Innehållsförteckning för Dec-15-13 från Wine Spectator

Behind the Bubbles The Champagne region of northern France has produced wine since Roman times, but it wasn’t until the 19th century that “Champagne” became predominantly the sparkling wine we know and love. Since then, of course, Champagne’s effervescence has become a symbol of festivity and celebration. Bottles overflow at wedding feasts and in victorious locker rooms, to punctuate happiness and achievement. Paradoxically, this has obscured Champagne’s true identity as fine wine. It has sold itself through luxury labels and fancy bottles, and effectively hidden from its consumers the information we find interesting in every other wine we drink: year of harvest, blend of grapes, fermentation practices and aging regimens. But change is in the air. Champagne is embracing its essence and exploring the structural factors that comprise its character:…

Considering the growing arsenal of flutes, snifters, goblets, copitas and glasses tailored to every region and grape variety under the sun, you could be forgiven for losing track of just how much wine a “glass of wine” contains. A new study confirms you wouldn’t be alone: Wine drinkers routinely pour different amounts of wine based on the glass and other variables. For the study, published in the journal Substance Use & Misuse, Doug Walker and Laura Smarandescu of Iowa State University and Brian Wansink of Cornell University recorded 73 subjects pouring themselves a glass of wine—or rather, 504 glasses of wine. The researchers conducted a variety of tests, among them whether subjects poured more into a larger glass or a wider glass compared with a more “standard” glass; whether they…

Gifts for Wine Lovers PUT A CORK IN IT www.momastore.org, $48 One sign of obsessiveness among wine lovers is saving corks. We all know someone who has a vase full of them, waiting for that day when they buy a frame and a hot-glue gun. Strangely, as spouses like to point out, that day never comes. Now you can make it happen with the Bakus trivet designed by Tati Guimarães of Barcelona-based Ciclus (check out their website, www.ciclus.com, for other fun wine-related objects). Fitting corks of different sizes takes some fussing, but don’t worry—cork collecting and puzzle solving utilize the same part of the brain. And while this piece serves as an aide-mémoire to the owner, others might appreciate that it functions as a trivet. MAKE A PICTURE, IT’LL LAST…

Eyrie Vineyards Turns Back the Clock Even under ideal storage conditions, it’s impos­sible to predict exactly how a wine will fare over time. After years in the cel­lar, a wine might be corked, or it could simply show its wrinkles a bit too soon. But for Jason Lett, winemaker and proprietor at Eyrie Vineyards in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, notes of premature matu­ration simply aren’t acceptable. His new "Cellar Certification" program brings to mind the recon­ditioning process often seen in Bordeaux, in which the old cork is removed from an aged bottle, the ullage is filled and a new cork is inserted into the neck. Lett’s program, however, which he’s been developing for five years, takes the process a step further to ensure consistency. David Lett, Jason’s father, began holding back…

The Thousand-Dollar Cellar I have a sister-in-law who’s done surprisingly well in the stock market. It’s surprising because, as best as I can tell, she doesn’t know a thing about investing. Instead—I swear this is true—her approach is to buy one stock for each letter of the alphabet. She buys them early on and then forgets about them. Guess what “A” is? You got it: Apple. Care to guess about “G”? I didn’t think so. It’s painful, isn’t it? I’ve often thought that we could do worse than building our wine cellars along similarly simple lines. You’ve got, say, $1,000 you’d like to “invest.” Here, I mean investing for pleasure rather than someday flipping wines for profit. Allow me to suggest what I call the Thousand-Dollar Cellar. Taking a cue…

Champagne production is one of the most technically challenging and detailed versions of winemaking. Perhaps because of this, the men and women who oversee its production are referred to as the chef de cave instead of the winemaker—a nod to the craftsmanship that goes into blending and bottling Champagne. Like all wine, Champagne begins with harvested grapes that are crushed and fermented, resulting in a highly acidic still wine known as a vin clair, or base wine. These base wines—typically made from one of Champagne’s three grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier)—are themselves blended together to create a final still wine that will become the Champagne. Larger producers will sometimes vinify and blend hundreds of base wines, each produced from fruit sourced from different areas throughout the region. The…

Champagne continues its reign as the premier wine region for sparkling wine, backed by its rich history and tradition, as well as its overall high quality. Since my last report ("Beyond the Bubbles," Dec. 31,2012 - Jan. 15,2013), I have reviewed more than 400 Champagnes, with impressive results. Nearly 350 of the wines I tasted, or about 85 percent, received scores of 90 points or higher on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale, a consistency few of the world’s wine regions can claim. Among the highest-scoring Champagnes, I found 14 bottlings that earned classic ratings of 95 to 100 points. Krug dominates at this level with several offerings, both vintage and non-vintage, including the report’s top score of 98 points for the 1998 Brut Blanc de Noirs Clos d’Ambonnay ($2,400). This single-vineyard…

