Innehållsförteckning för July 31, 2022 från Wine Spectator

It’s a great time to be a Chardonnay drinker, and I’m not just speaking about the arrival of the warm summer months. California is excelling with this grape like never before, with an abundance of outstanding-and classic-scoring bottles emerging from Golden State wineries. But Chardonnay didn’t fulfill its promise in the U.S. overnight. It’s been a long evolution that took years of work by talented winemakers, many of whom cite Burgundy as their inspiration, to bring us to this moment. In this issue, we salute seven legends of California Chardonnay who contributed to the rise of America’s favorite white wine. Some of their names will be familiar to you from their wine labels—Aubert, Hobbs, Kistler, Kongsgaard and Ramey. Helen Turley, the recipient of Wine Spectator’s Distinguished Service Award in 2010,…

Jackson Family Wines, the Sonoma-based firm behind Kendall-Jackson, La Crema, Penner-Ash and others, has purchased 61 acres of vineyard land in Washington’s Walla Walla Valley. The company plans to develop a new Washington wine brand there, to be overseen by winemaker Chris Carpenter. Located in Mill Creek in an eastern section of Walla Walla, the vineyard parcel was sold by Abeja, which still owns another 56 acres of the property. The purchase price was not disclosed. The deal marks Jackson Family’s first foray into Washington state, and comes following several recent acquisitions in Oregon. The company produces more than 6.1 million cases of wine per year. The full 117-acre property will remain known as one vineyard, though the two companies each own distinct parts. Abeja plans to buy fruit from…

Portugal had been on my to-go list for a while. The last time I visited was in 2008, but since then, friends and colleagues have raved about the current experience: distinctive destinations from beach to city, great hotels and restaurants, ease of travel and the fact that English is widely spoken. And of course, for wine lovers, the Douro Valley. COVID-19 delayed my travel plans, but finally, in April, my husband and I made it to Portugal. The Douro Valley was the highlight. To begin with, it’s absolutely stunning. I’ve visited many wine regions and nothing competes with the Douro’s dramatic natural beauty. All along the Douro River, vineyards rise quickly from its banks, set on rolling hills that are typically very steep in pitch. Tending vineyards in the Douro…

No California vintner embraced Burgundian winemaking traditions more so than Richard Graff. In the 1970s, Graff took over Chalone Vineyards and began producing Chardonnays in the French tradition, some of the first in the United States. Richard Boer, director of winegrowing for Chalone for 30 years, remembers working with Graff. “He was very detail oriented, very precise on what he wanted done and how he wanted it done—from filling potholes in the road to growing his vineyards.” Chalone is an unlikely spot for innovation. A three-hour drive from San Francisco, it is extremely remote, nestled in the Gavilan mountain range in Monterey County near the jagged rock formations of Pinnacles National Park. The limestone-and volcanic rock-based site was originally planted in 1919. Philip Togni made the first wine under the…

The story of how Chardonnay became the most popular wine in America, along with how Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve became the best-selling California Chardonnay in the country, begins with a “holy crap” moment 40 years ago. In 1982, Jess Jackson had a problem. The full-time attorney-turned-hobby-grapegrower faced a grape glut: His winemaker buyers were no longer interested in purchasing his fruit. But Jackson knew his grapes were tasty, so he decided to become a vintner. He started learning as much as he could about Chardonnay. There was little competition in the category at the time, and it’s a quick wine to make, bottle and sell. “We were on the ground floor of what Chardonnay was to become today. We were coming out of generic [wines], going into varietals and Chardonnay was…

GIN & TONIC The very British origin story of the gin & tonic will probably never go away. The yarn is that expats in the tropical outposts of the 19th century empire were given quinine rations to combat malaria. They mixed the bitter quinine with sugar, soda water, citrus and gin to help it go down. When manufacturers bottled more flavorsome tonics, the drink took off across the globe. The cocktail’s contemporary history is more festive and less stiff upper lip. Spain, Europe’s largest consumer of gin, focuses on the G&T’s refreshing nature, building it in big balloon glasses and bombarding it with all manner of citrus, berries and herbs—the more colorful the better. With a more lustrous palette, it seems that wider choices for the palate are in order.…

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). 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. Bruce Sanderson Burgundy, Piedmont, Tuscany, Germany, Austria James Molesworth California Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, Bordeaux, Rhône Valley, Port MaryAnn Worobiec California Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, Australia, New Zealand Alison Napjus Spain, Italy, Champagne, Alsace, South Africa Tim Fish California Zinfandel and Merlot, Oregon, Washington, U.S. sparkling wines Aaron Romano Argentina, Chile How We Do the Tastings Wine Spectator…

