Innehållsförteckning för December 15, 2018 från Wine Spectator

1 Neuhaus World’s Top Chefs Collection $57 for 27 pieces, neuhauschocolate.com Neuhaus began in mid-19th century Brussels—long a world capital of chocolate—as an apothecary practicing the spoonful-of-sugar technique: The company coated its medicines in chocolate. Eventually, chocolate took over, and in 1912, Neuhaus was the first to fill its chocolate shells with medicine of a different sort: soft chocolate, nuts and so on. Today, it has global reach but has maintained top quality and a house profile for clear, subtle flavors. This collection pulls together nine great chefs’ re-creations of childhood flavors. Christophe Adam’s contribution has a smooth, flaky coconut filling with an almond praline robed in milk chocolate. It’s the best Mounds you’ve never had. My favorite is Arabelle Meirlaen’s coffee buttercream with toasty crushed Breton waffles. 2 Kreuther…

The 31st annual Auction of Washington Wines surpassed expectations, raising more than $4.3 million to benefit Seattle Children’s Hospital and Washington State University’s viticulture and enology program, thanks in large part to a record number of winemakers at the Aug. 18 gala and to a new “Kids Who Give” theme. The 760 guests drew inspiration from Seattle Children’s Hospital patients like Makenna Schwab, who raised $800,000 by auctioning off her Make-a-Wish gift—a trip to the Jurassic World set and a meet-and-greet with actor Chris Pratt—to benefit other young patients. “Presentations in person from the children patients of Seattle Children’s Hospital were a super-personal touch,” said wine collector and donor Hank Sauer. More than 80 wineries participated in the opening private barrel-auction gala and the main live-auction gala. Bids raised more…

In his time as CEO of Ste. Michelle, Ted Baseler turned this Washington juggernaut into a global success story. Chateau Ste. Michelle was already the juggernaut of Washington wine when Ted Baseler signed on as its marketing director in 1984. By the time he stepped down as CEO this October, the company had assembled a portfolio of successful labels notable for both high quality and high volume, not always natural bedfellows. Baseler became CEO in 2000 when Allen Shoup retired (and went on to launch Long Shadows). Under Baseler’s direction, the company created a welter of Washington wines, the most prominent being 14 Hands, a medium-Muñoz-Oca that involves priced brand that first rocketed to popularity in restaurants; Intrinsic, an innovative red-wine experiment by winemaker Juan Muñoz-Oca that involves superlong skin…

Tilman Fertitta could eat dinner in one of his restaurants every night and it would be nearly two years before he had a second meal at any of them. That’s because this Texas-based businessman owns more than 600 restaurants around the world.Fertitta grew up near Galveston, working in his family’s seafood restaurant. A born entrepreneur, he dropped out of college to work in retail and real estate. In 1985, not yet 30, he began in-vesting in restaurants, an industry that would become his passion. Today, Fertitta is worth an estimated $4.4 billion. In addition to the restaurants, his company owns 12 hotels, five casinos, three aquariums, two amusement parks and Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Bugatti dealerships. Last year he bought his hometown NBA team, the Houston Rockets. Why put him on…

Wine labels are legally required to identify where the grapes in the bottle were grown. But can they identify a viticultural area if the winery is located in a different state? That’s one component of a controversy facing California vintner Joe Wagner and his Copper Cane Wines & Provisions. The dustup centers on two of Wagner’s Oregon brands, Elouan and Willametter Journal, which are made with Oregon-grown grapes but are vinified and bottled in California. Wagner made a splash with his California Pinot Noir Meiomi, a regional blend. (He sold the brand to Constellation in 2015.) He takes a similar approach with his Elouan brand, blending grapes from Oregon’s Willamette, Umpqua and Rogue valleys. At issue is whether Elouan can include references to those appellations since its grapes are trucked…

For the Plane 1 The Carry On Cocktail Kit $24–$25, wandpdesign.com Air travel is not always the most comfortable, relaxing experience, and it doesn’t help when the beverage options on board are subpar. The Carry On Cocktail Kit makes flying more bearable. There are a dozen options to choose from, such as an Old Fashioned, Moscow Mule or Italian Spritz. Order the base spirit or wine from your flight attendant, and the tin has everything else you need to make the cocktail, from cane sugar to bitters to tonic, as well as a recipe card, linen coaster, and bar spoon, jigger or muddler. For a Picnic 2 Igloo Daytripper Tote $80, igloocoolers.com There’s an abundance of portable coolers out there, but none quite as centered on wine and food as…

1 Cuisinox Roma Stovetop Espresso Maker $101, cuisinox.com Simpler to operate than its automatic cousins, a moka pot–style espresso maker is ideal for brewing thick, rich cups on the stovetop with a minimum of fiddling and fuss. The Cuisinox Roma, available in 4-, 6- and 10-cup sizes (6-cup pictured), is a premium stainless-steel example, offering an ideal entry point for espresso newbies and an attractive upgrade for longtime fans of this tried-and-true prep method. Fill the bottom chamber with water, pack the metal filter with ground espresso and set over heat. As the water boils and converts into steam, pressure in the bottom chamber builds until it pushes the water through the grounds in the filter and up into the collecting chamber. When the pot produces a telltale gurgling sound,…

