Indholdsfortegnelse for February 28, 2019 i Wine Spectator

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,…

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…

Feds Order Joe Wagner to Change Wine Labels Vintner Joe Wagner can no longer reference specific appellations on his Oregon wine labels, according to the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which has rescinded its earlier label approval for Wagner’s Elouan Pinot Noir. At issue was whether Elouan could include references to the Willamette, Rogue and Umpqua valleys on its back label and shipping boxes, as the wine is made in a California facility. Federal labeling rules state that a wine must be produced in Oregon in order for it to display one of Oregon’s viticultural areas on the label. Wines produced in neighboring states may only use the broader Oregon designation. —Augustus Weed Drew Bledsoe Builds New Walla Walla Winery Washington native, retired New England Patriots…

There are two rules of Valentine’s Day for me. Stay in; eat chocolate. “I made a treat for you” is a lot more romantic than tapping the tip-calculating app on your phone after a long restaurant meal. And though dining out can of course be a treat, your home, and a lovingly cooked meal there, is warmer. Keep dinner simple, though, since you want to spend time together rather than schvitzing over a complicated dish. And keep the meal light so that you have room for this very special dessert. I have a bunch of cookbooks with some variation of the word “simple” in the title. They convey real sophistication through straightforward, uncomplicated recipes. One of my favorites is Simply French: Patricia Wells Presents the Cuisine of Joël Robuchon. Wells…

My one and only sojourn to South Africa is an escapade I’ll never forget. The distance alone required a degree of planning I’ve yet to surpass. Traveling from Napa to Cape Town through New York and Johannesburg took a full 36 hours, a test for even the heartiest traveler. But that was only the beginning of the adventure. My main intention in visiting the Cape was to learn about South African wine, but I found myself on so many enticing detours that wine took a back seat. I began planning for the 2015 trip a year in advance, knowing that booking a premium seat using miles might be a challenge. Luckily that turned out not to be the case, and soon I had South Africa on my calendar for the…

It might seem surprising, but I don’t taste many older wines. As a critic for Wine Spectator, I generally review wines that have just been released onto the market, mostly newer vintages. For personal consumption, I rely on a couple of local shops for interesting wines in the $15 to $25 range; they too are generally from recent vintages. I think of it as listening to the radio, scanning the dial for new music to broaden my knowledge and learn what other people are interested in. Somehow I never got around to collecting wines to age in my own cellar, which to be honest is not a perfect environment, just a cubby in the basement of my brownstone. Over time, though, I have accumulated a few dozen bottles, mostly through…

In my 20-plus years at Wine Spectator, there have been more than a few individuals who have had a strong impact on me wine-wise. Understanding the wine world means taking the long view, both backward and forward. It takes time for a vigneron to understand his or her vineyard. It takes time for changes made at a winery to show up in the wines. It takes time for wines to develop in the cellar. Collecting and processing all the experiences I’ve had takes time too. So while there are many people to acknowledge along the way, I’d have to say that Louis Barruol, owner and vigneron of Château de St.-Cosme in Gigondas in France’s Southern Rhône, is among the most impressive and impactful vignerons I’ve encountered. I met Barruol a…

I’m not the first person to find revisiting wines as they age to be a reflective experience. After all, it’s not just the wine that’s getting older; so are we. Retasting wines is a way to ruminate on the context of our life, to check in with both the wine and ourselves. It’s also fun. Over burgers and duck-fat fries at Compline in Napa, I was catching up with John and Tim Duval of John Duval Wines, who were visiting from Australia’s Barossa, when suddenly a bottle of Penfolds Grange 1990 appeared. Yes, the 1995 Wine Spectator Wine of the Year. I’m pretty sure I squealed with delight. I’ve been lucky enough to taste this wine on a few occasions, but it had been a while, and I had never…

93 Gorman Zachary’s Ladder Red Mountain 2016 $32 WASHINGTON Deeply structured yet showing plenty of finesse, offering blackberry, steely mineral and licorice flavors that build richness toward polished tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2025. 1,100 cases made.—T.F. 93 La Crema Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2016 $30 OREGON This is expressive and well-structured, with lively and layered raspberry, violet and flint notes, finishing with refined tannins. Drink now through 2024. 14,339 cases made.—T.F. 93 Lamole di Lamole Chianti Classico Blue Label 2015 $19 ITALY A dark, brooding red, this exhibits black cherry, blackberry, leather, iron and wild herb aromas and flavors. Features a core of pure fruit, surrounded by a firm structure and savory nuances. Best from 2021 through 2036. 16,000 cases made.—B.S. 92 Luigi Einaudi…

