Fess Parker White Riesling

It’s a well known fact among my circle of friends that my favorite wine varietal happens to be Riesling. When I find a GREAT Riesling, I’m particularly enthusiastic about it. I would rank Fess Parker among the best I’ve had.

This is a well-balanced Riesling that I would classify as off-dry. On the nose, I detected honeysuckle and melon. On the palate is a delightful melange of melon, peach and apricot with a finishing tang of pineapple. The alcohol content is listed as 12.5 %.

At about $14.00 a bottle, I would not classify this as an every day wine (I tend to keep everyday favorites under $10.00 a bottle), but it is a great choice for when you want something just a little special.

Pacific Peak Cabernet Sauvignon

The other night, we were in the mood to try a different red wine. By “different”, I only mean something we hadn’t tried before. We decided to open a bottle of Pacific Peak Cabernet Sauvignon. It was something we picked up in either Florida or South Carolina at a Total Wine store during one of our trips to the south.

Although this is an inexpensive red wine, it is also a rather nice, red wine. It has a spicy bouquet with the definate “heat” of alcohol and I was a little suprised that it didn’t have more that the 13.5% alcohol content listed on the label. I would describe the palate as being spicy and floral and there is a very prominent finish. At less than $10.00 for a 1.5 liter bottle, it’s affordable to be listed among “everyday” favorites and we’ve done just that.

Monthaven Coastal Syrah 2001

I was trying to decide on whether to have a cup of hot chocolate tonight or glass of wine. I have a weakness for rich, smooth, hot chocolate and my two favorites are Williams-Sonoma and Mariebelle. Both are wonderfully delicious and worthy of any chocolate lover. Speaking of chocolate…my fiance’s daughter-in-law is starting a boutique chocolate business and just posted her “Coming Soon” page for her chocolate website. She’s an extraordinarily talented, intelligent and creative woman so this venture is sure to be a huge success. Check out her site: Chicks Love Chocolate.

Anyway, I digress…it was a tough choice, but the wine won.

We were in the mood to try something new and open a bottle of Monthaven Coastal Syrah 2001. What a GREAT choice that was. On the nose I detected a pleasing balance of fruit and a little smokiness. Very nice. However, this wine is even better on the palate. It’s a fruit-forward wine (black cherries and cassis) with a hint of bacon and very smooth tannins. It also has a nice finish.

The problem is, we bought this out of state and we’ll have to look into getting more. At about $9.00 a bottle it’s one you should try.

Wine Reviews