Indholdsfortegnelse for July 31, 2021 i Wine Spectator

Coffee is a wonderful, magical drink, but it has always taken a good deal of time and effort to brew, and coffee experts are notoriously finicky about every step of the process, from harvesting to processing to roasting to storage and brewing. Of course, this is part of the magic, that such care must be taken to bring out the essence of each bean as it is transformed into a unique cup. It can be satisfying to take the time to get it all right, to take part in a time-honored ritual of pour-over or baristalike skill in creating an espresso-based beverage Yet there is something to be said for a ready-to-drink beverage that you can just grab out of the refrigerator and enjoy like a soft drink. Convenience is…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 96 ROTEM & MOUNIR SAOUMA Chateauneuf-du-Pape Arioso 2017 $235 FRANCE A bird of a different feather, from the charms of the floral and red fruit aromas to the silky yet persistent structure that carries the kirsch, cherry preserves and violet notes along COLLECTIBLE 94 LEONETTI Reserve Walla Walla Valley 2017 $150 WASHINGTON Grace meets a dynamic structure, with black cherry, allspice and licorice flavors that take on polish and richness toward medium-grained tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon blend. SMART BUY 90 COOPERATIVA VITIVINICOLA AROUSANA Albarino Rias Baixas Paco & Lola 2019 $21 SPAIN Energetic, with lime, floral and kumquat flavors mixed with spice, ginger and sea salt accents. Mouthwatering, with good complexity and appeal. BEST VALUE 89 DOMAINE VETRICCIE Ile de Beaute Rose 2020 $10 FRANCE Pure and bright, with…

Montalcino has been on a hot streak in recent years. With the exception of the difficult 2014 vintage, a string of outstanding to exceptional harvests since 2010 is capped by the best of the decade so far—the dream vintage of 2016. Simply put, the ’16s are the most compelling young examples from this Tuscan region since the 1990s. “For sure, 2016 has been a great vintage in Montalcino,” says consulting enologist Alberto Antonini. “A kind of textbook year.” Antonini’s clients include two estates—Poggio Landi and Podere Brizio, acquired by Argentinian businessman Alejandro Bulgheroni in 2012 and 2013—that both earned their highest ratings to date, scoring 97 points ($59) and 96 points ($70), respectively. “The feeling during the growing season was just soso at the beginning due to the intense rain…

PINEY BEEFEATER While the London dry gin can be made anywhere and in a broad band of flavors, Beefeater London Dry is still made in that city, with its yeoman warder still strolling on the label. It’s the classic piney gin, with citrus and a range of spice, including anise (94 proof, $17). BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Though it lists its 10 botanicals on the label, Sapphire is solidly piney, and broadcasts citrus, floral notes and a certain heartiness (94 proof, $27). PLYMOUTH Dating to 1793, Plymouth arose in that English city, which once had its own geographically protected style. Similar to London dry, this gin also shows lemon and orange and vibrant earthy notes (82.4 proof, $30). CITRUS/FRUITY BLUE COAT Blue Coat, made in Philadelphia, is meant to counter English (or…

This issue is anchored by our annual tasting report on California Chardonnay, a feature that has become as much a rite of summer as pouring the delicious white wines themselves. But it’s not the same old story. In looking closely at the state’s new releases, it’s apparent there is a revolution underway. The big, buttery, oaky versions that once defined California Chardonnay are yielding ground to renditions that offer greater refinement and finesse while maintaining power and intensity. Much of this evolution is attributable to winemaking approaches borrowed from Burgundy, and the result is an explosion of quality. Kim Marcus, Napa bureau chief and lead taster for California Chardonnay, reports that he has tasted more than 400 wines in blind tastings over the past year, with nearly 200 of them…

It’s safe to say, a respected farmstead cheese operation unabashedly celebrating dirt is rare if not unique. That’s exactly what you get at Missouri’s Green Dirt Farm, where Sarah Hoffmann heads a small crew of soil-obsessives who’ve positioned themselves solidly among the elite few of American sheep cheese producers. In 1998, Hoffmann relinquished her career as a teaching doctor so that she and her husband, John Spertus, a research cardiologist, could move their young family to a farm in Weston, Mo., nestled amidst rolling hills close by the Missouri River, 30 miles northwest of Kansas City. Taste Green Dirt’s cheeses and it quickly becomes clear why Hoffmann might well have christened the place Good Dirt. They feature pleasantly earthy, mineral and chalky notes that provide focus and highlight their outstanding…

