Rippon, Central Otago, Lake Wanaka, Pinot Noir 2006 This vintage sports smoky and toasty notes in the nose. The mouth is densely packed with fruit and the ample acidity carries the flavor for a long time.

Notes on the previous vintage: Lots of brown spices and black pepper to taste with an acidic frame.

The wine was aged in oak for 16 months13% $49.99 at K&L Rippon

Sherwood Estate, Marlborough, Pinot Noir 2007 Brambles, earth and green spices mark the nose and the fruit is still in the background, waiting to come out. In the mouth though, the fruit is poignant, framed by lots of acidity. Proprietors Dayne & Jill Sherwood. P&B in Waipara 13% $14.99 at K&L Sherwood Estate Wines

ZD, Carneros, Pinot Noir 2004 The black red fruits are jammy and sweet in the nose of this wine. This is developing nicely, with complexity coming with time in the bottle yet ample fruit at this youthful stage. This wine is very concentrated and has a polished texture - very nice. The wine was aged in French oak for 10 months. Winemaker Chris Pisani. P&B in Napa 14.1% $50 at the winery ZD

Buena Vista, Carneros, Pinot Noir 2005 There is warm, sweet, stewed fruit with brown spices in the nose. The mouth is oaky, soft in texture with acidity to frame it yet it’s warm and the fruit is receding. The fruit is sourced from the winery’s Ramal Vineyard. The wine was aged in oak for 8 months, 33% of which was new French. Winemaker Jeff Stewart. P&B in Sonoma 13.5% $25 for the current release ‘06 at the winery Buena Vista

Roche, Carneros, Pinot Noir 2006 In the nose there’s cherry liqueur, earth and a sense of oxidation. The palate is quite gripping. Estate Grown, Produced and Bottled in Sonoma 14.5% $27.95 at the winery Roche Winery

Toad Hollow, Sonoma County, Eye of the Toad, Pinot Noir, Dry Rose 2007 Fresh, aromatic and fruity in the nose; plush and very fruity in the mouth. V&B in Sonoma 11.5% $7.99 at Bottle Barn Toad Hollow Cellars

Laurent-Perrier, Champagne, Demi-Sec nv The nose is sweet and toasty. The wine is moderately concentrated and mildly sweet making for an easy starter beverage at Sunday morning brunch. The grapes behind this wine are 45% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir and 15% Pinot Meunier. About 10-20% reserve wines make up the final blend and the wine spends 3 years on the lees after the secondary fermentation. Elabore in Tours-Sur-Marne 12% $34.99 at K&L Laurent-Perrier

Schramsberg, North Coast, Reserve 2001 The nose is very smoky and toasty, with a sense of freshly buttered pastry. In the mouth, the wine is reminiscent of a fresh pastry made with lemon and custard and topped with lots of lime cordial - a sweet-tart essense that is quite long. This wine is very rich, a luscious style of sparkling yet I would have to say that the J. Schram recently reviewed saw a better reception from the class. The grapes are 70% Pinot Noir and 3% Chardonnay, sourced from Marin 6%, Napa 29%, Sonoma 30% and Mendocino 35%. Complexity is achieved through 40% barrel fermentation and just over 5 years on the lees. The wine was disgorged in August ‘07 and the dosage is 11.6 grams/litre. Vintner Hugh Davies. P&B in Calistoga. 12.4% $73.49 at Bottle Barn Schramsberg

Egly-Ouriet, Champagne, Grand Cru, Rose, Brut nv Concentrated red fruits mark the nose. The mouth repeats this expression of fruit on a layer of minerality. - very young, very dense and very long - yes. The grapes are sourced from Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzenay, 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. Approximately 30% reserve wines were incorporated as well as 10% still Pinot Noir before the secondary fermenation. The wine spent 48 months on the lees and was disgorged in July of 2008. Elabore a Ambonnay 12.5% $99.99 at Bottle Barn