Hubert de Boüard de Laforest still remembers the time his father shamed him in public. It was 1985, and the man who now manages Château Angélus was 29, just a few years out of enology school and eager to apply what he had learned to improve quality at his family’s St.-Emilion winery. His father was not interested. “Angélus was a good brand—not great, but we made money,” Hubert says. On a late summer day, Hubert led a team of workers into Angélus’ vineyards, not far from the château, and instructed them to start cutting some bunches off each vine. Green harvesting is widespread today, a way to ensure that the grapes left on the vine will fully ripen. But locals agree that de Boüard was the first to try it…

This Buying Guide contains ratings of new releases from around the world and the results of special tastings reported on in greater depth elsewhere in the issue. Complete tasting notes are provided for all 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. Additional reviews appear 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. If no reviewer’s initials appear, the wine was tasted by a panel of Wine Spectator editors. James Laube California Harvey Steiman Australia, Oregon, Washington Thomas Matthews Spain Kim Marcus Austria, Germany,…

Scratching the Surface Throughout the article on Josh Jensen (cover, Oct. 15), the Calera vineyards are described as being on limestone soils. If you check the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “Web Soil Survey,” the soil type for the vineyards is listed as “Sheridan coarse sandy loam.” Sheridan coarse sandy loam is listed as “residuum weathered from granite,” not limestone. The old limestone quarry is located two-and-ahalf miles north of the vineyards. Are Calera’s vineyards on limestone-derived soils? Martin Keen Lancaster, Pa. Josh Jensen responds: Dear Mr. Keen, Mr. Laube kindly forwarded your note to me so I could help you with your question. If you look at the contour map on page 47 of the article in question in the Oct. 15 issue of Wine Spectator, showing our vineyard sites…

Champagne, Anyone? If calculated by sheer volume, the town of Griswold, Conn., was the unlikely location of the Champagne event of the year in September. A tractor-trailer traveling along Interstate 395 carrying several hundred cases of Veuve Clicquot clipped a Department of Transportation vehicle acting as a protective barrier for workers. The trailer swerved, flipped over and spilled its contents, blocking both northbound lanes for several hours before state workers cleaned up the mess with a bulldozer. The driver was treated for minor injuries. —Kasey Carpenter Nuking Your Pinot Winemakers may want to consider a new tool for the cellar—a microwave. Anna Carew of the University of Tasmania recently concluded a trial in which Pinot Noir grapes were heated in a home microwave, yielding several unforeseen benefits. Carew discovered that…

A Surprising Source About 10 years ago, on a visit to my hometown of Atlanta, I wandered into a funky shop called Mutana Marketplace and met the owner, Matti Foncha, who imported spices, textiles, crafts and coffee from his native Cameroon. I bought a few items, including some coffee, just out of curiosity. I wasn’t particularly impressed with what I brewed, but Foncha was enthusias-tic, energetic and motivated, so I made a mental note to return. I’m happy to report that his new crop of Cameroon Boyo coffee—I had the Mezam River medium roast ($11.95 for 12 ounces, www.cameroonboyo.com)—is a gift to the nose and palate, a sweet floral brew with bright acidity, dense body, chocolate notes with hints of mango, and a smooth finish that lingers pleasantly. This West…

RED HOT You just have to love these reds for their smoky, sultry expressions of exuberant fruit and over-sized personalities, perfect for something seared and crusted on the grill. The K-J Summation is a distinctive blend of Syrah, Zinfandel, Mer-lot, Cabernet Franc and Petite Sirah. MARTINELLI Zinfandel Russian River Valley Vigneto Di Evo 2011 (92, $32) Ripe, focused; raspberry, blueberry, smoke, herb, mineral NOVY Syrah Napa Valley Page Nord Vineyard 2010 (92, $29) Dark berry, scorched earth, roasted herb; rustic, dense KENDALL-JACKSON Summation Vintner’s Reserve California 2010 (89, $17) Blackberry, smoky spice, plum, licorice, bitter chocolate CAROL SHELTON Zinfandel Mendocino County Wild Thing Old Vine 2010 (89, $19) Black cherry, wild berry, fennel, spice, smoky underbrush NORTHWEST SWING Here’s a short tour of fine values from Washington, most of which…

Wine in Film I am a movie buff who easily churns through two or three movies a week, in just about any genre (sorry, romantic comedies not included). Wine movies always catch my eye, for obvious reasons, so I was happy to sit down and watch A Year In Burgundy. Wine movies are a limited genre, with mixed success. The characterdriven Sideways is easily the bestknown wine movie, and it certainly had an impact. Bottle Shock is entertaining, largely because Alan Rickman is brilliant as British wine merchant Stephen Spurrier. A Good Year is a sap fest, but hey, at least it’s got Marion Cotillard and Albert Finney. A recent release is Tu Seras Mon Fils (You Will Be My Son). It is a must-see. Set in Bordeaux, it depicts…

