Innehållsförteckning för November 15, 2021 från Wine Spectator

Visit WineSpectator.com/111521 to find links to all of the following resources. FREE RESOURCES FOR ALL WINESPECTATOR.COM READERS STRAIGHT TALK WITH WINE SPECTATOR is an Instagram Live series featuring conversations with wine - and-food newsmakers. Guests have included winemakers Andy Erickson and Thomas Rivers Brown and chefs Eric Ripert and Jose Andres. Tune in to Straight Talk on Wine Spectator’s Instagram page and check out the chat schedule at WineSpectator.com/LiveChatCalendar. THE WINE WORLD, UNFILTERED Love wine and spirits? Into pop culture? Get the scoop on how drinks intersect with movies, TV, music, sports, politics and more in our Unfiltered columns. And sign up for the companion biweekly email newsletter. It’s free! WINE SPECTATOR IS NOW ON YOUTUBE Watch all our great wine and recipe tips, winemaker interviews and tastings on your…

Wine Spectator has come a long, long way technologically since the first issue was published in April of 1976; it was just 12 pages and printed as a newspaper-style tabloid. By the time I arrived on the scene, 12 years later in April 1988, the publication had grown into its current magazine format, though some of the inside pages still ran black - and-white photos. Full-color for all pages arrived later that year. The accelerating pace of change in magazine production has been a constant through the years. Back in the late 1980s, the evolving computerized “cold type” capabilities seemed as wondrous then as they are antiquated now. We typed on terminals, but they weren’t interactive; the type was stoplight green on a black background, and stories were stored on…

91 55 Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon Paraje Altamira Zaha Toko Vineyard 2018 $25ARGENTINA This robust red is filled with concentrated dark plum and blackberry flavors that turn creamy and rich-tasting midpalate. Chocolate tart accents fill the lively finish, which is backed by firm acidity and tannins. Drink now through 2025. 1,000 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.—K.M. 91 Cambria Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley Katherine’s Vineyard 2019 $22 CALIFORNIA Plush and well-spiced, with a creamy texture to the ripe apple and peach pastry flavors. The finish is loaded with buttered toast accents that glide across the palate. Drink now through 2024. 52,000 cases made.—K.M. 91 Domaine Bousquet Malbec Tupungato Valley Gran 2019 $25 ARGENTINA This suave version features good cut, with vibrant plum tart and dark cherry flavors that turn ripe midpalate. Well-structured,…

Alsace 93 Albert Boxler Gewürztraminer Alsace 2018 $37 Lithe and vibrant, this finely balanced Gewürztraminer glides across the palate with a lovely range of lychee, peach skin, jasmine and passion fruit coulis flavors. The well-cut, mineral-laced finish lingers, echoing the ripe fruit and spice notes. Drink now through 2028.—A.N. 93 Albert Boxler Pinot Gris Alsace 2018 $46 This gorgeous white is rich and mouthcoating yet also bright and graceful. The result is a vivid, medium-bodied version, with hints of honeycomb and candied ginger accenting flavors of peach, papaya, elderflower and stony minerals. Drink now through 2028.—A.N. 93 Hugel Pinot Gris Alsace Grossi Laue Edition Limitee 2013 $90 Svelte, with well-honed acidity defining the finely knit flavors of crunchy green pear and white peach fruit, preserved lemon, beeswax and a touch…

When Earl Stevens, aka rapper E-40, takes younger artists to a steak house, he tells them to look around. “What’s on their table?” he asks. All the young rappers see wine-filled glasses. “You see why? You eat a steak, you drink wine with that.” Stevens has worked with the likes of hip-hop heavyweights Snoop Dogg, Raekwon, Tupac Shakur, T-Pain and Lil Jon during his 30-year rap career, but his growing wine business has been a solo mission that he hopes will get more people into wine. He launched Earl Stevens Selections in 2013; his debut red blend took its name from his 2012 hit single, “Function.” In the past five months, the platinum recording artist added four new sparkling wines sourced from California’s Lodi AVA, as well as a Prosecco…

