Innehållsförteckning för July 31, 2019 från Wine Spectator

FREE RESOURCES FOR ALL WINESPECTATOR.COM READERS ← WINE SPECTATOR’S 13TH ANNUAL VIDEO CONTEST Share your wine story to compete for fabulous 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. 19. Check out the rules and previous years’ finalists online. FOURTH OF JULY PARTIES Bring some culinary fireworks to your festivities with a tempting new summer recipe and crowd-pleasing wines to pair with it. WINE SPECTATOR VIDEO Watch all our informative wine tips, winemaker interviews and tastings on your desktop, laptop, tablet or phone. • Spotlight On: Hampton Water’s Jon Bon Jovi and Jesse Bongiovi Rosé season is in full swing—a perfect time to catch up with the father-son…

AVANT $17 Sourced from coastal vineyards in Mendocino, Monterey and Santa Barbara counties, Avant is cold fermented in stainless steel tanks to create the purest expression of the Chardonnay grape. Showcasing citrus green apple, citrus and tropical fruit notes, the resulting wine is youthful and vibrant on the palate. VINTNER'S RESERVE $17 Beautifully integrated flavors of pineapple, mango and papaya, with citrus notes that dazzle the palate. These flavors delicately intertwine with aromas of vanilla and honey to create depth and balance throughout A hint of toasted oak and butter adds to the soft, lingering finish. 92% Barrel fermented and aged 6 months in French and American oak. GRAND RESERVE $25 Lush tropical fruit intertwines with nice minerality from the calciferous soils in the Santa Maria and Los Alamos Valleys…

Riesling and Beyond There is more to German wine than just Riesling, though truth be told the Rieslings here are delicious, covering the classic styles of kabinett and spätlese. The Pinot family of grapes thrives in the country’s more southern regions, while Scheurebe is a German specialty that’s never shy on personality. HAART Riesling Spatlese Mosel Goldtropfchen 2017 (94, $31) Intense, bracing; floral, lemon curd, grapefruit, slate SCHLOSS LIESER Riesling Spatlese Trocken Mosel Helden SL 2017 (93, $29) Spearmint, lanolin, bergamot, mineral; dry, mouthwatering HAART Riesling Kabinett Mosel Goldtropfchen 2017 (92, $24) Luscious, balanced; apricot, peach, cream, cardamom, vanilla, mineral SCHLOSS LIESER Riesling Kabinett Mosel Brauneberger Juffer 2017 (92, $25) Apricot, guava, mineral, cardamom; vibrant, silky LEITZ Riesling Spatlese Rheingau Rudesheimer Magdalenenkreuz 2017 (91, $24) Graceful, ripe, expressive; mango, papaya,…

It’s summertime, which means stocking up on refreshing, lighter-bodied bottlings, including—of course—rosé. The wine industry has seen sales of rosé catapult over the past decade. Eleven years ago, I was undeniably the target market of rosé producers; I recall many summer afternoons on the patio of New York’s Central Park Boathouse, gossiping with girlfriends and sipping glasses of Whispering Angel rosé from Provence. When I visited Whispering Angel’s producer, Château d’Esclans, last summer, communications director Tom Schreckinger remembered that the boathouse had been one of Esclans’ key U.S. accounts in 2008. Not only were sales of the brand impressive at the location, but the restaurant noted a wide demographic enjoying rosé—it wasn’t just me and my girlfriends. Today, rosé is ubiquitous. But the success of the pale, ballet slipper–pink Provence…

“Just like cooking a turkey, or any poultry, a rib roast, anything cooked on the bone is just that much more flavorful and juicy. So delicious, bottom line. The meat has more collagen and it’s firmer. People think parsley’s a garnish—like, they put a few pieces on something—but it’s really got flavor. It’s bright and crispy and the chlorophyll pops.” —Michael White WINE MATCH Graci Etna Feudo di Mezzo 2015 “This is a single vineyard, so this is the most, I guess you could say, fancy wine here. It’s got that Burgundy, Pinot Noir alternative: real high-toned, refreshing, but with a little bit more of that smoky, volcanic mineral and a little bit of that cinnamon spice that’s kind of a signature of Etna. But also I just love that…

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. James Laube CaliforniaHarvey Steiman At largeThomas Matthews SpainKim Marcus California Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir, Argentina, ChileBruce Sanderson Burgundy, Piedmont, TuscanyJames Molesworth California Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Rhône Valley, PortMaryAnn Worobiec California Sauvignon Blanc and other whites, Australia, New Zealand Alison Napjus Italy,…

