Can the Sinatra name sell wine? The Sinatra Family Estates has announced its first wine offering, Come Fly With Me, a limited-production 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.The winery partnered with the Frank Sinatra Estate and his three children (Tina, Nancy and Frank Jr.) to produce the wine. The wine is being produced from a five-acre vineyard site in Napa Valley, and only 500 cases will be bottled and are selling at a steep price of $570 for six bottles. The website says the wine has notes of cherry with hints of leather and spice and says it has a 92 rating but no indication of where that rating came from. Each vintage will be named after a Sinatra classic and the wine label features a logo of a record.

[via Limewire]

Summer may be within reach but no matter the season a great bottle of Cabernet always hits the spot. Fantesca's 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon soothes your stress away and satiates your wine desires with notes of deep earth and rich fruit. The combination of chocolate cherries, cassis and warms the soul while a hint of earth-scented spice perks up the palate. Fantesca Estate on Spring Mountain is known for its superb sun exposure and long growing season offered by the elevation and hilly terrain which makes for high quality wines with a lasting impression. With only 800 cases produced the $65 bottle is certainly worth purchasing. If you prefer to cellar it you can count on fifteen or more wonderful years of drinking pleasure.

*Disclosure: This bottle was provided as a sample*

There are plenty of wines out there with cute dogs on them but the Cru Vin Dogs area little different. If you put champion dogs on your label you've got a bit to live up to. The 2005 Best in Show Cabernet Sauvignon features a pastel pencil drawing by artist Jay P. Snellgrove of a German Shorthaired Pointer. The wine is made from the Jackson Selection of Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma's Dry Creek Valley. The original cuttings of this clone came from pre-phyloxera vines and the resulting wine is an intense spicy wine with hints of dark chocolate. 97 cases were produced and it sells for $75 a bottle.

Cru Vin Dogs pledges that a minimum of ten percent of sales revenue on all wines, art, and merchandise is split equally between Canine Companions For Independence and the Morris Animal Foundation's Cure Canine Cancer Campaign.

For years getting onto the mailing lists for Napa Valley's big fruit bomb cult Cabernet Sauvignons has been no easy feat. You practically have to sell your soul to get your paws on Screaming Eagle or some of the other wines with the limited allocation and the highest reputations. But now, as Bloomberg's Elin McCoy puts it: the recession is making room for you. Those on the lists are dumping their allocations to save money and only purchasing from a few select favorites. Even restaurants are paring back their usual bottle grabs because the clientele is staying away from the deep end of the wine list.

If you believe in the long-term value of these wines now might be the time to grab a few and cellar them. Currently those who flip their allocations aren't finding a hot market for the wine but if you can hold onto them for a few years and the name brands regain their value you might have a nice investment on your hands.

Argentina and Australia have both widened our national palates and expanded our wine vocabulary. As they have grown in prestige and density the U.S. has embraced their unique qualities and beamed with pride at the continued diversity of personal wine knowledge.

Another country home to the Southern Hemisphere is also prompting increased interest among oenophiles -- Chile. Although known for their Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet blends exports for Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Carmenere and Syrah have increased in spite of the American recession. To capitalize on consumers' continued interest in the range of wines from Chile the 'Wines of Chile' is to open a new U.S. office in NYC.

If you're unfamiliar with Chilean wines I suggest you start with the Carmenere -- typically they are full-bodied and hold a deeply colored essence plus it sounds sensual when it rolls of the tongue.

Custom wine facility Crushpad has a unique answer to the financial crisis, Bailout Wine. The wine is a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon which will sell for $39 per bottle. But what makes this wine with the bear and bull label so unique is that for every 100-point drop in the Dow Jones from the date of purchase to the projected bottling date of August 14 2009, Crushpad will knock another $2 off the bottle. If the Dow rebounds the $39 price stands. Only 500 cases of Bailout will be produced but the company could still take a hit if the Dow tumbles. For example if you bought when the Dow was at 8,800 and then on August 14, 2009 it closes at 7,300 (let's hope not) you would pay just $9 a bottle and get your $30 back. The wine will be shipped after it is bottled in Summer 2009.

[via Decanter]

I've been a fan of artist Shepard Fairey for years but he has sprung into the mainstream lately. Not only has his Obama poster been a key part of the campaign but Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art hosting the first museum survey of Shepard Fairey's street art. Now Shepard Fairey has his own wine. Kenwood Vineyards has commission a piece from Shepard Fairey for the 30th Anniversary Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon. The choice is a bit of a departure from a series that has featured artists like Van Gogh and Picasso but the 2004 vintage will showcase Fairey's "Peace Woman."

The 2004 Artist Series has a nose of black currant, Ceylon tea leaf and dark chocolate with flavors of black currant, Italian plum, cocoa and spice. it can be enjoyed now or cellared. The wine was aged in small French oak barrels for 30 months and the final Artist Series blend was assembled from the best of these barrels, with a small percentage of Malbec included for additional complexity and polish. Following bottling, it was cellared at the winery for 18 months prior to release. There were 2,146 cases were produced and it sells for $70 a bottle.

