Innehållsförteckning för March 31, 2018 från Wine Spectator

Over the past few years Bordeaux has been dealt its share of challenges. France’s premier wine region suffered difficult vintages in 2011, 2012 and 2013. It lost some of its leaders—Philippine de Rothschild of Château Mouton-Rothschild in 2014; Paul Pontallier of Château Margaux in 2016; Robert Wilmers of Château Haut-Bailly and Patrick Maroteaux of Château Branaire-Ducru in 2017. Worldwide sales slipped as consumers pushed back against excessive pricing and turned their attention to emerging regions. Yet the Bordelais have persevered, continuing to invest in their vineyards and wineries and hone their winemaking. And now, with the release of the 2015 vintage—the best year since the landmark 2010—Bordeaux is again proving that there’s good reason it has been among the world’s benchmarks for centuries. Senior editor James Molesworth, lead taster for…

Down through the eons, Italian cheesemakers have shown a remarkable knack for sticking with tradition while simultaneously indulging their penchant for elaboration. It’s almost as if they got bored repeating the same “perfect” recipes for 2,000 years. So they decided to age their cheeses in straw and honey, rub them with olive oil, stud them with peppercorns or truffles, even get them drunk on wine or whiskey—with frequently brilliant results. Hey, if you’re going to mess with success, you might as well get it right! Italy’s finest cheeses have historically come from stone huts amid lush mountain pastures or ancient tile-roofed farmhouses. Their modern descendants are at once rustic and robust, sophisticated and refined. Here’s a tour around the boot by way of eight of the country’s current elite. 1…

TWENTY FIFTEEN A rising tide lifts all boats. Such is the case with the excellent 2015 harvest in Bordeaux, the best since the stellar 2010. Even better, it means some of the region’s less famous appellations produced outstanding wines at attractive prices. CHÂTEAU BARDE-HAUT St.-Emilion 2015 (93, $39) Restrained, racy; damson plum, raspberry, cassis, cedar, sanguine, iron CHÂTEAU BASTOR-LAMONTAGNE Sauternes 2015 (92, $23) Green fig, mirabelle plum, apricot, peach, almond, macadamia nut CHÂTEAU CÔTE DE BALEAU St.-Emilion 2015 (92, $22) Juicy; raspberry, boysenberry, red currant, mesquite, iron, tobacco CHÂTEAU LA VIEILLE CURE Fronsac 2015 (92, $23) Dark currant, plum, bitter cherry, charcoal, singed iron, tobacco, toast; juicy CLOS FLORIDÈNE Graves White 2015 (91, $23) Racy; pink grapefruit, lemon peel, chamomile, verbena, honeysuckle CHÂTEAU FOMBRAUGE St.-Emilion 2015 (91, $28) Plum, black…

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. 96 Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte Pessac-Léognan 2015 $89 FRANCE This pumps out some serious blackberry, boysenberry, raspberry and black currant fruit flavors, with the texture of compote and a racy edge thanks to a terrific bolt of graphite that runs throughout. Waves of anise, roasted apple wood and to-bacco drive the finish, with the fruit keeping pace easily. Destined for a long life. Best from 2025 through 2045. 10,000 cases made.—J.M. 95 Boscarelli Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Il Nocio 2013 $126 ITALY Offering a beam of pure cherry, currant and iron flavors, this red hits all the right notes and has the backbone to develop. Tightly wound now,…

Up Close and Personal James Laube’s column, “In the Fires’ Wake” (Dec. 31, 2017 - Jan. 15 2018) on the October fires’ impact on Sonoma and Napa valleys is, in a very personal way, the glimpse into the devastation that all of us watched with concern from afar. National coverage and indeed even Wine Spectator’s own detailed and helpful online coverage did not fully convey the impact on the human condition. Laube’s column, with simple word pictures, did. A gifted writer such as Laube can move the reader from surreal to real, from locale to local, and from wondering to witness. He is to be thanked for bringing journalistic closure to this frightening experience. Stephen Tober Portsmouth, N.H. Tool of the Trade For the first time in almost 20 years…

Old Charter, Old Crow, Old Forester, Old Fitzgerald, Old Grand-Dad, Old Heaven Hill, Old Rip Van Winkle. “Old” is the most popular first name in Bourbondom. It makes the brands sound venerable, but their ages in years may seem downright juvenile compared with many Scotches. However, a closer look shows that whiskeys don’t all grow up the same. The current Cabbage Patch Kid of Bourbon is Pappy Van Winkle, 23 at its oldest. Plenty of Scotches surpass that age: A handful reach the half-century mark; a precious few become septuagenarians. To understand that incongruity, you have to shed the belief that age is the only gauge of quality. Just as children mature at different rates so does whiskey. With the latter, the outcome is more predictable. One rule of thumb…

