Innehållsförteckning för December 15, 2019 från Wine Spectator

There are plenty of reasons to open a bottle of Champagne. Holiday festivities, celebrating the marriage of a son or daughter or clinching that big promotion are all among the traditional moments when wine lovers pop a Champagne cork. The bubbles foam and everyone smiles. But a Champagne toast is also appropriate as a farewell salute, to sweeten the bitterness of parting. In that spirit, we raise a glass to Harvey Steiman, who this summer retired from Wine Spectator after a rich 35-year career. Beginning on page 40, we honor him with a profile, penned by senior editor Kim Marcus. Harvey joined the magazine in 1984. A perceptive wine taster who reviewed thousands of wines, he championed regions such as Oregon, Washington, Australia and New Zealand in the early days…

1 Yeti Hopper Flip 18 $300, yeti.com If you’re serious about alfresco drinking, you’ve got to be serious about how you store your tipple of choice. Yeti makes a variety of coolers, and this one is the perfect transportable size, made to fit several bottles of wine, or 20 cans. The fabric is waterproof and resistant to wear and tear, and the rubber foam inside will keep your beverages cool for the duration of your excursion. The zipped flip top makes it easy to retrieve items. 2 Aged & Ore Travel Decanter $58, agedandore.com Sometimes you want a really nice drink when you get to the top of that summit (or, you know, the hilltop in the park). But do you want to fill a water bottle with precious juice?…

New World Order Here’s a selection of excellent values from three different countries across the globe, including Cabernet and Shiraz from Australia, Malbec and Chardonnay from Argentina, and Pinot Noir from California. There’s also plenty to choose from in terms of style. Whether you want full-throttle, in-your-face fruit or a more subtle, elegant interpretation, you’ll find what you’re looking for. CHAPEL HILL Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale The Parson 2017 (91, $20) Polished, juicy; spiced plum, black licorice, black cherry, black pepper, apricot, sarsaparilla EL ENEMIGO Chardonnay Mendoza 2017 (91, $28) Gala apple, Asian pear, spice, buttery, creamy; lithe, concentrated LANDMARK Pinot Noir Monterey-Santa Barbara-Sonoma Counties Overlook 2017 (90, $25) Pomegranate, cherry, currant, slate, spice, mineral; elegant, juicy PIATTELLI Malbec-Tannat Cafayate Valley Reserve 2017 (90, $16) Muscular, savory; black fruit, tar,…

Perception can be a tricky thing. It’s easy to fall for a false narrative, especially in Napa Valley. Take Opus One. With its eye-candy architecture, 25,000-case annual production and corporate ownership, Opus One could be seen as a Napa Valley stereotype: A branddriven steamship impossible to turn around and resistant to change. Or, take Opus One. With its European roots, organic approach to farming and a winemaking mission aimed at ageability over instant gratification, Opus One could be seen as the prototype for where Napa needs to go. Winemaker Michael Silacci was 23 in the mid-1970s when he decided to tour the world and figure out what he wanted to do. After bumming around in Hawaii and backpacking through Asia, he wound up in France. Working a harvest at Louis…

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 California Thomas Matthews Spain Kim Marcus California Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir, Argentina, Chile Bruce Sanderson Burgundy, Piedmont, Tuscany James Molesworth California Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Rhône Valley, Port MaryAnn Worobiec California Sauvignon Blanc and other whites, Australia, New Zealand Alison Napjus…

Agustin F. Huneeus Jr., the former CEO of Napa’s Huneeus Vintners, was sentenced by a federal court on Oct. 4 to five months in prison, a $100,000 fine and 500 hours of community service. Huneeus, 53, had pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest-services mail fraud in May for his part in a nationwide scheme in which wealthy parents used fraud and bribes to get their children spots at some of the nation’s top universities. “Lying came naturally to Mr. Huneeus,” a U.S. attorney told the courtroom at the sentencing hearing. Addressing the court before the sentence was handed down, Huneeus said, “Today is a hard day, a super hard day. I want more than anything to pay for my crime and atone for…

