Innehållsförteckning för October 15, 2018 från Wine Spectator

California may be best known for its Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays, but Pinot Noir is rap-idly gaining ground as one of the Golden State’s best wines. Pinot Noir first came onto the radar in California in the 1950s. Vintners such as Hanzell and Stony Hill were inspired by Burgundy, Pinot’s spiritual homeland, and in turn prompted others to pursue the variety. By the 1980s, wineries were focusing in on cool-climate regions like Russian River Valley and Carneros and honing their winemaking techniques to handle this tricky variety. Success bred popularity, and plantings began to rise, from just fewer than 10,000 acres in 1980 to nearly 45,000 acres in 2016. In 2011, the grape achieved a significant milestone: The Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2009 was named Wine Spectator’s Wine…

During the first half of 2018, collectible-wine auctions witnessed unprecedented prices and myriad new records at sales in New York, Chicago and Hong Kong. Passion for Bordeaux gave way to feverish demand for Burgundy. A relatively stable stock market contributed to the bidding euphoria. With the auction market booming, many collectors decided that this was an opportune time to sell. They were not disappointed. Here’s a snapshot of the first six months of 2018. Acker Merrall & Condit Acker Merrall & Condit hit a new benchmark during the first half of 2018: cumulative auction sales of $1 billion since the firm’s inception in 1998. “To be here after that very small start is unbelievable,” said Acker CEO John Kapon. In the first two quarters of 2018, Acker clocked nearly $60…

I consider myself incredibly lucky to have witnessed the phenomenal ascent of California wine firsthand. For four decades, I’ve had a front-row seat to the greatest show in the wine world—the rise of California, driven by Napa Valley. Having earned a special place in the hearts of wine lovers, Napa acts as a locomotive for the whole state. Vintners worldwide turn to California for cutting-edge techniques in the vineyard or cellar and for ideas about dining and hospitality. There might be times when Napa gets more attention than it deserves, but there’s no denying its influence on the global wine stage. Simply put, the modern history of wine couldn’t be told without the ascent of California. And what an ascent it’s been—a story of triumph and tragedy as the state’s…

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 Domaine Giraud Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Galimardes 2016 $115 FRANCE This drips with steeped raspberry, plum and boysenberry fruit, making for a decidedly fruit-driven personality. Shows ample spine, with a deeply buried bolt of graphite and hints of Turkish coffee and ganache skittering through. Offers a long echo of smoldering tobacco. A stunner. Best from 2020 through 2045. 400 cases made.—J.M. 97 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 2016 $120 FRANCE Packed with plum, raspberry and blackberry confiture flavors that are youthfully wound up, while warm stone, anise, bay leaf, garrigue and tar notes fill in throughout. Dense but juicy, with a long, smoldering feel on…

Aubert Accolades For well over a decade I have followed Mark Aubert, ever since he launched his name-sake wines and I had the pleasure to purchase my first bottle with the 2007 vintage. I wanted you to know the joy it brought my wife and I to read the in-depth profile of the entire Aubert team (cover, July 31) including those that have been so helpful to us over the years, such as [director of sales] Philip Gift. Now that we regularly collect nine different bottlings of Aubert wines, including complete verticals back to 2010, it’s hard to express just how much the wonderful pictures and excel-lent writing add to our enjoyment of Mark Aubert’s fine wines. Now our dream turns to one day visiting the winery and vineyards and…

France’s AXA Millésimes Expands to Napa AXA Millesimes, the wine division of the French insurance giant, is purchasing Outpost, a winery on Napa Valley’s Howell Mountain, from Kathy and Frank Dotzler. The sale includes the brand, winery and 28 acres of vines. A source familiar with the deal says AXA is paying about $40 million. As part of the deal, winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown will stay on for at least three years. Outpost produces fewer than 3,000 cases per year, but Brown makes an additional 22,000 for various projects at the winery. —Mitch Frank and James Laube Sonoma’s Wind Gap Wines Sold Pax Mahle has sold his 50 percent share in Wind Gap Wines to his partner Terroir, the wine company founded by Charles Banks. The deal includes the winery,…

If the aim were to conjure an idyllic landscape of rolling hills dotted with dairy farms where cheese is undoubtedly king, it would be hard to imagine anything much different than the state of Wisconsin. Earnest, modest and low-key, though not without a touch of “gee-whiz” hucksterism, Wisconsin’s cheesemakers are quintessentially Midwestern. Family and tradition, especially the trades and practices of their European forebears, are big. “In Wisconsin, cheese isn’t something we do, it’s who we are,” says Chad Vincent, CEO of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, the state’s milk marketing board. “In fact, Wisconsin wins more awards than any other state or country. No, our cheesemakers don’t brag much—they let our cheeses speak for themselves.” As California is to wine, so Wisconsin is to cheese—which is to say the top-producing…

