Best Bottles of Wine to Give This Holiday
Best Bottles of Wine to Give This Holiday – It’s easier if you know the person’s tastes.
Most wine drinkers have particular tastes, whether they like a red, white or sparkling is a start.
Consider what you’ve seen the person drink in the past, and then go for something the same or similar.
If you’re not sure what the person drinks, consider their general tastes – fruit, earthy, bold, soft, crisp, slower, herb or a host of other factors.
Dom Perignon Vintage with Gift Box 2010, $199
Vintage Sparkling Wine from Champagne, France
Wine Maker Notes – Dom Perignon Vintage 2010
Pérignon Vintage 2010 was a bold wager, the fruit of an unwavering commitment to expressing nature, coupled with the freedom that makes audacious endeavors possible.
Dom Pérignon pairs beautifully with seafood and fish such as oysters, scallops, and sea bass; and meats such as veal, quail, and foie gras.
It also pairs well with cheese such as parmesan, vegetables such as leeks, truffles, and mushrooms, and herbs and spices including ginger, cumin, and saffron.
Joseph Phelps Insignia 2016, $249
Bordeaux Red Blends from Napa Valley, California
Wine Maker Notes – Joseph Phelps Insignia 2016
The 2016 Insignia is fresh and focused on entry with expressive cocoa powder, graphite and earthy spices.
Elegant and complex with a supple, creamy texture and bold tannins, this latest vintage offers luscious ripe plum and blackberry character with hints of roasted coffee and dark cherry throughout the palate to a long, velvety finish.
Blend: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc
Dominus (Christian Moueix) 2016, $299
Bordeaux Red Blends from Yountville, Napa Valley, California
Wine Maker Notes – Dominus (Christian Moueix) 2016
Filled with notes of deep forest berries, juniper and truffle, Dominus 2016 is restrained and compact.
The tightly woven structure promises to reveal fine tannins, earth, lavender and dark chocolate and will improve over many years.
Blend: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 8% Cabernet Franc
Chateau Pontet-Canet 2016, $169
Bordeaux Red Blends from Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Wine Maker Notes – Chateau Pontet-Canet 2016
What strikes the taster immediately is the energy these wines display, the expression of tension and intensity: they are bright and brilliant, as though freed of any constraint.
Their internal balance combines contained power, uncommon precision of fruit and undeniable class.
They seduce by their full-bodied fruit, the finesse of their mouthfeel and their natural elegance, delivering a natural emotion which enhances their seductive charm.
Pio Cesare Barolo 2016, $75
Nebbiolo from Barolo, Piedmont, Italy
Wine Maker Notes – Pio Cesare Barolo 2016
A classic style Barolo. Excellent structure, harmony, elegance. Soft tannins and balanced fruit.
Approachable, but with a very long aging potential.
Barolo is such a great wine which should not be described as a “basic” or “regular” Barolo, simply because it does not have any additional indication on the label.
Best Bottles of Wine to Give This Holiday
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte 2016, $125
Bordeaux Red Blends from Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France
Wine Maker Notes – Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte 2016
Composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot and matured in 60% new oak for 18 months.
The 2016 Smith Haut Lafitte has a very deep garnet-purple color, opening with sensuous scents of warm black cherries, blackberry pie, star anise and fragrant lilacs with hints of chocolate box, cigar box and pencil lead plus wafts of truffles and crushed rocks.
Medium to full-bodied, rich and seductive, it completely fills the palate with perfumed black berry preserves and superbly plush tannins, finishing epically long and beautifully layered.
Tenuta Guado al Tasso 2017, $139
Bordeaux Red Blends from Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy
Wine Maker Notes – Tenuta Guado al Tasso 2017
Guado al Tasso 2017 is intensely ruby red in color.
Its nose is intact, clean and powerful and has hints of small red ripe fruits such as raspberries, wild strawberries, arbutus, wild blackberries and pleasant notes of laurel and mint.
Its entry on the palate is soft, voluminous and persistent with a tannic texture that is dense and silky.
Remarkable for its extraordinary balance and equilibrium between power and grace.
This vintage can be enjoyed now but also possesses excellent aging potential for years to come.
Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2017
Bordeaux Red Blends from Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy
Wine Maker Notes – Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2017
The Ornellaia 2017 masterfully interprets what was a particularly warm and sunny year.
The intense and dark color heralds a wine of beautiful concentration; the nose, rich and complex, releases scents of ripe red fruits, accompanied by notes of sweet tobacco and vanilla.
The taste reveals an Ornellaia of great balance, a combination of firmness and pleasant freshness.
Blend: 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, 9% Cabernet Franc
Gaja Barbaresco 2016, $265
Nebbiolo from Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy
Wine Maker Notes – Gaja Barbaresco 2016
Immediately rich and complex, with racy violet, rose, black cherry and dark licorice, complemented by notes of white pepper, cloves and soft leather.
An intriguing mineral character adds to the bouquet.
Full and mouth-coating on entry and throughout the mid-palate, the wine shows layers of ripe, dark and juicy fruits, black cherry, plum and sweet blueberry.
Licorice and dark chocolate notes further enhance the complexity.
A hallmark of this wine in great vintages is the laser-perfect balance of acidity and tannin, giving freshness and incredible length to the finish.
Well-integrated oak amplifies the structure without interfering with its elegance and drinkability.
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2017, $219
Bordeaux Red Blends from Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy
Wine Maker Notes – Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2017
This wine is chiseled and sharp with blackberry, ripe cherry, grilled herb and barbecue spice.
The aromas flow from the glass in a continuous stream and are all marked by radiant intensity. The mouthfeel is long and powerful. T
he crisp linearity of the wine’s tannic backbone is perfectly measured to the volume and depth of the fruit flavors.
Blend: 85 % Cabernet Sauvignon 15 % Cabernet Franc
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