Agriculture magnate Gaylon Lawrence Jr., owner of Napa Valley’s Heitz Cellar, closed on a deal in late September to purchase the historic Haynes Vineyard in the Coombsville sub-appellation from founder Pat Haynes. Lawrence plans to launch a new winery at Haynes, producing small-lot Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah from the 32-acre vineyard. The Lawrence family bought the property for about $12.5 million, according to county records. “We are honored to have the opportunity to preserve the history and legacy of such a great vineyard,” Lawrence said in a statement. Lawrence and Heitz CEO Carlton McCoy are hiring a new winemaking team to craft the wines, starting with the 2020 vintage. Pat Haynes and her husband, Duncan, founded Haynes Vineyard in 1967 on a 43-acre parcel of land that had been…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 94 Penfolds Cabernet-Shiraz South Australia Bin 389 2017 $80 AUSTRALIA Elegant, supple and restrained, showing off cedar, black tea and sandalwood aromas, with pure flavors of raspberry coulis, dark chocolate cherry and blood orange at the core. COLLECTIBLE 96 Bollinger Brut Champagne La Grande Annee 2008 $170 FRANCE Enticing hints of toasted cumin, anise and graphite waft from the glass of this harmonious, mouthwatering version, accenting flavors of black currant, poached apricot, grilled nut and lemon curd. SMART BUY 90 Bodegas Luzón Jumilla Coleccion Crianza 2016 $16 SPAIN Black cherry and currant flavors are fresh and focused in this lively red, which is dense and polished, backed by fresh acidity. Monastrell and Garnacha Tintorera. BEST VALUE 90 Château St.-Jean Sauvignon Blanc California 2017 $13 CALIFORNIA Offers a lip-smacking…

Harvey Steiman is seated at a table in a San Francisco restaurant, the sleek, modern dining room dominated by warm brown hues and floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Next to him is chef-owner Michael Mina, who presides over a restaurant empire from this namesake flagship in the city’s Financial District. Outside, on California Street, a cable car rumbles by, its trademark bells clanging. But neither Steiman nor Mina notices. They are discussing the meal that lies ahead. The chef is excited to show Steiman his latest menu, knowing that the journalist’s feedback will be grounded in long experience and deep knowledge. The Wine Spectator editor at large has chronicled the rise of leading chefs such as Mina throughout his own long career. Steiman first wrote about Mina in 1996, when Mina was just…

Madaiah Revana, a career cardiologist with 40 years’ experience, is a master in the operating room. “I’m very good at what I do,” Revana says. “I can do a heart cath in 13 minutes. But my passion is wine.” That passion took root in 1997 when Revana acquired one of the few unplanted sites remaining on the Napa Valley floor. Today, the doctor’s 9-acre vineyard and winery in St. Helena is but a small part of his growing wine portfolio, which includes 55 acres and a winery in Oregon’s Dundee Hills and 17 acres and a winery in Argentina’s Uco Valley. Revana glows when he talks about each property. “The vineyards are where my heart is,” he says. Vineyards are far removed from Houston, where Revana, 72, lives and practices…

ARGENTINA 96 Vina Cobos Malbec Perdriel Cobos Marchiori Estate Block C2 2016 $230 See Highly Recommended, page 87. 93 Vina Cobos Cabernet Franc Los Arboles Bramare Chanares Estates 2016 $115 Focused dark currant and blackberry flavors are supported by bright acidity. Savory richness shows midpalate, with dried green herbal notes followed by a creamy finish filled with Asian spice and dark chocolate details. Drink now through 2025. 490 cases made, 90 cases imported.—K.M. 91 El Enemigo Chardonnay Mendoza 2017 $28 Lithe and rich, featuring concentrated Gala apple and Asian pear flavors that are well-spiced. A light buttery note emerges midpalate, leading to a finish that extends with creamy and buttery accents. Drink now through 2024. 1,200 cases made, 300 cases imported.—K.M. 91 Matervini Blanco Chacayes Uco Valley 2017 $35 A…

