Innehållsförteckning för June 15-30, 2023 från Wine Spectator

Napa Valley is a name known around the world for good living. Of course, there is the world-class wine. Then, there is the California cuisine and enviable climate. Now, Napa has given rise to a global brand in luxury travel that developed from a single resort, Auberge du Soleil, opened in the early 1980s. Billionaire Dan Friedkin bought Auberge in 2013, when it comprised just seven properties. Today, Auberge Resorts Collection operates 26 properties across the United States, Mexico and Europe, with 14 more being built. Locations such as Florence and San Francisco are among those in the works. The company’s newest gem, however, is as much about commitment to Napa as it is a statement of grand ambition. Like Auberge du Soleil, Stanly Ranch, opened in April 2022, is…

It’s largely thanks to the farm-to-table and artisan cheese movements that one of our most iconic backyard barbecue and diner foods, the humble cheeseburger, has gone gourmet. Since what goes on top is literally and figuratively the highlight, it’s important to use the finest quality cheeses. The good news is, because most types melt well when covered on a hot grill, there are plenty of outstanding options, from soft-ripened Bries and semi-soft Fontinas, Taleggios and young Goudas to semi-hard Cheddars and Gruyères and harder Monterey Jacks. As long as it’s sliced or shaved to the proper thickness—the harder the cheese, the thinner the cut—ultimately, personal preference rules. When it comes to gourmet burgers, top chefs such as Daniel Boulud, Bobby Flay and Laurent Tourondel—not to mention the Danny Meyer–led team…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 96 AUBERT Chardonnay Carneros Larry Hyde & Sons 2020 $90 CALIFORNIA This stunner opens with rich candied ginger, marmalade and honeyed overtones to the core of fresh fruit flavors, including pear, apple, melon and citrus, all backed by hints of minerality that mingle with fresh acidity. COLLECTIBLE 95 EREDI FULIGNI Brunello di Montalcino 2018 $140 ITALY Marked by a beam of pure cherry and rose hip flavors, this elegant, succulent red is beautifully balanced between the fruit, acidity, tannins and texture, with accents of earth, tobacco and wild herbs adding detail. SMART BUY 93 ALLAN SCOTT Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough Kekerengu 2022 $24 NEW ZEALAND The Key lime, dried pineapple and passion fruit flavors at the core of this lip-smacking white show terrific purity, revealing intense acidity on the long…

Wine drinkers have come to love the soft sigh or emphatic ‘pop!’ of a sparkler to accompany meals and elevate occasions large and small throughout the year. And just as the world of still wine production has expanded in recent years, so has that of sparkling wine, with flavors and styles coming from regions across the globe. In the past year, Wine Spectator editors have blind-tasted nearly 400 new releases of sparkling wines. In total, our tasters reviewed bubblies from 19 distinct wine regions or countries, bottlings from Champagne, of course, as well as examples from other more traditional areas such as Italy and California, but also versions from New Zealand, South Africa, Israel and more. As a whole, it’s a diverse group, reflecting different production methods, grape varieties and…

Wines that deliver fine character at affordable prices and that are broadly available. 95 Eredi Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino 2018 $140 ITALY Marked by a beam of pure cherry and rose hip flavors, this elegant, succulent red is beautifully balanced between the fruit, acidity, tannins and texture, with accents of earth, tobacco and wild herbs adding detail. The long finish indicates fine potential. Best from 2025 through 2042. 3,000 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.—B.S. 94 Résonance Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2021 $40 OREGON Precise and elegantly structured, with detailed raspberry, savory tea and crushed stone accents that gather richness and tension toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2031. 10,870 cases made.—T.F. 93 Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough Kekerengu 2022 $24 NEW ZEALAND The Key lime, dried pineapple and passion fruit flavors at…

Alsace/Pinot Gris 93 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Alsace Hunawihr Clos Windsbuhl 2020 $95 A zesty white, showing a lively mix of star fruit, mandarin orange peel, anise and melon ball flavors, with a salty underpinning. Sleek and well-knit, with a lasting finish. Fresh and floral. Drink now through 2033. 80 cases imported.—A.N. 93 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Alsace Turckheim Heimbourg 2020 $65 This rich version is mouthwatering, almost tangy, with a smoky, mineral-laced undertow and hints of almond skin and beeswax accenting white peach, quince paste, white blossom and candied pink grapefruit flavors that glide across the palate. Drink now through 2030. 60 cases imported.—A.N. 92 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Alsace Turckheim 2020 $29 Fragrant with lychee and spice accents, this has a silky mix of melon, pink grapefruit sorbet, stone and smoke flavors enlivened…