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…

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…

Marvin R. Shanken, founder and chairman of M. Shanken Communications, and editor and publisher of Wine Spectator, has been named the 2019 recipient of the Association of Magazine Media’s Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing individuals who have made long-standing contributions to the magazine media industry and society. Shanken will accept the award at the American Magazine Media Conference on Feb. 5 in New York City. “I have known Marvin for many years,” said Steve Lacy, Meredith Corporation executive chairman and MPA chairman. “His story is unique, his success is remarkable, and his contributions to the magazine media world deserve our highest honor.” “To be able to devote your life to subjects you are passionate about makes me lucky indeed,” said Shanken. “Being able to give back to worthwhile charities is a…

European Union The wines in this selection are all consistent performers, coming from familiar names in important regions: France’s Rhône Valley, Italy’s Piedmont and Spain’s Rioja. The three vintages represented here were each successful across the continent. JEAN-MICHEL GERIN St.-Joseph 2015 (93, $31) Dense, funky; black currant, warm fig paste, dark tobacco, chestnut, beef, juniper, iron G.D. VAJRA Barbera d’Alba 2016 (92, $22) Cherry, blackberry, iron, hot stone, black pepper; juicy, bracing BODEGAS VALDEMAR Rioja Inspiración Selección 2015 (92, $23) Generous, polished; ripe plum, currant, licorice, cola, smoke MARZIANO ABBONA Dogliani San Luigi 2017 (91, $18) Black cherry, blackberry, earth, tobacco; supple, harmonious BOUTINOT Cairanne Les Six 2016 (91, $20) Inviting; crushed plum, cassis, cherry preserves, anise, graphite PAOLO CONTERNO Barbera d’Asti Bricco 2016 (91, $22) Pure, concentrated, tangy; blackberry,…

There’s an ongoing debate over the appropriate use of new oak in red wines. I’ve seen the pendulum swing twice. In the heady days of the 1980s and 1990s, oak flavors became a badge of honor for winemakers; recently, producers have been reducing the influence of new oak in their wines. But for winemakers, the question is much more complex than “more” or “less.” Oak can have widely varying impacts on the structure and flavor of red wines, depending on many different factors. The source of the wood, its seasoning, the toasting of the barrel and the barrels’ size all affect the style of a wine and the way it will age. I had a chance to explore the ways oak affects wine recently during a visit to Antinori nel…

Peter Sisseck is a man of many parts. Danish by birth, he now lives in Spain. He makes wine in Ribera del Duero, Jerez and also Bordeaux. Not least, he’s a crime-fighting superhero. Sisseck, 48, is probably best known as the creator of Pingus, a Ribero del Duero red that debuted in 1995 and has become one of the icons of Spanish wine. It now sells for about $1,000 per bottle. About three years ago, Sisseck was contacted by one of his cork suppliers to alert him that a restaurant in Galicia, in northwestern Spain, had asked to buy Pingus-branded corks. He was puzzled, but shrugged it off. A bit later, a regular customer informed Sisseck he had purchased a bottle of Pingus at auction that was clearly counterfeit; it…

If a vineyard can be sexy, then Monvigliero is the hill with the most sex appeal in Barolo today. In the 10 years I have been visiting the region, the 49-acre vineyard has become the hot destination for producers to own a parcel or two. The best Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva (MGA) in Verduno, the northern outpost of the Barolo region, Monvigliero has been the focus of several recent purchases. In the past year, Luigi Einaudi, Oddero, Vietti and Voerzio Martini have all acquired coveted parcels on the Monvigliero hill. Others have been harvesting grapes there since the mid-19th century, including G.B. Burlotto, which has showcased it as a single-vineyard Barolo since 1982. What makes Monvigliero so special? Verduno is known for Barolos of elegance and finesse, and Monvigliero delivers the…

