Innehållsförteckning för June 30, 2018 från Wine Spectator

Visit WineSpectator.com/063018 to find links to all of the following resources. FREE RESOURCES FOR ALL OUR WINESPECTATOR.COM READERS WINE SPECTATOR’S 12TH ANNUAL VIDEO CONTEST Share your wine story to compete for great prizes! Submit your shorts to Wine Spectator’s annual Video Contest and you could win tickets to our spectacular Wine Experience weekend or a Grand Tasting. Entry deadline is Monday, Aug. 20. Check out the rules and previous years’ finalists online. OUTDOOR ENTERTAINING It’s time to take your parties to the backyard, beach or park, and some of the country’s best chefs are here to help. We share their cooking tips and delicious make-at-home summer recipes along with great value wine matches chosen by our editors. WINE SPECTATOR VIDEO Watch all our wine tips, winemaker interviews and tastings on…

Heitz Cellars, a dominant producer in Napa Valley during its formative years and a champion of single-vineyard wines, has been sold by its owners to Gaylon M. Lawrence Jr., whose family owns one of America’s largest agricultural companies. The sale includes the winery and tasting room, the brand and 425 acres of vineyards. The purchase price was not disclosed. “We feel this is the right time for us to pass this rich legacy to another family,” said Kathleen Heitz-Myers, the winery’s chief operating officer. “When we met with Gaylon, it seemed a perfect match. In the wine business we are all farmers, and with the Lawrence family’s history in agriculture, we feel Heitz Cellars will be in good hands.” Lawrence, who lives in Memphis, Tenn., is new to the world…

Linfield College in Willamette Valley is significantly expanding its wine education program with the help of a $6 million gift from one of Oregon’s leading wine families. The donation from Grace and Ken Evenstad of Domaine Serene is one of the largest in the small liberal arts college’s 160-year history. The money establishes the Grace and Ken Evenstad Center for Wine Education at Linfield, which will create a new degree in wine studies, endow a faculty position and fund the design and construction of a wine laboratory as part of a new science building under development on the McMinnville campus. “We’re just so happy to do this for the wine community and this beautiful college,” Grace Evenstad told Wine Spectator. Linfield, which is home to the annual International Pinot Noir…

Website oceaniacruises.com/ships/riviera/life-on-board/culinary-center Aboard Oceania’s Marina and Riviera cruise ships, 16 new cooking classes have been rolled out in time for the summer season. Head to the ships’ Culinary Center, where 12 gleaming workstations host pairs of participants (classes are capped at 24 people). There’s a Mastering Chef Knife Skills class, where you can test different models, practice technique and hone your sharpening abilities. If you’re looking for something a bit more relaxing, the palate gamut runs from savory to sweet in the Rethink the Crepe class, which encompasses traditional crepes Suzette as well as health-conscious buckwheat recipes. In the Nordic Kitchen class, guests create recipes like Estonian fish soup, traditional gravlax, Swedish meatballs and salmon rillettes. Another class celebrates classic dishes from Oceania’s executive culinary director, Jacques Pepin, but he won’t…

PHOTOGRAPHED AT THE ROOF AT PARK SOUTH, NEW YORK CITY Remember when rosé was out of fashion? That seemed ages ago when, on a sunny day this February, rock icon Jon Bon Jovi strode up the steps of the former Versace mansion in Miami to introduce his and son Jesse Bongiovi’s new rosé brand, made in partnership with France’s Gérard Bertrand. As the wine flowed, Bon Jovi treated guests to a brief concert, then took a selfie with the empty bottles. The label, Diving Into Hampton Water, lives up to its billing, earning 90 points from Wine Spectator in a recent blind tasting. It joins a crowded shelf of star-powered rosés: Sofia, by Francis Ford Coppola; Barrymore, by Drew Barrymore; and the juggernaut of celebrity rosés, Brad Pitt and Angelina…

