Wine & Spirits - February 2012 - (Page 58)

AMERICAN NEW RELEASES Our blind panels tasted 610 new-release American wines for this issue. Our critics rated 62 as exceptional (90+) and 42 as Best Buys. Joshua Greene reviews California wines; Patrick J. Comiskey reviews New York, Oregon and Washington wines. Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com. CA LI FO RN I A W HIT E S PA R K L I N G W I N E ness, its lemon custard ﬂavor balanced by lingering acidity. Finely crafted from a top chardonnay site, this should age with grace. (79 cases) Joshua Klapper, Santa Maria, CA 415552 GEWURZTRAMINER 414642 | Londer $ | Gary Farrell $ 415590 | Gloria Ferrer $ 2004 Carneros Brut Royal Cuvée (Best Buy) A refreshing and elegant sparkling wine, this leads oﬀ with scents of apples and brioche. The ﬂavors are light and yeasty, with lemon-tinged acidity. Balanced for oysters or clams on the half shell. Gloria Ferrer Vineyards, Sonoma, CA 415430 2009 Russian River Valley Keefer Ranch Chardonnay This is broad, leesy and rich, holding some complexity in its ﬂoral, herbal scents. The ﬂavors are heady, hinting at the nuttiness of Comté and wood smoke. An intriguing white to decant for roast salmon, or to cellar and build on the ﬂavor depth. (310 cases) Gary Farrell, Healdsburg, CA 415750 2009 Anderson Valley Dry Gewurztraminer This handles the spicy perfume of gewurztraminer with grace. There’s a prickle of acidity to balance the honeysuckle and Cara Cara orange ﬂavors, while the peppery bite in the ﬁnish will brighten a plate of Cantonese salt and pepper squid. (387 cases) Londer Vineyards, Sebastopol, CA PINOT BL ANC 415634 | Cambria | Skylark $ $ |J $ NV Russian River Valley Brut Rosé (Best Buy) Pink and frothy with scents of strawberries and crème anglaise, this is a soft, gentle sparkler with a little pink grapefruit zest in the end. Pour it with crayﬁsh in cayenne cream. J Vineyards & Winery, Healdsburg, CA 2009 Santa Maria Valley Katherine’s Vineyard Chardonnay (Best Buy) A generous chardonnay with vanilla and peach cobbler ﬂavors, this lasts on toast and sweet vanilla. Chill it as an aperitif or serve with shrimp in a cream sauce. Cambria Winery & Vineyard, Santa Maria, CA 415120 2010 Mendocino County Orsi Vineyard Pinot Blanc (Best Buy) This clean and simple white has some fat to its green ﬁg ﬂavors. Chill it for crab toast. (550 cases) Skylark Wine Company, Hopland, CA SAUVIGNON BLANC | Lake Sonoma $ CHARDONNAY 415196 | Ridge 2010 Russian River Valley Chardonnay (Best Buy) A broad, rich, vanilla-scented chardonnay, this is fattened up in the middle with buttery malolactic ﬂavors. Oak adds a touch of tannins. For roast veal. (4,900 cases) Lake Sonoma Cellars, Glen Ellen, CA $ 415602 2008 Santa Cruz Mountains Monte Bello Estate Vineyard Chardonnay Ridge grows compelling chardonnay on their limestonerich mountaintop above the Paciﬁc. In this vintage, the texture is as smooth as river pebbles, the wine rolling from potent almond to velvet-ﬂeshed apple ﬂavors. It balances freshness, buttery richness and ripe sweetness in a ﬁrm, golden mouthful of fruit. For the cellar. (750 cases) Ridge Vineyards, Cupertino, CA 415788 | Grgich Hills $ 415091 | La Fenêtre | Castle Rock $ $ 2009 Santa Maria Valley Block Eleven Bien Nacido Vineyard Chardonnay This shows breed in its savory, earthy character. Bluntly powerful at ﬁrst, once the wine moves past its oak the fruit develops rich58 W I N E & S P I R I T S F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 2 2010 Central Coast Barrel Fermented Chardonnay (Best Buy) Soft and creamy with a fresh green ﬁg ﬂavor, this is frank and simply presented—and not overtly oaked. For grilled shrimp. Castle Rock Winery, Geyserville, CA 2010 Napa Valley Dry Fumé Blanc Farmed under biodynamics at Grgich’s American Canyon and Carneros estate vineyards, this wine has the intensity of ﬂavor that fruit can give at the peak of ripeness. The depth of that fruit ﬂavor ranges from tart pear skin to kumquat, both brisk and resonant. Its underlying earthiness parallels the structure of a classic Loire chenin: a sauvignon that’s refreshing with river ﬁsh and big enough for foie gras. Grgich Hills Estate, Rutherford, CA 414466 http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com http://www.gloriaferrer.com/royal-cuvee https://www.grgich.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=productdetail&product_id=183 http://www.castlerockwinery.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - February 2012

Wine & Spirits - February 2012
Editor’s Note
Happenings
Contents
Fined & Filtered: Sake Post-Tsunami; Aussies crack the Brett code; the Historic Vineyard Society.
Spirits: New Digestivi, by Lou Bustamante
Wines of the Pacific
Red Rising
Yarra Shiraz
Snowmelt & Chalk
Anatomy of a Field Blend
Extreme Values
Tastings Overview
American Zinfandel
American Syrah
New Zealand Pinot Noir
Rhône Wines
Catalan Wines
Chilean Cabernet & Blends
Argentine Malbec
American Wines
Imported Wines
Books: Winter Reading

Wine & Spirits - February 2012