Gloria Ferrer, Carneros, Late Disgorged, Carneros Cuvee, Brut 1998 There is lots of perfume in the nose and the mouth is soft and a bit sweeter than other bubblies labeled as brut, a sparkler with candy-like flavors. The grapes are 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay. The base wine was created from the 1998 vintage. The wine was layed down to age in bottle after its second fermentation was completed in early 1999. After 9 years it was finally disgorged in January of ‘08 P&B in Sonoma 12% $39.99 at Bottle Barn Gloria Ferrer

Jacquesson, Champagne, Cuvee No.732, Brut The name of Jacquesson’s nv brut changes with each successive base wine, the current release being No. 732. The nose features floral notes, sweet in nature, like jasmine with a sense of candied fruits - very pretty. The mouth is very dense, with fresh and baked fruit flavors. While there is a vivid nerve of acidity, the wine is not lean but rather fills every bit of your palate and  has great length. This is a great value. The fruit is all Grand and Premier Cru from the Grande Vallee de la Marne and the Cote des Blancs. The juice is all cuvee from 39% Chardonnay, 36% Pinot Meunier and 25% Pinot Noir. The base wine is from the 2004 harvest and was fermented in casks. 21% of the final blend is from reserves; the wine was disgorged in the first quarter of 2007 and the dosage was 3.5 grams per litre. Elabore in Dizy 12% $41.99 at K&L

Champagne Jacquesson

Tarlant, Champagne, Brut Zero The nose features minerality, toast and citrus fruits. The mouth is bone dry and austere, like biting into the pith of an orange. The grapes are roughly 1/3 each of the players in Champagne, namely Chardonnay and each of the Pinots.  The base wine is mostly from 2005 with the addition of reserves. The went spent 2 years on the lees and was disgorged in March ‘08. The dosage is really zero. Elabore par Tarlant, vignerons in Oeuilly 12% $34.99 at K&L Champagne Tarlant

La Spinetta, Moscato d’Asti DOCG, Bricco Quaglia 2007 This is a personal favorite from the legend. I was blessed to meet Rivetti before the skyrocket to fame. This wine remains an affordable way to taste some of this estate’s expertise. The White Muscat is sourced from Bricco Quaglia, the first single vineyard Moscato in Italy. The RS is 120 grams/litre and the wine is estate bottled in Castagnole Lanze 5.5% $16.99 at Traverso’s La Spinetta

Domaine du Mas Blanc, Banyuls, Rimage 2006 There are Port-like notes of dried and stewed fruits topped with a nutty piece of pastry. The wine tastes of sweet black fruits and chocolate, sweet but not overly so, tasty with some bittersweet chocolate. Mis par Docteur Parce & Fils, proprietaires a Banyuls-Sur-Mer 17.6% $22.99 for a 375ml bottle at K&L Domaine du Mas Blanc

Domaine Fontanel, Rivesaltes, Ambre 1998 This golden wine smells of citrus peel and nuts. In the mouth it like eating nuts and toffee, very sweet and viscous with acidity that offsets the richness and a little warmth from the fortification - a decadent value. Grenache Blanc is the grape behind this wine and the vines are 60 years old. Mis en bouteille par Pierre & Marie-Claude Fontanel in Tautavel 16% $24.99 at K&L Domaine Fontanel

www.domainefontanel.com

Chateau La Caminade, Cahors, La Commandery 2004 There’s a slathering of new oak on this wine, showing toast, vanilla and smoke in the nose. In the mouth there is great density and balance, the tannin not dominating but rather playing a role. Give it a few years for the oak to integrate and many more for the tannins to soften. Mis en bouteille a Parnac 13.5% $18.49 at Bottle Barn Chateau La Caminade

Chateau du Cedre, Cahors, Cedre, Heritage 2004 The grapes are 90% Malbec and 10% Merlot. The nose combines the rugged side of wine-love, with horse blanket, cheese and ripe berry fruit. In the mouth the wine is quite tannic and strongly reminiscent of the horse, certainly too much so for many drinkers. This is the negociant wine from the famous estate. Eleve et mis en bouteille a Vire-sur-Lot 13% $10.99 at Bottle Barn