolate, a little cedar, cigar box, light & toasty vanilla, integrated tannins and an after taste of coffee. Not for everyone. (SRP: $95) 4.Carmin de Peumo 2008, Concha y Toro: Intensely concentrated nose of deep plum; the palate matches in a mouth-coating finish; just a tiny bit green. (SRP: $150) Altair 2007, Altair (Alto Cachapoal, Cachapoal Valley): Spicy and cedar on the nose; graphite, licorice, very old world profile on palate. (SRP: $75) 5.Don Maximiano Founder���s Reserve 2007, Errazuriz (Aconcagua Valley): Really big bright acidity, integrated tannins, dark fruits, blueberry bomb; a decidedly food wine. (SRP: $110)

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