Wines of the Week: June 16-22
Everyday: Sometimes all a guy (or gal) wants is a lean, clean quaffing vin. OK, that doesn’t rhyme, but the 2013 Teira Woods Vineyard Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc fills the bill regardless. The nose is more mineral than floral but alluring nonetheless with citrus notes, but the wine’s fruit flavors tend more toward the tropics. A crisp day-brightener all summer longer (or, hell, in any season), this zippy white boasts a nice persistence that only slightly delays coming back for more. Besides its patio compatibility, this wine will play nicely with chicken, salads or (of course) chicken salads. Plop on some pleasing and poignant tuneage from Patty Griffin to sip along with.
Occasion: I’m generally loath to tout wines with limited availability, but I also don’t have many experiences like my recent one with the 2006 Agharta North Coast “Exhibit B” ($68). A stone-cold delight on the night we opened it, with soft fruit early and a jolt of depth late, this Bordeaux blend (40 percent merlot, 34 cabernet franc, 22 cabernet sauvignon and 4 petit verdot) more than held its own amongst two stellar Napa cabs and a glorious Saxum. We only got through half the bottle, and I inadvertently left it out uncorked. I kicked myself (figuratively) when I discovered that, but it was the wine that provided a (physical) kick the next night. It was stunning, extraordinarily rich and structured despite 24 hours worth of oxygen. Pax Mahle, it seems, can do no wrong; buy anything of his that you can, I say. We loved this with beef tenderloin kabobs and charred Vidalia onions, but any hearty meat dish will do. Savor this gem with the stupendously sturdy work of two late great bluesmen, Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan.