Innehållsförteckning för May 31, 2016 från Wine Spectator

Once again this year, we are taking the show on the road. Wine Spectator’s Grand Tour is bringing more than 240 wineries, each pouring a 90+ point bottling, to stops in New York (April 26), Washington, D.C. (April 28), and Las Vegas (April 30). Here, we are highlighting Grand Award–winning properties near each event. After all, wine lovers have to eat, too. NEW YORK DEL POSTO WINE DINNER: SOLDERA CASSE BASE Website www.delposto.com MAY 10 Del Posto is a temple to Italian food and wine. It’s fitting, then, that Brunello pioneer Gianfranco Soldera will personally host an upcoming five-course wine dinner there ($600). Attending guests will taste two of Soldera’s Toscana IGTs, which cost upward of $300 each, before moving into the Brunello di Montalcino vintages of 2006, 1999 and 1998.…

When Elliott and Lynn Dolin bought their hillside Malibu home in 2001, they knew one thing would have to change: The kitchen didn’t belong at the front of the house. “It was dark and overlooked the driveway,” says Elliott, proprietor of Dolin Estate Winery and a driving force behind the approval of the Malibu Coast AVA in 2014. He is also a partner in Pacific Prime Properties, which owns industrial buildings in Orange, Ventura and Los Angeles counties. The couple had the floor plan reconfigured. The original family room was gutted to create a large eat-in kitchen that offers easy access to several outdoor terraces and maximizes the vast coastal view of chaparral-covered canyons and Pacific blue. “Now we’re in the light, looking out at the ocean,” he says. But…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 93 Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley 2014 $32 CALIFORNIA Succulent, lush and rich, with fleshy mango, melon and peach flavors leading to a core of pineapple, lemon and honeysuckle. COLLECTIBLE 95 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Laurence 2011 $110 FRANCE A grippy, oldschool version, with brick dust, roasted chestnut and tobacco leaf notes coating the core of steeped plum, raspberry and black cherry fruit. SMART BUY 92 Bodega Colomé Malbec Salta Auténtico 2014 $25 ARGENTINA Rich and juicy, with lively raspberry, cherry and plum flavors backed by fresh, crunchy acidity. BEST VALUE 90 Fritz Hasselbach Riesling QbA Rheinhessen Fritz’s 2014 $14 GERMANY Redolent of white raspberry jam and mint, this is lush and creamy, with crackling acidity. IN THIS ISSUE’S BUYING GUIDE You’ll find 9 classic…

96 Pierre Damoy Chambertin-Clos de Bèze 2013 $400 FRANCE Classy and intense, this red is rich and focused. The dense structure is beautifully integrated, showing black cherry, black currant, mineral and spice flavors that are saturated and persistent, with excellent length. Though young, this is already harmonious and set for a fine future. Best from 2019 through 2036. 23 cases imported.—B.S. 95 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto Don Melchor 2012 $125 CHILE Suave and refined, with rich, dense flavors of dried berry, dark plum, rose petal and bramble. Offers fine-grained tannins and accents of green olive. Finishes with hints of hot stone, dried beef and white pepper. Complex. Drink now through 2022. 7,400 cases made.—K.M. 95 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Laurence 2011 $110 FRANCE A solidly grippy,…

AUSTRIA Grüner Veltliner 93 Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Trocken Wachau Achleiten 2010 $46 Ripe and rich, with concentrated flavors of apple pastry, pear and dried apricot, supported by firm acidity. White chocolate notes show midpalate, leading to a finish loaded with spicy and smoky details. Decadent and complex. Drink now through 2020. 1,000 cases made.—K.M. 92 Salomon-Undhof Grüner Veltliner Qualitätswein Trocken Kremstal Lindberg Reserve 2014 $50 Powerful and rich, showing an engaging, open-textured minerality to the dense flavors of ripe apple, tangerine, lentil and allspice. Lemon-lime and white pepper notes emerge on the fresh, engaging finish. Drink now through 2022. 150 cases made.—K.M. 92 Salomon-Undhof Grüner Veltliner Qualitätswein Trocken Kremstal Von Stein Reserve 2014 $60 A rich and spicy white, offering a creamy texture and effusively fruity flavors of…

