2011 gift guide: A wine for everyone on your list(3)
For: The Chardonnay lover who could use a refresher course on top quality.
The plan: Bottles that fit their worldview, but blow their minds.
The details: There's something thankless to the errand of finding the right wine for the die-hard Chardonnay fan in your life. (And yes, we know, it's just a euphemism for white wine.) So this year, blow their minds a little with real, dramatic Chardonnay. My pick would be the 2009 Hanzell Sonoma County Chardonnay ($60, 14.5%), which has that trademark Hanzell power - a subtle oak toast (it's a bit like roasted peanut) with fig, pastry cream and a nerve of acidity that gives away its potential. The 2010 Fess Parker Ashley's Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay ($35, 14.1%) gives a more immediate, but plenty gratifying, take.
For: Your favorite bubble hound with slippery fingers.
The plan: Glassware that will keep up, in any situation.
The details: You're about to witness the unheard-of - I am recommending a stemless glass. While on balance I can't stand the concept, there are moments to reconsider ... and trying to drink a decent bottle of fizz with a jelly jar or Dixie cup is a waste of good bubbles. So Govino has extended its glassware line, intended for picnics and other glass-unfriendly situations, to the fizzy realm. These BPA-free stemless flutes ($13/four-pack) actually provide a solid container for sparkling wine (or shots of Tequila, later in the evening ) and frame the wine perfectly.
For: Your impatient wine-geek friends.
The plan: A sneak peak at Germany's electric 2010 vintage.
The details: Germany had a beautiful freak of a year in 2010, with dramatically low yields but such a high combination of sugar and acidity that some vintners chose to remove acid from their galvanizing wines. (Go to sfg.ly/lh0XP5) Those are now starting to appear, especially the basic QbA wines from top houses. We'll fully review the vintage this winter, but in the meantime, the first arrivals are a carnival all their own. Consider the 2010 J.J. Prum Mosel Riesling Kabinett ($25, 8.5%, Valckenberg International), the estate wine from arguably Germany's finest property. It's still ridiculously young, but the snap and acidity are almost ungodly - so much that its peach-nectar sweetness tastes nearly dry. With celery and freesia accents, it's a gorgeous drama queen.