I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit to getting a little extra pep in my step when responsibility for our California Cabernet coverage was passed from my longtime colleague James Laube to me. It’s not that I was jaded with my current responsibilities—as I often say, the Rhône has my heart and Bordeaux has my respect. But the prospect of getting reacquainted with California Cabernet definitely revved my engine. Despite drinking a fair amount of California Cabernet in my earlier wine-loving years, I hadn’t really focused on the wines recently. I always liked them, even when I felt some producers had gone for a bit too much power and extraction at times. So the chance to dive back in was an opportunity I relished. On trips to Napa in July…

Napa vintner and restaurateur Frank Altamura yearns for the Napa Valley that he and his wife, Karen, grew up in, a simpler time before the area became a high-end destination. Ciccio, his relaxed, southern Italian–inspired eatery in Yountville, came about as an extension of his passion for pairing food and wine. “I’m doing what I always loved with cooking and wine, marrying flavors,” says Altamura, 63, who relies on local products for everything he serves at Ciccio. Not only are Altamura’s wines estate-grown but so are many of the ingredients he uses for the food. “If you can make a good pie, you can make a good wine. We’re not fancy, we’re not foamy, just clean, fresh ingredients,” Altamura adds. The Altamuras and their son, Giancarlo, use their remote Wooden…

Planting 180 vines of Hungary’s Furmint variety on the slopes of Mt. Etna may seem somewhat eccentric for Planeta, a historic Sicilian leader whose six estates spread across the island showcase local grape varieties and microclimates. But then you meet Patricia Tóth, the vivacious head winemaker at Planeta’s Etna outpost, and the decision-making becomes clear. “Planeta knows how to keep me calm, planting these vines,” says Tóth, 37. Every time she drinks a good bottle of Furmint, she’s reminded of the family and friends she left behind in her native Hungary when an internship at Planeta in 2005 drew her to winemaking on Italy’s largest island. “I think about it sometimes [going to work in a winery in Hungary], but I’m a person who lives in the present, not the…

One of California’s most stunning and challenging winemaking realms is the rugged Sonoma Coast. But first there’s the matter of definition. The Sonoma Coast is a huge appellation; at 750 square miles, it covers half the land area of Sonoma County itself. It sprawls over vastly different terroirs, from the warm interior vineyards of Sonoma Valley to the windswept headlands of the Pacific Coast, a conglom-eration that makes little sense taken as a whole. In my opinion, the true Sonoma Coast lies in the far western reaches of the county, where the climate is ideal for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It’s a fine balance at the edge of the continent to realize high quality: The frigid waters of the Pacific generate breezes that transport fog inland during summer and result…

In late July, I visited Samantha Rudd at Rudd Oakville Estate in Oakville, Calif., just a few months after her father, founder Leslie Rudd, had died. I’m always fascinated by new generations taking over family wineries, but this visit was unusually inspirational. It had been a few years since I had visited the estate, but the red soils and beautiful walls that line the property—made from stones excavated there—were just as I remembered. There was also an army of thousands of sunflowers in a patch of vineyard that’s undergoing replanting. I later learned that they are the state flower of Kansas, a sweet tribute to Leslie and his home state. Managing director Oscar Henquet and winemaker Frederick Ammons showed me around, and we discussed their switch to biodynamic farming and…

Declared Port vintages don’t come around very often. There are typically just three every 10 years. With 2016, in which most producers made a declaration, consumers have a rare opportunity to load up on classic-scoring Ports. The resulting wines are prototypical versions, with intense ripeness, albeit at a cost, as production was down significantly due to lower yields. All of the nearly three dozen 2016 Vintage Ports I have reviewed in blind tastings at our New York office this year earned ratings of 90 points or higher on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale, including 16 wines in the classic range of 95-plus. This level of consistent quality is impressive, though not altogether surprising given that general declarations occur only in top vintages. In addition, consolidation in the industry has reduced…

This Buying Guide contains ratings of new releases from around the world. Complete tasting notes are provided for new releases scoring 85 or more points (on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale, explained below); notes for wines scoring 84 points or less are included at the discretion of the taster. Hundreds of additional reviews appear each month on our website, www.winespectator.com. Each review carries the initials of the Wine Spectator editor who blind-tasted and scored the wine and wrote the review, based on the regional specializations indicated below. James Laube CaliforniaHarvey Steiman At largeThomas Matthews SpainKim Marcus California Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir, Argentina, ChileBruce Sanderson Burgundy, Piedmont, TuscanyJames Molesworth California Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Rhône Valley, Loire Valley, Port, South AfricaMaryAnn Worobiec California Sauvignon Blanc and other whites, Australia, New ZealandAlison…