Among the many takeaways from the COVID-19 pandemic, we were reminded that the wine and restaurant industries are both incredibly resilient and generous. It’s come as no surprise that they’ve rallied again in response to the refugee crisis stemming from Russia’s war on Ukraine. Through their Stand With Ukraine GoFundMe page, actor-activist couple Ashton Kutcher and Ukraine-born Mila Kunis have raised more than $35 million for refugees. The funds are being distributed to Flexport, a freight-forwarding company that’s expediting relief supplies to refugee sites in eastern Europe, and Airbnb, which is providing free short-term housing to refugees fleeing Ukraine. Joining their effort is Washington’s Nocking Point Wines, which previously partnered with Kutcher and Kunis for two charity wines: Quarantine, a 2019 Oregon Pinot Noir, and Outside, a 2019 Washington Cabernet-Syrah…

Franco Allegrini, one of Northern Italy’s most influential winemakers, died April 23 at his home in the Valpolicella hills after a long battle with cancer. He was 65. “Franco was not only a genius, but he was a man of heart—a good man, a generous man, an honest man and a family man,” said his good friend Roberto Anselmi, a well-known winemaker in Soave. With his sister, Marilisa, and their elder brother, Walter, Franco took the helm of a modest family estate in 1983, following the death of their father. Franco’s role initially focused on the cellar, but with the untimely death of Walter in 2003, he took over agriculture. Even as his family’s Allegrini brand grew into one of Italy’s greatest wine success stories, Franco remained a hands-on winemaker,…

California Dreamin’ This group of reds, whites and rosés from the Golden State should satisfy your entertaining needs in the warmer months. From crisp and fruity to savory and spicy, these wines offer flavors and textures to suit every occasion. DIVUM Chardonnay Monterey Single Vineyard 2019 (91, $19) Honeysuckle, lemon blossom, lemon meringue, apricot, yellow apple GIRARD Chardonnay Carneros 2019 (91, $19) Elegant, supple; mango, peach, lemon meringue MARGERUM Sauvignon Blanc Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara Sybarite 2020 (91, $26) Pomelo, citrus zest, makrut lime leaf; powerful, sleek ALMA DE CATTLEYA Pinot Noir Sonoma County Rose 2021 (90, $22) Crisp, floral, pretty; peach, watermelon, spice INTERCEPT Chardonnay Monterey County Charles Woodson’s Intercept 2020 (90, $20) Lemon zest, tangerine, Fuji apple, tarragon, gray salt; vibrant, focused LUCY Pinot Noir Santa Lucia…

Paul Hobbs is identified with wines from around the world, with his hands in projects in Argentina, France, Spain, Armenia and the Finger Lakes region of New York. But for California Chardonnay lovers, it’s all about his namesake winery in Sebastopol, where he focuses on single-vineyard wines and low-impact winemaking, now-common approaches that he helped pioneer. “I did not come up with the concept of single-vineyard [Chardonnays],” says Hobbs. “But, inspired by the Burgundians, I dedicated myself to the proposition of making only vineyard-designate wines when I set out to start my own winery in 1991—it was still a relatively maverick concept in California at the time.” He adds, “I saw this as a higher calling, versus blending. Showcasing heightened terroir specificity is a much more challenging exercise, and when…

David Ramey is drawing imaginary chemical compounds with his fingers on the table. He’s describing how tannins are antioxidative in red wines because they bond with anthocyanins. In white wines, there aren’t any anthocyanins, so tannins from the grape skins end up oxidizing. Thus he eschews skin contact in his Chardonnays. “Everybody was doing skin contact in the early ’80s, and people didn’t understand all the chemistry—it’s very complex. They thought these wines were going to live forever,” Ramey explains. Instead, they turned brown in the bottle after a few years. “People spend a lot of money and time and effort trying to defeat nature, rather than trying to explain how and why nature works,” he notes. This is how Ramey thinks. He believes in low-impact winemaking, but only where…

Chardonnay is the ultimate winemaker’s wine. The grapes present a blank canvas on which vintners can apply different techniques and explore varying styles, while also expressing their terroir. “It seems so simple, but Chardonnay responds so well to any input, any decision,” explains winemaker Katie Vogt of Pahlmeyer. • This is an exciting time to survey the California vintners who are redefining Chardonnay in the state. “The wines are as fresh as they’ve ever been,” says winemaker Matt Courtney of Ferren and Arista. He is speaking about his own wines, but he could well be describing the category as a whole. The pendulum has swung back and forth over time, from an extracted style with heavy oak influence to leaner versions that see little or no oak treatment. Now the…

It’s a subject I’m passionate about. Growing up in New England, I never enjoyed it. I thought I just didn’t like fish and seafood. I wanted to love it. Then later, I realized I just didn’t like it when it was overcooked. We have this magical bounty of things here, but they weren’t being celebrated the right way. Timing and balance are everything.—C.B. WINE MATCH German Gilabert Cava Brut NV It has all the body to stand up to everything, and the acid to be refreshing, and also that effervescence. You’re having this big meal of shellfish and potatoes and buttery things … it’s a great leveler, a great reset. It feels incredibly versatile.—C.B. WINE SPECTATOR ALTERNATES Segura Viudas Brut Cava Heredad Reserva NV (90, $30); Domaine Chandon Brut California…

