Current Wines

Her sparkling garnet trusses wrapped in a scarf of fresh linen, the fortune teller takes your ticket. Her canopied enclosure exudes aromas of Indian spices, black tea, bay leaf and sandalwood, heightening your sense of anticipation. An exotic perfume of rose petal, strawberry, rhubarb, tobacco and cinnamon swirls about as the enigmatic procrastinator, lovely and bright, leans in with determined intent. The shrieks of thrill-seekers on the boardwalk rides shake you from a trance. The seer stares deeply into your eyes, interrogating your mind like a navigator reads the stars. She knows you will be back, for her promises of affection as much as her predictions of fortune and fate.

Reflections of Ruby by the fireplace, eyes smoldering as she wraps a crushed felt purple velvet around her willowy frame. Wisps of mahogany, cassis, and sweet tobacco fill the room, a smoky incense, alluring with plummy promise, but of what? Perchance a basket brimming with red and black fruits - blackberry, raspberry, strawberries, and olallieberry - or a compote of licorice, pepper, and tar? The fire crackles, a brambly pop snaps you to attention, awakened from this hazy but edgy dream state. She was but a mirage, though the radiating coals in the hearth and the glowing cigar in your clutch is indeed quite real.

An unheralded philosopher, who always seemed to be standing at a fork in the road, once said, “This is going to be great!” We’ve no doubt that he was talking about this Syrah. In barrel for more than 36 months, the wine thinks it’s grown up & sophisticated. It might be all that, but we also know it has the temperament of a sassy teen hell-bent on pushing the cork straight off its tightly wound structure. Start with its concentrated core of cacao, spiced with pomegranate and anise oil. Sift through layers of cherry & plum compote, bay leaf & tobacco. Slightly earthy, slightly gamey – you get the picture.

A ship, Viking in provenance, glides quietly through a dark estuary, at its helm a brawny and stout navigator girded in a taut belt and dusty flaps. His cargo is filled with a memory of faraway forests and spring flowers, yet his travels have left their marks of smoke and decay, austere but rich with promise. A hardy edge of rhubarb frames a canvas of black fruits, cassis, leather and sandalwood, as a dash of cinnamon, spiced apple and black pepper buoys the ballast. Deeper yet in the manifest, a woodsy allure of smoked duck, blueberry and marjoram assures a feast of bacchanalian proportion. The mariner leans on the stern, gazes skyward and roars, “Tarry, tarry night!” If only the painter on the shore had an ear to hear, such a muse he would use to create a masterpiece.

With a red rose clasped between your teeth, you and your beloved take to the dance floor. A lively beat flows in a cascade of juicy red fruits and savory essences: strawberry, cherries, raspberry, chocolate, licorice and vanilla. You can’t control the band for a song! Back and forth, forth and back you go, beyond the glass doors the sky painted luminously after a storm, pink and red hues brushed against silver-lined clouds, the air basked in a draft of cloves and baked biscotti, warm and toasty. A dab of sweat breaks out on your cheek - this wine, this adoring partner your reward for daring to tango.

Black eyes set deeply behind rugged folds, our normally hard-boiled detective feels vulnerable as he removes his felt fedora and settles into a supple leather chair. A blaze glows in the fireplace, emitting scents of char and smoked meats. He’s not sure what to make of the dish filled with cherry cordials and black fruit leathers on the nearby table – is it a ruse to lull his senses? He is more deeply mystified by aromas of baked rhubarb, rose petals, licorice, cola and spiced jams emanating from the kitchen, decadent accompaniments to a dish of Italian sausage cooked long and slow in a viscous marinara sauce. There’s a crime afoot, for sure, though the stout chef next door could hardly be suspect. Marlowe melts in the wine’s mated morass of Sangiovese and Zinfandel, an experience whose complexities he can’t unravel from the string of circumstances that brought him to this cozy den. Far from a big sleep, this is a dream with eyes wide open, saturated in sanguine riddle.