Innehållsförteckning för April 30, 2020 från Wine Spectator

The nation’s top charity auctions enjoyed another blockbuster year in 2019. Wine lovers became local heroes as 13 auctions topped the $1 million mark in live bids, earning spots on Wine Spectator’s annual list of leading fundraisers. These events raised a combined $44.1 million in live bids, with proceeds going to underprivileged children, health initiatives and art and cultural institutions. In addition to breaking the $1 million mark, Auction of Washington Wines, Naples Winter Wine Festival, Sonoma County Wine Auction, Carnivale du Vin, Auction Napa Valley, Classic Wines Auction and Wineapaw-looza all surpassed their totals from 2018, with a few reaching their highest totals ever. Wine-focused lots were key to the success of auctions such as Naples Winter Wine Festival (NWWF), which raised nearly $13.1 million in live-auction bids and…

GAJA 5 Via Torino, Barbaresco Telephone (39) 0173-635158 Website gaja.com Vinegar just isn’t taken as seriously as wine, though they share an origin. That’s a shame. Done right, vinegar is a thing of beauty—and requires manico (“grip,” Italian slang to indicate talent in winemaking). Maybe it’s unsurprising, then, that Gaia Gaja, eldest daughter and heir to the throne of the “king of Barbaresco,” Angelo Gaja, would list her favorite artisans in the region starting with CESARE GIACCONE and his vinegars. In his mid-70s, Cesare (like Angelo, who is 80) belongs to the generation of men who saw—and had a part in—the Langhe’s transformation from impoverished countryside in the aftermath of World War II to UNESCO-blessed homeland to some of the best food and wine in Italy. “Visiting Cesare’s restaurant in Albaretto della Torre was always…

Soaring towers above red terracotta–tiled roofs; narrow streets bordered by colonnaded arcades; markets with piles of fresh vegetables, stacked wheels of Parmesan cheese and large rolls of mortadella; the occasional roar of a sports car made in nearby Motor Valley; and open piazzas lined with churches, cafés and restaurants, humming with activity from locals, students and visitors. The sights and sounds of Bologna are manifold, yet the city’s modest scale makes it eminently accessible. About the size of Florence—a fraction of the size of Rome or Milan—and with a compact historic center, Bologna is best enjoyed on foot or by bicycle. Yet despite its size, Bologna is a microcosm of Italy’s culture, both historical and contemporary. The business district on the city’s eastern edge is home to electronic, mechanical and…

MARCHESI ANTINORI 133 Via Cassia per Siena, Bargino Telephone (39) 055-23595 Website antinori.it Known internationally for its examples in almost every market category, from standards like Pèppoli Chianti Classico to formidable super Tuscans like Tignanello, Italian wine giant Antinori has nonetheless staked its reputation on more than what’s in its bottles. The crest that sits over the Marchesi Antinori property, fashioned for the family in the early 1500s, is a reminder of just how deep the history of this Tuscan winery runs, but it also hints at the richer relationship between wine production and culture in Italy. Marchesi Antinori president Albiera Antinori points out that her native region of Tuscany “has always taught us that striking a balance between tradition and innovation is simple to do, but complicated to maintain.” Read on for her tips…

For years, Naples was little more than a gateway city for most visitors to Italy. With a careful eye on their belongings, tourists quickly passed through town on their way to the historic riches of Pompeii and Herculaneum, the staggering beauty of the Amalfi Coast and Capri, or the rolling vine-yards of Campania. But the past decade has seen new luster come to this once-faded, sometimes gritty metropolis. The art scene is buzzing; tourism is on a rapid rise; the city is cleaner and safer than it has been in many years; and Naples’ famous pizza is just as delicious as always. For its lovely baroque architecture and rich, satisfying food, Naples is worthy of inclusion in any visitor’s agenda. The culinary riches are perfectly matched with the bold wines…

For more than a decade, Barolo has been on a roll in the United States, gaining momentum with a string of excellent vintages since the 2004 harvest, a number of them at the classic level. It’s no surprise then that expectations were high for the 2015s. I can now report that those expectations are mostly borne out, despite some inconsistency, earning the vintage an overall rating of 95 points. The best 2015 Barolos are beautiful expressions of Nebbiolo from the sweeping hillsides of the Langhe, in the heart of Piedmont. Despite warm temperatures during the summer months, these versions belie the hot year, offering freshness and vibrant profiles, along with red fruit flavors. A trio of 97-pointers lead a group of more than two dozen Barolos earning classic ratings of…

BY THE NUMBERS The April 30 Buying Guide features 54 classic wines and more than 375 outstanding wines from among reviews of more than 525 new releases. Members can access tasting notes and scores for those wines, along with hundreds of additional wines reviewed since our last issue, using the Wine Ratings search at WineSpectator.com.…

