Below are the January, 2008 Featured Wines for the Wines by Jennifer Wine Club.

 

White Wine 2005 Innocent Bystander Chardonnay Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia The 2005 vintage in the Yarra Valley was moderate through March, but then the temperature took a warmer turn, ensuring ripeness and good acid balance for those who picked at the right time. This wine is green-gold in color. It is a delicious, strongly varietal wine showing bright stone fruit and melon characteristics supported by cashew nut overtones. The palate is creamy, fresh and very satisfying, with spicy orchard and tropical fruit flavors finishing with well balanced mineral-like acidity and a hint of lemon. This wine is drinking beautifully already, so try it tonight with some smoked salmon!

Red Wine 2005 Gladium Crianza Tempranillo Bodegas Campos Reales La Mancha, Spain   DO La Mancha is the largest wine-growing region in Spain and indeed the world. La Mancha is a vast, flat natural region that encompasses a major part of the provinces of Toledo, Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Albacete. Bodegas Campos Reales boasts a total of 4000 hectares of vineyards in a moderate Mediterranean climate, where the hot summers and cold winters are the ideal climatic conditions for producing excellent quality grapes. In 1996, they built a new winery with innovative machinery and state of the art technology installed, thereby forming one of the most modern European bodegas. The wine is 100% Tempranillo. It is ruby in color, with purplish notes and a powerful berry nose. Gladium is lively and youthful, with intense berry/damson fruit. Medium-bodied and well-balanced, it finishes with hints of spice and a fine and pleasant aftertaste.

Wines by Jennifer is also proud to announce our new "Cellar Club", featuring a new wine each month suitable for long-term aging. Call the shop and ask for Jennifer for all the details on this exciting new Club, or visit our Featured Cellar Club Wine page for details on this month's selection.