The era of upheaval brought about by the cult Cabernets of the 1990s now appears to be coming to a close. In the early 1990s, Ann Colgin and Fred Schrader rolled the dice. Affluent art dealers from Florida, they were entering a new arena, one they thought they could master: Napa Valley Cabernet. They figured if they could find the right vineyard and assemble the right team, they could make great wine. The gamble paid off: They created Cabernet of uncommon dimension, effectively redefining the grape and creating a new hierarchy in the region. Their timing could hardly have been better. They arrived in Napa as a new era for Cabernet was just beginning, defined by a heightened appreciation of terroir and an eagerness for new names. Their messiah was…

Bordeaux wine is big business, but many of its key estates remain in family hands. Over time, generations rise and then retire, and the transition of power to the sons and daughters can be challenging. The leadership of the young up-and-comers profiled here has proven dynamic and successful, and while their legacy in part defines them, it doesn’t limit them. Mélanie Barton-Sartorius and Damien Barton-Sartorius Melanie Barton-Sartorius and Damien Barton-Sartorius are the 10th generation in the Barton wine dynasty that began in 1725, when Thomas Barton landed on the quays of Bordeaux from Ireland. They are the children of Lilian Barton-Sartorius and her husband, Michel Sartorius, and the grandchildren of Anthony Barton. The legacy is a mighty one: the acquisition of Chateau Langoa Barton in St.-Julien in 1821, followed by…

BIG TABLE FARM Big Table Farm is not centrally located. The nearest town is Gaston, Ore., population 695, about 5 miles away via a dirt road. But Willamette Valley is like that, and this serenity is a big reason Brian Marcy and Clare Carver came to Oregon in 2005 to start a winery and farm. “As Clare likes to say, it feeds our soul,” Marcy says of the couple’s 70-acre farm. All told, their homestead includes 68 acres of mature Douglas firs, where they hunt for mushrooms, and acres of pasture for a small herd of Irish Dexter cattle. They work with draft horses, tend beehives and American Guinea hogs, and live with a menagerie of dogs and cats and one cranky goat. The heart of the farm, and what…

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 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 At large Thomas Matthews Spain Kim Marcus California, Argentina, Chile Bruce Sanderson Italy, Burgundy, Austria James Molesworth Bordeaux, Rhône Valley, Loire Valley, Port, South Africa MaryAnn Worobiec California, Australia, New Zealand Alison Napjus Italy, Champagne, Alsace Tim Fish California,…

ARGENTINA Malbec & Blends 95 Vina Dona Paula Malbec Tupungato Alluvia Parcel 2013 $100 See Highly Recommended, page 103. 93 Bodega Norton Gernot Langes Lujan de Cuyo 2012 $105 Very plush and rich, with complex flavors of dark plum, blackberry and dried raspberry, offering enticing hints of anise and dried green herb. Mineral and slate notes fill the refined finish. Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2021.—K.M. 93 Bodega Piedra Negra Chacayes Uco Valley 2014 $75 A powerful red, with plenty of sanguine notes to the dried berry, dark cherry and beefy flavors. Firmly tannic, with notes of hot stone midpalate, lingering into the finish with peppery details. Malbec. Drink now through 2022. 1,500 cases made.—K.M. 91 Vina Cobos Malbec Lujan de Cuyo Bramare 2015 $42 This…

Dear Dr. Vinny, What’s the difference between a Bordeaux, a claret and a Meritage? —Manny M., Humble, Texas Dear Manny, That's a common question! Claret is an old-fashioned term that British wine lovers gave to the red wines from Bordeaux, France; it dates to the 1700s. Today it's used more broadly, as a reference to any red blend made in the Bordeaux style. It’s even used as a term for the color of a red Bordeaux, much the same way “Burgundy” is sometimes used. If you’re not sure what I mean by “red Bordeaux,” it refers to red wines from the Bordeaux region of France (blends that may include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot). Some people also use the term as casual shorthand for red wines…

THE GREY SAVANNAH, GA. Oxtail is something of a rarity in today’s home kitchens, but it wasn’t always. Oxen (cows and steers used as beasts of burden) were an Old World carryover to the Southern colonies, used to haul tobacco, lumber and other heavy goods. Eventually, the animals would be butchered and eaten, tail and all. Nearly three centuries on, our economy no longer hinges on the humble oxcart, but butchers often still process cows’ tails along with the rest of the animal. At home, when handled correctly (which isn’t difficult), this inexpensive and often overlooked cut becomes a delicacy. It’s just the kind of historically resonant fare that Mashama Bailey, executive chef and co-owner of the Grey in Savannah, Ga., has made it her mission to exalt. The restaurant,…

When confronted with the complexity of wine, there are times when simplicity is exactly what’s required. The temptation for all wine evangelists—and I include myself very much among them—is to somehow make wine simple. Although the reality is that wine, fine wine anyway, is anything but simple, the temptation to simplify is irresistible. Can you blame anyone for sometimes despairing over the complexity of wine, or even running away from wine as far and as fast as they can? That’s why there are times when simplicity is exactly what’s required. For example: How Do I Know When I’m Drinking a Great Wine? You would think that the “really very simple” answer is: “Look at the price tag.” But that’s just not true. A high price should correlate to wine greatness,…