Earlier this month, I was invited to a special afterparty for American Wine Society Members.  Around twenty tasters brought a special bottle and told the group why they chose it, before everyone tasted it.  These are wines that cost more than my usual recommendations, but you may be looking for a nicer bottle to gift this time of year.

I brought a 2018 LaDoix “Les Gréshons” Premiere Cru from Domaine Michel Mallard. This Domaine is located in the commune of Ladoix-Serrigny, which includes part of the famous Corton hill, located in the Côte de Beaune in Burgundy. The Les Gréshons vineyard is at the top of a hill with a south facing slope. The name Gréshons comes from the French word for gravel (grève), and mineral terroir is certainly reflected in this wine. The wine is aged 15 months in 50% new oak. Aromas of white peach and dried apricot, with refreshing minerality and lemon pith on the finish. I bought this several years ago, but it can be purchased online for around $60.

Another bottle that stood out to me was a 2007 Montevetrano Colli di Salerno Rosso.  This IGT wine from Campania is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 10% Aglianico; basically a Super Campania rather than a Super Tuscan. The wine has aromas of blackberries, spice, leather, and tobacco on the nose, and full-bodied with elegant, silky tannins on the palate. A really elegant wine. Online, I found other vintages selling between $60-90 a bottle.  If you buy a vintage more recent than 2015, I would hold it a few years to let the tannins smooth out to the levels I tasted it at, or decant it for at least several hours before drinking.

Another memorable bottle was a 1998 Chateau Dauzac from the Left Bank commune of Margaux. Margaux produces some of my favorite Bordeaux, as their wines tend to be more elegant and feminine. Chateau Dauzac is a 5^th Growth Grand Cru Classé wine, according to the 1855 Bordeaux classification.  The vineyards overlook the Gironde river, and benefit from its influence of cooling in the summer and warming in the winter. This wine had the usual cassis aromas typical of Bordeaux, with ripe cherries, tobacco, leather and tar,  which carried through on the palate. This elegant wine has silky tannins and a long, complex finish, typical of Margaux. More recent vintages can be found online between $50-70, which you can buy and hold.

Wishing you all a merry holiday season, and a happy and healthy New Year, with lots of good wine to drink! Cheers!