Does the name Justin Meyer ring any bells? At first I didn't recognize its significance either but as I delved more into the story behind Bonny's Vineyard I gasped with realization -- Mr. Meyer was the co-founder of the super Cab of Napa, Silver Oak! For some of you that may not be very exciting but in my household there was a time when Silver Oak was king of the wine cellar for my father. Not only has the Meyer name been attached to this mega-wine but the next generation of Meyer's has recently created a new Cabernet Sauvignon aged in only 100% new American Oak barrels which sustains a 13.19% alcohol. Named for Justin's wife, Bonny, and the vineyard purchased long ago in her name, this wine eases out of the Napa Cab mold with grace while continuing a high-quality family tradition. $135

In keeping with White Rocket Wine Company's niche of bringing new brands of high quality, affordable wines to the new generation of wine drinkers comes French Maid Wine. Each of the five varietals from the French 'Old World' Languedoc region is given a 'New World' spirit. Offering a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc, each French Maid Wine brings French terroir to the newbies of the wine world on a smaller budget of only $12 per bottle. For the connoisseur who prefers more luxury priced wines this may not be the bottle of choice but as an introduction to wine it just may fit the bill.

This week will mark the release of the 2005 edition of the Brother Timothy Mont La Salle Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. The wine benefits the Lasallian Education Fund (LEF), the West Coast Educational Foundation of the De La Salle Christian Brothers. This is the second release of this wine created to honor a grand icon of California's wine industry. The collectible wine is crafted by The Hess Collection Winery and for the first time, this wine was made from a tiny, single vineyard using the Mont La Salle Vineyard estate grapes grown at the site of the original Christian Brothers winery where Brother Timothy worked as cellar master for more than 50 years. The wine is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot and has rich cherry and plum flavors. It was aged for 18 months in French oak.

The 2005 Brother Timothy Mont La Salle Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon will release on May 15, 2008 at a reception held at Wilson Daniels Ltd. and retails for $94 per 750-mL ($194 per 1.5 liter).Approximately 100 cases were made, including a number of large-format bottles. Pre-sale orders, which will receive a 10% pre-release discount, will be taken by phone and by mail May 1 – June 15, 2008. All proceeds benefit the Lasallian Education Fund, the fundraising arm of Lasallian schools located in the District of San Francisco, which exists to serve low-income families who do not have access to a quality education. Currently, some 10,000 students in four western states are benefiting from education in the tradition of the De La Salle Christian Brothers.

Most of the time wine is presented as upscale, reserved, and elegant, but Z Gallerie went a slightly different direction with with Skull Red Wine. The label art, designed by and for Z Gallerie exclusively, is a fairly gritty looking black and white human skull. I like it, and although it is a little "dark" in mood I think it still has an interesting elegance about it -- just with an extra edge. The wine inside is a 2005 Miramonte Cabernet Sauvignon with blueberry, blackberry, and bing cherry notes along with lavender, fresh mocha, and toasted oak. $65


Via Wists

The name Mondavi still has the power to generate excitement in the wine world. The latest Mondavi release comes from Tim Mondavi. Continuum is produced by Tim and his sister Marcia, with 94-year-old patriarch Robert and his wife Margrit and continuing the Mondavi tradition of making wine producing a family affair, Tim's five children are also playing a role in the production. Tim Mondavi has some high aspirations for his wine, he told Decanter, his goal is to have to have the wine be a little like the pricey Opus One. For the first release just over 1,000 cases have been produced. The 2005 vintge is a blend of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It sells for $130 and will be released next month.

Another new entry into the rapidly growing wine-for-a-good-cause category is the Rescue Wine from Juslyn Vineyards in Napa. The owners of the winery Carolyn and Perry Butler were inspired when they visited the Four Seasons Tented Camp in Thailand, Seeing an elephant in Bangkok city traffic inspired the Butlers to create a special wine to benefit the Golden Triangle Elephant Foundation which rescues elephants abandoned in the cities and brings them back to a safe jungle environment. The Juslyn Winery's 2001 Rescue wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The wine is available as either a 1.5 liter for $225, three bottles of the 750 ml size for $250 or a three liter bottle for $495. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the wine will benefit GTAEF.

Carolyn Butler also persuaded Italian designer Cesare Casadei to create a peep-toe patent leather d'orsay pump with a black and white animal print comes with a 3.5 inch red heel. The shoes sell for $435 and there are just 60 being made.

[via Wine Spectator]

 Celebrity Cellars has brought us Madonna-themed wine in the past and now they are releasing several new varieties of celebrity wines. Kiss This is a wine dedicated to the band KISS, featuring artwork from their 1978 Destroyer album on the bottle. The wine itself is actually a 2004 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with notes of plum, cherry and cassis. 1000 bottles of Kiss This are available at $100 per bottle.

The Rolling Stones Collection features 8 different etched designs on various kinds of wine. Designs range from the Classic Tongue logo to the Spiky Tongue, which commemorates a 1994 world tour.  The available wines include everything from a nonalcoholic Unwine at $25 each to a 2004 Dry Creek Cabernet Sauvignon at $100 per bottle.