89 Viña Doña Paula Black Edition Luján de Cuyo 2017 $15 ARGENTINA Firm and focused, with notes of graphite to the dark currant and plum tart flavors. Slate and white pepper hints come in on the taut finish, with some green herbal edges. Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2022. 20,000 cases made.—K.M. 88 Bodegas Breca Garnacha Spainde Fuego 2017 $10 SPAIN This bold red delivers ripe plum and blackberry flavors wrapped in cola, toast and spice notes. Features a thick texture, backed by light, firm tannins and lively acidity. Rich and fruity, yet stays balanced. Drink now through 2024. 30,000 cases made.—T.M. 88 Pacific Rim Riesling Columbia Valley J 2017 $10 WASHINGTON Supple and soft, with fresh and delicately sweet star fruit and spice flavors. Drink…

Bordeaux 90 Château Guiraud Bordeaux White Le G 2017 $20 Plump and friendly, with tangerine, peach and nectarine notes forming the core. The rounded finish has a flattering hint, along with a thread of quinine that keeps this honest. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Drink now through 2020. 12,500 cases made.—J.M. 88 Château des Antonins Bordeaux White 2017 $14 This is very energetic, with crunchy acidity driving the grapefruit zest, white peach and thyme notes along. The bright and bony finish leaves a mouthwatering feel. Begs for oysters. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Drink now. 2,000 cases made.—J.M. 88 Château Argadens Bordeaux White 2017 $15 Very lively, with zippy lemon, white peach and gooseberry fruit flavors, laced with thyme and fleur de sel notes. Offers a lemon zest dusting on the finish.…

SOUTH AFRICA 94 Rust en Vrede 1694 Classification Stellenbosch 2015 $140 Displays a broad and deep combination of currant, raspberry and blackberry paste flavors, offset by commensurate graphite-edged structure, enabling this to cruise with cut and drive through the finish. Light savory and iron flecks throughout add detail and energy. Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2020 through 2030. 461 cases made.—J.M. 92 De Morgenzon Chardonnay Stellenbosch Reserve 2017 $40 There’s lots to like here, with an alluring matchstick note weaving around a core of yellow apple, melon and pear flavors, while subtle brioche, honeysuckle and hazelnut hints flash through the finish. Has depth, but maintains enough cut for balance. Long. Drink now through 2022. 840 cases made.—J.M. 92 De Morgenzon Chenin Blanc Stellenbosch Reserve 2017 $40 Broad and ripe…

CALIFORNIA Cabernet Sauvignon & Blends 96 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2015 $135 See Collectibles, page 108. 95 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain 2015 $125 This is vivid and beautifully rendered, with a dense yet racy core of unadulterated cassis, boysenberry and blackberry puree flavors, flecked with anise, light bramble and polished ganache notes. The long finish shows a great tug of tarry earth while the fruit drives on. Best from 2021 through 2040. 1,700 cases made.—J.M. 95 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder 2014 $125 See Collectibles, page 108. 95 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District Cask 23 2015 $295 This features a very seductive feel, with long streaks of blueberry, raspberry and black cherry fruit showing range and freshness. Graphite and gently singed alder…

Pinot Noir 95 Eminent Domaine Pinot Noir Ribbon Ridge Reserve 2016 $65 See Highly Recommended, page 107. 95 Rose & Arrow Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills Hopewell Hills 2016 $100 Impeccably structured and elegantly polished and layered, with expressive black raspberry, savory bay leaf and crushed rock accents that build toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2025. 247 cases made.—T.F. 94 Alexana Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Terroir Series 2016 $34 See Highly Recommended, page 107. 94 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Dundee Hills Red Hills Vineyard 2016 $100 Polished and elegantly complex, with expressive raspberry and orange zest aromas opening to refined cherry and spice flavors that glide toward supple tannins. Drink now through 2025. 800 cases made.—T.F. 94 Ayoub Pinot Noir Dundee Hills Anonimo Vineyard 2016 $55 Refined, generous and well-built,…

