The Memorable Times - September

HOPE ESTATE, Merlot Hunter Valley Australia, 2007

We found some particularly good values in Australia this year, like this wonderful Merlot, which is a real treat for the adventurous palate. Winemaker Michael Hope was a pharmacist who dreamed of refilling something more interesting than prescriptions. This year, wine lovers all over the world will be refilling their glasses with this vintage, every drop of which comes from grapes grown on the Hope estate — grapes that speak of plums and berries from within a dense, well-rounded palate of cherry, chocolate richness sparked with spicy, integrated oak characters.

IRONY, Pinot Noir Monterey County, 2006

I'm excited about several wines from California that I consider to be extreme values, like the Irony Pinot Noir. The winery is run by two brothers, Chris and Jay Indelicato, who as kids worked the family vineyard’s harvest because their parents made them do it. They grew up, went their separate ways and eventually found themselves drawn back to the vines their grandfather planted in 1924. Working side by side again, they've crafted this smooth, nicely layered Pinot Noir — with its aroma of berries galore and flavors of those berries, laced with toast and vanilla — perfect for toasting life’s unexpected twists and turns.

PARÉS BALTÀ, Cabernet-Garnacha Penedes Mas Petit Spain, 2006

This wine really takes me away to an old stone structure on a green hill overlooking the sea, not far from Barcelona. Each sip channels the spirits of three winemaking generations — and demonstrates the passion of the family members who carry on the work that began in 1790 at Pares Balta. The grapes for this vintage grow on five estates around the winery, pollinated by the family’s own bees, and cooled by the breezes off the Mediterranean. A deep red Cabernet blend bursting with black currant and black cherry fruit, a lush mid-palate, a supple finish, and a personality as unique as the place from which it springs.