CALIFORNIA Chardonnay 96 Aubert Chardonnay Carneros Larry Hyde & Sons 2017 $85 See Highly Recommended, page 93. 96 Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Russian River Val-ley Ross Station Estate 2017 $85 See Highly Recommended, page 93. 95 Arista Chardonnay Russian River Valley Ritchie Vineyard 2016 $78 Powerful, with intense toasty accents to the lithe, pure and structured flavors of fresh-cut Gala apple, lemon curd and dried mango. Exotic spice details show on the creamy, complex finish. Drink now through 2025. 324 cases made.—K.M. 95 Arista Chardonnay Russian River Valley UV-El Diablo Vineyard 2016 $78 The intense minerality is harnessed to a panoply of pure, well-structured flavors of apple tart, pear and dried tropical fruit. Custard and spice details fill the long, juicy finish. Needs aging to blossom further. Best from 2020 through…

Americans love Chardonnay. It’s the most popular white wine in the country, and for good reason: It’s delicious and dependable, and excellent versions are available in all price ranges. In this issue we focus on Chardonnay from California, with stories timed to help you find the right bottles to accompany your summer meals and celebrations. Kim Marcus, our Napa bureau chief and lead taster for California Chardonnay, presents his tasting report on the new releases of this enticing white wine. Marcus has reviewed more than 500 California Chardonnays in blind tastings over the past year and found an impressive 260 wines deserving of 90 points or higher on our 100-point scale, with eight wines reaching the “classic” range of 95 or more points. Bottlings from the 2016 and 2017 vintages…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 95 Viña Seña Aconcagua Valley 2016 $125 CHILE This red is elegant, rich and finely textured, offering pure-tasting flavors of dried cherry, raspberry and red currant, followed by a polished finish. Cabernet Sauvignon blend. COLLECTIBLE 94 Bouchard Père & Fils Corton-Charlemagne Domaine 2017 $220 FRANCE A solid structure keeps this concentrated white sleek and long, with lemon, apple, vanilla and pastry spice notes plying the dense texture, buoyed by vivid acidity. SMART BUY 93 Purple Hands Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Lone Oak Ranch 2017 $30 OREGON Well-built and lively, this red features cherry and blueberry flavors, laced with black tea and smoky spice notes that build tension toward refined tannins. BEST VALUE 86 Lindemans Cabernet Sauvignon South Eastern Australia Bin 45 2018 $6 AUSTRALIA The wild berry and…

“A lot of times, seafood salad is just lemon, and you don’t taste the seafood. My wife’s mother would take red wine vinegar and splash it over the pot, then [take] a lemon and squeeze it over the top. You toss it [in] to get the acidulation in. The fewer the ingredients, the harder it is to cook. The hallmark of Italian cooking is simplicity; that’s why ingredients are so important.” Michael White WINE MATCH Medici Ermete Lambrusco Secco Reggiano Arte e Concerto 2017 “I started by thinking about the setting; it’s kind of beachy, barbecuing, unpretentious. I started with the Lambrusco because people have heard of it. It gets your whistle really wet. I picked this one because it’s refreshing and zippy, but also, they’re great people and they’ve…

“There’s nothing better than having biscotti secchi—dry—with something soft and creamy, and you bite it and crunch with your back teeth. Crostatas are so popular; just fruit and a simple dough. It doesn’t have to be beautiful.” —Michael White INGREDIENTS 1 ¾ sticks butter¾ cup plus 3 ½ tablespoons sugar (divided use)9 egg yolks2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoons salt (divided use)7 sheets gelatin½ cup milk½ cup cream1 tablespoon vanilla6 egg yolks9 ounces crème fraîche7 tablespoons honey12 ounces ricottaStrawberry Preserves (recipe follows), homemade or store-boughtBiscotti, preferably anise-flavoredGood quality olive oil gelato RECIPE 1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and ⅞ cup sugar. Slowly add the egg yolks, followed by the flour and 1 ½ teaspoons salt, mixing until…

92 Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico 2015 $14 ITALY An elegant style, offering black cherry, blackberry, iron and earth flavors, with a hint of wild herbs. The vibrant structure keeps this focused and drives the lingering finish. Drink now through 2033. 61,000 cases made, 40,000 cases imported.—B.S. 90 Cune Rioja Crianza 2016 $14 SPAIN Black cherry, red plum, licorice and smoke flavors mingle in this round red. Shows good density, while orange peel acidity and light tannins keep this focused. Drink now through 2028. 375,000 cases made, 10,000 cases imported.—T.M. 88 Cavaliere d’Oro Chianti Classico 2016 $15 ITALY A taut, tannic style, with black cherry, plum, leafy underbrush and tar flavors converging on the dense, burly finish. Best from 2022 through 2030. 61,500 cases made, 40,000 cases imported.—B.S. 86 Lindemans…