SPANISH GOLD Fantástico is the word to describe these values from Spain. All are from major regions and grape varieties except the Ànima Negra, a blend of Callet, Premsal Blanc and Giró Ros. BODEGA BURDIGALA Toro Campo Alegre 2014 (93, $27) Blackberry, currant, cocoa, coffee, licorice, smoke, floral; plush, modern BODEGAS BRECA Garnacha Aragón Old Vines 2015 (92, $16) Fresh, harmonious; plum, blackberry, black olive, toast, mineral, floral DESCENDIENTES DE J. PALACIOS Bierzo Pétalos 2016 (92, $21) Black cherry, licorice, espresso, black olive, graphite, savory; vibrant A PORTELA Treixadura Ribeiro Beade Primacía 2016 (91, $18) Rich; peach, quince, plum, tarragon, mineral, vanilla, honey ÀNIMA NEGRA Vi de la Terra de Mallorca White Quíbia 2017 (91, $18) Peach, quince, jasmine, mineral, tangerine; light, energetic BODEGAS LA CANA Albariño Rias Baixas La…

When Lalou Bize-Leroy invites you to a tasting, you can be sure it will be a master class in rare Burgundy. Lalou Bize-Leroy, 86, is an icon of Burgundy, with more than 60 vintages to her credit. When she invites you to a tasting, you can be sure it will be a master class in fine and rare Burgundy. That’s why I flew to France in July and why I found Prince Albert of Monaco and celebrated chefs Alain Ducasse and Josep Roca gathered in the fermentation room of Domaine Leroy in Vosne-Romanée to taste 20 reds and 11 whites from Bize-Leroy’s cellar, some more than 80 years old. The wines were a mix of bottlings from Domaine Leroy, now 30 years old; her family’s Maison Leroy, celebrating 150 years…

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. 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,…

ARGENTINA Malbec & Blends 92 Bodegas Caro Mendoza 2015 $63 Wellhoned and very refined, with polished dried berry and plum flavors that are supported by firm tannins. The crisp finish offers mineral, slate and dried herb notes. Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2023. 4,000 cases made.—K.M. 91 Piattelli Malbec Luján de Cuyo Grand Reserve 2015 $22 A luscious red, offering concentrated red and dark fruit flavors that are filled with Asian spice notes. Creamy midpalate, with a finish that lingers with German chocolate cake accents. Drink now through 2022. 6,000 cases made.—K.M. 91 Bodega Vistalba Corte A Mendoza 2015 $65 Big and rich-tasting, with finely textured flavors of dried red berry, currant and plum that are well-concentrated. Medium-grained tannins fill the broad and spicy finish, which includes chocolate…

CALIFORNIA Cabernet Sauvignon & Blends 95 Peter Michael Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Au Paradis 2015 $225 See Collectibles, page 98. 94 Alpha Omega Era Napa Valley 2015 $325 Strikingly complex, deep and layered, with tiers of dark berry, mocha, licorice and gravel flavors, enlivened by a soothing texture. Give this some time. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2020 through 2032. 630 cases made.—J.L. 94 Peter Michael Les Pavots Knights Valley 2015 $225 Remarkably complex and nuanced, with a firm mix of cedary oak and mocha notes and tight dark berry, anise, gravel and spice flavors, finishing long and persistent. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2021 through 2032. 2,870 cases made.—J.L. 93 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley Reserve 2015 $70 Sturdy and structured,…

French winegrower Auguste Clape, who helped put the Northern Rhone appellation of Cornas on the map, died July 13, surrounded by his family. He was 93. According to one of his U.S. importers, his health had been declining in recent months. “Like Noel Verset, Auguste Clape was one of the true greats of Cornas, making wines of complexity and aging potential that brought notoriety to the appellation,” said Clark Terry, marketing director at Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant. During Clape’s winemaking career, his domaine, A. Clape, helped turn Cornas into one of the world’s most revered sources for Syrah. The Clapes had been winegrowers for several generations in the Languedoc until difficult times at the start of the 20th century led the family to start over in the Rhone Valley. Born…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 96 Felton Road Pinot Noir Central Otago Bannockburn 2017 $50 NEW ZEALAND Elegant, fresh and vibrant, with lavender, white pepper and green tea notes accentuating the pure cherry and raspberry flavors. COLLECTIBLE 97 Antinori Toscana Tignanello 2015 $135 ITALY Dense and intensely flavored, with notes of violet, black currant, blackberry, graphite, wild herb and spice, this red is concentrated, vibrant and harmonious. Sangiovese blend. SMART BUY 92 Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Les Baronnes 2017 $25 FRANCE A lively white, offering bright lemon curd, gooseberry, thyme and lime pith notes, with mouthwatering cut on the finish. BEST VALUE 88 Via Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Colchagua Valley Chilensis Reserva 2016 $10 CHILE There’s good cut to the black olive, dark plum and dried cherry flavors in this firm red, with coffee bean…

What with New York City’s constant and cacophonous honks for our attention, it can be easy to miss the quiet power of the surrounding agricultural economy. New York state is a leading producer of dairy, apples, maple syrup, cabbage and more. “We’re like the Napa Valley of the East; we have just so many wonderful farms to utilize,” says chef Jim Palmeri. Palmeri is executive chef of Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, N.Y. A National Historic Landmark, it has been run by the same Quaker family since its founding in 1869. When Palmeri arrived in 2007, he wanted to do more to showcase the region’s bounty. There was just one hitch: The resort routinely serves 600 meals a night. “Bridging the gap of the high volume that we do…