Jhe key to reading a Champagne label is in understanding its three main components: non-vintage versus vintage; style; and dosage. Non-vintage versus vintage is the Mason-Dixon line of Champagne. Nonvintage bottlings blend wines made from the harvest of two or more vintages, whereas vintage versions are produced from the fruit of only one year. Traditionally, non-vintage Champagne was the solution to the region’s northerly climate, a way to blend away its typically uneven or lesser-quality vintages, and vintage Champagne was produced only in top vintages—usually two to four times each decade. Today, with climate change, vintage bottlings are possible from almost every harvest, though non-vintage Champagne still makes up about 70 percent of the U.S. market. Style is the next part of the decision matrix. Most Champagne blends the region’s…

On Christmas morning when Paul Hobbs was just 6, his father made an announcement after the presents were opened. The family was moving to Mexico. Immediately. The station wagon was packed and ready to go, and the kids perched on wooden crates in the back as they made the 3,000-mile drive from the Hobbs family farm near Lake Ontario in upstate New York to south of the U.S. border. “There wasn’t much money left after harvest that year. It was next to nothing,” Hobbs recalls, referring to his parents’ apple orchards. Adding to the problem was that his father, Edward Hobbs, was a blunt, headstrong man. A taskmaster, Edward had decreed that the family could live on the cheap in Mexico, allowing them to rent out the house back home.…

More than 400 wines were tasted for this report, which begins on page 67. WineSpectator.com members may access complete reviews for all wines tased using the online Wine Ratings search. WINE PRICE SCORE BARON ALBERT Brut Champagne Tradition NV $48 90 L. AUBRY FILS Brut Champagne NV $43 89 Brut Rosé Champagne NV $60 90 AYALA Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne 2005 $80 93 Brut Champagne Majeur NV $50 90 Brut Nature Champagne NV $60 89 Brut Rosé Champagne Majeur NV $70 89 E. BARNAUT Brut Champagne Grande Réserve NV $55 90 Brut Rosé Champagne Authentique NV $60 90 LOUIS BARTHÉLÉMY Brut Champagne Améthyste NV $34 90 Brut Champagne Saphir 2005 $41 93 Brut Rosé Champagne NV $40 91 Brut Rosé Champagne Rubis NV $44 91 Champagne Topaze Zéro Dosage…

FRANCE Bordeaux 88 Cheval Quancard Médoc Monfort-Bellevue 2010 $19Shows layers of bitter plum, cassis, charcoal and warm paving stone notes, with a lightly tarry echo on the finish. Solid. Drink now through 2015. 3,000 cases made.—J.M. 88 Château Cossieu-Coutelin St.-Estèphe 2010 $33 Lilac, plum and violet notes glide along here, picking up lightly brisk notes of cherry pit and chalk on the finish. Drink now through 2014. 3,050 cases made.—J.M. 88 Château La Croix Margautot Haut-Médoc 2010 $19The dark plum and black currant fruit is melded with wood spice, tobacco and loam notes. Wellfocused and defined on the finish. Drink now through 2015. 2,550 cases made.—J.M. 88 Château La Fon du Berger Haut-Médoc 2010 $27 Shows a gutsy edge, with dark plum and currant fruit studded with notes of roasted…

France Considers Tough Rules on Wine A new bill before the French Senate claims wine may pose a danger to public health, and calls for higher taxes on alcoholic beverages, stronger health warnings on labels and new restrictions on advertising. But winemakers are challenging the proposal, saying wine is an integral part of the country’s culture and a vital part of its economy. The angered vignerons have organized a lobbying campaign to fight back. “We will not accept being treated like drug dealers when wine is part of the same French gastronomic meal that was classified as an intangible heritage by UNESCO,” said Bernard Farges, president of the Bordeaux wine council. The new health bill, championed by the Association Nationale de Prévention en Alcoologie et Addictologie (ANPAA), proposes a “behavior…

A new study on pesticide residue in wine has caused a furor in France, raising questions about several leading labels. Commissioned by French consumer magazine Que Choisir and conducted by the Excell enology lab, the study analyzed 92 wines for 165 chemicals related to vineyard treatments. Thirty-three chemicals found in fungicides, insecticides and herbicides were detected, and every wine tested showed trace amounts. Even organic wines came up positive, suggesting contamination from neighboring vineyards or that chemicals linger in vineyards from past use. The wines analyzed ranged from a $2 generic red to a $20 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. But Pascal Chatonnet, the owner of Excell lab, a Bordeaux winemaker and an advocate of reducing pesticide use, said the results should reassure rather than alarm consumers. “The level of pesticide residue is very…