Russell and Desta Klein joke that they met in the middle. Russell grew up in New York, Desta in the Pacific Northwest; they met working at St. Paul restaurant W.A. Frost. In 2007, they held their wedding reception at a downtown restaurant with huge vaulted ceilings, views of the his-toric city center and an Old World feel. “Six months later, we ended up with the space, building Meritage within the place that we cel-ebrated our wedding,” Desta says. St. Paul may keep a lower profile than Minneapolis (“We’re the Brooklyn of the Twin Cities,” Russell quips), but it’s booming in its own right. Meritage is smack in the middle of the action, surrounded by concert venues, museums and the hockey stadium. “We serve suits to jerseys, we like to say,”…

Asked and Answered Brad Kordic from Herlong, Calif., asked what California Cabs taste like Bordeaux (Feedback, June 15). When they are young, none. However, our several brown-bag tasting groups have found that with 15-plus years of age, some California Cabs do display the earthy quality that our favorite Bordeaux show. The two that most consistently do so are Ridge Monte Bello (most recently, the 2002) and Philip Togni. On many occasions I would have bet money that they were Bordeaux before being unveiled. Richard DregerBatavia, Ill. Tribute to Tom I was saddened to read James Laube’s column about Tom Seaver (June 15). I’ll always remember getting the Hall of Famer’s autograph at a local memorabilia shop in Las Vegas. As Tom began to sign my baseball, I asked how his…

Kendall-Jackson: Where California Chardonnay began. Before Jess Jackson released the first Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay in 1982, Chardonnay was unknown to most American wine drinkers. Today, it's the most popular white wine in the U.S. Jess wu a true believer, with a vision of bringing quality wines to everyone by focusing on the vineyard first, a philosophy that he instilled in the generations of Jackson family members that manage the company today. From purchasing and farming vineyard sites up and down the California coast, to breaking the mold of barrel aging by investing in a French stave mill, Jess guaranteed the quality of his wines at every step of the process, from vine to glass. Over decades, the Kendall-Jackson team has worked to perfect the art of crafting complex, well-balanced Chardonnays. As…

It wasn’t so long ago that Chianti Classico, the historic home of Sangiovese, lost faith in its signature red grape. The regulations required it be blended with—diluted by, really—other grapes, including white varieties. But some producers had other ideas. The Martini di Cigala family, owners of the historic San Giusto di Rentennano estate since 1914, decided to make a wine purely from Sangiovese. They called it Percarlo; the first vintage was 1983. “Our idea was to produce a Chianti Classico from 100 percent Sangiovese, which at that time was forbidden by the consorzio’s laws,” explains vineyard manager Luca Martini di Cigala, one of six siblings who currently run the estate. “Therefore, like other wineries, we decided to produce our best wine from the denomination as simple ‘red table wine’ [today…

93 Purple Hands Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Lone Oak Ranch 2017 $30 OREGON Well-built and lively, featuring cherry and blueberry flavors, laced with black tea and smoky spice notes that build ten-sion toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2027. 2,800 cases made. —T.F. 92 Bodegas Olarra Rioja Cerro Añon Reserva 2015 $22 SPAIN Cedar and sandalwood notes mingle with flavors of cherry, tobacco, forest floor and licorice in this savory red. Polished and balanced, harmo-nious and deep. Drink now through 2025. 25,000 cases made, 12,000 cases imported. —T.M. 92 Roederer Estate Brut Rosé Anderson Valley NV $31 CALIFORNIA Festive and luxurious, with polished orange blossom, strawberry and roasted hazelnut accents that dance on the long finish. Drink now. 11,000 cases made.—T.F. 91 Cambria Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley Katherine’s Vineyard 2017…

AUSTRALIA Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Geoff Hardy Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale Pertaringa Rifle & Hunt 2017 $40 Bright and floral up front, with dried violet, spicy cigar box, espresso and cherry flavors that are supple and juicy. Touches of fennel and nutmeg linger on the finish. The tannins are dense but polished. Drink now through 2028. 2,000 cases made, 100 cases imported.—M.W. 91 Elderton Cabernet Sauvignon Barossa 2016 $27 See Smart Buys, pages 94. 91 Geoff Hardy Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale Pertaringa Understudy 2017 $25 Generous, featuring blueberry and blackberry flavors that are con-centrated and dense, with mineral, loam, dried herb and gunpowder tea notes. Gravelly tannins provide some trac-tion on the finish, but this remains appealingly focused. Drink now through 2028. 2,000 cases made, 200 cases imported.—M.W. 90 Living Roots…