EU Wines Spared 100% Tariffs In the early evening hours of Feb. 14, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer (USTR) issued a decision in his review of the ongoing trade war between the United States and the European Union over subsidies to plane manufacturer Airbus, opting not to raise tariffs on European wines for the time being. However, the 25% tariffs on French, Spanish and German still wines under 14% alcohol remain in place. The fight stretches back almost two decades, to U.S. objections concerning government subsidies that France, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom has given to Airbus. On Oct. 2, the World Trade Organization gave the U.S. the green light to impose duties on $7.5 billion worth of European goods after the EU was found guilty of providing unfair…

Few cities on Earth can match Venice’s distinctive beauty. Perched in a turquoise lagoon, the city is a tightly knit collection of majestic sights including St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, and piers full of gondolas with their striped-shirted, straw-hatted gondoliers. But there are less obvious charms here too: The city and surrounding region are home to great artisan traditions hiding in plain sight, from the glassmakers of Murano in Venice to the vast vineyards beyond the city. Despite the crowds—and the increasingly threatening flooding—there is an unmistakable magic to this ancient city. The maze of winding streets linked by ornate bridges over the canals offers a unique charm, and wandering without a specific destination is perhaps the best way to discover and enjoy Venice. Ample cafés provide a respite,…

CLETO CHIARLI & FIGLI 4 Via Belvedere, Castelvetro di Modena Telephone (39) 059-3163311 Website chiarli.it Chiarli is a rare breed of wine family: a large-scale producer that has also invested greatly in, and acted as a steward of, quality for its area’s signature wine, Lambrusco. Founded in the 1860s by Cleto Chiarli, a local restaurateur-turned-négociant, the Chiarli Group today bottles about 1.6 million cases a year. But at the turn of the millennium, brothers Anselmo and Mauro Chiarli were tired of Lambrusco’s image as cheap fizz. So they invested in 300 acres of vineyards and a winery that now produces about 80,000 cases a year of estate red, white and rosé sparklers. In recent years, Cleto Chiarli & Figli has garnered attention for its Lambrusco di Sorbara del Fondatore, the producer’s only wine using the…

Rome, the Eternal City, is the largest city and the political capital of Italy. Attractions such as the Forum and Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and the Vatican draw hordes of visitors to absorb the echoes of a culture that dominated Western civilization for roughly a millennium. But it’s also a living city of human proportions. Drying laundry hangs from windows of old, low buildings in the historic center. Stores and restaurants are small and locally run. Rome also has a rich culinary tradition. Its many fine restaurants and neighborhood trattorias welcome visitors alongside locals, serving dishes with strong identities and long histories. These include steaming bowls of cacio e pepe pasta; long, cheesy bites of supplì al telefono—rice and cheese croquettes that stretch like telephone wires as you pull them apart;…

MASTROBERARDINO 75–81 Via Manfredi, Atripalda Telephone (39) 0825-614111 Website mastro berardino.com While most Italian wine-lovers know Mastroberardino as the standard-bearer for the red wines of the Italian south, fewer are aware of just how much the winery has done to promote appreciation and understanding of Campania and its broader history of winemaking. Mastroberardino’s vast research program focused on ancient sites has brought to light many of the exciting old-is-new production techniques and enological experiments that fuel today’s most innovative winemakers within their region and beyond. For Piero Mastroberardino, president of Mastroberardino, it’s not a question of innovation or tradition but rather an ability to express emotions that makes a great artisanal product: “Every now and then, when an individual manages to interpret nature in light of his or her own creative sensibility, it generates…

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. 95 Bouchard Père & Fils Volnay Les Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot Domaine 2017 $115 FRANCE Fine purity, silkiness and harmony set the stage for aromas and flavors of flowers, cherry, toasty oak and spice. Features a minerally undercurrent, while the finish goes on for close to a minute. Best from 2022 through 2038. 150 cases imported.—B.S. 95 Felton Road Pinot Noir Central Otago Bannockburn 2018 $52 NEW ZEALAND Aromatic and expressive, with raspberry, cherry and fresh herb notes that are precise on a smooth and supple frame, offering details of matcha green tea, white pepper and forest floor. A hint of fresh nutmeg lingers on the…

It doesn’t happen instantly. Give it a moment as the brandy creeps past the lips and slowly suffuses the palate. Then the ride begins. The sweetness on the tip of the tongue opens into a parade of fruit candy: pears, berries, tangerines. After a touch of floral sprig come notes of ginger spice and cinnamon, followed by hints of savory herbs, saffron and tarragon. Each sip is worth minutes of contemplation. This is the hyperpremium level of Cognac, the French brandy that can run to thousands of dollars per bottle. Even as house styles prevail, connecting entry-level to superpremium examples, these paragons set themselves apart in ways that are recognizable even to the newly initiated. Beyond the breadth of tasting notes is a depth of flavor and an insistent finish.…

