Monday, February 28, 2011

2002 Domaine Huet Vouvray Petillant, Brut Reserve

I love the chenin blancs that are produced by this Loire Valley chateau. Most of the Huet wines that garner the highest accolades are their still chenins which range from bone dry to very sweet. But Domaine Huet's sparkling vouvrays are jewels in their own right. This one is their top-of-the-line sparkler from a great vintage (and alas the year the great Gaston Huet passed away). This wine would give many French Champagnes, costing twice as much, some strong competition. You will not regret tucking some of this wine into your cellar. I purchased this wine directly from Sonoma Rare Wine Company in Somoma, CA. They have a web site or they can be reached directly at (707) 996-4484. The cost per bottle was $40, a very reasonable price for wine of this quality.

2008 Breggo Cellars Pinot Noir, Savoy Vineyard, Anderson Valley

Breggo Cellars is a top notch producer of pinots and chardonnays. This relatively young winery is located in a remote valley north of Sonoma County. Like the Russian River Valley AVA, Anderson Valley receives a heavy morning dose of fog off the ocean during the summer, giving pinot noirs and chardonnays an ideal climate to produce excellent quality fruit.
This wine has beautiful aromatics with notes of black cherry and damp earth. Excellent overall balance makes for a wine that is delicious to drink now but should benefit from a couple of years in your cellar. I purchased this wine from a Costco store in Tucson - I was surprised to find it there since this is a relatively low-production wine. Breggo has a user-friendly web site (breggo.com) where you can purchase most of their wines. The Costco store price was $22, which made it a fine bargain.