Nashville Lifestyles names Mogar in their Top 20 wines for Nashville
 

Top 20 Locally Available Wines
A score of the best locally available wines
By James Hensley — December 1, 2008

Whether you’re ready or not, the holidays are upon us and there can be no doubt that the accompanying hubbub is enough to make your head spin. That said, the last thing you want to be doing right now is wading through oodles of different wines guessing which one would make a great gift, which would complete your holiday meal, or be perfect for tailgating, or make your Super Bowl party a hit. Hence, my buyer’s guide, featuring 20 of the best wines I’ve experienced over the past year.

While I’ve tasted plenty of fantastic wines this year, the wines reviewed here stood out not only for flavor but for value, as well. These wines deliver a lot of bang for your buck. More importantly, they’re wines that should be available to you around town through December and January. (While the national wine magazines are great, they often review products that aren’t available in Tennessee; the wines I list below are all available in Nashville, so your retailer should have them, or at least be able to get them for you.) Also, the wines vary in price and flavor so that you can find the wine that best fits your needs. Happy hunting! And, of course, drinking!

White Wines

Umani Ronchi “Exclamation Point” Verdicchio Del Castelli Jesi Classico 2006
Marche, Italy
$12 to $15
A brisk and acidic palate-pleaser showing citrus and almonds flavors. Clean your whistle with this little gem and then try a crab cake. You’ll be thanking me later (your welcome). An easy, simple yet delightful Italian white that’s a great change of pace from Pinot Grigio.

Four Bears Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Sonoma County, California
$14 to $17
A great Sauvignon Blanc that’s a welcome change of pace from those super grapefruit-y New Zealand offerings. Some of the wine does see some oak and it makes the tropical aspects of the grape come through while retaining the crisp citrus notes you expect. You end up with a grapefruit and pineapple nose that persists through the palate along with honeydew melon and lemon on the finish. Delicious.

Four Vines Naked Chardonnay 2007
Santa Barbara, California
$14 to $17
A very easy wine that should be appealing to a wide range of people. The “naked” part refers to the fact that it sees no oak. The wine is light straw in color with hints of tropical fruits on the nose. These follow through on the palate with a soft, creamy mouth-feel and just a hint of butter. A crowd-pleaser.

Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina Sannio DOC 2006
Monte Taburno, Italy
$18 to $22
Made from 100 percent Falanghina. It’s all hand-harvested and only the first pressing goes into this wine. It has a great nose of tropical fruits like pineapple and banana but shows crisp citrus flavors and a flinty minerality on the palate. What a thirst-quencher. Perfect with shellfish or sushi.

Chateau St. Michelle Eroica Riesling 2006
Columbia Valley, Washington
$24 to $27
Dr. Earnest Loosen has teamed up with Chateau St. Michelle to create this outstanding wine. The color is like that of thinned honey, and the nose is full of apples and herbs. The palate is full of Golden Delicious apples and honey with a hint of green apple tartness on the finish. It’s sweet enough to please the Riesling lover but not so sweet as to be unapproachable by those that like a drier-style wine. All in all, a well-made, very balanced wine.

Olabisi Chardonnay 2006
Suisun Valley, California
$35 to $40
The fruit here comes from the “Double Top Secret Vineyard,” which makes you wonder what to expect even before you take a sip. In the glass it shows a light straw color. The nose shows pineapple and toasted oak. It’s creamy on the palate with delicate apple and peach notes mingled with a touch of minerality. The finish is long and leaves you with toasted oak and apples. The acidity is there but not overbearing; overall, I’d say this is a fantastically balanced and incredibly elegant wine.

Red Wines

Leese-Fitch Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
California
$12 to $15
The best under-$15 Cabernet I’ve had in quite some time. No cork but rather Zork, a kind of rubber cap cork combination that needs no corkscrew to be opened, making it tailgate-ready. It has a dark ruby color with rich blackberry and baking spices showing on both the nose and the palate and flavors of blueberry and chocolate showing on the finish. It’s soft in the mouth and is sure to be a big hit in the months to come.

Tercos Sangiovese 2005
Mendoza, Argentina
$12 to $15
Italy and Argentina come smashing into each other in this great value wine. While you find the flavors you expect in a Sangiovese, it’s definitely a New World version of what the grape can do. Dark red with purle hints, it has a light, earthy nose of berries. It drinks very easily with cherry notes and a hint of bell pepper. Would be great with pasta in a red sauce.

Pagos De Mogar Roble 2004
Ribera Del Duero, Spain
$19 to $22
This 100 percent Tempranillo shows a lot of fruit. It’s a deep red in color with a full nose of sweet plums, is big and round in the mouth with smooth popping flavors of plum, blueberry, and some cocoa and herbs, while showing fine tannins on a medium finish.

