Jane's Weekly Wines 
from the Atlanta Wine School

PRINT AND GO VERSION

December 1st, 2005 Issue
Dessert Wines

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Hardys Botrytis Semillon 2002
South Eastern Australia (Padthaway and Clare Valley)


Tasting Notes: Full-bodied sweet wine with a medium deep golden yellow color. 
Aromas focus on spicy quince-like characters with dried apricot and a hint of wet straw. 
Flavors balance lusciously sweet yellow stone fruits with lemon-lime drops. 
Brisk acidity carries the long finish to a palate-cleansing conclusion. 
Nothing icky sticky about this one. Texture is silky. Mighty fine work. 
Twelve months in old and new French oak. Residual sugar 21 g/l is balanced 
against a low ph (3.29) and good acidity (8.6 g/l). Serve moderately chilled 
(about 55 degrees) in a tall diamond-shaped glass (Riedel ice wine glass is perfect) 
or in a classic tulip-shaped white wine glass. 

Food Pairings: Creamy blue cheeses, such as Cambozola (wonderful!), not-too-aggressive 
lemony-lemon squares (DeKalb Farmers Market), ginger-lemon pound cake, cream-based 
fruit tart, simple cookie (langue de chat, madeleines) In the book, the Brown Sugar-Glazed 
Bananas with Roasted Peanuts and Lime (p. 96) is paired with a Late Harvest Semillon 
from Carmenet, but the Hardy's Botrytised Semillon should will do just as well. 
The Mascarpone Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake on p. 118 is paired with the 
Lindeman's Griffith Botrytis Late Harvest Semillon, also a nice wine to try.


Wholesaler: National Distributing Company
$15/375 ml. bottle

Where to Get: Hitting the Atlanta market in mid-December...give your retailer the 
wholesaler information so they can order for you. Cagney's Party Shop in Columbus GA 
already has ordered.

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Chambers Rosewood Vineyard Muscat NV
Rutherglen, Australia


Tasting Notes: Medium-full-bodied sweet wine with a medium brick red color, 
with golden lights. Aromas of raisins, dried yellow fruits, touch of spice. 
Silky texture, positively glides on the tongue. Flavors focus on dried red fruits, 
caramel. Alcohol at 18.5% supplies a lovely warmth. Long finish. Sweet but balanced. 
Explosive flavors. Serve moderately cool, about 60 degrees, in diamond-shaped 
ice wine glasses (such as from Riedel) or in small Port/Sherry glasses. 
Will keep once opened if re-corked and kept cold. 

Food Pairings: Rich puddings and custards, spice cake, fruit cake, dried fruits 
and toasted almonds, spiced pecans. Also works as an aperitif especially in cold 
weather with nuts. The book pairs the more expensive Chambers Special Muscat with 
Double Plum Gallettes (p. 40), biut this one might work, too.


Wholesaler: United Distributors
$16/375 ml.

Available at: Tower (Doraville), Mink's (I-75 & Delk Rd.), Pearson's (Buckhead), 
Toco Giant, The Wine Cellars (Market Village, Smyrna), Smyrna World of Beverages 
(S. Cobb Dr. n of E-W Connector), Bullock's (both), Bottoms Up (Alpharetta) 
Restaurants: Vinocity

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Olivares Dulce Monastrell 2000
Jumilla, Spain


Tasting Notes: Full bodied inky dark purple red sweet wine. Aromas of dark dried 
and fresh fruits, touch of rich fig, raisin, prune. Concentrated dark fruit flavors. 
Balanced, drinks like a Port but is lighter in alcohol. Compelling, requiring frequent 
re-sippings. Fermentation stopped by addition of less than 2% alcohol. Unfiltered. 
Monastrell in Spain is Mourvedre in France. Most vines 30-40 years old, some planted in 
1872 and are ungrafted, that is, on own rootstock. Amazing. Serve at cool room temperature, 
about 60-65 degrees, in small Port-style glasses. 

Food Pairings: Dark chocolate, dried fruits, rich cheeses, walnuts. 
The book pairs this with a Chocolate Souffle Roulade (p. 160).