In this issue, we celebrate 40 years of the Wine Experience with a retrospective package that includes a photo scrapbook featuring highlights from across the past four decades. The images remind us of all the winemakers, chefs, celebrities and wine lovers who have joined together to enjoy amazing wines and benefit the non-profit Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation. Due to the extraordinary support from both consumers and the industry, the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation is pleased to announce its largest gift ever: a donation of $10 million to Napa Valley College. On page 19, you can read more about the newly named Wine Spectator Wine Education Complex and our hope to help open the door to careers in wine for young adults from all walks of life. This contribution brings the…

Most coffee lovers place flavor above all else. Too often throughout history, however, that sublime taste has come at a high cost to the environment and to the people who farm the beans. Now more than ever though, it’s possible to drink high quality coffee that also benefits others and the world at large. As Augustine Sedgewick notes in his 2020 book, Coffeeland (Penguin Press), “Coffee has replaced sugar as the commodity most often used to think about how the world economy works, about connections between consumers and producers, about economic fairness, equality and justice.” His book focuses on the history of James Hill, a British-born entrepreneur who arrived in El Salvador in the late 19th century and became one of the “Fourteen Families,” many of them coffee barons, that…

White Hot These German Rieslings come primarily from the hot, dry 2019 vintage. Despite record high temperatures in July, the nights eventually cooled down, but uneven ripening meant strict selection. The result is a smaller crop of wines showing precision and minerality. HELMUT HEXAMER Riesling Nahe Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Quarzit Reserve 2008 (93, $29) Vanilla, peach, sweet corn, orange Creamsicle; supple, mature, tangy STRUB Riesling Spätlese Rheinhessen Niersteiner Paterberg 2019 (93, $24) Silky, delicate, lively; floral, peach, apple, mineral HELMUT HEXAMER Riesling Nahe Porphyr 2019 (92, $22) Peach, apple, brown spices, salty; crisp EUGEN MULLER Riesling Kabinett Trocken Pfalz Forst Ungeheuer 2019 (91, $24) Lithe, elegant, rich; apricot, peach, lemon, mineral HELMUT HEXAMER Riesling Trocken Nahe 2019 (91, $20) Peach, apricot, saline; dry, fleshy DARTING Riesling Kabinett Trocken Pfalz Dürkheimer Fronhof…

My first Wine Experience was in 1994, in San Francisco. It was called the California Wine Experience that year, and took place at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis. I had been with Wine Spectator less than a year and was like a kid in a candy shop. On my way to the Thursday night Grand Tasting, I stopped to get my shoes shined. As I sat down, I saw my boss, Marvin R. Shanken, striding toward the shine stand. I quickly told the attendant that Marvin’s shine took precedence. Marvin asked me some questions until his shoeshine was complete, then left in a hurry, but not before paying for his shine and mine. I ran into several other Wine Spectator editors, who invited me to join them for a preview…

89 Flight of the Condor Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza 2019 $14 ARGENTINA Firm, savory and juicy, with good cut to the dark fruit and spice flavors, followed by dried green herbal notes on the structured finish, with underbrush accents. Drink now through 2023. 5,000 cases imported.—K.M. 89 Kirkland Signature Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2019 $13 CALIFORNIA Well-spiced, with creamy accents to the apple tart and ripe pear flavors, which are filled with cooking spice notes. The opentextured finish has plenty of toastiness. Drink now. 9,500 cases made.—K.M. 89 Bodegas Salentein Malbec Uco Valley Killka Collection 2019 $15 ARGENTINA Structured, with graphite and white pepper notes to the blackberry tart and dark plum flavors. Accents of dried green herbal notes linger on the finish. Drink now through 2023. 82,000 cases made, 6,000…

Mosel 97 Schloss Lieser Riesling Auslese Gold Cap Mosel Juffer Sonnenuhr 2019 $58 A sumptuous, creamy white, featuring apricot, mango, honey and rose aromas and flavors. Impeccably balanced and very expressive, with superb length. A salty, minerally element emerges on the finish. If you can, buy a few bottles, one to enjoy now and one in 20 to 30 years. Drink now through 2050. 450 cases made, 75 cases imported.—B.S. 97 Schloss Lieser Riesling Auslese Gold Cap Mosel Niederberg Helden 2019 $92 Offers super intensity and verve, with a slate component underlining the apricot, orange Creamsicle, vanilla, celery and spice flavors. The vivid acidity keeps this clean and refreshing on the superb finish. Drink now through 2045. 50 cases imported.—B.S. 95 Willi Schaefer Riesling Auslese Mosel Wehlener Sonnenuhr 2019 $68…

