Disclaimer: This is not advertising material, but I do get these wines from California Wine Club's high-end Connoisseur's Series as part of our long-term business agreement. I don't have any reason to believe this relationship influences my tasting judgement, but it seems fair to mention it.
<table border="0" align="right" width="126"><tr><td><img src="http://www.wineloverspage.com/graphics1/pega1215.jpg" border="1" align="right"></td></tr></table>Clos Pegase 2001 "Hommage" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($75 retail, $69 per bottle for half or full case orders from Connoisseurs' Series)
This inky blackish-purple wine shows off Napa Cabernet in fine fashion, with characteristic aromas of blackcurrant cassis nuanced by whiffs of anise and fresh tarragon. Mouth-filling and ripe flavors focus on elegant Cabernet fruit shaped by mouth-watering acidity and silky-smooth tannins, yielding to cassis and a gentle squirt of meyer lemon in a very long finish. Lovely body and structure over silken tannins keep a hefty 14.5 percent alcohol well under control in this splendid Cabernet. Made to go with rare beef, it was fine with a pre-holiday dinner of medium-rare single-bone beef rib roast. Only 735 cases were made. To visit the winery Website, click http://www.clospegase.com. (Dec. 15, 2006)
<table border="0" align="left" width="170"><tr><td><img src="http://www.wineloverspage.com/graphics1/stem1217.jpg" border="1" align="right"></td></tr></table>Robert Stemmler 2002 "Ferguson Block" Carneros Pinot Noir ($40 retail, $36 per bottle for half or full case orders from Connoisseurs' Series)
Dark reddish-purple with a bright-garnet glint. Ripe, plummy fruit aromas add characteristic cool-climate Pinot notes of "cherry cola" and "tomato skin." Subtle earthiness develops with time in the glass. Flavors are consistent with the nose, full and ripe, showing exceptional complexity for a big New World Pinot, and oak is present but does not dominate. Good acidity builds structure, with tart black plums in a long finish. It was fine with leftover roast beef sliced onto a bold but not fiery Thai-style beef salad, and made an excellent vegetarian match with hearty red-brown "Christmas lima beans" from RanchoGordo.com. Just 488 cases of this wine were produced. Here's the winery Website: http://www.robertstemmlerwinery.com. (Dec. 17, 2006)
<B>FIND THESE WINES ONLINE:</B>
These wines are available with membership in California Wine Club's high-end Connoisseurs' Series. Call 1-800-777-4443 for information or to join, or visit
http://www.cawineclub.com/connseries