Wine & Spirits - Winter 2016 - 98

100 BEST WINES OF THE YEAR
over the top, crammed with flavor complexity, as concentrated as a multi-puttonyos
Tokaji Aszú, but for all that, true to form as
a TBA riesling, with heady botrytis scents
of saffron and marmalade, and flavors of
treacle and apricot syrup. All of that maddening power is carried with aplomb by brilliant, driving acidity, like a linebacker in a
tutu. (W&S 12/15; 21 cases) § Michelle Loosen,
Woodinville, WA

A RGE N T I N A
BEST CABERNET FRANC

venture between the Catena family of Mendoza and Lafite from Bordeaux. Half of the
wine is cabernet sauvignon from Altamira,
in the heights of Uco Valley, providing a firm
structure, the other half is malbec from old
vines in Las Compuertas, adding all the notes
of violets and sour cherries that one can find
in the best Luján de Cuyo malbec. The red
fruit and floral notes outline the contours of
a wine that seems athletic and tight, rather
than fat. Cellar this for five years or more; it
will continue to gain in complexity. (W&S
6/16) § Pasternak Wine Imports, Harrison, NY

A USTRALIA
BEST RIESLING

BEST SHIRAZ

116708

94 | Wakefield

117645

94 | El Enemigo

$120

2012 Gualtallary Gran Enemigo Single
Vineyard Cabernet Franc ^ Although there
are barely 1,700 acres planted to cabernet
franc in Argentina (compared to 260,000
acres of malbec), the community of good
examples is growing. This Gran Enemigo is
one of the best. A selection from the Adrianna Vineyard, planted by the Catena winery
at 4,757 feet in the Uco Valley, it's luscious
and fleshy, the flavors of red fruits piqued by
herbal notes that offer a sense of freshness.
The grainy grip of the tannins is a Gualtallary
signature, calling for steak au poivre. (W&S
4/16) § Mundovino/The Winebow Group, NY

BEST CABERNET BLEND

$40

2014 Clare Valley St. Andrews Riesling ^ A
selection from the St. Andrews vineyards,
this is pressed immediately after harvest,
then allowed to settle for a day before racking into a cool fermentation in stainless steel.
It's precisely focused and completely dry, the
structure tight up front, then gently expansive as fruit washes up underneath the acidity like the undertow of a wave. That acidity
is as malic as red apple skin, as puckering as
grapefruit (the pH is 2.98). But then the flavors are more relaxed, opening from earthy
talc toward fresh apple, pear and mace. Powerful in its intensity, elegant and refined in its
delivery, this is a grand riesling that will age
for a decade or more. (W&S 2/16) § AW Direct/
Wine Trees Portfolio, Novato, CA; Seaview
Imports, NY
117813

93 | Grosset

117725

94 | Caro

95 | Ochota Barrels

$63

2013 Mendoza Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) and Nicolas Catena ^ This is
one of the best vintages of Caro, the joint
98

WINE & SPIRITS

$80

2014 McLaren Vale The Fugazi Vineyard
Grenache ^ Taras and Amber Ochota focus
on single-site grenache from McLaren Vale
and syrah from Barossa. For this wine, they

BUYING GUIDE 2017

117502

94 | Henschke

$813

2010 Eden Valley Hill of Grace ^ An elegant
vintage from the Henschke's historic vineyard, this shiraz blends fruit from generations of vines. The oldest date to the 1860s,
with subsequent plantings propagated from
those original vines. This 2010 has the depth
and layered complexity that great old-vine
fruit can give. One taster compared it to the
long, slow concentration of flavor in a braise.
The fruit flavors that rise out of those umami
depths add tension and vibrancy to the wine,
a sour cherry note of restraint to match
the tannic refinement. The long, juicy red
fruit flavors have power without any excess
weight. Built to evolve for decades. (W&S
2/16) § Negociants USA, Napa, CA

$45

2015 Clare Valley Springvale Riesling ^
Grown at an elevation of 1,500 feet in Watervale, the vines at Springvale benefit from the
water-holding capacity of limestone under
the red loam soils. They produce a generous
riesling, round and juicy, smoky with brisk
mineral leesiness. The chalky feel of the acidity closes off the flavors, but after each sip,
the fruit seems to pull through that chalk
wall, lengthening the finish with lemon zest,
lemongrass and tarragon. Decant this if you
open it now; best to cellar for eight years or
more, to allow the wine to open. (W&S 2/16) §
Hudson Wine Brokers, Los Angeles, CA

BEST GRENACHE
118332

hand-harvest the fruit from 66-year-old vines
in Blewitt Springs, allowing it a seven-day
cold soak before it starts fermenting without added yeasts. They then leave the juice
on the skins for 82 days before aging it in
old oak barrels. In the end, they've captured
a joyous grenache, a bright, floral red with
fresh scents of roses and rosemary. The structure is more powerful than the scent might
lead you to believe, sneaking up as the strawberry fruit races by, leaving a roar of tannins in its wake. Delicious now, especially if
you splash it around a decanter, this wine's
structure and energy suggest it will only gain
with time in bottle. (W&S 2/16) § Vine Street
Imports, Mount Laurel, NJ

118626

94 | Giant Steps

$60

2014 Yarra Valley Innocent Bystander
Mea Culpa Syrah ^ Phil Sexton and Steve
Flamsteed produced this wine from a clone
of unknown origin, what they call Red Dog
67, growing at their Tarraford Vineyard. It's
fermented as whole clusters in large oak
vats, then aged in oak of varied sizes. And
it's consistently been one of the most compelling syrahs coming out of Australia. Yes,
I'm in love with the cracked peppercorn scent
of this wine and the raspy red-berry flavors.
And I'm fascinated by the way the alcohol
comes through as a structural element, completely integrated with the oak and grapeskin tannins. Still youthful, this needs time

http://www.enemigowines.com/story/ http://www.innocentbystander.com.au/ http://www.pasternakwine.com/brand/bodegas-caro/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - Winter 2016