2006
2006
Blackbird Vineyards 2006 Illustration Proprietary Red Oak Knoll District
American Red
Black cherry leads with toffee, cocoa powder, iris and subtle leather. The palate is full-bodied and focused, bringing brambly berries, roasted meat, blackcurrant, coffee and tobacco into a rich, concentrated core. Persistent acidity keeps the texture composed, while sweet, velvety tannins carry the layered fruit and savoury detail through a long finish.
Lammershoek 2006 Roulette Red Swartland
South African Red
Warm fragrant spice, bright red fruit and fynbos appear with freshness, mouth-filling red fruit, fine tannins, minerality and a spicy, peppery finish. The blend includes Syrah, Carignan, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Viognier. Grapes are hand sorted before cold maceration and fermentation in open concrete vats. After malolactic fermentation in concrete, maturation lasts twelve months in French oak, twenty percent new, before bottling without fining or filtration.
Château Haut-Bages Libéral 2006 Pauillac
French Red
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot form a seventy-five to twenty-five percent blend. Red fruit, damson, blackberry, currant, dried flowers, toast, vanilla and spice are present. The palate is full, with fine, tight tannins, grip and a pure finish edged by marzipan. The structure is powerful. Balance and fruit are also evident. The estate is classified as a fifth growth.
Château du Cèdre 2006 GC Cahors Malbec
French Red
Dried black plum, cassis, blackberry, leather, cigar box, truffle, graphite, liquorice and earth are present. Full-bodied texture and rounded tannins accompany fresh acidity, stewed dark fruit, cocoa, tobacco, forest floor and savoury spice. A long finish is also present. The wine is made entirely from Malbec. Ripe tannins and fresh fruit sit alongside flavours from new oak, with a restrained character.
Nardi 2006 Brunello di Montalcino
Italian Red
Bright full red colour appears with plum, currant, sour cherry, dried flowers, nuts and a suggestion of white fruit. The Sangiovese is silky on the palate, with intensity and subtle sweetness. Its shape is spherical and mouth-coating. The finish is chewy and saline, while the tannins are in harmony with the fruit. This Brunello comes from Tuscany.
Black Hills 2006 Nota Bene
Canadian Red
Cabernet Sauvignon makes up forty-seven percent of the blend, with thirty-seven percent Merlot and sixteen percent Cabernet Franc. Tobacco leaf, green olive, sage, tomato leaf and menthol sit beside coffee, pepper, cassis and saddle leather. The palate is round, dry and moderately smooth, with light tannins. Smoky, meaty and savoury notes are also present. Alcohol is fourteen-point-seven percent.
Valentina Cubi 2006 Morar Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Italian Red
Intense red-garnet colour accompanies ripe fruit and spice in a full-bodied Amarone. Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella come from rocky hillsides around Fumane and San Pietro in Cariano. Grapes are selected by hand. Fermentation takes place in conical stainless-steel tanks at a controlled temperature with daily pigeage, followed by several months in wooden barrels and further bottle ageing. Alcohol is sixteen percent.
Hugh Hamilton 2006 Jekyll & Hyde Shiraz Viognier
Australian Red
Meaty and peppery notes accent raspberry and boysenberry fruit in a full-bodied red. Shiraz provides the main share of the blend, while Viognier accounts for seven percent. The wine has a lush, substantial texture, with vanilla, chocolate and coffee among its flavour details. It comes from McLaren Vale in South Australia and carries 15.5 percent alcohol.
Michele Castellani 2006 Colle Cristi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Italian Red
Kirsch and prune sit with aromatic tobacco, leather, graphite and dark-chocolate notes. The tannins are compact, and the finish is long and smoky. Cooked fruit and spice accompany a velvety texture and full body. The process begins with selected harvested grapes, followed by drying, destemming and crushing before a slow fermentation and subsequent cellar maturation.
Red Car 2006 Amour Fou Pinot Noir
American Red
Framboise, fig and crème de cassis accompany truffle, cherry blossom, vanilla wafer and cedar. The Pinot Noir has concentration, elegant balance and a sumptuous mouthfeel. This red comes from the Russian River Valley in California. Fruit, floral, truffle, vanilla and cedar details appear together, accompanied by the concentrated character, elegant balance and sumptuous mouthfeel associated with this cuvée.