ARGENTINA Malbec 93 Altocedro Malbec La Consulta Old Vine Reserve 2020 $30 This red harmoniously melds layers of floral, spice, minerality and fruit, showing rich plum and floral blackberry notes up front, with spicy currant and wet stone flavors midpalate that fan out around medium-grained tannins. Ends with a lingering note of cordial. Drink now through 2030. 1,000 cases made, 700 cases imported.—M.W. 92 Altocedro Malbec La Consulta Gran Reserve 2019 $50 Vibrantly aromatic, showing spiced floral and fresh raspberry notes that fold over onto the palate, seamlessly blending finesse with structure. Gathers mineral and cherry notes midpalate around fine acidity, turning slightly rich on the finish around chocolaty notes and well-integrated tannins. Drink now through 2030. 500 cases made, 350 cases imported.—M.W. 92 Finca Decero Malbec Agrelo Remolinos Vineyard…

Moving to Napa Valley in the 1970s, Jack Cakebread launched Cakebread Cellars, and over the next five decades built it into an internationally recognized family-owned winery. Cakebread died April 26 at age 92. Cakebread grew up in his father’s car repair shop in Oakland and became a partner in 1948. He was also a photographer, studying under the influential Ansel Adams. In 1972, he traveled to Napa on assignment, and while visiting some friends who owned a 22-acre ranch in Rutherford, he said he’d buy their land if they ever wanted to sell. They took his offer. Throughout his career, Cakebread produced a range of wines, from Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel to Pinot Noir. But it was Chardonnay that sealed his legacy. At a time when the grape was gaining…

On a recent trip to Italy I had the opportunity to taste 10 Barolos from 2012. The vintage was one of extremes. Winter was severe, the coldest in 50 years. “We were afraid it would create some problems with the vines, but it didn’t,” said Pietro Ratti, owner of Renato Ratti in the La Morra hamlet of Annunziata. Fortunately, rain came at the right times during the season. Flowering was normal, after a cool spring. August was very hot, then temperatures dropped after rain in early September, ushering in a more typical fall. Harvest started at the end of September and ended in mid-October. During Vinitaly in April, I invited eight Barolo producers to revisit the vintage, each contributing one wine to a non-blind tasting where we could share our…

Steve Kistler no longer makes Chardonnay. The single-vineyard and cuvée Chardonnays he made at Kistler Vineyards over the decades, however, set a standard in California that many winemakers still aspire to. “My résumé is short,” the vintner says modestly. “I founded Kistler Vineyards in 1979, and for almost 40 years, directed all of its farming and winemaking operations.” He left Kistler Vineyards in 2017 to devote all his energy to Occidental, the Kistler family’s Pinot Noir-based project founded in 2011. (Bill Price, owner of Sonoma Valley’s Durell Vineyard, and a group of investors had purchased a majority interest in Kistler Vineyards in 2008). Kistler continued as CEO and Director of Winemaking at Kistler Vineyards until the end of 2017, when he decided to step away. Kistler, like many of his…

Wine lovers covet Helen Turley’s Chardonnays. For years her career revolved around consulting on Napa cult Cabernets, but she has long since shed those clients to focus on Marcassin: her and husband John Wetlaufer’s Chardonnay and Pinot Noir label. It’s limited, expensive, hard to find and released years after the vintage—at least seven years post, when the Chardonnays are at their “peak drinkability,” according to the winemaker. Turley’s influence is wide and deep. Uncompromising down to the smallest detail, she has achieved a level of quality in her wines that makes her a California icon. In the 1990s, she made terrific wines from more regions, vineyards and types of grapes than her contemporaries. Besides working with Cabernet, she was lauded for her collaboration with such producers as Colgin, Bryant Family,…

Two look-alike spirits, vodka and gin share an obvious kinship. It’s not just that they're both clear and colorless, but because one is essentially the base for the other. Vodka is a neutral spirit, typically distilled from grains, that has more kick than flavor. Also a neutral spirit, gin is infused with juniper and a spectrum of exotic aromatics. Now, vodka makers have come up with a wealth of flavorings to rival gin’s possibilities. That, coupled with gin’s rediscovery in the cocktail renaissance, suggests a reexamination of some of the classics of mixology. Here, we’ve taken drinks we historically know as gin recipes and tried them with vodka, and then turned the process about. These are some of the best results. MARTINI The Martini is spiritually ambiguous. Winston Churchill’s version…

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. 97Kongsgaard Chardonnay Napa Valley The Judge 2019 $250 CALIFORNIA Big and bold, with plenty of presence, this packs a punch of lemon curd, dried pineapple and Fuji apple flavors, whose intensity is equally matched with notes of mineral, grey sea salt, toasted sesame seed, orange blossom, wildflower honey, spice and tarragon. Reveals a hint of listea oil on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2030. 300 cases made.—M.W. 96Carlisle Zinfandel Russian River Valley MontafiRanch 2019 $54 CALIFORNIA A knockout Zin, with vivid aromatics and a silky texture, this captures your attention immediately with savory blackberry and blueberry flavors, which draw in accents of mint and…