Gabriel Kreuther will proudly tell you that his roots are in Alsace, on a remote farm outside Strasbourg. Today, the dining room of his namesake New York restaurant expresses this in its own way. Massive 19th-century wood beams are pitched into silhouettes of gabled farmhouses. The bar’s elegant copper fittings are fashioned from old Alsace beer vats; the back of each barstool is carved with a heart, the regional symbol of hospitality. “It’s telling the story of my life,” Kreuther says. These rustic touches are no window dressing, but a nod to the chef’s agrarian upbringing and the imprint his heritage has made on his cooking. A favorite regional dish is baeckeoffe, or “baker’s oven,” a casserole that he calls “the heart and soul of Alsace.” As the story goes,…

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…

The next time you’re out enjoying a well-crafted cocktail, try to remember that in addition to the artistry of the bartender, the carefully chosen components and the fresh ingredients, book-learning had a lot to do with it. When America rediscovered one of its most influential culinary forms after suffering through the long dark ages of the Kool-Aid school of mixology, with its powdered mixes, packaged juices and soda guns, most of the renaissance’s proponents went to work studying dozens of classic texts. For instance, the late Dick Bradsell, working at London’s Zanzibar in 1980, pored over The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks by David A. Embury, published in 1948. In 1985, Dale DeGroff, on a mission to revive fine drinking at New York’s Aurora (and later the Rainbow Room), dove…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 95 BOSQUET DES PAPES  Châteauneuf-du-Pape  Chante Le Merle Vieilles Vignes 2016 $85 FRANCE This has a lovely feel, with a silky but persistent structure allowing a range of creamed raspberry, damson plum and boysenberry fruit flavors to glide through. COLLECTIBLE 95 MAYACAMAS Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder 2014 $125 CALIFORNIA Packs in a lot of juicy black currant and blackberry paste notes, with lively licorice snap and bramble accents filling the available space. SMART BUY 90 MAROTTI CAMPI Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Luzano 2017 $17 ITALY Light herb and citrus zest notes accent the apricot, wet stone, almond blossom and pear flavors in this sleek and silky white. Fresh and lingering. BEST VALUE 89 VIÑA DOÑA PAULA Black Edition Luján de Cuyo 2017 $15 ARGENTINA Firm and…

I tend to be a creature of habit. One of those habits is enjoying a refined meal in Paris when I finish a work trip to Bordeaux or the Rhône Valley. And since it opened in 2015, I’ve made Le Clarence, a dining spot created by Domaine Clarence Dillon owner Prince Robert de Luxembourg, my regular stop. First off, there’s the feel of the place, which combines comfort and luxury. Walking in through a cobbled courtyard, you have the sense of entering a grand home. There’s a regal feel to be sure, while the warmth and professionalism of the staff allows you to sink into a chair and relax fully. Built in 1884, the mansion that houses Le Clarence is in a tony part of town and its elegant staircase…

There are winemakers who have good backstories, and then there’s Washington’s Chris Sparkman. His partner and wife, Kelly, is no slacker in the backstory department either. The Sparkmans’ journey raises a question I’ve often pondered: Do people with compelling lives make compelling wines? It’s certainly true of the Sparkmans. Their wines have flair and personality yet are also refined and built to enjoy with food. What’s more, 17 of the 20 Sparkman Cellars wines I’ve reviewed in the past two years rated 90 points or higher on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale. Washington mainstays Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Chardonnay make up much of the Woodinville winery’s production, but Chris has a taste for the atypical, bottling the likes of Souzão and Touriga Nacional as well. “And of course, no Washington wine…

Part of my coverage of Italian wine is done outside the office, trolling wineshops and restaurant lists for wines that are new faces and might be of interest to Wine Spectator readers. But sometimes there are wines or wineries that you go back to time and again, and for me, northern Italy’s Leonildo Pieropan winery in Soave is one of them. The winery was founded by Leonildo Pieropan in 1890, but it was his grandson, another Leonildo, known as Nido, who turned the family’s bulk-wine company into one of the Soave region’s top names for quality. Nido took over the business in 1967, a year before the Soave DOC was formalized. The establishment of the DOC could have been a chance to better define quality winemaking from the area. Instead,…

