Beyond bubbly

Wines worth a celebration

by David Marglin

UNCORKED

Click here for a rundown of wine tastings, dinners, and events.

So you're going to a New Year's party and you need to bring along a bottle of something. The easy choice, of course, would be to cough up the $30 or $60 and walk in with a nice bottle of Champagne. But that's what everyone else is going to be doing (yes, despite the industry's rumors to the contrary, there will be plenty of French bubbly to go around). Instead, why not think of this as your chance to splurge on something truly different and memorable?

It goes without saying that you'll want a wine that will blow people away -- something with striking flavors, something that will hold its own even without food. In looking for blowout wines, I did what I encourage you to do: I went to good wine stores, talked to people who work there, and told them what I was looking for. The results of my investigations follow. All these wines make quite a splash -- one you won't forget as having been the first taste of the rest of your life.

I always like zinfandel, and for big parties I like big bottles -- they scream excess. So a magnum of Ridge 1997 Geyserville is just the ticket. Jim Fitting at the Wine Cask, in Somerville, recommended this one to me, and it's a blast. Fitting also recommended an Abadia Retuerta from one of Spain's hottest wine regions, the Sardon del Duero.

Ridge 1997 Geyserville ($65 for 1.5 liters). A big, chewy zin-based blend. Blackberry fruit intertwined with chocolate and a touch of tar. A rich wine with a youthful, rough-and-tumble finish; very briary. A stunning American gem.

1996 Abadia Retuerta Sardon del Duero ($25.99). Big and bold, with loads of fruit and oak starting to subside. Plenty of grip, and a slight note of portobello mushroom on the finish. A grape-y wine from one of the world's most promising regions.

George Bardis, the wine director at Martignetti's in Cambridge, had this to say: "You want something that will stick, something that makes a statement." He suggested an Australian Rosemount Shiraz from Balmoral (the poor man's Grange -- the 1996 is delicious, and well worth the $44.95), as well as the following three wines:

1992 Chateau Grenouille Chablis ($44.95). This "shows how well a chardonnay can age," says Bardis. Huge pear and apple up front; well balanced; less minerally than many Chablis, perhaps owing to its age, but ample acid nonetheless. All chardonnays should age this gracefully. Alas, few do.

1995 Chianti Rufina Selvapiana Bucerchiale Riserva ($25.99). A monster Tuscan-style sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon blend. It has a smooth start, and it drinks large and goes down easy, with a finish that is long and strong. Lots of berry flavor trails off like an ellipsis at the end.

1997 Chateau Soucherie Coteaux du Layon Chaume ($27.99). Crisp acid, very languid, lots of apple and honey, with a nice caramel finish. Makes me want dessert wine every night. A total score at this price.

Over at Federal Wines, in downtown Boston, the gregarious trio of Lennie Rothenberg, Phil Golden, and Steve Dilks was quick to recommend a port; the three then changed their minds and decided a German eiswein would make more of an impression. They also steered me toward an incredible shiraz from Elderton.

1997 Durkheimer Hochbenn Riesling Eiswein K. Fitz-Ritter ($60). Golden says, "If you want something a little bit over the top, try this." The trio had to break in to the reserve cabinet to get to it (they had lost the key), but it was worth it. The wine is zesty and spritzy, with tinges of lemon meringue. I also detected a note of nectarine and a drop of apricot. Still young, but quite approachable. A real trip, with lots of class.

1995 Elderton Barossa Command Shiraz ($60, if you mention the Phoenix). Humongous, opulent, deep fruit; loads of wood, with an excellent fruit-tart quality. Exquisite nose, tons of flavor -- not for those with pre-existing heart conditions.

Finally, I went over to Merchants Wine and Spirits, also downtown. The exceptionally helpful proprietor was out of town, but Kevin Beck was there to pick up the slack. What I wanted, he told me, was "something truly exciting on the palate." He suggested two Burgundies, a red and a white.

1996 Beaune Les Perrières Maison Bigot and Alex Gambal ($39.95). Whoa, baby. Hold on tight, 'cause this brash and bright wine fairly bubbles over with strawberry and wild cherry. Very forward, very New World, very charming and stylish.

1995 Hospices de Beaune Pouilly-Fuissé Cuvée Francoise Ponsard ($49.99). Suave and classy. Austere, for chardonnay, with major oak that is just starting to blend in harmoniously. If you love chardonnay, you will scream for this wine, which has hints of citrus and butterscotch.

One final thought: when you're sinking serious money into a bottle of wine, remember that the story of the wine can bring almost as much enjoyment as the beverage itself. Who made the wine? Why is it interesting? Sometimes your retailer will know the story; sometimes you can find it in a wine magazine, or online, or in a book. And when people ask (and even if they don't), you'll be able to tell them why this wine, on this night, is worth celebrating.

David Marglin can be reached at wine[a]phx.com.

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