Legendary winemaker Jean-Bernard Delmas, best known for his decades of work at Bordeaux first-growth Château Haut-Brion, died Oct. 3. He was 83. “My family has never known Château Haut-Brion without the presence of this great man and extraordinary winemaker. His charm and humor marked all who were fortunate enough to meet him,” said Prince Robert of Luxembourg, president of Domaine Clarence Dillon, which includes Haut-Brion. Jean-Bernard Delmas’ career at Clarence Dillon spanned 42 vintages, beginning in 1961 and ending with the 2003 vintage. During that time, he garnered respect as a modernizer and innovator, adding stainless-steel fermentation tanks in 1961 and working with great precision on the clonal selection at the company’s estates. “His boundless curiosity and innovative spirit raised the estates and our wines to new heights,” said Prince…

Holidays mean entertaining and gifts, whether for friends and family or hosts. The following pages bring together gifts unified by beauty, practicality and the indulgence of the season. We’ll start with wine. Who wants to spend cocktail hour running to the fridge to freshen guests’ white wine? The Oh Stainless Steel Champagne Cooler Bucket ($490, christofle.com) by Christofle is sleek and modern, with a reflective surface and flush handles. Park a bottle and some ice in it and set a spell in the living room. For handy red-wine refills, and to protect your Yves Delorme tablecloth, get purpose-made wine coasters. The chocolate Shagreen coaster ($225, aerin.com) from the housewares line run by heiress and businesswoman Aerin Lauder combines smooth brass with a bumpy, mottled surface. Much as we hate to…

1 Illy X1 IperEspresso Anniversary 1935 Machine $595, illy.com A high-end option for fine espresso, this machine’s outer appearance is a reproduction of a vintage 1935 design, but inside, it is ultramodern, using Illy’s special coffee capsules to make your brewing flavorful and relatively simple. Once you choose the style of coffee, it offers one-touch brewing. There is also a frothing wand to make lattes and cappuccinos. IperEspresso capsules can be purchased through the Illy website ($19 for 21 brews). The cost is justified by the overall coffee-making convenience offered by this machine. 2 Espro Cold Brew CB1 Coffee Kit $100, williams-sonoma.com More people are discovering the joys of cold coffee concentrate, which can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks and used for cold coffee or…

The holidays are coming, and you’re searching for the perfect gifts—for your family, friends, colleagues and clients. You know it’s important to express your appreciation for all they do. But what do they need? What do they want? Well, I’m a wine writer, so you can guess where I’m going. Give them wine! (Assuming they drink wine, of course.) Wine has many virtues. It doesn’t fade or spoil, unlike flowers or a fruit basket. It doesn’t stick around taking up space, unlike a DIY beverage carbonation kit. It always fits, unlike those novelty socks imprinted with “If you can read this / bring me a glass of wine.” Finally, a bottle of wine is eminently regiftable (if it turns out the recipient really doesn’t like wine). Wine’s value increases once…

On the eve of opening Pasjoli in September, chefowner Dave Beran exuded a focused calm. Never mind that a last-minute water issue had resulted in a gaping hole in the floor, delaying the opening by several days. Beran wasn’t rattled. The show must go on. And it did. Located in Santa Monica, Calif., the market-driven bistro is a new kind of show for Beran, who has spent the past 15 years at haute tasting-menu spots including Alinea in Chicago and his own Dialogue in Santa Monica. Beran likens those destinations’ prix fixe format and minimal decor to a black-box theater production in which the spare setting keeps the audience’s focus on the storyline—the menu—and whatever it might evoke. An à la carte place, by contrast, with its carefully calibrated decor…