It’s holiday season again and I’m back with some premium gift suggestions for the wine lovers in your life.
TUSCAN GEM: The 2022 Tenute Luce “Luce della Vite” ($125) is the 30th anniversary of this pioneering Super Tuscan from Montalcino in southern Tuscany. It was the first wine in Montalcino to be produced from a blend of Sangiovese and Merlot. Expect a harmonious balance of structure and freshness with roundness and elegance, beautiful red fruits with savory and floral notes
VERONESE CLASSIC: The 2015 Pasqua “Mai Dire Mai” Amarone della Valpolicella ($130) is a single-vineyard release from the 100-year-old family-owned winery. Translated as “Never Say Never”, it is a masterful blend of 2/3 corvina with corvinone, rondinella, and oseleta. Look for a robust wine with intense cherry, depth, full structure, and vertical palate.
BORDEAUX IN TRENTINO: Tenuta San Leonardo has been making wine from vineyards with a view of Lake Garda since 1724. About 260 years later, they introduced a flagship Bordeaux-style blend similar to Super Tuscans. The deeply flavored 2020 “San Leonardo” Vignetti delle Dolomiti ($115) melds cabernet sauvignon, merlot and carmenère to yield crisp acidity, velvety elegance, and a welcome low 12.5% alcohol.
NAPA VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON, OF COURSE: Situated in Oakville, Turnbull has been producing world class Cabernets from estate owned vineyards in Calistoga and Oakville, for 40 years. Consider these two vineyard designates from the Oakville Bench on the eastern side of the Oakville appellation. The 2021 Fortuna ($145), from a historic vineyard at the base of the Oakville Bench, shows fresh red fruits, spice, herbs, fine tannins, and layers of depth. The 2021 Leopoldina ($145) from vines sitting atop the Oakville bench, impresses with succulent density of mixed berries, herbal and stone notes, delivered with a seamless texture.
From the nearby Stags Leap District, the family-owned Cliff Lede Vineyards is known for its impressive Cabernet program. Its Rhythm Vineyard, a valley floor vineyard with diverse soils, forms the backbone of that program. The single vineyard 2022 “Rhythm” ($125) bursts with juicy dark berries; toasty, chocolatey, minty elements, and balanced palate.
ALEXANDER VALLEY SPECIAL: The Setting Wines is a collection of luxury wines created by philanthropists Jeff Cova, Noah McMahon, and winemaker Jesse Katz. The limited-edition 2015 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon “Tenth Anniversary Vintage” ($165) is impressively rich and still fresh tasting of abundant red and black fruits, and notes of licorice; intense but drinks with grace.