CALIFORNIA Chardonnay 96 Aubert Chardonnay Carneros Larry Hyde & Sons 2020 $90 See Highly Recommended, page 87. 94 Lucia Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands Estate Cuvée 2021 $50 A stunning white, succulent and juicy, like biting into a perfectly ripe Bosc pear, with details of apple, mango, peach and dried apricot that add complexity, while grace notes of salted butter, honeysuckle, lanolin and spices linger on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2030. 396 cases made.—M.W. 93 Aubert Chardonnay Napa Sugar Shack 2020 $100 Precise and pure, with a juicy, lip-smacking note to the dried pineapple, lemon sherbet, apricot preserves and tangerine at the core, expanding into clipped herbs and litsea oil details on the long finish, where the flavors expand and gain momentum. Drink now. 598 cases made.—M.W. 93 Bernardus…

Cabernet Curious I read with great interest Aaron Romano’s article on Argentine Malbec (“In the Land of Malbec,” Nov. 30, 2022). What about Cabernet Sauvignons from Argentina? I would like to learn more about them. Rubén Corral Tijuana, Mexico Senior editor Aaron Romano replies: Thank you for your interest. Malbec dominates the red wine landscape of Argentina, whereas Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for about 10% of the country’s red grape plantings, and within the top region of Mendoza, it accounts for just 5%. Many Cabernet vines have been planted in warmer locales, which has translated to plush and fruit-driven wines (compared to the more structured Cabernets from Chile), while more recently, high-elevation vineyards in Argentina’s Uco Valley are beginning to yield exciting, fresher styles. To the north in Salta, the desert climate…

Champagne Henriot has new owners … again. Six months after Artémis Domaines bought majority control of Maisons & Domaines Henriot, which included the Champagne house as well as Bouchard Père & Fils in Burgundy, William Fèvre in Chablis and Beaux Frères in Oregon, the Pinault family-owned firm has announced it will sell Champagne Henriot to Terroirs et Vignerons de Champagne (TEVC) for an undisclosed price. TEVC is the owner of Nicolas Feuillatte, the third-largest Champagne brand in the United States by volume, and the largest union of Champagne cooperatives, representing some 6,000 growers. TEVC executives were looking for a luxury label to add to their growing business. And Artémis already owns another premium Champagne brand. “Since 2017, Terroirs et Vignerons de Champagne was searching for alternative houses to complement the…

We’re now in the third wave of artisanal ice cream. First came better dairy and fewer additives; second came better quality flavorings mixed in; and now we’re seeing more and more novel flavors, with surprisingly delicious olive oil and sea salt varieties being challenged by Kraft macaroni and cheese ice cream. Yes, that last one is real, but a bite of that is probably plenty. What we really want—what we’ll eat until our brain freezes and then scrape the bowl—is based on one of the great triumvirate of flavors. Vanilla makes a clean stage on which toppings can dance. Strawberry screams summertime. Statistical analysis is inconclusive but anecdotal evidence puts chocolate ahead of those two. And today’s producers are going deep on flavor, with seriously unique expressions and elevated classics.…

Since I joined Wine Spectator in 2021, friends and colleagues have asked me countless questions. Do you really taste every bottle blind? How many wines do you taste in a day? Is it fair to reduce wine to a single number? (More on that later.) Rating wines is a notoriously difficult pursuit. Prejudice, favoritism and even breaches of integrity can influence outcomes. As a wine journalist for more than two decades, I am well-aware that a wine score is only as good as the people and process behind it. Wine Spectator’s rigorous blind-tasting methodology was built in anticipation of possible cracks in the system. Our editors evaluate more than 10,000 wines in our Napa and New York tasting rooms each year. These are lablike settings in which we do not…

