"A great structured, finely textured wine. The black tarry fruit, sweet licorice and black currant flavors all hang together well, leaving ripeness and feel of elegance." -Wine Enthusiast
]]>
Pair it with salmon or ahi, veal or pork, duck or beef, or hearty vegetarian entrees.
]]>
Enjoy this balanced wine with food or as an aperitif.]]>
The color is a deep ruby with a velvety aspect.
The nose is reminiscent of red fruit jams, with a mineral and earthy touch. A generous and powerful wine that is robust and distinguished, with its firm tannins well integrated.]]> -Wine Advocate]]> #31 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2008
"Rich, almost decadent aromas of crushed berry, meat and mole. Turns floral. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, caressing finish. A beauty. Best after 2011." -Wine Spectator
"The 2006 La Massa is 60% Sangiovese, 30% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 14 months in French oak (20% new). It is a gorgeous, fruit-driven wine with superb depth in its plums, dark cherries, herbs and sweet toasted oak. It offers terrific balance in its fruit, structure and acidity, all of which come together in a very pretty La Massa." -Wine Advocate]]>
#62 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2008
The Sangiacomo Family developed this vineyard in the mid-1990's, using budwood from the three primary red wine vineyards in the northern Rhรณne: Cornas, Hermitage and Cรณte-Rรณtie. The 12-acre parcel was divided into three blocks, and each is harvested and fermented separately. From these three components, we create a blend which seems to have characteristics from each of the appellations. The vineyard is located in what is proving to be one of the most favorable spots for Syrah in California. This is our third bottling of wine from the Old Lakeville Road vines, and each has been regarded as one of the most highly rated bottlings of California-produced Syrah from its vintage.
"Ripe and grapey, with rich, elegant spice, pepper and juicy, dusty wild berry flavors that are sleek and focused, ending with a long, persistent finish. Drink now through 2012." 93 Points -Wine Spectator
"The 2006 Syrah Old Lakeville is deep ruby/purple, offering hints of charcoal, blackberry, raspberry, and cherry notes. It has impressive ripeness and density, richness, and more tannin and structure than the Hudson Vineyard. This particular cuvee will benefit from 1-2 years of cellaring and should last for up to a decade." -Wine Advocate
"Good deep medium ruby. Briary raspberry, blackberry and chocolate on the rather liqueur-like nose. Then bright and almost shockingly energetic in the mouth for all its creaminess, with juicy flavors of dark cherry and spices. Not as complex as the Cuvee d'Honneur but I like the wine's exotic aspect. Finishes with supple, dusty tannins and very good length. This struck me as the syrah equivalent of the best of today's creamy new-wave pinots from the North Coast." -International Wine Cellar]]>
Complex nose of red currants, cedar, pencil lead, white meadow flowers, and mocha. The freshness and lift on the palate definitely represents the 2006 vintage, with red currants and mulberries supported by toffee and vanilla oak notes.]]>
Their soil is poor, mainly clay with flint over a limestone subsoil. The wines produced include a Cabernet (mostly Franc with varied amounts of Sauvignon depending on the vintage), Gamay, C๔t (aka Malbec), and Sauvignon Blanc. Roussel and Barrouillet keep yields low by maintaining old vines, using organic fertilizers in moderation and growing grass between and plowing under the rows.
Clos Roche Blanche is a model of non-interventionist winemaking. The winery has been farming organically since the 1970s, and beginning with the 1995 vintage, the winery received the official "organic agricultural" accreditation. They hand-harvest their grapes. The must is handled by gravity at all stages. The wines then age on their lees, and are bottled by gravity by hand without filtration to avoid mechanical manipulation that would unsettle it. ]]>
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The Snowboarding Challenge Of Val Dis่re The best thing about the French resort of Val d’Isère are the open powder fields – you’ll hardly find their like anywhere else. If you’re in search of a good place for snowboarding and for after-snowboarding fun, this is one of the best picks you could make (even having this entire measly planet at your disposal for making the said snowboarder’s choice).
Bear well in mind, we’re not talking about some secluded monastery of snowboarder masters, deep in the snowy mountains in the middle of nowhere – Val d’Isère has a whole bunch of clubs, restaurants, shops and whatnot where you can have good, honest, financially-draining, holiday fun.
To snowboard for fun and skill At Val d’Isère, the snowy grounds at the disposal of your snowboard are quite vast. That’s because the area a round Val d’Isère is actually only half of a larger one, called Espace Killy. Basically, that means you have no less than 300 km of fabulous snowboarding terrain. Get ready for all the spices of a good snowboarding dish: besides the open powder fields mentioned above, there are ominously steep descents and tight chutes. Should you be an innocent beginner, don’t worry, you’ve got lots of places to learn more about snowboarding and to practice it safely, lots of gentle areas and seemingly boundless groomed trails, just for you. Expert or beginner, you won’t have any logistical troubles, tough to reach snowboarding areas and the like. Even if most of these places are above the tree line, you’ll get there easily enough, thanks to the really well set out lift system. You should be quite grateful – some of those trails could only be reached by helicopter.
Advanced snowboarding with a Val d’Isère twist You’re sure of your snowboarding abilities, you’ve proven yourself time and time again or you consider it’s time to do so. Regardless, don’t miss the really fast and steep run called “the Face”; it practically falls from the summit of the Rocher de Bellevarde to the village and it’s quite extreme. For advanced snowboarders only. Same advice goes for the areas you can reach from the Manchet Express Chairlift (usually hidden from view of other chairlifts) and the Cugnai Chairlift (just a short hike and you will get to some really good powder runs). Deep powder runs are also to be found in the upper areas of Le Fornet, that is, on the Geant and Roches pistes. If these don’t turn an advanced snowboarder in an expert one, nothing can.
