WASHINGTON — A new year is here again, providing yet another opportunity to pledge allegiance to improving our lives and resolving to vanquish bad habits.
For me, the celebration of successfully navigating our way around the sun one more time is a chance to reminisce about some great wine-centric experiences and chart my wine route for the year ahead.
Of course, it is the same resolution I make every year. I know I’m predictable, but I like to set realistic goals and feel good about attaining my objectives.
Many studies have shown that in order to give any goal a greater chance of success, one should always state the goal in the affirmative. I have done this year in and year out, and I can tell you, it definitely works, particularly when the goal is as gratifying as mine.
Simply put, this year I will continue to drink more of the good stuff. Life is too short to drink bad wine, let alone write about it. So look out 2017: Here’s to the “good stuff.”
All last year, I extolled the virtues of wines coming out of Spain and Portugal. The 2015 Altos de Cristimil Albarino White Label Albariño from the Rias Baixas region in the northwestern part of Spain is one of the many reasons why. Clean and bright, it offers up aromas of white orchard fruit and lemon pie on the nose. The palate is clean and textured with delineated flavors of pineapple, mango and kiwi on the front of the tongue and refreshing citrus flavors on the long and mineral-laden finish. $19
There are few things in the wine-paring world that are as satisfying as pasta and Chianti. I am looking forward to enjoying the 2013 Poggio a Tufo Rompicollo, a Super Tuscan wine from Italy that is produced by the Tommasi family’s recently acquired vineyards in Pitigliano, a historic city in Maremma. Greatly influenced by the region’s coastal climate, the Poggio al Tufo vineyard yields a contemporary Super Tuscan made of 60 percent Sangiovese and 40 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. It sports a bouquet of mature red berries and a well-balanced structure with elegant flavors of rich plum, black raspberries and red licorice, supported on the backbone of soft tannins. This wine has remarkable depth and balance that would go well with hearty lasagna or pasta with meat sauce. $18
Red wines from the Rhone Valley of France are some of my favorite cold-weather wines. The 2014 Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Villages Puyméras Rouge is made from 70 percent Grenache, 20 percent Syrah and 10 percent Carignan, and is a beautiful example of a Grenache-based wine. It offers a complex bouquet of black pepper and raspberry notes, and is surprisingly approachable for such a young Rhône wine. (It still couldn’t hurt to throw it in a decanter an hour or two before serving it.) Don’t be afraid to drink these wines on the younger side, especially when they reward you with flavors of black fruit, black licorice, black pepper and rich earthiness. Notes of bramble are prominently displayed on the commanding finish. $18
While the Burgundy region of France may be considered to be the birthplace of Pinot Noir, the Willamette Valley of Oregon has been steadily producing some of the most beautiful and affordable Pinot Noir wines in America. One of the oldest and most well-respected producers of the persnickety grape is Bergstrom. The 2014 Bergström Cumberland Reserve Pinot Noir is loaded with jammy cherry and cola aromas on the pretty nose. The lush mouthfeel is full of flavors of dark cherry, ripe plum and cherry cola that seem to float over the tongue on their way to an elegant finish featuring a touch of Asian spice. $42