Winemakers around the world are drawn to the challenge of making good bottles of bubbly. They enjoy exploring the potential of a local grape and/or their specific climate and terroir through the lens of a sparkling wine. With some categories, such as Cava and other Spanish sparkling wine, there’s a 100-plus-year history and tradition. But for others, such as Tasmania, an island south of Australia, sparkling wine production is a relatively new experiment. House of Arras owner Ed Carr founded his winery fewer than 30 years ago, in 1995. Today, other winemakers are following Carr’s lead as Tasmania’s cool-weather conditions are increasingly attractive amid climate change. This diversity is a boon for lovers of bubbly. For those who are willing to look beyond the world’s most famous sparkling wine regions…

Wines that will improve most from additional bottle age and that show the greatest potential to gain in value. 98 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Greppo Riserva 2016 $800 ITALY A harmonious, balanced red, this sets the stage perfectly for the cherry, strawberry, floral, iron and tobacco flavors. Fresh and detailed, with a linear profile and refined structure driving the seemingly endless finish. Superb. Best from 2026 through 2050.—B.S. 97 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet 2020 $2,197 FRANCE Opulent and mouthfilling, this is a powerful white, with lemon oil, sweet corn, peach, apple tart, stone and toasty oak flavors that resonate and build to the long, intense aftertaste. Best from 2026 through 2038. 500 cases made, 100 cases imported.—B.S. 97 Henschke Hill of Grace Vineyard Eden Valley 2018 $930 AUSTRALIA This remarkable wine…

Wines with solid scores, modest prices and wide distribution. 90 Domaine Bousquet Malbec Tupungato 2022 $13 ARGENTINA A fresh, fruity and exuberant style, offering hibiscus, blood orange and mountain herb aromas and flavors on a medium-bodied frame, with a swirl of berry jam and chalky acidity chiming in around fine tannins. Drink now. 145,000 cases made, 100,000 cases imported.—A.R. 400,000+ WINE RATINGS Search our database by winery, region, variety, vintage, price, score and more WineSpectator.com/Wine 89 Korbel Brut California NV $15 CALIFORNIA Lively and generous, with easygoing pear and spice flavors that are laced with cherry blossom notes and glide on the sleek finish. Drink now. 1,042,000 cases made.—T.F. 86 J. Lohr Chardonnay Arroyo Seco River-stone 2021 $14 CALIFORNIA Shows candied lemon, peach and pineapple flavors that are supple and succulent,…

GERMANY Mosel 93 Selbach-Oster RieslingAusleseMoselZeltinger Sonnenuhr Rotlay 2020 $69 Shows serious power, from the ripe fruit and savory energy, with impressive depth to orchard fruit, persimmon, melon and green plum notes on a juicy, supple palate. A bitter tannic edge and acidic verve bring terrific balance and form. Stunning. Drink now through 2035. 50 cases imported.—K.B. 92 Maximin Grünhaus Riesling Kabinett Mosel Herrenberg 2021 $45 A vibrant yet earthy wine in an opulent, very ripe and sweet style, with a bed of flint supporting bruised apple, star anise and warm peach. Decadent and round on the palate, with a hint of nutmeg, this builds to an impressively long and lime zest-infused finish. Drink now. 400 cases made, 84 cases imported.—K.B. 92 Selbach-Oster Riesling Spätlese Feinherb Mosel Zeltinger Sonnenuhr “Ur” Alte Reben…

Chardonnay 93 Appassionata Chardonnay Willamette Valley 2019 $95 Elegantly styled yet dynamic, with polished pear and apple flavors that are laced with lemon tart and orange blossom tones that glide on the sleek finish. Drink now. 108 cases made.—T.F. 93 Bethel Heights Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills Justice Vineyard 2019 $56 Polished and detailed, with baked pear flavors that are accented by lemon tart and toasty spices, finishing on a rich note. Drink now. 208 cases made.—T.F. 93 Big Table Farm Chardonnay Willamette Valley The Wild Bee 2020 $30 This pretty white is plump and refined, with lemon blossom, honey and spice flavors that build richness on the supple finish. Drink now. 1,250 cases made.—T.F. 93 Ponzi Chardonnay Laurelwood District Avellana Single Vineyard 2019 $75 Vibrant yet plush, with expressive apple and lemon blossom accents…

