Taste DRINK
BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ
PRECIOUS POURS Coveted wines well worth the splurge this holiday season
This year, spoil loved ones with the gift of good wine. Here are some of the best bottles from which to choose, sure to please even the most discerning palate.
2018 Trefethen HaLo Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Family-owned for more than five decades, this vintage is named for the third generation of Trefethens, Hailey and Lorenzo, who now helm the winery. The flagship wine of the brand boasts powerful notes of raspberry and pepper on the nose and a mesmerizing combination of plum, baking spices and tobacco on the palate. $250. www.trefethen.com. 2021 Skipstone “Oliver’s Blend” Cabernet Sauvignon Structured and deeply aromatic, this wine is named to honor the eldest son of Skipstone owner Fahri Diner. This particular vintage is especially striking, with a floral bouquet intermingled with black fruit and a palate of red berries with balanced acidity. $225. www.skipstonewines.com. CASS 2017 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon An adventurous offering that reflects winemaker Sterling Kragten’s globetrotting spirit – he has traveled to more than 40 countries – this limited offering tickles the nose with sugar plums and earthy herbs. To the taste, it bewitches with flavors of blueberry compote, chocolate ganache and toasted hazelnuts. $175. www.casswines.com. Clif 2018 Cima Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain “Cima” is Italian for “peak,” and its name speaks to the quality of this wine and to the two estate vineyards atop the iconic Howell Mountain that serve as the source for its grapes. Rich with chewy tannins, enjoy the blackberry, blueberry, cedar cigar box, and dark chocolate in every sip. $250. www.cliffamily.com. 2009 Cliff Lede Poetry Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District Poetry Vineyard reaches from the highest elevations of the Stags Leap District to the valley floor, resulting in diversity of soil found nowhere else on earth. As a result, this wine has a nose of both blueberry and slate, with kisses of rose petal. To the taste, it offers vibrant violet, cocoa and sublime baking spice. $430. www.cliffledevineyards.com. 2019 Far Niente Estate Bottled Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville Far Niente is consistently recognized as a benchmark producer of Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon, as evidenced by this dreamy selection. Elegantly structured, it opens with a perfume of espresso and black cherry before giving way to jammy blackberry and chocolate on the palate. $300. www.farniente.com. 2019 Amulet Estate Red Wine An amulet is thought to bring good fortune, and the name is not by chance, but an homage to the Napa terroir that has provided good fortune to so many vintners past and present. Refined with firm tannins, this signature proprietary red blend is dark and savory with notes of cedar, plum and tobacco. $300. www.amuletestate.com. 2013 Darius II Cabernet Sauvignon The crown jewel of the award-winning Darioush estate, Darius II is the most impressive expression of the lauded winery’s hallmarks of power, complexity and grace. This particular vintage opens with intoxicating leather and black cherry on the nose, and then provides a burst of flavors on the palate, notably blackberry pie, chocolate, cinnamon, and sage. $375. www.darioush.com.
110 So Scottsdale! December ‘23