92 Hamilton Russell Chardonnay Hemel-en-Aarde Valley 2020 $43 This white is racy up front, chiseling flavors of melon, nectarine and Mandarin orange into a linear frame, but then expanding on the palate, with lightly silky texture carrying the juicy fruit and expressive accents of pickled ginger, chopped hazelnut, lime blossom and smoke. Drink now through 2026. 2,852 cases made, 700 cases imported.—A.N. 90 Tania & Vincent Careme Terre Brûlée Le Blanc Swartland 2020 $16 See Smart Buys, page 121. 90 De Morgenzon Chardonnay Stellenbosch Reserve 2018 $43 Ripe nectarine and melon fruit flavors are enmeshed with hints of toasted brioche, candied ginger and smoked hazelnut in this balanced white. Well-knit and silky, with juicy acidity leading to the zesty finish. Drink now through 2025. 1,516 cases made, 200 cases imported.—A.N.…

Cabernet Sauvignon & Blends 95 David Arthur Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Old Vine 2018 $225 Dense and dark, with a core of winey black currant, dark plum and fig fruit flavors currently held in check by a racy iron spine. Shows ample grip, with flashes of savory and licorice root on the finish and a late tug of scorched earth. As muscular as this is, it’s driven and refined in the end. Built for serious aging. Best from 2024 through 2038. 235 cases made.—J.M. 95 Bella Oaks Rutherford 2018 $275 There’s a deep well of fruit in reserve, with beautifully rendered cassis, plum and blackberry notes that stretch out through the lengthy finish. Along the way there’s an iron twinge, a swath of loam and lively flecks of savory adding…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 95 ALDO CONTERNO Barolo Bussia 2016 $105 ITALY This fresh and elegant red features aromas and flavors of cut hay, strawberry, cherry, iron, eucalyptus and tar. Lithe and intense, ending with a long, savory aftertaste. COLLECTIBLE 95 HEITZ Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Martha’s Vineyard 2016 $250 CALIFORNIA An alluring mint aroma leads to bay leaf, violet, damson plum, red tea and steeped griotte notes carried by remarkably fine-grained tannins. A suave and stylish wine. SMART BUY 91 CAMBRIA Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley Katherine’s Vineyard 2019 $22 CALIFORNIA There's a creamy texture to the ripe apple and peach pastry flavors in this plush, well-spiced white, whose finish is loaded with buttered toast accents that glide on the palate. BEST VALUE 89 BODEGAS SALENTEIN Malbec Uco Valley Killka Collection 2019 $15…

“The Wine Experience has been and continues to be the most important wine event in the world to show consumers the top quality wines and educate wine lovers.”PIERO ANTINORIMARCHESI ANTINORI, ITALY “I distinctly recall talking with Marvin around 2000 at one of the Wine Experiences held in San Francisco, and he was excited about launching into digital communication. Looking back on all that’s happened since 1979, it is clear that Marvin had foresight and took a leadership role in this industry.”BILL HARLANHARLAN ESTATE, BOND & PROMONTORY, CALIFORNIA “The chance to connect with the guests in the audience and get to their hearts has always been for me a rewarding and gratifying moment. Pure emotion.”ANGELO GAJAGAJA, ITALY “Sharing a room at the Marriot Marquis [in Times Square] together with three other…

CEO / Domaine Carneros Cohen became CEO at Domaine Carneros in 2020. Her 20 years in wine include stints at Saintsbury, Bouchaine and Merryvale. She owned a vineyard management company and more recently was COO at Lede Family. She holds a B.S. in molecular and cellular biology, a Master’s in viticulture and an MBA in finance. Still, she questions whether she could have gotten so far without the mentors who pushed her—support she believes many women in the industry don’t get. This is something she’s hoping to help change. Wine Spectator: Growing up, what did you want to be? Remi Cohen: I always thought I’d be a doctor. I moved to California [from New Jersey] when I was 17 and went to U.C., Berkeley, [where as a pre-med major] I…