It was a real-life crime worthy of a motion picture—a couple checks into a Spanish hotel that houses one of the world’s top restaurants for wine, a Wine Spectator Grand Award winner, distracts the staff and makes off with wine valued around $1.7 million. The next morning, one of the sommeliers realizes 45 bottles are missing: seven bottles of Château d’Yquem (1806, 1883, 1884, 1891, 1899, 1900 and 1901), valued at $665,000, and 38 bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet dating back to the 1980s, including six magnums of the rare white Burgundy. In a Spanish court in March, the lovebirds linked to this heist at the Atrio restaurant in Cáceres, Spain, received their sentences for aggravated robbery: prison time and an $800,000 fine. It took nine months for…

Oregon Trail The Willamette Valley is justly recognized for its flavorful Pinot Noirs, but not to be overlooked are the region’s enticing Chardonnays. All the examples here offer excellent quality for the price. DROUHIN OREGON ROSEROCK Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills 2021 (94, $42) Graceful, precise; cherry, red plum, fresh violet, brown spices PURPLE HANDS Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Lone Oak Ranch 2021 (94, $30) Pomegranate, cherry, black tea, orange peel; multilayered, fragrant, expressive BIG TABLE FARM Chardonnay Willamette Valley The Wild Bee 2020 (93, $30) Plump, refined; lemon blossoms, honey, spices ARGYLE Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2021 (91, $28) Cherry, cranberry, black tea, dusky spices; refreshing, savory ARGYLE Chardonnay Willamette Valley 2021 (90, $25) Rich, snappy; tropical fruit, pear, spices, lemon blossoms South Side From the Southern Hemisphere comes this…

Have you ever felt the panic of being told that your credit card was declined or that you bounced a check? Many California winemakers felt a terror much worse in March when Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapsed. The bank, which had been America’s 16th largest, is now the second largest to fail in U.S. history, and while it was primarily a favored partner with the tech industry, it was also a leading player in California wine, providing loans and financial advice to more than 400 winery clients. When the bank went under, account holders found that their SVB credit cards didn’t work, their checks wouldn’t clear, and the bank’s app wouldn’t even let them log on. One winemaker told me she started contacting her distributors to tell them not to…

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 James Molesworth California Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, Bordeaux, Port MaryAnn Worobiec California Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, Australia, New Zealand Alison Napjus Spain, Italy, Champagne, South Africa Tim Fish California Zinfandel and Merlot, Oregon, Washington, U.S. sparkling wines Aaron Romano Argentina, Chile Kristen Bieler Rhône Valley and other France, Germany, Austria How We Do…

ARGENTINA Malbec 93 Pyros Malbec Pedernal Valley 2019 $27 This red exudes aromas that foreshadow what’s to come, with a central chalky-slate presence and fresh violet and mountain herb nuances underneath. Features generous raspberry and plum flavors that are fresh and pure, buoyed by lively, chalky acidity. Ends with finesse and fine tannins. Drink now through 2030. 11,000 cases made, 3,000 cases imported.—A.R. 92 Finca Sophenia Malbec Gualtallary Estate Reserva 2021 $25 Elegant and refined, with pepper bush, mountain herb and river stone aromas amid a fresh cherry and berry core, which shows minerally richness and lengthens nicely around the core flavors and fine tannins. Drink now through 2030. 15,000 cases made, 3,000 cases imported.—A.R. 91 Vaglio Malbec Gualtallary Aggie 2021 $20 See Smart Buys, page 89. 90 Domaine Bousquet Malbec…

SOUTH AFRICA Cabernet Sauvignon & Blends 94 Leeu Passant Cabernet Sauvignon Stellen bosch 2019 $48 This exudes an enticing nose of cured tobacco that continues on the graceful palate, layered with sculpted tannins and a finely meshed range of ripe fruit, including crushed red and black currant flavors, plus a hint of blackberry paste and accents of iron, loamy earth, ground coffee and spices. Elegant and accessible overall, despite the concentrated profile and dense frame, though a few years in the cellar should allow this engaging red to shine even brighter. Best from 2026 through 2036. 337 cases made, 200 cases imported.—A.N. 94 Vilafonté Series C Paarl 2020 $95 A lovely red, with blackberry coulis and baked boysenberry flavors gaining added depth from rich details of ground coffee, candied violet, wild sage…