As I am a relative newcomer to South Palm Beach County, I did not know where to find all of our regular stuff but my neighbor helped supply some really top shelf wines:

1 - Dom Perignon '85
2 - Dom '88
3 - Perrier-Jouet NV
4 - Roederer Cristal (and I failed to take note of the vintage)
5 - and to close off the night, a Cabernet Sauvignon from Coppola which, at 3AM, tasted rich and sweet after all the bubbly.

I will now go firmly on record that Champagne is the beverage of choice with blue cheese chicken wings and smoked salmon hors d'oeuvres, which was all that I ate before the sweets at the end of the party.

south fl store:

Crown (liquor, wine & spirits, etc) in boynton, delray, and palm have a decent collection of current vintages. They also have fantastic tastings.

Chile
 

My biggest find of 2005 was great Chilean wines... from some fine Carmeners to Merlots, Cabenets and a few wonderful Syrah's.

I sampled several vinatges of Almaviva (all wonderful); Casa Lapostolle (superb); Sena (a 97); Dominus Aurea (01) -- all good super-premiums

Concha y Toro's broad range is suprising.. from the great Don Melchor (CS); the Terrunyo range; Marques CS -- below that --> the mid to low end I'll pass on

My pick of the year for a Winery has to be MONTES. If you find Montes Folly (Syrah) or Purple Angel (Carmenere) DO NOT hesitate to buy it - what great wines !! Alpha M is good.... but the mid-rabge Alpha CS, Merlot and Syrahs are GREAT value for money

Crown on N Fed in Boca is right around the corner from us and was the first place that I tried. Not a really wide selection there but I sure will now keep an eye out for their tastings. Thanks for the headsup.

I've had better luck with Casa Lapostolle (Clos Apalta) than Sena, which I have found to be "green/grassy"

Wines
 

Rombauer Chardonnay :)

Since the New Year we've been in inventory depletion mode, to make room for new purchases. So, here's what we've been opening at home:

1996 Henriot Millesime Champagne,
NV Duval-Leroy Rose Champagne,
2000 Kistler Vine Hill Chardonnay (to celebrate buying the '03's this week),
2003 Hansel "Cahill Lane" Chardonnay,
1975 Loosen Urziger Wurzgarten Spatelese Riesling ( :cool: )
1999 Sportoletti Rosso
2000 Quilceda Creek Cabernet (again, to celebrate a new vintage being released),
1999 d'Arenberg "Dead Arm" Shiraz,
1995 Hess Collection Cab,
1996 Hess Collection Cab (bleh),
NV Bullers Muscat (dessert wine), and
NV Chambers Tokay (dessert wine)


In case you're wondering, I like raiding the wine cellar. ;)

Doing a little dinner with a few friends at a rsaturant in town where the chef who is a frind also cooks a special menu for the list I send. Do these about 4 times a year. The list this time is:

Caymus Conundrum 2003
Seresin Sauvignon Blanc 2004
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
Beaulieu Vineyard Reserve Tapestry 1996
Cain Concept 2002

Ain't wine a grand invention? :)

Mike

Besides mileage runs, good wine is one of the small pleasures of life.
So are friends. :cool:

Wondered if you would see this thread. :)

Best wine I had in a restaurant in 2005, which was just before the new year ... 1990 Banfi Brunello di Montalcino at the Osteria via Stato in Chicago. Delicious -- and my first Brunello experience. A very happy one.

A good wine at a good restaurant! And nice to have a Brunello with some years on it, huh?

In my opinion- all of Coppola's wines are outstanding. On that note- I don't know if the winery is producing this blend anymore- but if you can get your hands on a bottle of Coppola's "Claret"- any vintage- don't pass on it. It's a treat- like layered silk.

Another treasure off the beaten path- a rich Italian red- Cignale 98' Castello di Quercieto. It's phenomenal.

I recently returned from Israel with a case of different wines:
Flam Classico 2002
Amphorae Rhyton Red 2003
The Cave 2002
Petit Castel 2002
Domaine du Castel 2001
I think they are great, and more importantly, a great value. They are pretty rich, and especially the Flam and Castel are very Bordeaux-like. I'm a big fan of the boutique Israeli wines, the larger production ones aren't so great, but these are!

I'm not sure where to find them around here, but if you're in Israel you should certainly pick up a couple!

Speaking of middle eastern wines- ever tried Chateau Musar? Its a big Lebanese red wine. Some vintage years are better than others-but I have found it comparable to some of the best French Rhone wines I have ever had. If you can find it- I highly recommend trying it.

I am not familiar with the Israeli wines you brought back- but I will look for them- and will certainly try one if I can!!!!