Wine & Spirits - Winter 2016 - 116


100 BEST BUYS OF THE YEAR
Maude, a steep, north-facing hillside east of
the lake. This pinot noir includes fruit from
the family's vines and purchased grapes
from Bannockburn and Queensbury. While
the winemaking is parallel to many of their
compatriots-no added yeast, some whole
bunches, up to a month of skin contact-
the wine has a delicacy and cool, zesty drive
that sets it apart. It's all mushroom savor
and heady Asian spice before red fruit begins
to race through it with a lovely strawberry
essence. An earthy beauty to decant for roast
duck. (W&S 4/16) § The Winebow Group, NY

P O RT U G A L
VINHO VERDE

90 | Luis Pato

$14

2012 Beira Atlantico Colheita Seleccionada ^ Luis Pato has been seeking creative
ways to fully mature his baga grapes for close
to 30 years. He harvests a portion of the fruit
on the vines in August, to allow the rest of
it to ripen more expeditiously. Some of that
early harvest goes into this wine, a blend of
baga (70 percent) with touriga nacional. One
taster described it as a wine with both eyes
open, the flavors clearly drawn in notes of
herbs, bay and forest berries. The tannins
are notably supple for an early-picked wine,
though there are some untamed high notes
and sweaty horse elements that may put off
some drinkers. For baga fans, it's a wine to
drink with roast game birds. (W&S 4/16) §
Wine In-Motion USA, Union, NJ

DÃO RED

214165

90 | Quinta da Aveleda

selection from 150 acres of vines planted on
schist-based soil a 45-minute drive southwest
from Cantanhede in Bairrada. This vintage
captures the cool spice of baga in a firm, juicy
red. There's energy in the length of the wine,
the clarity and delicate pointedness of the
acidity balanced with a touch of chocolate
softness in the tannins. (W&S 4/16) § Mundovino/The Winebow Group, NY
211144

$9

2015 Vinho Verde ^ This estate-grown blend
of loureiro and alvarinho has clean flavor and
depth in 2015, its ripeness captured in tart
green pear and sweeter lime flavors. There's
a salty snap to the fresh finish, delicious with
pan-roasted sea bass or most anything else
from the sea. A steal at the price. (W&S 8/16) §
Aveleda, Pawtucket, RI

BEIRA RED

210973

91 | Quinto do Sobral

$16

2013 Dão Santar Reserva ^ This wine's tart
red fruit maintains its presence with oak,
integrating the wood tannins into earthy
notes of black olives and a field of mountain
herbs. The wine is light and fresh, the tannins
substantial yet gentle. For an herb-crusted
pork chop. (W&S 4/16) § Sarmento's Imports,
Fall River, MA

ues to oversee production, the project is now
owned by the Gonçalves and Mello families.
The 2010 is a wellspring of Morello cherry
flavor, its floral scents and anise notes driving right through the wine without getting
tangled up in tannins. Clean, fresh and zesty,
this is fruit-forward and delicious, ready to
decant for roast duck. (W&S 4/16) § Wine InMotion USA, Union, NJ

MADEIRA
200294

91 | Justino's

$28

Madeira 10 Years Old Reserve ^ Impressive
for its length and breadth of flavor, this glistens with spice. The warmth of its alcohol
drives the flavor of the fruit, while the rich,
nutty savor of oak aging adds to its structural
definition. Layered with notes of candied
orange peel and dried leaves, this is built for
fresh fruit, nuts and cheeses at the end of the
meal. (W&S 2/16) § HGC Imports, San Jose, CA;
PortUSA, Palm Coast, FL

SOUTH AFRIC A
CHENIN BLANC
118286

92 | Terre Brûlée

$16

2014 Swartland Tania & Vincent Carême
Chenin Blanc ^ Before Vincent Carême
founded a winery in Vouvray, where he grew
up, he worked several harvests in his wife's
homeland, the Western Cape of South Africa.
More than a decade later, the couple established this label using 10 acres of chenin
blanc grown in the decomposed granite
soils of Swartland. Carême makes the wine
the same way he does in the Loire, wholebunch pressed and fermented without added
yeast. This is his second vintage, a robust take
on chenin, very dry and complex, with the
tannins of the grape lees bringing on scents
of wildflowers, beeswax and apple skin. The
deep tone of the fruit makes this a white for
roast veal. (W&S 6/16) § Cape Classics, NY

SPAIN
S PA R K L I N G

DOURO RED
211137

93 | Vértice

210622

91 | Qta. de Foz de Arouce

$20

2012 Beira Atlantico ^ João Portugal Ramos
makes this wine at his father-in-law's estate
near Coimbra; its consistent excellence
raises the question as to why no one else
has planted vines nearby. This is 80 percent
baga, the balance touriga nacional, the main
116

WINE & SPIRITS

$24

2010 Douro Grande Reserva ^ Jack Davies
of Napa Valley's Schramsberg came to the
Douro in 1988 to produce sparkling wines
from the region's high-elevation vineyards.
Celso Pereira, who has made the wines since
1989, began producing red wine from lower
altitudes in the early 1990s. Perreira contin-

BUYING GUIDE 2017

213286

91 | Juvé y Camps

$16

2013 Cava Brut Xarello Essential ^ More
assertively aromatic than xarello has any
right to be, Essential is rich in notes of
http://www.aveledaportugal.pt/index.php?id=16&id3=105 http://www.quintadosobral.com/ http://www.thewinebowgroup.com/our-companies/mundovino/wine/quinta-de-foz-de-arouce/foz-de-arouce-tinto/ http://www.thewinebowgroup.com/our-brands/juve-y-camps/essential/
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - Winter 2016