“Che brutto!” Lucia Gaja, co-proprietor of Gaja Wines, exclaimed when she saw Riedel’s new Wine Wings glass. “How ugly!” The Austrian glassmaker’s newest line, created by co-owner Georg Riedel, certainly provokes strong opinions. Max Riedel, Georg’s son and company CEO, asked his father if he really wanted to go through with it. But for Georg, the taste of the wine comes first, and this striking glass provides a perfect loudspeaker for the wine poured into it. He began sketching ideas for it in 2018, and computer models followed. Then the Riedel team built wooden molds, which they employed to produce handmade prototypes. Those were tested, adjustments were made, and the design was adapted so it could be made by machines in order to make the glasses more affordable. The result,…

I started covering Bordeaux for Wine Spectator with the 2008 vintage. Every spring since, I have made the trek across the pond to engage in that annual rite known as en primeur, when Bordeaux châteaus draw samples of their most recent vintage from barrel for the press and trade to assess. The wines are then released to Bordeaux négociants during a several-weeks long campaign into the early days of summer, to be offered via retail to consumers to purchase. All of this is well in advance of the wines being bottled, let alone shipped. It is one of the great traditions in wine as well as a testament to the engine that is Bordeaux, France’s largest and most important wine region. In March of 2020, I was prepared to head…

You know those couples who have an easy conviviality, who finish each others’ sentences and quote each other all the time? Add Elaine DiGiacomo and Christian Mir to that list. In telling the story of their backgrounds and their 25 years as owners of Stone Creek Inn in East Quogue, N.Y., the couple set each other up for points, filled in gaps, and laughed. It’s a testament to their hospitable natures, especially considering that 17 of those years were spent living, and raising a child, above the restaurant. That kind of arrangement could drive people apart; in this case it made the restaurant an extension of home and family. DiGiacomo grew up in Westchester County. In her 20s she found her way to the French Culinary Institute in New York,…

WITH THE REDISCOVERY AND REIMAGINING OF GIN, IT WAS inevitable that its most popular companion—tonic water—would get a makeover reflective of its most famous active ingredient: quinine. Of the vast apothecary of natural remedies paired with the drinking of alcohol, quinine water may be the most verifiably effective. In the 17th century, European missionaries to South America learned the local folk wisdom that the bark of the cinchona tree was an antimalarial. The scientific community caught on and isolated its active ingredient as a powder. In 19th century India, the British added gin, lime and sugar to cut its striking bitterness. Commerce later sweetened it, added seltzer and bottled it in the form of the soft drink you know better as tonic water. But as recent revivalists of the cocktail…

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. Kim Marcus California Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir, Argentina, Chile Bruce Sanderson Burgundy, Piedmont, Tuscany, Germany, Austria James Molesworth California Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Rhône Valley, Port MaryAnn Worobiec California Sauvignon Blanc and other whites, Australia, New Zealand Alison Napjus Italy, Champagne, Alsace, South…

Napa’s Newton Vineyards property was heavily damaged in the 2020 wine country wildfires. The 500-acre property had 68 acres under vine and was celebrating its 40th anniversary when the Glass Fire ignited in September 2020. Just 5 acres survived, says estate director Jean-Baptiste Rivail. But from every difficult situation comes hope and the chance to improve. An ambitious rebuild effort is already under way, including clearing dead trees and preparing new vines. “We want to come back in a way that continues what Newton stands for, so we will not rush,” says Rivail.…

Fresh Spreadable Green Dirt’s first cheese—and still its anchor—features a mouthwatering tang balanced by plenty of sweet cream and a little earthy nuttiness ($16 per pound). Dirt Lover A sheep in goat’s clothing answers the question “What if you made a Valençay from ewe’s milk?” Its chalky texture and outside-in ripening creamline are indeed similar ($13 for 6 ounces). Bossa A washed-rind cheese made seasonally from March to October, its pronounced salt finds balance with some fruity tang and yeasty notes before resolving to a sweet, slightly nutty finish ($16 for 8 ounces). Shop Green Dirt’s full lineup: greendirtfarm.com Watch PBS episode: Tastemakers, episode 8, “Warm and Wooly”…