TALES FROM TUSCANY Tuscany enjoyed a trio of vintages from 2015 to 2017 that should delight Italophiles and devotees of Sangiovese. This list offers plenty of proof, along with three whites from the Vernaccia grape, the specialty of San Gimignano. BARONE RICASOLI Chianti Classico Rocca Guicciarda Riserva 2015 (93, $25) Elegant, pure; cherry, coffee, spice, wild herb, tobacco CASA EMMA Chianti Classico Vignalparco 2015 (92, $27) Bright, polished, firm; cherry, blackberry, floral, earth SIMONE SANTINI Chianti Colli Senesi Tenuta Le Calcinaie 2016 (91, $18) Black cherry, black currant, earth, tea; sleek, juicy VILLA CERNA Chianti Classico Primocolle 2015 (91, $20) Black cherry, plum, juniper, rosemary, wet earth, stone CAPELLA S. ANDREA Vernaccia di San Gimignano Clara Stella 2017 (90, $19) Peach, almond, honey, mineral; harmonious, vibrant CASTELLO MONTAÙTO Vernaccia di…

Known for its profound reds, Ridge also produces some of California’s most distinctive—and long-lived—Chardonnays. The journey to Ridge Vineyards in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains is inspiring and fascinating. The estate sits at 1,800 to 2,600 feet above the bustling tech hub of Silicon Valley. The futuristic circular structure of Apple’s gleaming new headquarters is visible as you ascend the steep, winding route to the winery. As much as Apple and its peers are defining the future of the region, Ridge and its neighbors on the slopes and crest of Monte Bello Ridge represent a connection to the past. Vineyards were first planted here in the 19th century as Italian immigrants took to the mountains above Santa Clara Valley, then largely agricultural, in search of the best sites for grapegrowing. Wineries…

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 James Molesworth Bordeaux, Rhône Valley, Loire Valley, Port,…

ARGENTINA 95 Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec Mendoza Adrianna Vineyard Fortuna Terrae 2014 $140 A big and rich-tasting red, balanced and sumptuous, with concentrated dark currant, olive and dried blackberry flavors. Chocolate and Asian spice notes fill the powerful finish, which features accents of black licorice. Drink now through 2024. 500 cases made.—K.M. 91 Bodega Colomé Malbec Salta Auténtico 2017 $30 Intensely juicy and pure-tasting, with vibrant red currant, cherry and raspberry tart flavors that are flush with fresh acidity. White pepper accents show on the minerally finish. Drink now through 2022. 5,000 cases made.—K.M. 90 Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec Mendoza Alta 2015 $60 Finely textured, offering concentrated dark plum, cream and spice flavors that are well-structured. The finish lengthens out, with minerally notes. Drink now through 2021. 5,500 cases imported.—K.M.…

When picking a wine for steak night, many of us reach instinctively for California Cabernet. But it’s not for everyone. “I love big California Cabs, but, you know, they’re monsters sometimes,” admits Linton Hopkins, chef-owner of Atlanta restaurants such as C. Ellet’s steak house and Restaurant Eugene, the latter a winner of Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence. The Georgia native is fond of serving steak with lemony Calabrian chile–dressed broccoli rabe, and luxurious buttered onions. Big South American red blends, with their rich fruit and spiced edges, are among his go-tos. “I love how they play off of the bold, dramatic firework flavor combinations,” he says. “Field blends have the ability to handle high acid, high heat, high char, and play friendly.” Looking to Chile, he describes the…

REMEMBERING ULISES VALDEZ Much-admired Sonoma vineyard manager Ulises Valdez died on Sept. 12. His obituary appeared on WineSpectator.com and in our Nov. 30 issue. Below are a few responses from our readers. What a sad day. He had a big personality, self-motivated and self-taught as a vineyard manager. A great loss for viticulture and winemaking. Such a nicely written story about a very special man that everyone in the Sonoma wine business knew. Tim McDonald Founder/Publicist, Wine Spoken HereNapa, Calif. We had the pleasure of tasting his family’s wines at their tasting room in Healdsburg, and it was a lovely experience. Our hearts go out to his family. A great and wonderful man. Chris Moody St. Louis, Mo. Ulises told me his story of swimming the Rio Grande and arriving…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 95 Colene Clemens Pinot Noir Chehalem Mountains Dopp Creek 2015 $26 OREGON Impressive for the polished texture and elegant complexity, offering vibrant raspberry, orange peel and spice flavors that gain momentum. COLLECTIBLE 96 Frédéric Esmonin Ruchottes-Chambertin 2016 $150 FRANCE Beautifully balanced and very alluring, offering saturated cherry and wild berry fruit, with sandalwood, tobacco and mineral flavors. SMART BUY 91 Quinta Couselo Albariño Rias Baixas Turonia 2017 $22 SPAIN Flinty and briny notes give this firm white a distinctly mineral character, with peach and ginger details and leesy flavors. Rich yet balanced and energetic. BEST VALUE 90 d’Arenberg Shiraz McLaren Vale The Stump Jump 2016 $13 AUSTRALIA A distinctive version, with a fresh note of spearmint complementing the juicy core of plum and blackberry flavors. IN THIS ISSUE’S…

There’s a new chef in the cave at Dom Pérignon. After nearly three decades, head winemaker Richard Geoffroy is passing the baton to Vincent Chaperon. Chaperon, who officially takes over on Jan. 1, 2019, has his work cut out for him. Just as Champagne has become an international symbol of celebration and luxury, Dom Pérignon, the prestige cuvée from Moët & Chandon, has become one of the most recognizable labels in Champagne. It’s seemingly everywhere—in films and pop songs, on restaurant wine lists, in collectors’ cellars. And despite its high price and air of exclusivity, it is one of the top-selling Champagnes in the United States, with nearly 60,000 cases of the famed bubbly shipped here in 2017, according to Impact Databank (a sister publication of Wine Spectator). Some might…