welcome to the fifty best wines of 2006

                 Presents

Page 3

21   Louis Jadot 2004
Champ Gain Premier Cru
(Puligny-Montrachet);  $61. 
An intense, complex wine that flows unctuously with rich white fruits, spice, vanilla, some toast and a great depth of flavor. At this stage, the toast is quite dominant, but the rich fruit is on its way up. Like many great white Burgundies, this wine needs to be opened well in advance of drinking.

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22   J. Bookwalter 2005
Riesling  (Columbia Valley);  $16. 
Continuing its string of outstanding Rieslings, J. Bookwalter once again has produced an exceptionally fragrant wine absolutely brimming with scents of sweet blossom, citrus, peach, mango and pear. The mix of fruits is marvelous; equally impressive is the racy acidity that keeps the wine poised, balanced and right on the fence between dry and sweet.

23   Treana 2003
Mer Soleil Vineyard
Viognier-Marsanne  (Central Coast);  $25. 
Treana has established this as one of the top Rhône whites in California. The '03 is an amazing wine. It displays the fresh, keen acidity of the vineyard, which grows no reds, and detonates on the palate with tremendous apricot, papaya, mango, pineapple, tangerine, peach and mineral flavors. It's basically dry, although there's a touch of botrytis honey.

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24   Domaine de Nizas 2002
(Coteaux du Languedoc);  $16. 
This is a delicious wine, full of ripe southern perfumes, layered with black figs, dark acidity and blackberry jelly. It is powerful, sweetly fruited (although the tannins keep it dry) and solidly ripe. Imported by Clos du Val Wine.

25   Benziger 2004
Shone Farm
Sauvignon Blanc  (Russian River Valley);  $27. 
No oak in this wine, but it's amazingly rich anyway. The wine is very dry, with Meyer lemon flavors boosted by a firm minerality and rich acidity. Absolutely defines the unoaked style of Sauvignon Blanc.

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26   Reilly's 2003
Old Bushvine
Grenache-Shiraz  (Clare Valley);  $17. 
It's nice to know that some Australian wineries and importers have kept a lid on prices. Reilly's 2003 Old Bushvine is a 75-25 blend that showcases Grenache's soft, caressing texture. It's full-bodied but silky, with sweetly ripe cherries matched by bold lashings of vanilla and spiced with hints of clove and cinnamon. Drink now.

27   Meerlust 2001
Rubicon
(Stellenbosch);  $30. 
From 50-year-old vines, harvested at the end of November, this wine has definite late-harvest richness and intensity of flavor. Fruit tastes are less obvious than the perfumes, the flavors of almonds and complexity, what Friedrich Rieder calls a wine with character.

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28   Weinrieder 2004
Alte Reben Grüner
Veltliner  (Niederösterreich); $24. 
From 50-year-old vines, harvested at the end of November, this wine has definite late-harvest richness and intensity of flavor. Fruit tastes are less obvious than the perfumes, the flavors of almonds and complexity, what Friedrich Rieder calls a wine with character.

29   Terra Valentine 2002
Wurtele Vineyard
Cabernet Sauvignon  (Spring Mountain);  $50. 
This single-vineyard bottling is great. It's a huge, deep wine, brilliant in black currant, green olive and cocoa flavors, yet packed in big-time mountain tannins that pretty much shut it down on the finish. If you buy a case, begin popping corks in 2008. If you have a single bottle, it should be great in ten years, if cellared properly.

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30   Etude 2002
Merlot  (Napa Valley);  $48. 
It's hard to imagine a more voluptuous wine, but it's also powerful and complex, offering up endlessly changing palate impressions. The primary flavor is ripe, juicy blackberries, while fine oak does its thing. The tannins are wonderfully soft and refined. With no Cabernet Sauvignon, and just a little Cab Franc and Petit Verdot, this wine restores my belief in Merlot as the seductive, sensual alternative to Cab.

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