3rd Annual "The List"

Drum roll please...With the thousands of wines to choose from these days, count on this list to make you and anyone you share these bottles with happy during holiday sipping.

This list of wines is the one to print off and keep close while holiday shopping...Enjoy! - TexaCali Ali

Wet your Whistle Wines…Bottles for yourself to sip before your party or while preparing a festive holiday dinner…

2005 Jo Pithon Savennières La Croix Picot: Chenin Blanc from the Mastermind of the Loire Valley, a full-bodied white brimming with tropical fruits and supported by superb minerality and acidity. $35

2006 Pellegrini Sauvignon Blanc: A Wine Spectator Best Buy, Crisp, Fresh and slightly Mineral Driven, special Sauvignon Blanc from Lake County’s Leveroni Vinyeard. $14

2006 Handley Cellars Pinot Gris: 94 pts. by Wine & Sprits Magazine, this Pinot Gris is gorgeous. Loads of apple and pear tastin’ magic. Luscious and almost honeyed…but it finishes crisp. $17

2005 Teira Zinfandel: Dry Creek Zinfandel that smells like ripe black cherry, blueberry and black currant with hints of vanilla and black pepper on the nose. On the palate, elegant flavors of ripe black cherry, currant and creamy spice are complimented with hints of dark chocolate. $16

Party Pals…Save these bottles for your Holiday Bash or as a gift for that special person who doesn’t quite know what kind of wine they especially like. Very appealing wines for just about anyone…

2006 Storrs Gewürztraminer: Gorgeous perfume of lychee fruit and rose petals. The flavor is full of Lychee nut, honeysuckle and spice with a touch of oak and an underpinning of creaminess – all complemented by a firm acidity which allows for a clean, bright finish. Slightly sweet with 1.2 % residual sugar. $16

2005 LIOCO Sonoma County Chardonnay: This wine, like all of the LIOCO vineyard designate wines, was grown from the ground up. No bulk wine/juice was used. It was hand picked and sorted, and naturally fermented in 100% stainless steel using a wild yeast. It underwent a natural malolactic fermentation, and was bottled without fining or filtration. This wine showcases the hallmark traits of Sonoma County Chardonnay with lemon blossom, chamomile, and chalk playing leading roles. $20

2005 Olivet Lane Russian River Chardonnay: A cabernet lovers Chardonnay! 90 points Wine Enthusiast: "Nice and oaky and rich, from a vineyard in the heart of the cool-climate southern part of the Russian River Valley. Acidity stars, giving zesty balance to the ripe pineapple, green apple, Key lime pie and pear flavors. New oak, to the tune of 40%, adds an opulent touch." (10/1/2007) Classic Burgundian notes of mineral, flint and wet stones evolving into hints of toasted bread crust. The mouth is rich and full-bodied with firm acidity, and the lingering finish is long and seamless. $24

2005 Tikal Patriota: 91 pts Wine & Spirits Magazine. Bonarda and malbec, Argentina's flagship red grapes, offer all their charm in this blend: The bonarda delivers juicy, ripe red fruit and a soft, lush texture; the malbec adds elegant tannins plus violet and dry red cherry notes. $24

Pinot Noir Lovers Only – a great collection from the most superior Pinot Noir growing regions on the West Coast…

2004 Lange Estate Freedom Hill Pinot Noir: A cabernet lovers Pinot Noir…this is a masculine expression of the grape with extraordinary depth. A distinct nose displays dark, brooding fruit, crushed peppercorns and sage. The palate shows ripe blackberry, blueberry, anise, tobacco and toast all balanced by a well-integrated tannins structure and elegant acidity. $62

2004 Fort Ross Vineyards RSV Pinot Noir: 92 points Wine Spectator: "Deep and complex, with wonderful earth, clay, spice and earthy berry flavors that turn more expansive, with dense, chewy currant, mineral and anise. Ends with ample tannins and a long finish. Drink now through 2012. 370 cases made." $60

