Friday Sips

One of Barbaresco's top-level producers who specializes in wines from the famed Rabaja vineyard, Cortese also makes fine wines from the adjacent Barbaresco village of Trifolera where the family has vines designated for their Barbera, Dolcetto and Nebbiolo wines. This particular offering comes from a splendid site that was planted in 1968.

Not a hair is out of place on this Barbera which flaunts its Barbaresco-based terroir to a "T" with enticing aromatics and stylish flavors. Strawberry and Italian plum scents permeate from the nose and follow through to a texture that is handsomely high-toned, fleshy, harmonious and silky-smooth. Nothing not to like with this one! Have it with risotto, root vegetables or pork dishes.

Well known for some serious high-end juice, Alvaro Palacios's Camins is an excellent way to have a Palacios Priorat experience for 20 bucks. It's hard to believe that we have been featuring the bold, smooth red Priorat wines from Alavaro Palacios for well over a decade now. Consistently this dude kills it with his Priorat wines and he remains one of Spain's most important figures. 2011 is the 5th vintage for the Camins and once again it soars.

60% Carinena, 30% Garnacha and a & 10% blend of Cabernet Syrah that's packed with broad plum, cinnamon, licorice and serious wind-swept garrigue, but never fear, the distinct dance of the minerality never strays far in both aroma and taste-wise. Speaking of taste, the texture goes very deep with a full presence of black licorice fruit, less tannins and backbone, this offering never veer into heaviness or thickness and is meant to be consumed in the near-term. Resounding white pepper explodes on the finish that possesses excellent persistence, this is an excellent choice for grilled pork. If you like scores, this one has 91 points from The International Wine Cellar.

The satellite of St-Émilion on the northern side known as St-Georges St-Émilion provides plenty of knockout, age-worthy Bordeaux that really go for a song. Only 8 producers are in this tiny region whose wines can compete with many underachievers from its more famous neighbor that can be twice the price. I have been experiencing this Château's wine since the 2002 vintage and the superlative 2010 definitely bowled me over.

Impressive from start to finish due to 55-60 year old vines, there is over-reaching ripeness and generosity and warmth. Plenty of St-Émilion limestone qualities on the nose along with raspberry fruit and enticing tones of espresso; authentic, flavorful and forward along with plenty of clarity, this wine provides a hell of a lot of pleasure along with deceptive backbone for aging, especially on the classically firm finish. Not undrinkable now with a good decanting, however it'll develop nicely for a decade from vintage date.

As we know and has been proven over and over for many years, John Paul is a master with pinot noir, but when you speak to him, he always waxes equally about the qualities of his chardonnays. Some of the new world's most captivating chardonnays emerge from John's cellars, we should set the record straight. First, these are not the old-style, insipid, lean and green chardonnay that Oregon was once so famous for. Secondly, they aren't the super-charged, thick and sweet style, Cameron is all about balance.

What makes the Cameron Chardonnay always a special deal is its scion material which is 90% from Abbey Ridge off of vines planted in 1980 and the other 10% being from Clos Electrique. The 2012 is chock full of lemon, papaya and pear aromas that intermingle nicely with subtle stony character and undertones of spiced cereal. Flavorful without being overblown, owning a silky smooth mouthfeel and great balance, this wine is a consistent winner that pairs beautifully with most Northwest seafood like salmon and halibut, or makes the perfect match with roasted poultry.