Goodies for intermediate snowboarders and beginners Like I said, Val d’Isère is not meant for veterans of snowboarding only. Intermediates may even have the best deal of it, because of the vastness of the groomed trails they can use (almost across all the Espace Killy). For example, from the top of the L’Oympique Cable Car on the top of Rocher
Excellent with seafood, poultry, medium-sauced pastas, as well as most cheeses. Serve slightly chilled.]]> Number 70 on the Wine.com 100 of 2007!
"What a sensational value! Made by Trevor Jones in partnership with importer Dan Philips, this is a blend averaging 46 years in age. Its light to medium ruby hue is accompanied by an extraordinary bouquet of sweet candied fruit intermixed with notions of maple syrup, earth, and hazelnuts. This gorgeous tawny delivers plenty of pleasure." --Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, October 2004.
"The unoaked 2005 Las Rocas Garnacha is sourced from low yielding vineyards ranging in age from 70-100 years. It gives up attractive aromas of kirsch, raspberries, pepper, and damp earth. This is followed by a broad, full-flavored wine with a supple texture and no hard edges. Drink this pleasure-packed wine over the next 2-3 years." -Wine Advocate
One of our most popular value wines. This Garnacha is a special project of importer Eric Solomon, who discovered these ancient high altitude Grenache vineyards (70-100 years old), and brand named the wine Las Rocas.]]>
Wine Advocate]]>
-Wine Advocate]]> -International Wine Cellar
Dense, clean and brilliant color. Magnificent fruity display (plums, fig bread combined with red fruit), medium strong balsam aromas(mentholated) which are perfectly integrated. On the palate, it is smooth and silky with mature, polished tannins and a full, pleasant finish.]]>
Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate
89 Points]]>
The youthful palate is immediately luscious with those tropical fruit, honeysuckle and stone fruit flavors balanced by fresh grapefruit and light butter tastes, before a long, persistent fruit finish. The wine shows vibrant freshness with enjoyable hints of hazelnut and slight mineral boney-ness, characteristic of Marsanne.
Given time to prove its longevity and most importantly not served over chilled, The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne should develop intense, complex nuttiness with emphasis on cashews, as well as butterscotch characters.
Drink now or cellar for 2-5 years with a large range of foods from lightly flavored, through to full flavoured poultry, veal, lamb and pork as well as desserts and cheeses. Also good as an aperitif.
"The 2007 The Hermit Crab is a blend of 58% Viognier and 42% Marsanne. It received a dollop of oak for a rounder texture. The alluring aromatics offer floral notes, candle wax, and pit fruits. Smooth-textured and ripe, the wine also has excellent depth and length. Enjoy it over the next 1-2 years. The d?Arenberg portfolio is loaded with values. The winery works with over 140 growers to fashion their superb blends." -Wine Advocate
90 Points
"Shows the aromatics of Viognier, with a drier, less silky palate, lending an exciting raw feel to the pear, apricot and spice flavors." Wine Spectator ]]>
de Bellevarde, you can turn left and go to LE Fornet, or turn right towards Tignes (be prepared for a long trip). And it’s also great to be a beginner in the art of snowboarding, while in Val d’Isère, that is: because all beginner chairlifts and draglifts are free of charge here. Among other places, you’ve got some wide and smooth slopes at the base of the Solaise Cable Car, serviced by the Village and Rogoney Chairlifts. Also, there are some excellent snowboarding schools at Val d’Isère, with instructors speaking both French and English.
Fun appetit! As fun and – if you wish it - extreme snowboarding can be at Val d’Isère, there comes that fateful hour when the sun sets, the snowboarder’s stomach growls and the snowboarder’s entertainment gland (abnormally developed, specialists say) becomes active. In other words, where can you eat well and where can you have fun in Val d’Isère? You could go to Le Canyon, if you’re up for some fancy cheese dishes (you are in France after all), like the raclette and fondue, or even some tasty duck and garlic snails. Not yet ready (gastronomically and financially) for that classy stuff? You can always check out Le Petit Danois, where you can get some universally loved pizza and pasta. If, after a full day of snowboarding, you can still stay upright on your legs and even move without aid, you should pay a visit to Dick’s Tea Bar, where, despite the innocent name, the disco starts at 10 pm and ends at 4 am. And if you’re after a simple evening out with friends, the Pacific Bar and the Saloon are just what you need – friendly atmosphere, live bands and DJs.
Your temporary snowboarder HQ in Val d’Isère You will see that there are lots of places to stay in this resort – so, no problem there. I’ll give you just two examples. The first would be the Hotel Aigle des Neiges (former Hotel Latitudes), a 4 star ski hotel, having one major advantage, besides good comfort and service – a very practical location. Good restaurant, too. As for the second example, I’ll go for the 3 star Alpina Lodge. It’s got more standard-like accommodations, but prices are lower. It’s noisier, but that also means there are plenty of parties to join. And it’s right in the middle of the village.
So, to make it short, Val d’Isère is perfect for a snowboarding or ski holiday. It will take care of your extreme winter sports needs, whether you’re a disciple or a master. And it’s a modern, gourmet-orientated, night-lively resort. Go for it!
Laurent Fabier is well known as a partner editor for Planigo, ski resorts hotel reservation service.His experience ranges from important contributions in written media to news or online travel magazines
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