Wine & Spirits - Winter 2017 - 114

100 BEST WINES OF THE YEAR
BEST RIBERA DEL DUERO
219994

96 | Vega Sicilia

$505

2005 Ribera del Duero Unico ^ The N-122
runs like a spine across Ribera del Duero
from east to west, separating the Vega Sicilia
winery from the Unico vineyards across the
road. Those vineyards face north, on undulating slopes rich in chalk, and give wines
that can live for decades. That's the case for
this 2005. The concentration of this vintage
was so great that Vega Sicilia held the bottles back an extra couple of years; now, that
patience has been rewarded with a beautiful, enchanting complexity of aromas and
flavors that encompass earth, spice, roses,
black fruits and minerals. It still feels tense
and energetic, a lively, radiant Unico that will
continue to develop for at least a decade in
bottle-even though now, sitting in front of a
half-empty glass, it is difficult to imagine how
it can be better. It can. (W&S 6/17) § Europvin
USA, Van Nuys, CA
221772

95 | Goyo García Viadero

$60

2011 Ribera del Duero Finca Viñas de
Arcilla ^ The wines of Goyo García are more
delicate, fruity and refreshing than most
Ribera del Duero, thanks to his very old vines
in the Roa area, in the province of Burgos,
and his tendency to pick early. He limits intervention in his winemaking, using ambient
yeasts, no new wood and no sulfur. His 2011
Viñas de Arcilla (formerly Viña de Anguix) is
a standout. From a vineyard planted on clay
soils, it's radiant with flavors of raspberries,
blueberries, strawberries, herbs and spices,
shaped by gentle, round tannins. The acidity runs through it like a spine, marking the
contours of the palate with its intensity, and
accenting the wine's freshness. A crystal-clear
wine, it's a new view of tempranillo in Ribera
del Duero. (W&S 6/17) § José Pastor Selections/
Vinos and Gourmet, Richmond, CA

as old-school since its beginnings in 1980,
turning out wines that privilege acidity and
freshness, and the 2010 vintage showcases
the style of the house with special clarity.
This Gran Reserva is a selection of vines
that are more than 40 years old, most growing at about 2,600 feet. The altitude, a cool
year and the house style combine to deliver
a bright and elegant wine with layers of red
fruit, herbs and spices, a subtle oak note in
the background. Youthful and intense, with
firm, tight tannins and vibrant acidity, it captures the best characteristics of Viña Pedrosa.
(W&S 6/17) § Think Global, Santa Barbara, CA

BEST RIOJA RED
216535

94 | Casa Primicia

$75

2005 Rioja Cofradía ^ This is a selection
from parcels of 80-year-old tempranillo
vines in Rioja Alavesa; it aged for 18 months
in Hungarian oak, then rested in bottle in
the Madrid family's ancient cellars some 30
feet below ground in the center of Laguardia.
The fruit is black and bracing, with a fresh
woodland scent of mushrooms, while underneath, the acidity sparkles with mineral glints
behind the tannins. The wine comes to you
and doesn't require any attention to appreciate its regal Spanish pleasures, but if you look
carefully, you'll find a range of floral, earthy
and fruity complexities-like the best kind of
amaro-to hold your attention for minutes
after each sip. (W&S 12/16) § González Byass
USA, Chicago, IL

BEST SHERRY: FINO

221824

96 | González Byass

220263

95 | Hermanos
Pérez Pascuas

$104

2010 Ribera del Duero Gran Reserva Viña
Pedrosa ^ Pérez Pascuas has been thought of
114

WINE & SPIRITS

$74/500ml

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Fino Tres Palmas ^ The
Palmas line of González Byass aims to show
how Fino evolves under the veil of flor-
extending the age on the wines they use
for Tío Pepe. With ten years under the veil
(rather than three for Tío Pepe), Tres Palmas
carries a biological wine to the limit. This is
the way the best Finos were made until the
seventies, when heavily filtered, younger and
lighter wines came into fashion. This Sherry
shows all the signs of evolution of the great
wines of Jerez, the bone-dry flavors and vertical structure, the spicy finish and saline notes

BUYING GUIDE 2018

everywhere. It carries the oxidative, Amontillado-like notes that develop as the veil of flor
becomes transparent, almost dissolving with
age. Consider this a monument to wines of
the past-a small cathedral for the worship
of Fino. (W&S 8/17) § Vin Divino, Chicago, IL

BEST SHERRY:
AMONTILLADO
222230

97 | Yuste

$173/375ml

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Conde de Aldama
Amontillado ^ Francisco Yuste bought an
old Amontillado solera in 1927 that had
been established in the Barrio Alto district
of Sanlúcar de Barrameda in 1740. Today,
the Yuste family believes that the average
age of the wines in this solera is more than
100 years, making the wine one of the oldest
marketed in all of Jerez. This Amontillado,
blended from those casks, is a trip. First it
evokes the seashore, with its flavors of salt,
shells and iodine; then it reveals the lime
and mushroom scents the wine developed
as it matured under the veil of flor. With air,
there are notes of walnuts, smoked almonds
and spices. While the aromas are as delicate
and nuanced as a perfume, in flavor, with its
direction and strength, it is a bullet. (W&S
10/17) § Classical Wines, Seattle, WA

BEST SHERRY:
PA L O C O R TA D O
223007

97 | El Maestro Sierra

$225

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry 1/7 VORS Oloroso ^ As
the decades go by, Sherries tend to lose all
glimmer of sweetness. This Oloroso comes
from the seven oldest butts of the Maestro
Sierra winery, and its average age is estimated
at 80 years. Time has taken the wine far
beyond fruit flavors, deep into the world of
oxidative notes, from earthiness and iodine
to chalk. Although it's already old, with such
great structure and firm acidity, this should
have a long life in the bottle. Bravo Maestro.
(W&S 10/17) § De Maison Selections, Chapel
Hill, NC n

http://www.gonzalezbyass.com/en/ http://thinkglobalwines.virb.com/perez-pascuas

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