Wine & Spirits - February 2018 - 78

US NEW RELEASES
PETITE SIRAH

509222

92 | Robert Mondavi
Winery

509349
$172

2014 Oakville Napa Valley The Reserve To
Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Supple and heady with the richness of Oakville
cabernet, this is a plush, espresso-scented
red. Associate Editor Geoff Millar described
it as an "oak rocket with dark fruit inside,"
the oak propelling the fresh raspberry and
blackberry flavor. Winemaker Genevieve
Janssens selects this wine from the vineyard
that surrounds the winery, working with a
range of blocks for this Reserve, including
vines dating to 1974.
509236

91 | Stag's Leap
Wine Cellars

$145

2014 Napa Valley S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon ^ The rocky soils at the Stag's Leap Vineyard produced a 2014 cabernet with fresh cut
to its rich black fruit. Oak dominates the wine
until air begins to bring out the detail, taking
it toward vinous scents, along with notes of
conifer and eucalyptus that add to the breezy
freshness. For the cellar. (3,000 cases)

MERLOT
509915

92 | Matthiasson

$80

2013 Napa Valley Red Hen Vineyard Merlot ^ Here's a merlot with resonant freshness
to its rich black fruit. It feels full without
being pushed, emphasizing clarity and a
crisp line to the tannins. The slight sweetness of the fruit places this clearly in Napa
Valley-from a vineyard on the rocky alluvial
fan of Dry Creek, in the Oak Knoll district-
though its silkiness sets it apart from many
contemporary styles. This is merlot with discretion. (186 cases)
509809

85 | Steele

$14

2015 Lake County Shooting Star Merlot
(Best Buy) ^ This wine's firm tannins have a
sanguine edge; its fruit is light, warm and
vinous. Serve it slightly chilled with grilled
meat. (1,200 cases)

WINE & SPIRITS

FEBRUARY 2018

509444

92 | Dutcher Crossing

$42

2015 Dry Creek Valley Siblings Reserve
Petite Sirah ^ Here's a wine to serve T-Rex next
time he comes rampaging through town. It's
massive, with a structure that's equal to the
raspberry confit flavors of the fruit. Meaty
tannins darken that fruit toward unsweetened-chocolate and espresso-bean scents.
Already floral, with hints of violets and black
pepper, this will benefit from bottle age and
may become more manageable around ten
years from the vintage. (270 cases)

PINOT NOIR
509383

93 | Anthill Farms

$48

2015 Mendocino County Comptche Ridge
Pinot Noir ^ The shape of this wine has a formal elegance, a clarification of what pinot
can achieve when grown with care in the cool
ridges of the Mendocino coast. It comes from
a dry-farmed vineyard planted by the Weir
brothers in the late 1990s, mostly to the Swan
clone of pinot noir. While oak is present in
the wine's initial scents, bringing out notes
of mint and black tea, a rose fragrance gains
precedence and length with air. That floral
freshness is equaled by foresty notes of wild
strawberries and savory roots that may make
your mouth water. (440 cases)
509265

93 | Joseph Jewell

$55

2014 Russian River Valley Hallberg Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ This classic Russian River
Valley pinot noir comes from a vineyard in
the Green Valley, just north of Sebastopol,
where Brice Cutrer Jones converted an apple
orchard to pinot noir vines. Dry farmed on
Gold Ridge soil, it's now the home vineyard
for his Emeritus wines, and the source for
this classic Russian River Valley pinot noir.
Generous from the moment it's first poured,
with a brash gaminess to its tannins, it develops clarity as it opens with air. Silky and bold,
with flavors of ripe cherries and tart cranberries, this would be delicious with spicy lamb
sausages. (75 cases)

93 | Lutum

$50

93 | Sojourn

$39

93 | Tatomer

$50

92 | Anthill Farms

$48

2015 Sta. Rita Hills La Rinconada Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ La Rinconada is a westfacing hillside, heavily influenced by Pacific
fog. Gavin Chanin's pinot from the site feels
completely saturated in its texture, while the
tightness of the structure focuses on earthy
tannins and a meaty note as umami as porky
ramen broth. It opens to reveal a juicy red flavor, like the blush on the skin of a pear or the
pink of a cranberry. Subtle and refined, it's a
wine for pork roasted with apples. (531 cases)
509724
2015 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ^ Erich Bradley blends this wine from four vineyards:
Gap's Crown, San Giacomo, Rodgers Creek
and Walala. Its broad, rich flavors are structured by firm, fruit-skin tannins with the
pumice-stone abrasion of sandstone. The
fruit gains clarity and freshness with air,
turning toward raspberries and crunchy red
cherries, the wine's initial volatility shifting
it into smoky complexity. It's a long, fragrant
view of Sonoma's coastal ridges. (2,275 cases)
509450
2015 Santa Barbara County Duvarita
Pinot Noir ^ From a biodynamically farmed
vineyard in Lompoc, just west of the Sta. Rita
Hills, this pinot aged in neutral oak, where
it sustained its freshness and the tension
between floral fruit and earth tones. The flavors feel dynamic-a yin-yang between crisp
notes of cranberry and warmer tarry notes.
Pour it with roast baby goat. (144 cases)
509382
2015 Anderson Valley Demuth Vineyard
Pinot Noir ^ This plays on the underside of
ripeness, giving its generously textured fruit
a cool, crisp snap, like the skin of a ripe plum.
It comes from two blocks of 30-year-old
vines, one planted to the Wädenswil clone,
the other to a Pommard selection, the blend
managing to feel zesty even as the fruit packs
lushness and furry stem tannins. This presents itself as a beautiful if gangly adolescent,
needing maturity to hit its stride. (160 cases)
509183

https://www.robertmondaviwinery.com/2014-Robert-Mondavi-Winery-Reserve-To-Kalon-Vineyard-Cabernet-Sauvignon-Oakville-Napa-Valley?pageID=E710809A-D6C5-1690-D4AF-DF6AFCE107AC&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=12& https://shop.lutumwines.com/product/detail/14PNLR7.html http://www.dutchercrossingwinery.com/product/2015-Brothers--Reserve-Zinfandel?pageID=ab68f62e-f2d8-ab57-ae1b-ed4d8e61f14d&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=6&

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - February 2018