Anyone who has set aside wines to age, whether a few bottles or thousands, knows that ambivalent feeling when it comes to consuming them. Is the occasion great enough to warrant opening that special bottle saved for just the right moment? For our 50th wedding anniversary last July, Carol and I decided to celebrate quietly. The timing was wrong for a big party. We would have just arrived at our summer digs in Aspen, and organizing a grand event seemed too daunting. Instead we centered a private celebration on a gift tin of Périgord foie gras we had saved. All we needed was a great sweet wine to drink with it. A well-aged Sauternes would have been perfect, but we had consumed our long-cellared bottle of Château d’Yquem 1976 at…

TASTING REPORTS/WINE Alsace (5/31, p. 88) Argentina (12/31, p. 86) Australia (7/31, p. 95) Austria (11/30, p. 29) Bolgheri, Italy (4/30, p. 42) Bordeaux 2015 (3/31, p. 38) Bordeaux Barrels 2017 (7/31, p. 78) Brunello di Montalcino 2013 (6/30, p. 75) Burgundy 2015, Red (5/31, p. 57) Burgundy, White (9/30, p. 95) California Cabernet Sauvignon (11/15, p. 67) California Chardonnay (7/31, p. 59) California Merlot (11/30, p. 95) California Pinot Noir (10/15, p. 34) California Rhônes (4/30, p. 99) California Sauvignon Blanc (6/15, p. 79) California Zinfandel (6/30, p. 61) Champagne (12/15, p. 54) Chile (5/31, p. 81) Editors’ Picks 2018 (1/31, p. 34) Finger Lakes (6/30, p. 67) Germany 2016 (7/31, p. 38) Italy/Slovenia, Skin-Contact Whites (11/15, p. 33) Languedoc (12/31, p. 30) Lodi, Central Valley, Calif. (12/15, p.…

96 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2015 $135 CALIFORNIA A focused, tannic style, featuring tobacco and sage notes intermixed liberally with steeped currant and blackberry fruit flavors, with cast iron and graphite hints flowing underneath. This has loads of character and range, showing vigorous, savoryedged cut. Youthfully rugged, with bramble-edged grip to burn. Cellaring will let all the elements meld. Best from 2021 through 2040. 790 cases made.—J.M. 95 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder 2014 $125 CALIFORNIA This packs in a lot of juicy black currant and blackberry paste notes, with lively licorice snap and bramble accents filling the available space. A roasted apple wood accent lends a mouthwatering edge while a tarry echo at the very end adds range and length. Should cruise in the cellar. Best from…

ARGENTINA Red 94 Achával-Ferrer Malbec Mendoza Finca Mirador 2015 $150 Elegant, with flavors of hot stone, dried berry and crushed red plum, backed by mediumgrained tannins. Chocolate and spice notes show on the rich, minerally finish. Drink now through 2022. 925 cases made.—K.M. 94 Bodega Noemía de Patagonia Malbec Río Negro Valley 2016 $136 Suave and refined, with a seductive minerality to the rich red plum, dark currant and black olive flavors. The finish is loaded with luscious dark chocolate and spicy notes. Drink now through 2024. 4,500 cases made.—K.M. 93 Achával-Ferrer MalbecMendozaFincaBella Vista 2015 $150 Intense and rich-tasting, with mouthfilling flavors of plum tart, cherry, mocha and Asian spice that blend easily in this minerally style. The creamy finish is long and luscious. Drink now through 2023. 675 cases…

GERMANY 96 Wittmann Riesling Rheinhessen Morstein GG 2017 $92 The light golden hue of this bone-dry, intensely mineral-driven white hints at concentration, and while the palate matches, this features beautifully integrated acidity that beams, imparting a lively profile. The flavors of rich meringue, cream and fleur de sel are sprinkled with bold, ripe notes of melon, coconut and spice. The succulent, mouthwatering finish flows across the palate. Best from 2021 through 2035. 700 cases made.—A.Z. 95 Fritz Haag Riesling Auslese Gold Cap Mosel Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr 2017 $56/375ml Floral and seductive, with the palate unfolding layer after layer as different details keep emerging. Concentrated but not overpowering, eloquently keeping you intrigued. The dragon fruit, lychee and honey flavors are perfectly balanced, showing plenty of spice and mineral details. A beautiful…