Although I agreed with a few points made in the article and what I thought to be a nod to the old adage, “It’s the journey not the destination,” I was quite taken aback by Mr. Kramer’s seemingly strong negative view of wine education and found his broad condemnation of individuals with wine credentials to be offensive. The vast majority of credentialed wine professionals work with passion and dedication to enhance wine appreciation around the globe, and I felt Mr. Kramer’s reflections failed to take that into account. Heidi Butler San Jose, Calif. I have to take issue with Matt Kramer in his recent column. In his attempt to point out that wine knowledge doesn’t require a certification and that a degree isn’t the same as a lifetime of learning,…

Chalone Vineyards, the isolated California win-ery known for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, has a new owner. Bill Foley, head of Foley Family Wines, reached a deal in February with Dia-geo to buy Chalone, its winery and its 1,000-acre property in Monterey County, including 240 acres of vines. Foley did not disclose the purchase price. Chalone is extremely remote, nestled in the Gabilan mountain range in Monterey County, near the jagged rock formations of Pinnacles National Park. “I want a place—and a sense of place—with each of my brands,” said Foley. “That’s my strike zone—that’s what I like to do.” He says the win-ery’s consistent quality and history were part of the transaction’s appeal. Foley says that Robert Cook will remain winemaker. Chalone was originally planted in 1919 but was…

Jack Ma, founder and chairman of Alibaba and one of the richest men in China, has quietly be-gun a campaign to acquire Bordeaux wineries, purchasing Château de Sours, a 198-acre estate in Entre-Deux-Mers earlier this year. Trading through holding companies in Luxembourg and Hong Kong, Ma paid more than $16 million, three times the recent sale prices of similar châteaus. Located in St.-Quentin-de-Baron, de Sours dates to 1785. Ma bought the property from Mar-tin Krajewski, who will remain at the estate as a consultant. “Everything I’ve done in my life, I’ve done with passion,” said Krajewski. “It’s not al-ways been successful, but it’s always been fun.” Ma, 51, founded Alibaba Group, a network of Internet businesses, in 1999, and is worth an es-timated $21.3 billion. He and a group of…

Here in America, “grilled cheese” immediately evokes visions of one of our most hallowed comfort foods—the sandwich of the same name, which, come to think of it, is everything but grilled. To discover the delicious possibilities of actually grilling cheeses, we need to look beyond our borders to the Middle East and South America. For most cheese grillers, Halloumi, from the island of Cyprus, off southern Turkey, is the go-to choice. Nearby Syria, Lebanon and Israel offer similar types—simple cheeses from the Fertile Crescent, where cheesemaking (and modern agriculture) originated thousands of years ago. It’s not hard to imagine these cheeses as close relatives of their ancient precursors: stolid, primal, hardy, relatively bland and lacking in complexity. But chuck ’em on the barbie and they undergo a magical transformation. As…

Gina Gallo and Jean-Charles Boisset are like wine royalty, and their spirited union links two powerful global empires. He’s French. She’s an American of Italian descent. Some consider them an odd couple, and even they don’t disagree. He’s charismatic, energetic and self-promotional, prone to posh Christian Louboutin shoes. She’s charming and confident, yet reserved, more at home in the country. The strength of the bond between Jean-Charles Boisset, 46, and Gina Gallo, 48, transcends their differences. These heirs to two of the world’s most prominent winemaking families have been married for seven years, creating a transnational family of their own, with twin 5-year-old daughters. Boisset’s family is anchored in Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits, while Gallo’s is tethered to Modesto, in California’s Central Valley. Both are Sonomans at heart, having met…

Cayuse wines rank among the finest in America, and the waiting list to buy them counts up to 12,000 names. But you’d never guess that by meeting owner and winemaker Christophe Baron. A compact 5 feet, 6 inches tall, the France-born vintner looks younger than his 45 years. Gelled hair stands erect along the middle of his head. An aqui-line nose lends nobility to a face whose expression suggests a practical joke he’s springing is imminent. Baron’s winery looks like a warehouse, and his label style runs to the cheeky. He seldom appears in public, and his tasting room in downtown Walla Walla, Wash., is open only once a year. Despite a roster of clever labels, marketing and promotion are not top of mind. Instead, Baron focuses his energies on…

