FALL FOR GREAT WINES-Ideal for Celebrations Ahead

It's that time of the year again, the cozy shift when we fill our wine glasses to enjoy the autumn season, the upcoming holidays, along with all festive parties you've been looking forward to. Whether you are gathering around the dinner table and serving wine at home or bringing it along as a gift, we've rounded up eight favorites that are ideal for fall vibes. From smooth reds to sparkling whites, this is a selection that is sure to please at a nice variety of price points. The tasting notes are included so you can be knowledgeable about the selections and help you to pair the wines well. Our readers will like to know that each of these wines can be purchased locally. And check out the web sites for the producers so you can get to know their portfolios!

Marietta Cellars - Old Vine Red Lot 73 (SRP: $19) Tasting Notes: This fresh, clean Zinfandel-based red blend has clear notes of bramble and ripe berries intermingled with white pepper and potpourri. Smooth and long in the mouth, this wine is a balance of bright acid, rich center, and structured finish. Flavors of heady plum and tart strawberry are supported by cocoa and spice yielding a delicious wine with just the right mix of exuberance and restraint that begs to be opened and enjoyed.

Ponzi Vineyards - Laurelwood Chardonnay (SRP: $45) Tasting Notes: This bottle's floral nose holds notes of white lavender and jasmine mingled with aromas of nutmeg, clove, white pepper and key lime. The mouth is a collage of meringue, peach, D'anjou pear and citrus surrounding a silky sweetness that lingers with a salty, slate minerality on the finish.

Ponzi Vineyards - Laurelwood Pinot Noir 2019 (SRP: $45) Tasting Notes: This perfumed nose shows beautiful spice notes of black pepper, nutmeg and mesquite with floral aromas of lavender and dried rose petal. Ripe blueberry, raspberry and blackberry bramble mingle throughout. The mouth mimics the nose with spice notes, maple, black cherry reduction and dried sage. Chocolate nibs, malted and cinnamon frame the sweet mid palate, fresh with juicy acidity and finishing with lovely long, dusty tannins.

Iron Horse Vineyards - Wedding Cuvée (SRP: $45) Tasting Notes: This wine is Iron Horse's interpretation on Blanc de Noirs. It is an extremely expressive, fruit forward Pinot Noir with just a touch of steely Chardonnay to add a firm acid backbone. A romantic tinge of pink in the glass hints at the character of the Pinot Noir in this cuvée, and raspberry and nutmeg aromas on the nose are followed by juicy stone fruit, lively blood orange, and red berry flavors that are held seamlessly together with refined and delicate bubbles.

Champagne Bollinger - La Côte aux Enfants 2015 (SRP: $155) Tasting Notes: The distinctive terroir characteristics are clearly present and its bouquet of spicy fruits with intense aromas of elderflower, black cherry and blueberry. The fruitiness bursts forth, giving way to a rich mouth feel with liquorice and black fruit flavors, rounded out by a great tannic structure.

Dog Point Vineyard - Pinot Noir 2019 (SRP: $43) Tasting Notes: Deep ruby in color, with perfumed aromas of bright, violet red berry fruits. The fruit is supported by dried herb and characteristic brown spice notes and complex smokiness. The palate consists of a dense core of juicy fruit and bold, fine grained, ripe tannins. A fresh thread of fine acidity emerges and carries the intense flavors through the palate, finishing very long. This wine has all the markings of a long lived Marlborough pinot noir.

Domaine Chanson - Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2019 (SRP: $25) Tasting Notes: Bright red color. Scents of violet mixed with intense aromas of ripe black cherries and spices. Complex and well-structured. Very pure fruit. Deep and tight texture. Elegant tannins. Long and generous aftertaste.

E. Guigal - Côtes du Rhône Rouge 2019 (SRP: $18) Tasting Notes: Deep and dark red. On the nose intensely aromatic, with black fruits and spices. The palate is full, round and sexy. Round and smooth tannins present through the full bodied, ample wine. Overall a complete wine, with a long finish, with elegance and finesse accompanying the abundance of fruit and well-balanced tannins.

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