First of all let me share something with you that has left me somewhat baffled.

I often start a wine tasting by telling folks that we are really having a “wine smelling”. Our taste buds can only detect sweet, sour, bitter, salt and umami, whereas our olfactory system can identify more than 10,000 smells (derived from studies in the 1920s). The Rockefeller University, the first institution in the USA devoted solely to biomedical research, has upped this to more than one trillion! It is too complicated to go into now, but one example that they give is that the scent of a rose is made of a mix of 275 components.

Many of us have seen chef Mario Batali on television cooking shows and, back in 2001, he teamed up with TV hosts, bestselling cookbook authors and restaurateurs Lidia and Joe Bastianich, to create La Mozza. This is a 100-acre estate in Maremma, a Tuscan region near the sea. The regulations of which grapes you can use here are less restrictive, allowing winemakers great freedom of expression.

For instance, the La Mozza I Perazzi Morelino de Scansano 2014 that we sell for $17.80 is a blend of morelino (the local name for Sangiovese), syrah, alicante, colorino and cilegolo. I cannot find any reviews on the 2014, which is considered a little better year than 2013, but critic Antonio Galloni said this of the 2013: “91/100 — Gorgeous, sweet floral notes meld into a core of black cherry, hard candy, lavender, mint and sage.”

Our top wine from La Mozza is their Aragone 2009 that sells for $30.45 and it is a blend of Sangiovese, alicante, syrah and carignan. It exhibits scents of dried cherries and candied orange that may sound sweet, but the wine is actually dry with a dusty soil character and bitter chocolate tannins.

Benziger wines from California are new for us, but you may have seen them in Bermuda, as they were previously imported by another wine merchant. I would very much like to tell you about their cabernet sauvignon, but before I could even get to it I find that it has sold out, so we will start with their merlot.

The Benziger Sonoma Merlot 2013 is supple and full-bodied with a velvety texture. Rich, dark fruit and aromas of spice followed. A good value at $21.90 Benziger farm all their vineyards either sustainably, organically or biodynamically and, as the classifications progress so does the purity and strict adherence to nature-friendly stewardship of the land.

I am a fan of Californian chardonnay that is well made and a good example is the Benziger Sonoma 2013 Chardonnay. This wine is bright and clean with an excellent balance between fruit and structure. Flavours include ripe peach and pear with notes of vanilla. Barrel ageing contributes a round, satisfying mouthfeel with subtle, toasty oak notes. $19.50. We also stock the Benziger Sonoma 2013 Sauvignon Blanc and, although I very much enjoy the ever-so-popular versions from New Zealand, I do find what I consider to be the “gentle” style of those from California to be a nice change. It has bright citrus and floral aromas and in the mouth it is fresh and enduring with ample, but not overstated character. It offers subtle minerality along with notes of grapefruit and lime. It ends with an elegant softness. $20.15

This column is a paid-for advertorial for Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. Michael Robinson is Director of Wine at Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. He can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm or 295-0176. Burrows Lightbourn has stores in Hamilton (Front Street East, 295-1554), Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355) and St George’s (York Street, 297-0409). A selection of their drinks is available at www.wineonline.bm.