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. Kim Marcus California Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir, Argentina, Chile Bruce Sanderson Burgundy, Piedmont, Tuscany, Germany, Austria James Molesworth California Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Rhône Valley, Port MaryAnn Worobiec California Sauvignon Blanc and other whites, Australia, New Zealand Alison Napjus Italy, Champagne, Alsace, South…

Cabernet Sauvignon & Blends 92 Bodegas Salentein Cabernet Sauvignon Uco Valley Pr1mum 2015 $65 Refined and well-spiced, with accents of paprika to the hot stone, red currant and dried berry flavors. Hints of white pepper midpalate lead to cedary notes on the minerally finish. Drink now through 2025. 3,214 cases made, 800 cases imported.—K.M. 91 55 Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon Paraje Altamira Zaha Toko Vineyard 2018 $25 See Smart Buys, page 120. 91 Viña Cobos Cabernet Sauvignon Lujan de Cuyo Bramare 2018 $42 Well-structured, with crunchy acidity and firm tannins supporting the concentrated cherry paste and plum flavors. There’s a savory snap midpalate, with licorice and wild spice notes on the zesty finish. Drink now through 2024. 3,600 cases made.—K.M. 90 Funckenhausen Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza 2018 $15/1L See Smart Buys, page…

Campania 92 Terredora di Paolo Fiano di Avellino CampoRe 2016 $30 Lush notes of baked white peach, toasted hazelnut and lemon meringue pie are backed by a firm and well-meshed spine of acidity in this fragrant white, which is mediumbodied and mouthwatering, with pretty accents of spice, chalk and lime blossom lingering on the finely detailed finish. Drink now through 2026. 1,050 cases made, 50 cases imported.—A.N. 92 Terredora di Paolo Taurasi Fatica Contadina 2013 $35 Warm spice and violet accents are an aromatic entry for this finely knit, medium- to full-bodied red, playing off notes of plumped cherry, fig cake and dried dill and thyme. Lightly mouthwatering, with minerally hints of iron and tar expanding on the sculpted finish. Drink now through 2030. 2,150 cases made, 650 cases imported.—A.N.…

91 Buil & Giné Priorat White Joan Giné 2019 $24 This expressive, medium-bodied white offers glazed peach, chamomile, honeysuckle and almond notes, underpinned with spice, heather and wet stone elements. A vibrant, well integrated acidity gives this focus and energy. White Garnacha, Macabeo, Viognier, Pedro Ximénez and Muscat. Drink now through 2024. 1,041 cases made.—G.S. 91 Herència Altés Terra Alta L’Estel 2018 $25 This svelte red delivers a focused lineup of ripe raspberry, cherry and cedar notes flanked by oranges zest, mineral and tea elements. Nicely crafted, with plush tannins. Drink now through 2026. 1,000 cases made, 180 cases imported.—G.S. 89 Isaac Fernandez Selección Garnacha Calatayud Acentor 2019 $15 A refreshing acidity is cast through the blackberry and juicy red plum notes of this medium-bodied red, with forest floor, olive…

Pinot Noir 95 Evening Land Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills La Source Seven Springs Estate 2018 $75 A supple, savory texture meets effortless complexity, with distinctive blueberry and cherry flavors that are accented with steely minerality and dusky spice, building structure and intensity toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2030. 375 cases made.—T.F. 94 Beaux Freres Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills Zena Crown 2019 $85 Finesse meets structure, with expressive cherry and blueberry flavors that take on notes of orange peel, stony minerality and dusky spice, building momentum toward polished tannins. Drink now through 2030. 253 cases made.—T.F. 94 Big Table Farm Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills Pelos Sandberg Vineyard 2019 $64 Floral and supple in texture, with expressive raspberry, sassafras and spiced cinnamon flavors that build richness and complexity on the plush…