Wine Spectator February 28, 2019

Visit WineSpectator.com/022819 to find links to all of the following resources. FREE RESOURCES FOR ALL WINESPECTATOR.COM READERS TOP STORIES OF 2018 The most popular articles, blogs, Q&As, Tasting Highlights, videos and Unfiltered items of 2018. Find out what you missed or revisit your favorites in our News & Features section. WINE PICKS Keep on top of exciting editors’ picks with our free email newsletters. Sips & Tips features a top value Wine of the Week. The twice-monthly Collecting letter highlights collectibles and cellar-worthy wines. Our Private Guide to Dining spotlights great bottles to choose from restaurant wine lists. VALENTINE’S DAY The way to anyone’s heart is a night of great food and wine, and we’ve got just what you need: Try a recipe from one of the country’s top chefs,…

Most wine lovers are familiar with our annual Top 100. This list presents the most exciting wines of the year as chosen by our editors. Given that we reviewed more than 15,000 wines last year, it’s quite an achievement to be included. (If you want to learn more about the Top 100 of 2018, you’ll find stories, photos and videos at top100.winespectator.com.) But don’t forget: Among the 14,900 or so wines not selected for the Top 100 are many that deserve your attention for their quality and their value. In this issue, we spotlight many such overlooked stars. In fact, beginning on page 40, we present more than 1,450 of them. This list includes all the wines we reviewed in 2018 that earned 90 or more points and cost a…

Virtual Introduction I enjoyed watching the videos of the Wine Spectator 2018 contest, especially I Am Brian Benson. The video inspired me to stop by their tasting room on a recent visit to Paso Robles. [I met] Brian’s wife, Christina, and we had a pleasant chat about their wines and the video. It was our first visit to the wineries in Tin City [artisans’ marketplace] and we were quite impressed with the great wines from these independent artisans. When in the area check out these folks and buy some wine. Gerry Wojciechowski Las Vegas Consumer Frustration I believe James Laube’s column in the Nov. 15, 2018, issue (“Cult Classic”) understates consumer frustration with California Cabernet prices, particularly Napa bottlings. Like many things in California, Cabernet is out of reach for…

Tasting Report: Rhône Valley I enjoyed the well-researched and well-written articles about the Southern Rhône region (cover, Nov. 30). I was particularly impressed with Andrew Kovalev’s photography—especially his staging concepts for the people of the industry in their environments. More of his work, please! Lowell Berg  Lincoln, Neb. Retrospective: Masseto I enjoyed Bruce Sanderson’s article about Bolgheri’s Masseto (Grapevine, Nov. 30). It truly is a magical wine. When I look back and think of the bottles that I considered “epiphany wines” (wines so amazing it was as if I experienced a new level of wine tasting), what come to mind are wines from Coche-Dury, Haut-Brion, Romanée-Conti and, yes, Masseto! Masseto is one of the world’s greatest wines. Riccardo Ambrogio  Wethersfield, Conn. Winemaker Profile: Thomas Rivers Brown I enjoyed James Laube’s…

The joy of wine is that there is always something new to discover. Though there are hints of economic uncertainty around the globe as 2019 begins, the wine industry continues to expand. In the United States, wine consumption is increasing slowly but steadily. Americans drank nearly 330 million cases of wine last year, according to Impact Databank, a sister publication of Wine Spectator. Stateside palates are diversifying as well, with sparkling wine and rosé enjoying dramatic sales growth. Consumers continue to trade up, with wines priced $10 a bottle and higher enjoying stronger sales, while sales of cheaper wines declined. At Wine Spectator, editors reviewed more than 15,000 newly released wines in independent blind tastings in 2018, as well as hundreds more in barrel samplings and retrospective flights of older…

The Woolsey fire chased vintners from their homes in the Malibu Coast appellation in November, scorching vineyards and damaging more than 435 structures. “It’ll likely be a good six months before the roads into the hills can be traveled again,” said Ken Fasola, owner of Malibu Discovery wine tours and the Sip Malibu Grapes tasting room, which burned down. The fire was one of several in the state that month, exacerbated by dry conditions and high winds. At least 50 people have died in the fires. The Malibu Coast AVA is one of the state’s newer appellations, created in 2014. The area encompasses 44,590 acres within the 182,000 acres of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in Southern California. The local vintners association, the Malibu Coast Vintners and Grape…