Good wine choices for Passover and other special occasions

Special note to those who enjoy mevushal wines at Passover. Sometimes they are difficult to locate or overcooked. Two good Cabernet Sauvignons, Segal Winery Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 88 points, and Binyamina Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve 2012, a solid 90 points, both sell around $20. More on this in March.

Tenuta di Burchino Genius Loci Sangiovese 2015 was compared to well-made Brunello di Montalcino in a WAPO article. Genius Loci consistently rates in the 88-90-point range. Often I award price points due to its $144/case or $13/bottle price tag. The '15 is a good vintage. It is 100 percent Sangiovese, started in stainless to preserve the fruit aromas then finished with both malolactic and aging accomplished in oaken barrels. Burchino produces a range of Chianti and Tuscan blends. Don't buy up to the Chianti DOCG, premium price but no quality upgrade. Their Trebbiano/Viognier blend is worth a look. Nice little white under $8. Anyhow, Genius Loci is dark ruby-colored. Sangiovese nose of black cherries and berries, a tad of tobacco provided by the oak, medium frame, proper acidity and sufficient tannic backbone supports fruit. Clean finish repeats fruit notes. A lot of wine for its price.

Tommasi Amarone Classico della Valpolicella is made of a selection of varietal grapes, partially dried and therefore usually showing raisin characteristics. The process, named appassimento, consists of drying grapes on mats for about 120 days prior to fermentation (modern processors use temperature-controlled drying rooms). Drying grapes concentrates the qualities of the juice. It also begins the acidity/tannin reaction known as polymerization. This is necessary as the matte, especially the skins, will be reapplied later to provide color, tannins, intensity and balance to the finished product. These grapes are crushed after appassimento, around this time of year, then slowly fermented 30-50 days. Read labels carefully. If Recioto is included, the wine will be much sweeter and lower alcohol; if Ripasso, the wine did two stints on the matte. It will be darker, with more alcohol and higher amounts of tannin and various other components driven by extraction. Tommasi 2013 is a dark ruby-colored wine with berries, Portobello, violets and spice aromas; it resembles a slightly herbal fruit cake on the palate. Try with dried sausages, cheeses and spicy red sauce, 91 points. The prices range around $60-$75. Due to the amount of work and process needed to produce, it's a fair QPR. Those who enjoy raisin nuances will love the wine. Recioto will go well with Charoset.

Chateaux Haut-Bailly Pessac-Leognan Bordeaux 2014 is a stone winner at roughly $80. Release of the 96-point 2015 has allowed you the opportunity to steal this lovely 94-point wine. The 2014 scored better than both the 2009 and 2010 on my card.

The area where it failed was longevity, with a window of 2019-32 compared to 2025-45 for the '15s. At my age, the choice is a no-brainer! 2014 was a difficult year in Graves. Veronique Sanders, fourth generation at estate and current director, plus Denis Dubourdieu, their consultant, managed a wonderful product. The estate is currently owned by the Wilmer family. They bought it from the Sanders in 1998 and plowed a ton of NY banker cash into the property. Sadly, Mr. Wilmers passed in December 2017. Son Robert has taken over the reins. It will be interesting to watch this change unfold.

The wine is dark claret purple with reddish rim, opens to dark berries and currants riding a minerally gravel frame that is very well balanced. The mild tannic backbone says not for extremely long cellaring. I particularly enjoyed the long, complex finish that exhibited mild tobacco and smoke notes. Speculators should pay up for the $136 2015s. I think they may be worth upwards of $700 by 2025 when their window opens. Right now, they are entering their dumb period. Please don't play in this game unless you love great wine, and have proper storage and a strong stomach. Maybe 2 percent of the time, the downside is drinking excellent, well-aged wine.

No politics this week. I'm thoroughly disgusted with all of it.