Wine & Spirits - August 2013 - (Page 56)

Year’s Best Vinho Verde & rias Baixas our blind panels tasted 102 new-release wines from Vinho Verde and rías Baixas over the past 12 months. Joshua Greene, our critic for Portugal and rías Baixas, rated 19 as exceptional (90+) and 20 as Best Buys. Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com. P o rt u g a l : V i n h o V e r d e 190444 94 | anselmo Mendes $20 2012 Vinho Verde Contacto Alvarinho ^ Anselmo Mendes, who has worked as a winemaking consultant in Vinho Verde and the Douro since 1992, began making his own wines in 1998. “Contacto” refers to skin contact, which he pushes in these grapes from riverside vineyards in Monção and Melgaço. That contact includes a cold maceration prior to fermentation for 12 hours at 12˚C. In a lesser vintage, this wine can be youthfully tannic, but in 2012, the lusciousness of the fruit builds dynamism with the structure, the architecture of the wine holding its peach density like a national monument to alvarinho. This lasts with the floral notes of fresh cream, the smokiness of the grape skins and the sumptuous richness of the fruit. Built to age. § Wine In-Motion USA, Union, NJ 190447 94 | Soalheiro $24 2012 Vinho Verde Alvarinho ^ Luis Cerdeira grows alvarinho on the granite soils of Melgaço, and works with neighboring farmers and their small plots of vines. He makes a concentrated, ageworthy selection from his own estate to bottle as Primeiras Vinhas, as well as this village wine, which is often the standout in the region. This is the Cerdeira family’s 30th alvarinho vintage and Luis believes that the cool nights of August, the slow maturation of the grapes and their relatively small clusters ripened to make this vintage one of his best. It’s hard to disagree, the wine beautifully formed, with a scent of crushed herbs and pale white pear that’s mouthwatering. It’s youthfully fresh, immediately seductive, substantial in its incipient depths of flavor. A joy to drink now, this is a wine that will age gracefully over the next decade. § Aidil Wines & Liquors, Newark, NJ 189632 92 | Niepoort $22 2011 Vinho Verde Dócil Loureiro ^ Dirk Niepoort started this project as Girosol in 2007, working with Luis Cerdeira of Soalheiro to create a refreshing coastal white from loureiro in Lima. Rechristened as Dócil 56 WINE & SPIRITS AUGUST 2013 in the 2011 vintage, this wine’s granitic soil notes and oceanic impact brings Muscadet from Clisson to mind. Take a sip, and pear juice seems to pour out from the sides of the mouth and from under the tongue, the flavor fresh and lasting, focused on minerals. § Martine’s Wines, Novato, CA of minerals that will add salt to roast sea bass over fennel. § P.R. Grisley Co., Salt Lake City, UT 190322 91 | Quintas de Melgaço $25 2012 Vinho Verde QM Alvarinho ^ Juicy lime pulp flavors brighten this clean, oceanic white. It’s rich in the middle with scents of lilies and citrus zest, awaiting a chill for any fresh catch. This alvarinho grows in granitic soils in Alvaredo. § Value Vines, N. Caldwell, NJ 189591 92 | aveleda $9 2012 Vinho Verde Quinta da Aveleda (Best Buy) ^ Careful viticulture takes the fruit of this estate-grown wine into bright scents of lime, white rose and pink grapefruit, with a mouthwatering persistence of flavor that sets it apart. It’s easy to drink a lot of this, chilled for a June wedding or July at the shore. I know of no other wine in the world that offers the fragrant pleasures of this white for anything close to $9. § Aveleda, Pawtucket, RI 184646 90 | aveleda $13 90 | aveleda $9 2011 Vinho Regional Minho Alvarinho ^ A broad, leesy white, this wine’s youth masks its powerful fruit under the talc feel of its acidity. It brightens with air, developing scents of clementine and lime, the smoky fruit almost tropical in character. For whole roasted sea bass. (W&S 10/12) Aveleda, Pawtucket, RI 184645 2011 Vinho Verde Quinta da Aveleda (Best Buy) ^ A bright, coastal white, this has the raciness of a wine from granitic soils with enough rich peachiness to sheathe that knife edge of acidity. The tart grapefruit finish will match grilled prawns or other shellfish. Mouthwatering, balanced and a steal at the price. (W&S 10/12) Aveleda, Pawtucket, RI 189584 90 | Quinta de gomariz 189585 92 | Quinta de gomariz $20 2012 Vinho Regional Minho Alvarinho ^ Grown on granitic soils in the subregion of Ave, this alvarinho is light gold in color and flinty in scent. The flavors are bold and broad without feeling overly rich—juicy apple and pear cut by grapefruit pith, finishing in a bath $18 2012 Vinho Verde Avesso ^ There’s fresh fruit sweetness preserved in the peach perfume of this avesso, held tightly by the acidity that powers its flavors. The grip of the acidity should soften with six months in bottle, in time for roast pork this fall. § P.R. Grisley Co., Salt Lake City, UT 190441 http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com http://www.aveleda.pt/ http://www.aveleda.pt/ http://www.quintadegomariz.com/en/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - August 2013

Wine & Spirits - August 2013
Editor's Note
Happenings
Contents
Fined & Filtered
Spirits: Rum & Ginger Beer
Athens Wine Bars
The New Naoussa
California's Heritage Whites
Insider's Guide to Sonoma
Local Snacks, Local Bubbles
Extreme Values
Introduction
Summer Sparklers
US Pinot Gris
Alto Adige/Friuli
Vinho Verde/Albariño
US Riesling
Rosés
Greece
US New Releases
Imported New Releases
Last Sip

Wine & Spirits - August 2013