Louis “Bob” Trinchero was 12 years old when his family moved from New York City to St. Helena, Calif., in the heart of Napa Valley. The boy’s father—Mario Trinchero—and Mario’s brother John had purchased a dilapidated shell of a winery that hadn’t been operational for years. It had dirt floors and no electricity. When Bob’s mother, Mary, saw it for the first time she started to cry. She was also very angry. Bob recalls, “She asked my father, ‘Why did you bring me here? Why didn’t you tell me it would be like this?’ My father said, ‘If I’d told you, you wouldn’t have come.’” The year was 1948. Napa was known for walnuts, prunes and cattle, not wine made from its grapes. There were only a handful of wineries…

Anyone who drinks California Zinfandel—and they are a passionate sect of wine lovers—must feel spoiled. The Golden State’s unique red wine is experiencing a four-year run of outstanding vintages. That doesn’t happen often. The 2013 vintage kicked things off, followed by the impressive 2014 and 2015 harvests—and early indications suggest that 2016 is in the same league. Since my previous report on the category (“Winning Streak,” July 31, 2017), I have reviewed approximately 300 Zinfandels in blind tastings at our Napa office, with nearly half of them receiving outstanding ratings of 90 points or higher on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale. The bulk of the wines are from the excellent 2015 vintage, which earns an overall rating of 94 points in Sonoma and 92 points in Napa. (A free alphabetical list…

South African vintners estimate that 2018 is the smallest vintage they have harvested in 13 years, due to a multiyear drought. Stringent water management rules have imposed tight limits on irrigation. That has mostly hurt the country’s large bulk-wine industry, which accounts for about 60 percent of wine exports. But it’s also challenging small vintners who produce high quality wine, forcing them to adapt to a changing climate. South Africa has always experienced cycles of drought, but the difference now is that water resources and infrastructure are under increased pressure due to a rapidly expanding region that has seen significant population growth and economic development. South Africa Wine Industry Information & Systems, an industry nonprofit, has predicted that the drought conditions will result in 2018 being the smallest crop since…

The 52nd edition of Vinitaly, Italy’s annual wine and spirits trade fair, was held in Verona in April, drawing nearly 4,400 exhibitors who showed their wares to an estimated 128,000 visitors. The fair kicked off with OperaWine, a tasting presenting 107 of Italy’s top wine producers, selected by Wine Spectator to showcase the diversity and excellence of the country’s releases. Bruce Sanderson, senior editor at Wine Spectator and the publication’s lead taster for the wines of Piedmont and Tuscany, told 300 members of the trade and press, “Our principal criteria are wine quality, regional leadership and historical significance.” The selection represented all 20 Italian wine regions, with icons such as Sassicaia from Bolgheri and Gaja from Barbaresco alongside lesser-known stars like Dettori from Sardinia and Pederzana from Lambrusco. Among the…

Website abadia-retuerta.com/en Abadia Retuerta LeDomaine, the historic Spanish estate and wine producer, provides luxury accommodations in a restored 12th-century abbey and produces coveted wines. (The winery earned a spot on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list in 2014, 2015 and 2016.) In February, the resort opened for the season with new offerings and a new managing director, Enrique Valero Quintana, previously CEO of the estate’s winery. This year, there’s greater focus on activities like barrel tastings, cycling picnics and helicopter tours, plus the estate’s “spa sommelier” service, which pairs wellness treatments with specific wines and products infused with grapes grown in the same vineyard. This month, a seasonal wine bar in the vineyard welcomes guests to enjoy pours of the estate’s wines. Returning vacationers will find much of the same high quality…