The New Face of Gin The first thing you think is: “Is this really gin?” That’s what it says on the label. But a bouquet of rose laced with accents of peach and raspberry graces your nose and palate, lacking much of the crisp, piney taste of juniper you’ve come to associate with the spirit. You’re drinking Nolet’s Silver dry gin, made by the Holland-based distiller that produces Ketel One vodka. But it’s no malty Dutch gin. If the cost of $50 seems a tad too high for gin, consider that the Silver’s big brother, Nolet’s Reserve—gussied up with saffron and verbena—rings in at $700 and that Beefeater’s just debuted an aged gin, Burrough’s Re-serve, at $70. Both are meant for sip-ping, not for mixing. Whatever the price, gin is…

Gridiron Vintner’s Drive for Respect For Oakland Raiders free safety Charles Woodson, winemaking is a passion with direct ties to his gridiron philosophy. “I want the wines to be worthy. Respect is what it’s all about,” Woodson says, adding, “The main thing is competition.” The Oakland Raiders’ Charles Woodson came to Napa for spring training, but stayed to make wine. Most vintners share that competitive spirit but don’t strap on a football helmet on Sundays and slam into tight ends and running backs. In the vineyard, as on the field, winning is what inspires Woodson, a point he’s driving home with his 1,200-case Napa Valley label called TwentyFour by Charles Woodson, for his jersey number. The 1997 Heisman Trophy winner was drafted in the first round in 1998 by the…

Champagne is lifting its veil. A culture built on marketing and glamour is finally embracing the wine itself. • The change has been fueled by a new kind of customer. Propelled by the maturing wine culture in America, where a thirst for knowledge is matched by the technology to share vast quantities of information, wine drinkers are looking beyond the famous labels and alluring images of Champagne and seeking to know the people making the wines and the vineyards they come from. Going far beyond New Year’s Eve, Champagne is being accessed in new settings, taking its place alongside still wines on dining tables and in cellars. In a fundamental shift, it is now being recognized as the unique expression of a place and its people. These changing attitudes are…

Few products in history have been more associated with the good life, glamour and celebration than Champagne. Yet in modern times, even as the sparkling wine boomed, the Champagne region itself—one of France’s most historic and bucolic wine countries—remained a sleepy backwater. Up until recently, locals in Champagne didn’t pay much attention to creating a travel experience worthy of the name. With the eponymous bubbly easily traveling the planet, the thinking seemed to be, why show off Champagne wine country? That approach has taken a dramatic turn. In the past decade, the quality of Champagne as a destination has risen with a wave of hotel renovations and new vineyard accommodations, an influx of creative chefs, the area’s first Champagne bars and more opportunity to tour Champagne houses large and small.…

At the heart of Argentina’s wine industry, in Mendoza, winemakers are used to turbulent weather patterns. High-altitude vineyards, nestled in the foothills of the Andes mountains, are annually exposed to strong winds, hail, drought and heavy rain. The 2011 vintage, which dominates store shelves today, was no exception, and began with one of the hardest spring frosts in the country’s modern winemaking history. According to Santiago Achával, of Achával-Ferrer, the frost—which hit in the second week of November, during fruit set—was the worst of its kind since 1992. While Achával reports limited losses of 5 percent to 20 percent in various vineyards, other winemakers claimed losses of 60 percent to 80 percent, with the majority of damage occurring in sites at elevations above 3,000 feet. Cool temperatures followed in January…

Highly Recommended The issue’s most impressive wines. Includes top-scorers and wines that represent optimal purchases based on their combination of score, price and availability. 94 Spring Valley Uriah Walla Walla Valley 2010 $50 WASHINGTON Vivid, complex and inviting, offering a lively mouthful of red berry, black cherry, mint and mocha flavors that linger effortlessly against polished tannins. This has depth and distinction. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Drink now through 2020. 2,020 cases made.—H.S. 92 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto 2009 $45 ITALY Wild, offering balsamic aromas tamed by cherry and rhubarb flavors, with tannins that remain gruff and assertive. Vibrant and linear, with a long aftertaste of cherry and underbrush. Best from 2015 through 2028. 3,500 cases made.—B.S. 92 Domaine Carneros Brut Carneros Estate 2009…

Soy-Braised Pork Shoulder With Riesling Among the many diverse ingredients that pepper the menu of Acre restaurant in Memphis, Tenn., one might find preserved lemons, a traditional North African condiment; Korean gochujang, a fermented red chile paste; or bright green Castelvetrano olives, which hail from Sicily. But don’t be surprised to also stumble upon Southern pantry staples such as buttermilk, okra and Carolina Gold Rice—all nods to chef Wally Joe’s upbringing in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. “We’re heavily influenced by what’s available to us, what’s growing in season, and what we like to eat and what our guests like to eat,” says Joe, a Chinese-American who was born in Hong Kong. “You’ll see a lot of different influences on the menu from my Asian upbringing, my growing up…