Iron Horse 2003 Sonoma County Russian Cuvée Sparkling Wine $33
Sebastopol, CA
This is made from pinot noir and chardonnay grown at Iron Horse's estate vineyards in Green Valley, where the cool nights and fog allow the vines to grow enough depth of flavor in their fruit while still maintaining freshness, critical for the finesse and complexity in the sparkling wines that Iron Horse produces.
website: www.ironhorsevineyards.com
Flowers 2006 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay $44
Sonoma Coast, CA
Placed twice as the top California Chardonnay at W&S, Flowers is known for its Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, which is a blend of estate fruit with contributions from Russian River Valley and the Petaluma Gap. Its vineyards exist at elevations from 1,100 to 1,600 feet on ridge tops that once was seabed.
website: www.flowerswinery.com
Hofstatter 2005 Alto Adige Barthenau Vigna San Urbano Pinot Nero $44
South Tyrol, Italy
This wine is produced from 60-year old pinot nero (similar to pinot noir) vineyards planted in limestone and clay soils in the cool Alto Adige region of northern Italy. The 2005 vintage yielded a powerfully structured wine that will age for decades.
website: www.hofstatter.com
Ridge 2005 Santa Cruz Mountains Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon $145
Santa Cruz Mountains - Cupertino, CA
This one grows on the remnants of Pacific Ocean seabed, a limestone soil now risen to 2,600 feet at the top of Monte Bello Road in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The 2005 vintage performed well here, and made one of the best Ridge Monte Bellos ever.
website: www.ridgewine.com
Storybook Mountain 2006 Napa Valley Eastern Exposures Zinfandel $45
Calistoga, CA
This is Storybook's 5th straight Winery of the Year honor, based on the exceptional quality of its Zinfandel and Cabernet. This Zin, produced from its now certified estate vineyard, is graceful but intense - a classical Napa Valley red.
website: www.storybookwines.com
About Wine & Spirits Magazine:
Founded in 1982, Wine & Spirits Magazine is published eight times a year and read by over 200,000 members of America's wine community.
Consumers and wine professionals read the magazine for information on established and up and- coming regions and producers, the art and science of viticulture, restaurant and industry happenings, and food and wine pairing.
Leading the wine magazine category, Wine & Spirits has earned the most James Beard awards for excellence in wine writing.
website: www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com
About Joshua Greene:
Editor and Publisher of Wine & Spirits magazine since 1986, Joshua Greene first began drinking wine with meals during a summer in Galicia, Spain at age 13. Later, he worked in wine shops in western Massachusetts and spent a summer as the wine captain for Wheatleigh, a small inn in Lenox. After graduating from Princeton University in 1981, Greene pursued a career in magazines, starting in management of special-interest publications.
His involvement with Wine & Spirits began on a consulting basis, and eventually led to his purchase of the magazine in 1989. Greene has traveled extensively through the wine regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Australia and Chile, as well as all the major regions of the United States.
At Wine & Spirits, in addition to his duties as editor and publisher, Greene serves as the critic for California wines, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Portugal, Rioja, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. He also contributes feature stories and commentary in each issue of the magazine.
