Wine & Spirits - June 2018 - 67

US NEW RELEASES

PINOT GRIS
511625

90 | Tangent

90 | Medlock Ames

CA LI FO RN I A W HIT E

511586

94 | MacRostie

$46

2016 Sonoma Coast Wildcat Mountain
Chardonnay ^ Steve MacRostie planted this
vineyard in 1998, at elevations rising to 700
feet in the Petaluma Gap. The soils are volcanic, the cool winds and fog accounting for
the crunchy brightness of this wine's flavors.
It has the white-flower scent of fresh cream,
that creaminess incorporated into the elegant texture. The ripe lime flavors last with
the blue-sky clarity of the coast. (1,595 cases)
511547

90 | Dutton Estate

$49

90 | Dutton-Goldfield

$38

2016 Russian River Valley Dutton Ranch
Dutton Palms Vineyard Chardonnay ^
Planted in 1991 on Goldridge sandy loam,
these vines deliver a clean, zesty chardonnay
with crisp apple flavors. The freshness brings
to mind tart fruit, like white raspberries and
lemon, a bright wine to serve with whole
roast sea bass stuffed with fennel. (215 cases)
511538
2016 Russian River Valley Dutton Ranch
Chardonnay ^ Here's a buttery, oak-influenced chardonnay that delivers its richness
without being cloying. Instead, it has the
fresh, sweet meatiness of poached lobster
and a hint of celery-like greenness, ready to
decant for a West Coast Dungeness crab or
an East Coast lobster. (4,500 cases)
511587

90 | MacRostie

$42

2016 Russian River Valley Lower Slope
Chardonnay ^ Ames Morison makes this wine
from organically farmed estate-grown fruit
on Bell Mountain, at the southwestern corner of Alexander Valley where it meets the
Russian River Valley. He ferments and ages
two-thirds of the wine in barrel, the rest in
stainless, blending them into a fresh, creamy
white where the oak is present but doesn't
overwhelm the lime and agave flavors. It's
ready to chill for Dungeness crab. (499 cases)

CHARDONNAY

$36

2016 Russian River Valley Chardonnay ^
Heidi Bridenhagen blends this wine from a
range of vineyards. It has a clean, fresh line
of fruit and a pine-nut toastiness from its fermentation in barrels. The smoky, nutty richness places it with hamachi kama. (782 cases)
511683

$17

2016 Edna Valley Paragon Vineyard Pinot
Gris (Best Buy) ^ The Niven family farms this
pinot gris five miles from the coast and vinifies it in stainless steel. It's a simple, savory
white with refreshing green-apple flavors,
ready for a range of foods, from seafood terrine to chicken liver mousse. (1,646 cases)

Our blind panels tasted 387 new-release US wines for this issue. Our critics rated 50
as exceptional (90+) and 29 as Best Buys. Joshua Greene reviews California wines;
Patrick J. Comiskey reviews New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington.
Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

C ALIFORNIA RED
BARBERA
511382

92 | Noceto

$28

2014 Shenandoah Vly. Linsteadt Barbera ^
If you grow cherry tomatoes and love to eat
them right off the vine in summer, you might
find the same sweet, spicy brightness in this
barbera. It has their refreshing, peppery bite
and an equally vibrant, tart strawberry flavor.
All that acidity needs food, whether pasta
Bolognese or a lamb ragù. (223 cases)

BLENDS
511531

511577

90 | Mossback

$16

88 | Lafond

$24

2016 Russian River Valley Chardonnay
(Best Buy) ^ Dan Cederquist makes this wine
in the Dunnigan Hills, with fruit the Giguiere
family purchases from Aquarius Vineyards,
near Guerneville. He preserves the fresh flavors of the grapes by fermenting them cool,
with only a small portion seeing oak. The
wine is clean, smoky and firm, with notes of
apple skin, tart white cherries and lemongrass. For pan-roasted fish. (2,500 cases)
511436
2016 Santa Rita Hills SRH Chardonnay
(Best Buy) ^ Here's a lean white with the
brisk-warm contrast these coastal hills often
impart to chardonnay. It feels sandy, buttery
and saline, a match for clams in garlic.

GEWURZTRAMINER
511388

86 | Fetzer

$11

2016 Monterey County Shaly Loam
Gewurztraminer (Best Buy) ^ Rose and
white-tea scents form this wine's clean perfume. The flavors are simple and pleasantly
sweet-a firm and fruity gewurztraminer to
serve with veal sausages.

93 | Kukkula

$40

92 | Crocker & Starr

$80

92 | deLorimier

$42

2015 Adelaida District Aatto ^ Kevin Jussila
was a home winemaker when he purchased
an 80-acre Paso Robles walnut orchard in
2003. He has since planted close to 50 acres of
vines, which he farms under organics, without irrigation. He ferments his wines without added yeasts and creates some unusual
blends, like this one, which combines counoise, mourvedre and grenache in a muscular, lean and deliciously red fruited wine. It
has Paso's effusive ripeness, but it's tempered
by a lean, mineral-inflected tannic structure
that sustains and focuses the flavors. Decant
a bottle for slow-braised pork shanks.
511290
2015 St. Helena Casali 8th Edition ^ Pam
Starr focuses this blend on malbec (55 percent), the balance cabernet sauvignon, creating layers of sweetness and savor. You might
find scents of jasmine, wildflower honey and
tree bark, and flavors of ripe fruit and darker
mushroom tones. It's generous and rich, as
you might expect from a Napa Valley blend
of Bordeaux varieties, with some cool tension
to point up the wine's flavor and character.
(255 cases)
511671
2015 Alexander Valley Al's Red ^ Diane Wilson blends equal parts petite sirah and primitivo with 20 percent sangiovese in this distinctive red. Give it some time to open up
WINE & SPIRITS

JUNE 2018

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