Milan, Italy’s center of finance, fashion and design, is the capital city of Lombardy. Nestled against the foot-hills of the Alps in the northwestern part of the country, it is Italy’s second-largest metropolitan area and its most cosmopolitan. Steps from the Gothic cathedral and Teatro alla Scala in the city center are the high-end shops, including global brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Armani and Chanel. Milan is also the gateway to neighboring Piedmont, one of Italy’s most important wine regions and home to world-class reds from Barolo and Barbaresco. It’s just a 45-minute drive from Milan’s international airport to Piedmont’s Gattinara, one of the best regions of the northern subregion called Alto Piemonte. Barolo and Barbaresco, in the heart of the Langhe, a UNESCO heritage site, lie only two hours…

BISOL 33 Via Follo, Santo Stefano di Valdobbiadene Telephone (39) 0423-900138 Website bisol.it Gianluca Bisol, president of Bisol, is a wine pioneer in the Prosecco Superiore hills and beyond. The Desiderio Bisol & Figli winery was founded in 1875. Over the past 30 years, it has moved to the fore as a Prosecco leader. In addition to building their Jeio négociant line to about 165,000 cases, Gianluca and his brother Desiderio have boosted their estate vineyards tenfold for their premium wines (38,300 cases), including single-vineyard Proseccos. In 2017, the brothers sold Bisol to the Lunelli family of spumante producer Ferrari, but they continue running the show. Read on for Gianluca’s top picks in the region. —R.C. DALLA LIDIA MERLETTI D’ARTE (dallalidia.com) on Venice’s Burano island: “It’s the oldest lace store on the island, an absolute must-see…

Tuscany is a large region occupying central Italy, from the Tyrrhenian Sea on its west coast to the spine of the Apennines bisecting the peninsula. Liguria and Emilia-Romagna border Tuscany on the north, Marche and Umbria are to the east and Lazio flanks its southern border. Florence, home of the Renaissance and rich in culture, art and music, has been a hot-bed of ideas for centuries. Thus, it comes as no surprise that Tuscany has a rich history in viticulture and wine production. Florence is a destination in itself, of course, but it’s also a great starting point for touring Chianti Classico, one of Tuscany’s most historic wine regions. It was first delimited in 1716 by Cosimo III de’ Medici, grand duke of Tuscany. Surrounding Chianti Classico is the greater…

FAMIGLIA COTARELLA Strada Statale Cassia Nord, kilometer 94, Montefiascone Telephone (39) 0761-827032 Website famigliacotarella.it Cotarella is a big name in Italian wine, sort of like Mondavi in California. Brothers Riccardo and Renzo founded Falesco, a major producer in central Italy. Today, the next generation—Riccardo’s daughter Dominga, her sister Marta and their cousin Enrica—are overseeing the growth of the family business. Of her recommendations for where to go in Lazio, Dominga, who is sales and marketing director of Famiglia Cotarella, says, “I chose these because all of them share attention to high quality, starting from the soil, to the production and then to our tables. They represent our land and our country too, along with Italian wines.” AGRITURISMO CERQUETO (cerqueto.it) in Acquapendente: “This company produces a very special variety of lentils from Onano. They are thin-skinned,…

Affordability is always relative. It all depends on the category and what you’re willing or able to spend for a certain level of quality. The price tag for a particular Napa Cabernet Sauvignon might seem like a bargain to some, while inducing sticker shock in others. But there’s a middle ground we can all agree on—when the quality is high enough and the price point low enough, we know we’ve hit the bull’s-eye. That’s the inspiration behind this roundup of 100 New World values, all of them rated 88 to 93 points, priced between $15 and $30, and produced in large-enough quantities to be widely available. This is the range where you don’t need to spend a lot of money to find distinctive and expressive reds and whites—wines that are…

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s Château Miraval to Premiere Rosé Champagne When Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie separated nearly four years ago, rosé observers wondered what would become of their Côtes de Provence estate, Château Miraval. At very least, it would likely be stuck in custody limbo while terms of the divorce dragged on, wrote the skeptics. Instead, things have been busier than ever, with the co-owning Perrin family of the Rhône’s Château de Beaucastel propping up Miraval through the difficult split of its other parents. Last year, we reported that Miraval had unveiled a shiny new top-of-the-line cellar and released a new prestige rosé cuvée, Muse de Miraval, from the vineyard’s best parcels. Now, winemaker Marc Perrin tells us a Miraval Champagne is next. “We are working very hard…