Wholesaler: Quality Wine & Spirits
$26/500 ml. bottle

Available at: Pearson's (Buckhead), Whole Foods (Briarcliff); Toco Giant, 
Restaurants: BluePointe; The Dining Room, Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead 

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Errazuriz Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2004
Casablanca Valley, Chile


Tasting Notes: Medium-bodied sweet white wine; medium pale straw. Intense aromatics 
feature grapefruit and honey, blossoms, flavors focus on grapefruit, honey, touch of 
apricot with clean, crisp acidity and a very long, mouthwatering finish Intense yet light 
on the palate, not syrupy or sticky. Moderate alcohol for this genre, 11.5%. Single vineyard, 
La Escultura Estate. Potential keeper for a couple of years, but the freshness is likely 
to tilt toward a candied character. I prefer it now. Great value. 

Food Pairings: Lemon bars (not too tart), cream-filled fruit tarts; simple cookie, 
apple-based desserts (strudels, tarte tatin, vanilla custard, zabaglione on fresh fruit. 
Consider also as an aperitif wine with creamy goose liver mousse. Awesome! 
In the book, on p. 78, it's paired with an Apple Citrus Custard Tart.


Wholesaler: United Distributors
$12

Available at these retail stores: Hiram Bottle Shop (Jimmy Lee Smith Pkwy.), 
Mink's (I-75 & Delk Rd.), The Wine Cellars (Market Village, Smyrna); 
Smyrna World of Beverages (S. Cobb Dr.), Sherlock's (East Cobb), Bullock's 
(Sandy Plains) Restaurant: Fogo de Chao

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Quady Elysium 2004
California
Tasting Notes: Medium-bodied sweet wine; deep black ruby color. Intense rose-petal aromas, 
whiff of wet hay, with explosive flavors that suggest rich dark fruits ranging from 
blackberries to black currants. Silky textured, with brisk acidity. 
Serve cool to moderately chilled, about 55 degrees, in medium-bowled tulip-shaped glasses. 

Food Pairings: Perhaps the most flexible dessert wine of the lot: Dark fruit cobbler 
or clafoutis; puddings with dark fruits; cream-based fruit tarts; bleu cheeses 
(screaming awesome); milk or dark chocolate (Cadbury's fruit and nut milk chocolate). 
Book suggests the Bittersweet Chocolate Hazelnut Torte with Brandied Currants and 
Orange (p. 138), a match that sounds like wicked delicious



Wholesaler: National Distributing Company
$15/375 ml.

Available at: Dixie Beverage (Woodstock), Embry Village, Beverage Mart (US 41/Acworth), 
Whole Foods (Briarcliff, Ponce de Leon); Beverage Super Store (Suwanee), Bullock's 
(both), Bottoms Up (Seven Winds Shopping Center, Alpharetta), Tower Piedmont. 
Restaurants: Two Urban Licks; Apres Diem, Carpe Diem, Carroll St. Cafe, Horseradish Grill

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Taylor Fladgate 10-Year Tawny
Portugal

Tasting Notes: Medium-bodied medium sweet wine with a rose-tinged amber color. 
Aromas of toffee, nut brickle, toasted nuts, aromatic brown spices; flavors a bit lean, 
but focused on the spices and brown sugar character of tawny. Strong, warming alcohol, 
so it handles richness well. Moderate length. Very good value. Serve slightly cool in 
small tulip-shaped glasses. 

Food Pairings: Stilton cheese and walnuts; dried fruits; fruitcake, spice cake or cookie, 
milk chocolate (Cadbury's fruit & nut in milk chocolate awesome), fig and almond cake 
(Whole Foods), pecan pie. In the book (p. 132) it's paired with the Honeyed Fig Tart. 
A 10-year tawny also is suggested with the Caramel Macadamia Tart on p. 149, and this one 
should serve well with it.

Wholesaler: National Distributing Company
$30

Available at: Embry Village Wine & Spirits, Whole Foods (Briarcliff, Sandy Springs), 
Mink's (I-75 & Delk Rd.), Pearson's (Buckhead), Toco Giant, Divie Beverage (Woodstock), 
Sherlock's (East Cobb), Beverage Mart (U.S. 41/Acworth), 
Bullock's (both), Bottoms Up (Seven Winds Shopping Center, Alpharetta)