The year 1787 was a busy one in Philadelphia. The Constitutional Convention, which convened in May at Independence Hall, concluded by mid-September, successfully drawing up the document that would eventually govern the fledgling United States of America. The delegates celebrated with more than 50 bottles of the most prestigious drink in the American colonies: Madeira. The sweet fortified wine from Portugal was also used to toast the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and Washington’s first inauguration in 1789, as well as the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. With no homegrown wine worthy of drinking, and most table wines from Europe too delicate to survive a trans-Atlantic voyage, casks of Madeira flowed to American shores. It remained the favored drink of the American upper class well into the 19th…

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 Argentina, Austria, Chile, Germany, Portugal Bruce…

FRANCE Burgundy / Côte de Beaune / Aloxe-Corton & Grands Crus 93 Tollot-Beaut Corton-Bressandes 2013 $145 Silky and lush, with cherry, raspberry and smoke flavors in an approachable style. Balanced, though needs time to resolve all the components. Offers fine spicy length. Best from 2018 through 2030. 45 cases imported.—B.S. 93 Chandon de Briailles Corton-Maréchaudes 2013 $113 All the elements are here in this young red. The raspberry and cherry flavors are pure, framed by subtle oak spice notes and supported by a firm structure. The finish echoes fruit and spice details despite closing up a little. Best from 2019 through 2032. 98 cases made.—B.S. 93 Chandon de Briailles Corton Clos du Roi 2013 $162 Enticing aromas of sandalwood, cedar, green olive and spice mark this red. Flavors of wild…

NEW ZEALAND 94 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir Central Otago The Last Chance Earnscleugh Vineyard Proprietor’s Reserve 2013 $79 Concentrated, with firm and juicy black cherry and blackberry flavors that are generous and velvety, showing a range of star anise and black tea details. A fresh loamy earth note lingers on the long, powerful finish. Drink now through 2026. 100 cases imported.—M.W. 93 Rippon Pinot Noir Central Otago Mature Vine Lake Wanaka 2012 $61 Balances elegance and power, with juicy plum and black cherry flavors that are structured and plush, showing plenty of licorice, dried lavender and star anise aromatics. Gains momentum on the finish, lingering with a note of chai tea. Drink now through 2025. 2,176 cases made.—M.W. 93 Saint Clair Pinot Noir Awatere Valley Pioneer Block 16 Awatere 2014…

OREGON Pinot Noir 93 Formaglini Pinot Noir Chehalem Mountains La Quercia Block 2013 $45 Polished, refined and light-footed, but packed with blackberry, black olive and rose petal flavors, persisting against a meaty note as the finish lingers expressively. Drink now through 2023. 300 cases made.—H.S. 92 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Chehalem Mountains Nicholas Vineyard 2013 $105 Supple, open-textured and inviting, with plum and currant fruit riding serenely over fine, nubby tannins and picking up black tea and pear flavors as the finish lingers. Drink now through 2023. 188 cases made.—H.S. 92 Björnson Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills Edward 2013 $40 Supple, complex and complete, with a harmonious array of cherry, orange peel, black tea and gentle spice flavors that come together smoothly against refined tannins on the long finish. Drink now through…

Italy’s financial police have uncovered a Cham-pagne counterfeiting ring in the province of Padua, arresting eight individuals and confiscat-ing cases of fake Moët & Chandon. After discovering a bottle of Moët & Chandon without a serial number, officers of the Guardia di Finanza raided a building near the town of Sel-vazzano in December and found 9,200 bottles of fake Imperial Brut inside. There were also labels for 40,000 more bottles and a professional la-beling machine. There is no word yet on whether charges will be filed. Lab tests showed the faux Moët was cheap unclassified wine from the nearby Prosecco production zone. “Someone from the area of Valdobbiadene, who knows where to get the wine labels and bottles, made these,” Lt. Col. Luca Lettere of the Guardia said at a…

