Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 56

TOP 100

VALUES
OF THE YEAR

Our blind panels tasted 14,477 wines during the past 12 months. Our critics-Patrick J. Comiskey,
Joshua Greene, Stephanie Johnson, Luke Sykora, Patricio Tapia and Tara Q. Thomas-
selected these 100 as the best performers priced $15 or less. We present the wines by category
(sparkling, white, rosé, red and dessert); by score, descending; by price, ascending; then by winery.
Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

S PA RK L I N G

90 | Estate Hatzimichalis

$11

90 | Santa Barbara

$12

90 | Sartarelli

$13

90 | Durbanville Hills

$15

90 | Schloss Gobelsburg

$15

90 | Luis Pato

$15

2015 Atalanti Vly. Assyrtiko ^ For mainland
assyrtiko, this is impressively firm and mineral, with a substantial complement of chalky
salinity to support its succulent, limey fruit.
(W&S 8/16) § Fantis Imports, Carlstadt, NJ
215255

448127

91 | Dr. Konstantin Frank

212762

88 | Vicente Gandía

$12

Cava Brut Hoya de Cadenas ^ Deliciously
fresh and juicy, with a firm structure and
pinpoint bubbles, this is a Cava for aperitifs.
(W&S 8/16) § Vicente Gandía USA, Miami, FL
212971

84 | Cantina Sociale
di Sorbara

$15

2015 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling ^ This dry
white has an intriguing pine-tip freshness to
its scent, and a breadth of wheaty lees and
sweet apple flavor that's firm on the back
end, tightened by a splash of lime. (W&S
4/17; 3,100 cases) §

2014 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico ^ This wine packs plenty of coastal character for the money. Zesty acidity underlies
its flavors of yellow apple, lime and tarragon; it finishes on a briny note that leaves
you craving oysters. (W&S 8/16) § Massanois
Imports, NY
120157

Lambrusco di Modena Il Duomo ^ Tangy
acidity balances the ripe blackberry and
plum flavors in this lightly sweet sparkler, a
match for salumi. § Cantina di Sorbara USA,
Sausalito, CA

W HI T E
219493

91 | Claude Branger

$14

2015 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie Les
Fils de Gras Moutons ^ Claude and Sebastien Branger blend this wine from a range of
estate parcels, the vines averaging 40 years
old. If you approach it as the entry-level wine
it is, you'll get a broad, lush 2015 with golden
apple flavors. If you decant it and wait, or
cellar it for a year or two, you'll find something different: a racy Muscadet with litchiscented fruit and a lasting, smoky mineral
finish. For oysters. (W&S 4/17) § Vintage '59
Imports, Washington, DC
214251

91 | Dom. de Terra Vecchia $15

2015 Ile de Beauté ^ This takes the salty mineral flavors of vermentino and enriches them
with a little chardonnay. The effect is at once
mouthfilling and refreshing, lasting with delicate floral notes, as well as a firm lemony
savor. (W&S 8/16) § Gabriella Fine Wines, NY

WINE & SPIRITS

JUNE 2017

2015 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi ^ Saline
notes swirl though this wine's juicy apple and
tangy lemon flavors, keeping balance in this
richly textured verdicchio. Aged in stainless
steel without undergoing malolactic conversion, it's a zesty white for al fresco dining with
any sort of shellfish. (W&S 10/16) § Kermit
Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
213201

214165

90 | Quinta da Aveleda

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
217372

90 | Mont Gravet

2015 Côtes de Gascogne ^ Mel and Janie Master, the team behind the Languedoc brand
Tortoise Creek, have applied their penchant
for finding good grapes at low prices to Gascony. This wine has more character than
you might expect from colombard, with floral notes and honeycomb richness. It's ripe
yet balanced, with plenty of acidity to keep it
palate-whetting. Chill it for crab salad. § Winesellers, Niles, IL
212853

2016 Durbanville Sauvignon Blanc ^ Based
in the coastal hills north of Capetown, this
winery is a joint venture between Distell and
nine growers in Tygerberg, including some
with high-elevation vineyards that lend this
sauvignon blanc a bright, refreshing profile.
Cape outsiders might interpret the wine's
flowery scents as roses, strawberry blooms
and daffodils; locals will recognize them as
the scent of renosterveld. For a crab salad. §
Terlato Wines Int'l, Lake Bluff, IL
218696
2015 Kamptal Grüner Veltliner ^ Addictively
sweet and salty, with juicy yellow plum over
saline notes, this gains delicacy and lift from
scents of lime leaf and zest; a playful wine
to drink now, and freely. (W&S 4/17) § Terry
Theise Selections/Michael Skurnik Wines, NY
214097
2015 Beira Atlantico Vinhas Velhas ^ The
dry 2015 season created this austere white
from Luis Pato's old vines in Bairrada, a
blend of bical, cerceal and sercialinho. It's

http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com http://www.drfrankwines.com/wine-detail.asp?Style=2&WineType=1&Wine=2 http://www.vicentegandiausa.com/portfolio/d-o-cava#hdccavabrut https://www.aveledaportugal.pt/index.php?id=16&id3=107

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - June 2017