Educated Guess Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
Napa Valley, California
$19 to $22
If you’re a fan of the fruit-forward style of Cabernet then this is just the thing for you. The winemaker explains that making a wine and buying a wine are both an educated guess, and to some extent that’s true. After all, you read wine reviews to form an educated guess, right? Well, they guessed right on this one. It’s full of blackberry on the nose and on the palate. The tannins are silky and it fills the mouth with a velvety feel. It’s very easy to drink. Fans of this style of Cabernet will be pleased, to be sure.

Reilly’s Old Bushvine Grenache 2005
Clare Valley, Australia
$20 to $24
This is unlike any Grenache I’ve had before—it’s silky and rich with cherry and blackberry, along with a hint of tart raspberry and mocha on the finish. It’s a plush, fruit-forward wine that will blow you away. With or without food, it’s a middleweight knockout.

Sebastiani Secolo 2005
Sonoma, California
$35 to $40
This is a Meritage-style blend that drinks like a much more expensive wine. It’s well-balanced with good fruit, fine tannins and a lingering acidity. That said, this wine is a cherry bomb. There’s cherry throughout the whole experience: On the nose, fresh cherries and spice; on the palate, black cherry, blackberry and walnut; and on the finish, a smokey cherry and touch of spice.

Frank Family Vineyards Zinfandel 2005
Napa Valley, California
$35 to $40
This is a Zinfandel drinker’s Zinfandel. It’s complex and bold with lots of layering and excellent balance. There are flavors of blackberry, pepper, cloves, raspberry and plums, with a finish that’s long and will leave you wanting more. Well worth the price from an outstanding winemaker. Pair with your favorite steak and relax.

Eagle Trace Latitude 38 2005
Napa Valley, California
$80 to $90
This Meritage is produced in pretty small quantities and is well worth searching out. Its full, dark ruby color is complemented by a nose of blackberry and spice. The palate shows more blackberry on the entry along with raspberry and black pepper, with mocha on the finish. The tannins are fine and the wine has a warming affect on you. A superlative wine. Really.

Krupp Brothers “The Doctor” 2005
Napa Valley, California
$80 to $90
This was my favorite wine at the Franklin Wine Festival held in October. While the entire Krupp table was out of this world, The Doctor was the star of the show. It’s a blend of Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet and Malbec. The word “rich” doesn’t begin to describe this wine. Wow! A complex nose of plums with raspberry and vanilla accentuate the black cherry, cedar, and baking spices on the palate. Complex, balanced and attention-grabbing. It’s the perfect little-known super-premium wine for the serious wine-lover on your gift list. They’ll thank you many, many times. Maybe they’ll even share.

Champagne and Sparkling Wines

Cristalino Brut Cava Non Vintage
Penedes, Spain
$10 to $13
An easy-to-find Cava, and it certainly won’t break the bank. It’s quite crisp and very dry with light citrus and stone fruit flavors. A lot of bang for the buck, here. Perfect for serving to large groups or just a few friends. Makes a great mimosa the next day, too.

Zardetto Prosseco Brut Non Vintage
Conegliano, Italy
$14 to $17
A pretty solid Prosseco. It’s dry in comparison with some of its competitors, but it’s still very approachable by those that don’t drink bubbly. It’s light and crisp, with peach and tropical notes on the nose. Look for hints of apples on the palate with a fair amount of acidity to balance the wine. Easy to drink and easy on the holiday budget.

Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Heredad Cava, Non Vintage
Torrelavit, Spain
$23 to $26
The first thing you notice about this bottle is the bottle—it has a large, stylish pewter base that helps to keep the wine cold during serving. It also features a hand-blown glass bottle and the family crest in pewter attached to the neck, all of which makes it look like it’s a lot more expensive than it is. But there’s more than good looks here. This is a delicious Cava with good fruit notes and a yeasty finish. A good bottle for the price and a super gift idea.

G.H. Mumm, Cordon Rouge Brut Non Vintage
Reims, France.
$40 to $45
Mumm has been producing this Cuvee consistently for more than 100 years, and that’s why it’s a perennial favorite for any celebration. The wine is medium-bodied with citrus notes of grapefruit on the nose and has a palate of apple with hints of caramel. Drink with lighter dishes and soft cheeses like Brie or St. Andre.

Veuve Clicquot, Yellow Label Brut Non Vintage
Reims, France.
$43 to $47
A classic mainstay of the Champagne world. Heck, I’m having a flute while I write this column. This is for the person who wants a full, rich Champagne that’s both bold and elegant at the same time. The bubbles are fine and create a cloudlike mousse that dissipates to show the golden color of the wine itself. The Yellow Label is big enough to hold up to heavy dining, so remember this one for that holiday dinner.