SAM BEALL Blackberry Farm pro-prietor Sam Beall, who turned a small Ten-nessee inn into a luxury destination for food and wine, died Feb. 25 in a skiing accident. He was 39. Blackberry Farm was purchased in 1976 by Beall’s parents and converted into a six-bedroom coun-try inn. When Sam began working there full-time in the early 2000s, he set out to improve its food and wine offerings. In only five years, he and his team built a world-class wine program, winning the Grand Award from Wine Spectator in 2006. Today, the farm comprises 9,200 acres, with three restaurants, and is a host of seminars on culinary innovation and farm-to-table cuisine. —Gillian Sciaretta PETER MONDAVI Peter Mondavi Sr., the Napa Valley pioneer who guided his family’s Charles Krug Winery through more…

The ongoing cocktail revival is becoming increasingly bitter—lit-erally. Perhaps as a backlash to sticky, saccharine Sex and the City cocktails, bartenders have rediscovered the charms of pungent bitters, a concentrate that makes adult beverages more mature. Most recently, a more potable delivery system has caught on in the form of amaro, an Italian liqueur whose name means “bitter.” Though that word may imply “unpleasant,” the bitter truth is far from that. Amari (that’s the plural) have found their way into recipes that are now being revived. But more telling of their popularity is that Americans have started drinking them on their own, especially in San Francisco, where one of the most bitter in-carnations, Fernet, has taken on cult status, even rating a hip-hop anthem: “I Drink Fernet.” Strictly put, amari…

GOING OUT WEST In time for spring, this selection from Oregon and California is ideal for enjoying on a picnic or around the grill. Plus, the two Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs here offer excellent value— it’s rare to find this quality of Pinot for $25. CHALONE Chenin Blanc Chalone Heritage Vines 2013 (92, $27) Juicy; tangerine, peach, melon, spice, honeysuckle, lime zest ROOTS Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Klee 2014 (91, $23) Raspberry, cherry, lime peel; tangy, refined SELENE Sauvignon Blanc Carneros Hyde Vineyards 2013 (91, $23) Fragrant, exotic; honeysuckle, marigold, apricot, mango, spice SWEET CHEEKS Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2014 (91, $25) Black cherry, raspberry, baby powder, floral; taut, juicy PALMINA Pinot Grigio Santa Barbara County 2014 (90, $20) Crisp; floral, roasted nut, grilled melon, blood orange, pear EUROPEAN TOUR…

Despite what the scoffers and psychobabblers might say, attention to detail elevates the wine experience. Certain things creep into our consciousness with enough subtlety that we don’t always notice the effect. Take this business of attention to detail. Time was when someone who took an interest in details was seen as serious. Attentive. Committed. Today, thanks to the scientific and sociological findings of various articles, television shows and movies, such attention-to-detail types have become popularly diagnosed as somehow aberrant, a little or a lot. I can’t tell you the number of people I know—perfectly normal people, mind you—who have said to me about some detail-oriented fellow, “Oh, he’s so obsessive.” I hear this often when the subject of wine arises, especially among people who are not quite as committed to…

95 Mollydooker Shiraz McLaren Vale Carnival of Love 2014 $75 AUSTRALIA Bold, expressive, velvety and generous, with ripe cherry and plum flavors at the core. Complex details of vanilla bean, licorice, Earl Grey tea and gingerbread explode on the long finish. Drink now through 2030. 1,467 cases made.—M.W. 94 Domini de la Cartoixa Priorat Clos Galena 2012 $50 SPAIN This red shows density and focus. Plum, licorice, espresso and mineral flavors lend a savory cast, but fresh acidity keeps this lively despite the muscular tannins, which give way to a floral finish. There’s enough concentration for the long haul. Best from 2018 through 2028. 500 cases made.—T.M. 94 Pierre Gelin Chambertin-Clos de Bèze 2013 $250 FRANCE This is laced with violet, black currant and blackberry flavors, accented by earth and…

