Purchase Tickets

Liquid Assets

By Brett Anderson

Harlan Estate 2002 ($245)
The wines from this most elite of Napa Valley estates have, in the past two decades, achieved Holy Grail status among serious collectors. Indeed, if any of the state’s producers can be said to approach divine perfection, it’s Harlan. From its exquisitely engraved label to its intense yet elegant violet nose, the 2002 vintage plays on the palate a pure, entrancing harmony of wildly rich blackberries, shadowy mocha and subtle forest-floor notes. The only flaw to be found with this faultless meritage is its availability——or lack thereof: Harlan sells only to a small, private list of restaurants and collectors, and most new clients will have to wait several years to receive an allocation.

Vérité La Joie 2002 ($150)
Located in Sonoma County, on the opposite side of the Mayacamas mountain range from Harlan Estate, Vérité (whose name means “truth”) coaxes from the soil yet another Bordeaux-style masterpiece. It is no coincidence this Cabernet Sauvignon–based blend combines California’s powerful ripeness with French sophistication and structure: The winemaker, Pierre Seillan, hails from Bordeaux, where he spent years producing wines in Lalande de Pomerol and St. Emilion. The supple yet concentrated 2002 vintage, however, more closely recalls the wines of Pauillac, featuring vivid blueberry and black fruit alongside chocolate truffle and oak.

Moraga Vineyards Red 2001 ($125)
A third West Coast take on France’s First Growths comes not from the state’s celebrated northern wine country but the unlikely environs of Bel-Air. Tom Jones, former CEO of Northrop Corporation, planted grapes on his 16 acres there in 1978, inaugurating what may be one of the most unusual (and expensive, from a cost-per-acre standpoint) wine operations in the world. Yet this wine can certainly compete with the best of Napa, Sonoma and Bordeaux. The 2001 Moraga Red blends cassis and herbs with blueberry, black cherry, cedar and cinnamon. As Jones himself notes, “I like the femininity of Margaux and the strength of La Tour. Our wine marries the two and allows us to drink the offspring.”

Sea Smoke Cellars Pinot Noir
Santa Rita Hills Ten 2003 ($70)
While blockbuster Cabernet Sauvignon–based wines cornered the acclaim of critics in the 1980s and 1990s, Santa Barbara County gradually built a reputation for outstanding Pinot Noir——a reputation that (helped along by the film Sideways) has recently reignited interest in the grape that made Burgundy the wine of kings. Grown between Buellton and Lompoc (in the Santa Rita Hills), this small-production Pinot powerhouse bursts with boysenberry and red plum. A complex, dark and gratifying pour.

Stephan Vineyards L’Aventure Estate
Cuvée Paso Robles 2003 ($75)
The Syrahs of Paso Robles continue to gain in stature, but Stephan Vineyards——founded by Stephan Asseo, an immigrant from St. Emilion——takes a somewhat more daring approach to this Rhône varietal in his Estate Cuvée, the 2003 vintage of which combines 28 percent Syrah with 66 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 6 percent Petit Verdot. The result is a complex, intense composition that layers blackberry, cassis and licorice over a delicate vanilla creaminess that lingers. The well-integrated tannins will enable this wine to go the distance in the cellar.

Marcassin Chardonnay
Sonoma Coast Three Sisters Vineyard 2001 ($75)
In the mid-1980s, Helen Turley——whose formidable winemaking talents have enhanced the wines and reputations of such prestigious producers as Bryant Family, Colgin and Peter Michael——set out with husband John Wetlaufer to produce Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on a 40-acre property they had acquired on the Sonoma Coast. Though they capture the distinctive flavor profiles of this cool region, these wines exhibit some of the lushness and concentration that characterize Turley’s Cabernet Sauvignon–based creations. This 2001 single-vineyard Chardonnay has a silky texture that provides a tactile prelude to the opulent medley of apricot, honeysuckle and toffee that regale the taste buds. An astonishingly dense white wine.

Araujo Sauvignon Blanc
Napa Valley Eisele Vineyard 2004 ($40)
The Eisele Vineyard that forms the core of the Aurajo Estate in Calistoga was planted more than 120 years ago with Riesling and zinfandel vines. Its current stewards, Daphne and Bart Araujo, began their own chapter to this storied parcel in 1990 when they renovated and replanted the property with Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc. While all of the wines from Araujo top collectors’ lists, few producers of Sauvignon Blanc anywhere can match the magical qualities of this delicate and delightfully sumptuous wine. A cloud of honeysuckle and citrus dazzles the nose, while sharp green apple and lemon cream coat the palate.

Brett Anderson is senior vice president of editorial for CurtCo Media, which publishes luxury titles including Robb Report, ShowBoats International and Worth magazines.