Castello di Amorosa 2006 La Castellana Napa Valley Red Blend
American Red
Pipe tobacco, blackberry and smoke lead the documented nose, while raspberry gives way to blackberry on the finish. Earth, dark chocolate, oak and black licorice add depth, with clove, white pepper, cherry, cedar and anise providing further detail. The palate is described as velvety, with dark fruit. The recorded blend combines Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Merlot.
Henriot Cuvée Hemera 2006 Brut Champagne
French Wine
Even gold in colour, with a fine mousse and aromas of brioche, lemon meringue and jasmine. Pear and ripe yellow apple add fruit depth, while vanilla cream, hazelnut and oyster shell bring savoury complexity. The palate is rich but well shaped, with clear acidity and a lightly saline edge maintaining freshness. Rounded and mature, it finishes with lingering citrus, toasted nuts and sea-spray lift.
Château Doisy-Védrines 2006 Sauternes 375 mL
French Dessert
Rich and precise, with apricot, peach and candied citrus layered over honey, saffron and a clear note of botrytis. The palate is full and luscious, yet firm acidity keeps the sweetness poised and detailed. A long, golden-fruited finish suits blue cheese, foie gras, almond tart or a simple plate of ripe stone fruit.
Joseph Drouhin 2006 Musigny Grand Cru
French Red
Musky floral aromas of magnolia and exotic orchid mingle with kirsch, dark cherry, plum, brown spice and a cool mineral edge. Rich and concentrated on the palate, the wine remains finely textured, with bright acidity and polished, fine-grained tannins. Savoury depth and chalky precision drive the long, resonant finish.
Poli 2006 Grappa di Sassicaia
Italian Marc & Grappa
Elegant fruit and herbal aromas lead a finely structured profile, with polished oak bringing toast and vanilla into focus. The palate is dry, complex and composed, layering grape skin, subtle spice and savoury warmth over a firm core. Cocoa, coffee and liquorice add darker depth. The finish is persistent and refined, returning to vanilla, herbs and gently roasted notes.
Poplar Grove 2006 The Legacy
Canadian Red
Penfolds 2006 Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon
Australian Red
A deeply coloured Cabernet Sauvignon with cassis, blackberry and plum layered over liquorice, dark chocolate, cedar and tobacco. The full-bodied palate is rich and muscular, carrying black olive, coffee and clove through fine, grainy tannins. Fresh acidity keeps the concentration in balance, while the long finish shows mature savoury detail alongside persistent dark fruit. Decant carefully before serving with roast beef or lamb.
Château Montrose 2006 Saint-Estephe
French Red
Dense and still tightly wound, with red berries, currant and morello cherry set against cedar, graphite, tobacco and dark mineral notes. The palate is concentrated and firm, carrying substantial extract and tannin with a measured sweetness of fruit on the finish. Decant generously to reveal its savoury detail, then serve with braised beef, venison or roast lamb.
Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Napa Valley
American Red
Vivid and finely cut, with sweet red berries, black cherry and cassis joined by crushed rock, flowers, spice box and a savoury touch of sage. The palate is energetic rather than weighty, bringing vibrant acidity and fine tannins to a pure, concentrated core of fruit. Long, mineral and persistent on the finish, it rewards decanting and suits roast lamb or beef.
S.A. Prüm 2006 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese VDP Grosse Lage
German White
Seductive smoky stone fruit opens the nose, joined by wild herbs, mirabelle plum and star fruit. The palate is still compact and firm, with bright peach, candied sweetness and dried melon held in precise balance by lively acidity. Meadow herbs and a subtle malty note carry into a long, gently sweet and spicy finish.
Vina Alicia 2006 Cuarzo
Argentinian Red
Led by Petit Verdot with small additions of Grenache and Carignan, this is a deep, structured red with earthy black fruit, wild hedgerow and subtle woodland notes. The palate is powerful but finely balanced, with dense fruit, firm seamless tannins and a mineral freshness that keeps the wine composed. A long, measured finish and savoury complexity make it well suited to roasted or slow-braised meats.
Château Mouton Rothschild 2006 Pauillac Magnum
French Red
Focused and powerful, with blackberry, blackcurrant and dark fruit framed by graphite, cold stone, leather and spice. The palate is fleshy yet finely detailed, with fresh, carefully judged acidity, fine-grained ripe tannins and a layered, harmonious structure. Still firm and youthful, it carries its concentration into a long, precise finish; allow generous air and serve with roast beef or lamb.