92 Bodega Colomé Malbec Salta Auténtico 2014 $25 ARGENTINA Fresh, rich and juicy, with lively raspberry, cherry and red plum flavors backed by fresh, crunchy acidity. Lengthens out nicely midpalate, showing mineral and pepper accents. Hints of slate and tangerine emerge on the complex finish. Drink now through 2020. 3,500 cases made.—K.M. 91 Lang & Reed Cabernet Franc North Coast 2013 $27 CALIFORNIA Strikingly complex, dense and aromatic, with a rich core of vivid, graphite-laced dark berry, loamy earth, underbrush and melted chocolate flavors. Gains depth and nuance on the finish. Drink now. 4,082 cases made.—J.L. 91 RouteStock Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2014 $22 OREGON Fresh and inviting, opentextured and refined, with plum, currant and floral flavors that dance through the supple finish. Shows generosity and finesse, finishing on a…

ARGENTINA Malbec & Blends 92 Bodega Colomé Malbec Salta Auténtico 2014 $25 See Smart Buys, page 112. 92 Proemio Barrel Selection Mendoza 2011 $60 Big, rich and robust, with concentrated Asian spice notes to the dense flavors of dark currant, blackberry and roasted plum. Intense dark chocolate details show midpalate, leading to a finish that lingers with slate and clove accents. Malbec, Syrah and Merlot. Drink now through 2022. 600 cases made.—K.M. 91 Finca Las Divas Riglos Gran Corte Tupungato 2013 $55 A rich and zesty red, showing concentrated bramble and dried cherry flavors, supported by firm tannins and crisp acidity. Offers luscious minerality and a finish that delivers plenty of savory dried herb and green olive notes. Drink now through 2018. 858 cases made.—K.M. 91 Kaiken Malbec Mendoza Reserva…

GERMANY 92 Wagner Stempel Riesling Qualitätswein Trocken Rheinhessen Heerkretz GG 2014 $75 A juicy version, redolent of apricot, pear and spice flavors, matched to luscious spice and honeyed notes. Rich and pure midpalate, presenting a finish that lingers with dried ginger and allspice details. A vibrant, elegant dry-style Riesling. Drink now through 2019. 300 cases made.—K.M. 92 Dr. F. Weins-Prüm Riesling Kabinett Mosel Graacher Domprobst 2014 $22 A minerally and creamy style, with red peach and dried green herbal flavors filled with hints of dried basil and spice. Lively accents of sea salt emerge on the finish. Very fresh and pure. Drink now through 2022. 120 cases made.—K.M. 91 Reichsrat von Buhl Riesling Qualitätswein Pfalz Deidesheimer Kieselberg 2014 $45 Focused, with an ironclad structure and rapierlike acidity to the green…

CALIFORNIA Cabernet Sauvignon & Blends 94 Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Harbison Vineyard 2013 $195 Rich and vivid, offering juicy blackberry and currant notes. This is elegant and refined, showing uncommon finesse for a wine this rich and layered. Glides along on the aftertaste, with finegrained tannins woven throughout. Drink now through 2028. 100 cases made.—J.L. 94 Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District Wildfoote Vineyard Vixen Block 2013 $195 A supple, juicy and harmonious red, offering a wealth of rich flavors built around black and red fruits, with currant, plum, blackberry, anise, sage and cedary oak details. Complete, featuring tannins that fold in gracefully, ending with a touch of chicory. Drink now through 2028. 275 cases made.—J.L. 94 Bevan Cellars EE Tench Vineyard Oakville 2013 $195 Strikingly complex, rich…

DR. VINNY Dear Dr. Vinny, Are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay the only grapes permitted in Burgundy? —Robbie, Adelaide, Australia Dear Robbie, No, but Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are certainly the most famous, the most popular and the most widely planted grapes of Burgundy. For the most part, when someone refers to “red Burgundy” they mean Pinot Noir, and “white Burgundy” usually means Chardonnay. But it’s never that simple, is it? Even though those two grapes dominate the landscape, there are other grapes grown, perhaps the most important being Gamay, grown in the Beaujolais region. Aligoté is a white grape that you’ll find in some value-priced wines from Burgundy, and in the small appellation of St.-Bris, near Chablis, Sauvignon Blanc is the primary grape. —Dr. Vinny Dr. Vinny provides answers to…