Upstate New York’s Finger Lakes region has come a long way. The area has shrugged off its reputation as a cottage industry built on a hodgepodge of quantity-driven hybrid and native grapes. The number of top producers has grown, and there’s better focus to their offerings, which rely primarily on Riesling. It’s not yet a world-class wine region—the critical mass of quality isn’t quite there. But if more vintages like 2016 come along, it won’t be long before the Finger Lakes can lay claim to that mantle. Marked by a very dry and warm—but not hot—growing season, the 2016 vintage gave Finger Lakes vintners a year free of the region’s typical disease pressures, which are generally caused by humidity. Grape bunches were smaller due to the drought, so yields were…

Wine lovers old enough to remember Tuscan vintages from the 1970s and 1980s will find the 2013 Brunellos reminiscent of that earlier era. These elegant wines show freshness, focus and alluring harmony, recalling the style that preceded the succession of warmer vintages since 1990. For Francesco Buffi, whose family owns Baricci, the late harvest in 2013 evoked childhood memories of his grandfather Nello harvesting in October. “Whoever had healthy grapes, and could wait until October to harvest, made excellent wines,” Buffi says. Riccardo Campinoti of Le Ragnaie has similar associations. “The weather in 2013 reminded me of the weather growing up, without the excessive heat that we now experience almost every year here,” he says. “This why I say ‘old school.’” The character of the 2013s is very approachable due…

Website royalchampagne.com/en Relais & Chateau opens its latest jewel, the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa, in the town of Champillon this July after two years of renovations. The location is part of the charm. In a straight shot between two of the region’s most popular destinations, the hotel is about a half hour’s drive south of Reims and just 15 minutes north of Épernay. For nearby hallmark producers on your drive, look for Moët & Chandon, Perrier-Jouët and Pol Roger, near Épernay, and Bollinger, Deutz and René Geoffroy, outside the small town of Aÿ. But don’t discredit the smaller, lesser-known growers you’ll pass on your way, many of which offer exceptional value for wines that don’t make it into the U.S. market. Back at the hotel, two restaurants—the gourmet Le Royal…

Vin Gris “Vin Gris” literally means “gray wine,” but in the world of rosé it’s a label term that indicates a pale pink version. Domaine de Fontsainte’s Corbières Gris de Gris is a Vin Gris based on Grenache Gris blended with Grenache Noir and other varieties; Grenache Gris is genetically identical to Grenache Blanc, but with a darker, pink-hued skin. Bandol One of Provence’s best-known appellations for red wine is the tiny Bandol AOC with its powerfully tannic versions based on the Mourvèdre grape; that structure is reflected in Bandol’s rosés, also based on Mourvèdre, and these bottlings often receive short-term aging prior to release. Flute à Corset Provençal This distinctive bottle shape, known as the “flûte à corset Provençal,” was designed and copyrighted in 1960 for use only by…

Even in the leanest years, matriarch Mary Trinchero kept an envelope aside for charity, and her generosity became an integral part of the company DNA. The family is quiet about its giving, but over the decades, Trinchero Family Estates has contributed millions of dollars to improve the community—things like refinishing the high school swimming pool and helping fund the local Fourth of July fireworks show. When TFE realized its employees had difficulty finding day-care, the company built one in St. Helena. Some efforts have been more personal. When Mary’s daughter Vera was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001, TFE put bright pink corks in millions of bottles of Sutter Home White Zin, and have since raised more than $ 1 million for breast cancer research and awareness. Other contributions have…

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. 97 La Fortuna Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2012 $125 ITALY Perfumed, with wild herb aromas and a subtle mix of strawberry and cherry fruit. Vibrant and dense, with fine acidity driving the long finish. Though elegant, there is intensity and fine energy on the aftertaste. Best from 2022 through 2028. 550 cases made.—B.S. 96 Livio Sassetti Brunello di Montalcino Pertimali Riserva 2012 $120 ITALY Firm and dense, this red sports cherry, leather, cigar box and sweet spice flavors. A juiciness midpalate adds depth. Finishes with tannins and a combination of earth, mineral and tobacco notes. Best from 2022 through 2038. 1,000 cases made.—B.S. 95 Bollinger Brut…