California Dessert Wines

WINE TALK
1

Hosting a Cali wine dinner and wanted a Sweet wine that I could readily obtain online,etc. Suggestions?

2

Dolce by Far Niente

3

Dolce is freaking expensive and really doesn’t deliver for the price IMHO.

Take a look at Shahpar from Darioush, Nightingale from Beringer or Violetta from Grgich.

4

+1 on all points. Well said, Tex!

5

One of the Arrowood late harvest rieslings.

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6

“Candy Core” by Core ---- Late Harvest Grenache

7

I would recommend Adam Lee’s Oley but it is sold out. I couple of other favorites were wine club or winery exclusives.

Jessup LH Zinfandel Port - pretty darn good with dark chocolate

For a lower cost alternative, Edmeades also makes a LH Zin (not Port) that is pretty solid.

For something really off of the beaten track, try a Thomas Coyne 2008 Chardonnay Port “Sweet Emilie” from Livermore Valley. At $14, it is a great value.

Monte

8

SQN

9

Anyone have thoughts on Ven Der Hayden’s late harvest Cab? I visited, and they mentioned it, but none was available to try and it’s on the order of ~$200/375 ml.

10

nightingale by beringer

had some from the mid 80’s that were absolutely stunning. These with a few years on em can be really good.

11

Try this:

http://www.sbwinery.com/winepages/riesling-late-harvest.html

12

I think Navarro makes the best late-harvest Riesling and Gewurtz in California.

13

Esp. the Cluster Select.

Another good one is the R.Mondavi Botrytised Sauv Blanc. I think the 00 is floating around at $35-40 for a 375ml.

14

If you’re going to the desert, you should bring water, not wine.

Sorry, couldn’t resist.

I like Dashe late harvest zinfandel. By itself. A nice cap on a meal.

15

+2

Also, Oro Puro by Abe Schoener

16

Did this happen within the last week? I picked one up at the winery while visiting last weekend…

17

When I visited Anderson Valley and Navarro, I tried their full lineup. I know this house has its fans, but the only thing I liked were their stickies. +3 on your Navarro stickies suggestion.
[thumbs-up.gif]

18

I’m just going by what it says on their website. It says “Sold Out At Winery.
May be Available at Select Restaurants & Wine Shops”

Unless you have the 2009 which isn’t posted as being available. If it is, they are probably a little busy at the moment and I wouldn’t take issue if they don’t have everything updated in the middle of harvest season.

Monte

19

Probably Navarro is consistently the best at botrytis Riesling/GWT. And very reasonably priced.
If you’re looking for a Sauternes-style dessert wine, choices are a bit more narrow. Dolce is
typically the most authentic Sauternes-style wine…but on the pricey side. DryCreekVnyd makes a Vin de Soleil
that’s pretty good. Anaba has a terrific botrytis Viognier at $25/hlf.
I would not suggest any of the freezer EisWeins/IceWines. They tend to be rather on the simple side
and don’t develop much w/ age.
Another good choice are Calif Passito wines, a genre that should be pursued more out there.
These are along the lines of the terrific Moscatos di Pantelleria from off Sardinia. TablasCreek has two exceptional
ones, one from Roussanne, one from Mourvedre; though pricey…maybe worth it.
And then there’s the Angelica model…like the Quady Essencia (OrangeMuscat) and Elyseium (BlackMuscat) are
probably some of the best.
Tom

20

This is it…I picked up the 2009, which they just happened to have open. Very tasty.