Flower Power This group of lively, aromatic whites offers a range of flavors, yet all of them share one common theme: a floral component. The two Grüner Veltliners come from the grape’s home base in Austria, while the Rieslings offer a tour of diverse regions across the globe, from Germany to Canada to Australia. DR. PAULY-BERGWEILER Riesling Kabinett Mosel Wehlener Sonnenuhr 2019 (93, $27) Fragrant, precise; floral, apricot, peach, lime, citrus, stone, spice BERNHARD OTT Grüner Veltliner Niederösterreich Fass 4 2019 (92, $28) Apricot, passion fruit, elderflower, stone, spice; intense, electric BRUNDLMAYER Riesling Kamptal Terrassen 2019 (92, $24) Chiseled, resonant; elderflower, peach, kumquat, eastern spice FORSTREITER Grüner Veltliner Kremstal Schiefer 2017 (92, $23) Beeswax, honey, floral, citrus, celery root; deep, complex NIK WEIS ST.-URBANS-HOF Riesling Mosel Wiltinger Alte Reben 2019…

I am here to tell you that celebrity wine labels are good for wine. We need to bring more people to wine. You may already be a lifelong devotee, but the subject can always be made more inviting, less intimidating and easier to talk about. Celebrity labels aren’t the only solution, but they are a proven strategy to draw in some consumers. I started interviewing celebrities about wine projects more than 20 years ago. They were typically tied to charities, and the wine talk usually petered out after a few minutes. The wines themselves were only around a vintage or two. These days, I find myself getting excited talking to athletes and performers about wine, and the wines are more exciting. There’s Kurt Russell’s love of great Burgundy that he…

VIOLET COVE OYSTER CO. violetcoveoysters.com “Having grown up on the water—my dad was a bayman, my grandfather worked on the water, great-grandfather, all of them—there’s always been that connection My great-grandfather used to tell me about all of the oysters that used to be in the bay here. So I always felt that with those oysters gone, now a part of Long Island history was missing. I’d seen some oyster farms on the West Coast, and then I came home and there was an oyster farm in my hometown. I asked for an internship. Five years ago, I started my farm. When my oysters started to grow, I thought they’d taste like other Long Island oysters, but they were very specific to the place they were grown. It’s like wine: You’re…

Ostensibly simple, the humble gin and tonic is a two ingredient drink that belies the complexity that lies beneath. In this cocktail, the distiller has done all the work. Gin is fairly unrestricted, with a broad definition: Mainly, that gin has to go in the bottle at no less than 80 proof and be predominantly flavored with juniper berries, which lend the pine-tree note that proves so divisive. Beyond that, makers are free to add any flavors they wish, which they do. Nonconformist gin-makers are prodding the boom with flavoring escapades that run as far afield of the traditional as strawberries, violets, pears, hand-picked herbs, elderflower, cucumbers, wormwood, truffles and rhubarb. What’s hastened the evolution is the short time needed to test out a new gin. Inspired by an idea,…

4 cups water3 cups cane sugar3 tablespoons powdered cinchona bark¼ cup citric acid3 stalks lemongrass, choppedZest of a lemon or lime Combine water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn to low. Add cinchona bark powder, citric acid, lemongrass and zest. Stir, and let simmer for 30 minutes. Cool, then strain through a coffee filter. You will end up with a brown syrup that will keep up to a month in a glass container stored away from light. To serve, mix 1 part syrup with 1 part gin in a glass, add ice and 4 parts seltzer, to taste. The color is distinctly unlike most tonic water, but that’s a point of honor.…

AUSTRALIA 92 Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier Shiraz Pyrenees Lieu-dit Malakoff 2017 $40 Leans into earthy, savory side notes, with chicory, dried sage, porcini, forest floor and strong black tea flavors on a dense, muscular frame. Shows date, dried berry and stewed plum and dried citrus peel details on a long finish. Drink now through 2032. 7,000 cases imported.—M.W. 92 Lambert Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Barossa Valley Silent Partner 2018 $75 Rich and chocolaty, with mocha-laced maraschino cherry, raspberry and kirsch flavors. Shows notes of fresh herb, tobacco, cedar and floral overtones on a plush, thick, velvety frame, with a long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2037. 300 cases made, 128 cases imported.—M.W. 92 Lambert Estate Shiraz Barossa Valley The Commitment 2018 $33 A polished, elegant red, with kirsch and cassis notes,…