Wine-stained reflections for the New Year

As the New Year dawns, and as my weary palate rests for a few days, I want to share with you some of my favorite wines (in no particular order) of the past year. Most of these little lovelies are still available in state wine shops or on the Internet. As is my practice, I’ll also recommend a menu item to go with these special wines.So here’s wishing you a happy, prosperous and wine-stained New Year!

2005 Melville Estate Pinot Noir ($30): Melville is a small producer in the Santa Rita Hills area in the cool Pacific Ocean-influenced Santa Ynez Valley. You may recall this area from the movie “Sideways” or from your own personal experience with the delicious Pinot Noirs produced here. The bright red color of the ’05 Melville may mislead those expecting a lighter-styled version of Pinot Noir. However, once you put the Pinot Noir in your mouth, you realize this is a much more complex wine that features layers of flavor. The nose is a combination of cinnamon spice with nuances of caramel and the flavors are of black cherries, spice and just a hint of earth. This wine begs for roasted pork tenderloin in a slightly sweet sauce made from dried cherries or cranberries.

2005 Tomassi Pinot Grigio Le Rosse ($14): From Northeastern Italy, this straw-colored beauty may surprise you with its supple and round flavors of ripe pear and melon. The Le Rosse single vineyard wine is produced in the normally red wine area of Valpolicella -- which may account for why its flavors are so much more intense. Unlike the majority of Pinot Grigio produced in northern Italy, this wine is a spicier, rounder version with more depth of flavor and yet still well balanced. This would be a wonderful accompaniment to linguine and mussels in a garlic and white wine sauce (use about 2 ounces of the Le Rosse).

2004 Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir ($50): What a delicious mouthful of wine! This Pinot Noir is a symphony of flavors and aromas with a nose of dark fruit, spice, vanilla and tobacco, and tastes of black cherries, blueberries, cinnamon and earth. If you wish to consume the wine now, you should definitely decant it into a carafe for at least one hour prior to drinking to allow the flavors to open up. And while the wine is approachable now, you will be rewarded if you wait a few more years before drinking it. Drink this wine with roasted filet of salmon that has been dusted with Kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, brown sugar and cayenne pepper.

2005 Altos de Luzon ($15): Until the last few years, the only Spanish wines any of us knew about were the Tempranilo-based reds of Rioja , the Cava’s (Sparkling wines) from the Penedes region and, of course, the fortified wine known as Sherry. More recently, some very good wines from previously unknown wine appellations have been making their way to our shores. The 2005 Luzon is produced in a region of southeastern Spain called Jumilla and is a blend of 50 % Monastrell (Mourvedre) and 25% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranilo. This full-bodied and rich wine has dark fruit flavors with just a hint of black pepper spice. Round and ripe, the wine also has excellent balance and would be a great match to barbecue dishes like baby back pork ribs dry-rubbed with black pepper, garlic, cumin and kosher salt.

2006 Ballantine Chenin Blanc ($17): This remarkable estate-grown Napa Valley Chenin Blanc, produced from 25-year-old vines, is a myth-breaker. Why? Well, most Chenin Blanc, especially from the famous Loire Valley region of Vouvray, is finished slightly sweet and is a lovely brunch or aperitif quaff. The ’06 Ballantine is an elegant, dry wine with citrus and mineral notes, a hint of toasty vanilla and a full-mouth feel. It is also crisp, balanced and would be a great match to sauteed cod seasoned with minced garlic, salt and black pepper and rolled in panko crumbs.

2005 Hedges CMS Red ($14): This Washington State meritage blend of almost equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with about 6% Syrah is a delicious, balanced and complex wine that is an absolute bargain. Washington wines, particularly Cabernet and Merlot, can be the equal to and, in some vintages, even exceed the wines of California and Bordeaux. The 2005 vintage was excellent and this wine reflects that quality. With a rich, mouth-coating cola and black currant flavor, this well-balanced wine is drinkable now, but will benefit from a few more years in the bottle. Serve it with roasted fillet of beef in a Bordelaise sauce. 2003 Don Tiburcio ($16): From Argentina, this wine (comprised of 50% Malbec and the balance equal parts Cabernet, Cabernet Franc and Merlot), is a rich and complex mouthful of wine with dark fruit flavors and aromas of vanilla and raisins. This baby is begging for marinated and grilled (boned and butter flied) leg of lamb.

2001 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino ($75): This is a delicious, rich, chewy wine which can be enjoyed now if it is decanted into a carafe and allowed to sit for about three hours. I tasted it a month ago and was blown away by the minty, chocolate aromas, the earthy dark fruit flavors and the silky tannins. The wine will also benefit from several years of cellaring. A great accompaniment to this Brunello would be a grilled veal chop seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, a sprig of rosemary, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2005 Cakebread Chardonnay ($40): This Napa Valley Chardonnay is the essence of power and finesse in a grape that can sometimes be abused in the winemaking process by producers who err on the side of too much oak, alcohol and richness. The 2005 Cakebread is a very balanced wine with a yeasty, creamy aroma and bold, ripe apple flavors with just a hint of vanilla from new oak. This is a wine that would shine with a dish like chicken cordon bleu or Chilean Sea Bass pan sautéed in a little butter.

2004 Earthquake Zin ($28) This Lodi District appellation Zinfandel is produced from very low-yielding old vines. Right out of the bottle, the first thing that is apparent is a sweet new oak aroma masking just about everything else. Once the oak aromas blow off, the blackberry and dark fruit flavors are surprisingly soft and approachable. This is a serious mouthful of wine and at 15.9 percent alcohol this baby needs some serious food. I’d try this with roasted Italian sausage with sweet red peppers and onions over a marinara sauced -pasta dish.