2005 Handley Cellars Pinot Noir: Milla Handley mixed several Pinot Noir clones plus 1 percent Pinot Gris to attain the various characteristics she wanted in this wine, including floral perfume, fresh strawberry, dark cherry and lovely hints of earth on the nose. The palate has fresh red fruit acidity and some density with soft tannins and a lingering finish. $28

2006 Olivet Lane Russian River Valley Pinot Noir: Most famous for the role it's played in Williams-Selyem's vineyard designated pinot noirs, the Olivet lane Estate Pinot Noir exhibits those same unmistakable characteristics typified by brilliant color, silky texture, delicate mouthfeel, and upfront flavors of framboise, cherries and spice. A gorgeous pinot noir! $35

The Trophy Collection – impress your boss, your accountant, your wife and maybe even that good friend who named his dogs “Opus and Sir Silver”, most importantly save a few for your own killer wine stash…

2005 Mendel Unus: As one of Argentina’s most highly anticipated and regarded new wineries, the Mendel Unus is incredibly dark red/purple in color. Incredible dark purple color. The aromas of dark cherries, plums and roasted cocoa come leaping out of the glass. This is a big, but very suave, wine with layers of ripe cherry and berry fruits, and the cocoa and vanilla flavors simply make this wine's finish go on and on and on. There are loads of ripe, soft tannins, so this wine will certainly age beautifully for a decade or longer, but the temptation to drink it right away may be too much to resist. 91pts Wine & Spirits Magazine. $50

2003 Medlock Ames Cabernet Sauvignon: This dark and intense Cabernet shows delicious dark cherry and cassis aromas which are enhanced by chocolate, dark berry and licorice on the palate as well as an exotic spicy quality we find characteristic of their vineyard. The dark fruit core of this wine is balanced by firm structure and supple tannins that last with the finish. $50

2005 Pellegrini Cloverdale Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon: This may be the best vinetage ever produced by the Pellegrini Family…The 2005 Cloverdale Ranch Cabernet is a beautiful deep red color with purple highlights. The cooler weather in September gave us a wine with classic Cabernet aromatics and structure. Ripe black cherry and current aromas dominate the nose with chocolate, coffee and spice notes adding complexity. The vintage once again put its stamp on the wine. The structure is firm and elegant and promises a graceful evolution in bottle, a steal at $28 a bottle.

2004 Davis Family “Guyzer Block” Syrah: For this wine, Davis Family Vineyards follows the Cote Rotie tradition of fermenting the Syrah with about 2% Viognier grapes. The results are staggering. The wine shows cool-climate blackberry fruit with beefy notes all at the same time. With only 15% new aging, the pure fruit quality really comes through. The texture is pure crushed velvet while hints of white pepper on the finish keep the palate intrigue going. It's everything you love about the exotic nature of Syrah with a pretty side that you will not be able to leave alone. Won a gold medal at the 2007 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. $40

2001 Storrs BXR: The grapes for the 2001 Storrs BXR were grown in a series of plantings located in the recently-recognized San Francisco Bay appellation. Each of the classical Bordeaux varietals is represented in the blend… Merlot; Malbec; Petit Verdot; Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The various plantings are all located in Region II mezo-climates where the heat of the day allows for the formation of the cassis and black cherry notes found in the wine; while the evening coolness promotes the tobacco box and cedar hints that you will discover in the long, lingering finish. This tasty number is deep garnet with a purple edge and has a delightful nose of cassis and black cherry, with hints of cedar and cigar box. In the mouth it is very big and full-bodied with layers of cassis, ripe plum, cigar box, tobacco and notes of vanilla round the palate. This wine has backbone to spare and will age beautifully for many years to come. $58

ALL PRICES ARE APPROXIMATE AND MAY BE SLIGHTLY LOWER OR HIGHER DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU SHOP. For more information please go to www.texacaliwine.com