Wine & Spirits - June 2018 - 74

IMPORTED NEW RELEASES
91 | Errázuriz

$29

2016 Aconcagua Valley Aconcagua Costa
Pinot Noir ^ From the clay and granite soils
near the coast of Aconcagua, this is a delicious juice of sour cherries, light in body and
sharp in tannins. It presents itself as a charming vin de soif, but if you look closely you'll
discover complex notes of herbs and spices.
Go for duck rillettes to highlight the fruit in
this coastal red. § Vintus, Pleasantville, NY
122561

90 | Viña Ventisquero

$10

2016 Leyda Valley Reserva Pinot Noir
(Best Buy) ^ A pinot with no other ambition
than to refresh, this layers juicy raspberry flavors over spicy notes. It's light. a little sharp,
asking for sausages. § Esprit du Vin, Syosset, NY

SYRAH
122487

93 | Errázuriz

$110

2015 Aconcagua Valley La Cumbre Syrah ^
This is forward and fruity, a mix of black
plum, herbs and a funky, earthy tone. It's a
blend of fruit off of two estate vineyards, one
in the warm middle of the Aconcagua Valley, the other closer to the coast. The Pacific
influence wins out, shaping this wine's acidity with a vibrant and crunchy feel. This is at
a great moment for the fruit right now, but
in five years this wine will show much more
complexity. § Vintus, Pleasantville, NY
121166

93 | Errázuriz

$25

2015 Aconcagua Costa Manzanar Syrah
(Best Buy) ^ From the rolling hills of the Manzanar Vineyard, on granite soils close to the
Pacific, this syrah offers a cornucopia of flavors, from red fruit to earthy notes and herbs.
Light and soft, its pungent acidity keeps the
wine focused right through the finish. With
air, notes of roasted meat emerge, the deep,
funky flavors bringing to mind pairings with
roasted game. § Vintus, Pleasantville, NY
122448

92 | Concha y Toro

$70

2016 Buin Gravas del Maipo Quinta de
Maipo Vineyard Syrah ^ This syrah grows
along the south bank of the Maipo River, in
Buín, where vines on gravelly sands often
produce muscular and voluptuous reds. This
syrah needs air to reveal its true personality.
74

WINE & SPIRITS

JUNE 2018

is the ancestor of American zinfandel, this
one grown on the karst soils of the Dalmatian
Coast. It's brisk enough to pair with a meaty
roasted fish, yet rich enough for lamb. § Terraneo Merchants, Lincolnwood, IL

FRANC E WHITE
BORDEAUX
229704

122024

92 | Kingston Family
Vineyards

$38

2015 Casablanca Valley Bayo Oscuro
Syrah ^ Blue fruit is the main actor in this
coastal syrah. There are spice, earth and
meaty notes, but the dense layer of blue
fruit overtakes it all, the wine needing three
years of aging to reach greater complexity.
For now, pour it with grilled lamb. § Kingston
Family Vineyards, Portola Valley, CA

$32

88 | Château Puyanché

$16

2016 Francs Côtes de Bordeaux (Best Buy) ^
A blend of sauvignon blanc (60 percent) and
semillon from the eastern reaches of the
Right Bank, this is rich, round and smoky,
with mint notes to accent its fresh cream flavors. § Fruit of the Vine, Long Island City, NY

SOUTHWEST
229685

92 | Clos Guirouilh

CR OA TIA WHITE
229412

90 | Richard Stávek

90 | Château de Janicon

2015 Graves ^ With luscious pear and apple
flavors, this is a buxom white enriched by
toasty notes of aging on its lees. Some tangy
orange acidity lends structure to hold the
wine as it develops in bottle. Or serve it now
with a roast chicken stuffed with wild mushrooms. § Serge Doré Selections, Chappaqua, NY
228590

$23

2016 Leyda Valley Grey Glacier Single
Block Las Terrazas Pinot Noir ^ Focused on
juicy raspberry flavor, this wine's polished
tannins don't get in the way of its peppery,
refreshing side. This comes from the terraces
above the Maipo River, in the Leyda Valley. §
Austral Wine Merchants, Decatur, GA
122622

86 | MontGras

At first, it seems to be a big block of black
fruits, but after a few hours, it delivers herbal,
earthy details that lend it complexity and
finesse. An impressive, palate-filling syrah. §
Excelsior Wine & Spirits, Old Brookville, NY

$38

2016 Moravia Medovy Muskatek ^ This is
a wild wine, made from muscat fermented
as whole bunches with ambient yeasts and
with a little honey. Aged for ten months in
barrels, then bottled unfiltered, unfined
and without added sulfur, it takes muscat's
typical floral scents and grapey flavors in an
earthy, complex direction. It has smoky flavors of dark honey and herb-coated salami,
a note of orange zest adding brightness. The
tannins create some roughness to the texture
that suggests pouring this with fried foods or
cured ham. § Jenny & François Selections, NY
229355

$23

2015 Jurançon Sec ^ This is a mouthwatering
white, as round and juicy as a peach. It comes
off old vines on a slope that rises 1,000 feet
in elevation, where dry, warm winds keep the
grapes clean as they ripen well into the fall.
Vinified in stainless steel, the wine rings out
with clarity, ending dry but with a fruit sweetness that directs it toward a sheep's milk
cheese. § De Maison Selections, Chapel Hill, NC
229465

92 | Château Haut Lavigne $17

$38

2016 Côtes de Duras (Best Buy) ^ Nadia Lusseau began farming a 21-acre vineyard in StAstier, about 62 miles east of Bordeaux, in
2002. She works organically, with little intervention in the cellar; this white-a blend of
sauvignon blanc and semillon-is fermented
as whole bunches in enamel-lined tanks,
and left on the fine lees for several weeks.
It's the sort of wine that creeps up on you, a
little simple and cidery at first, then growing
broader, with the coolness of freshly turned
clay soil. The lanolin richness will lay a lovely
base for herb-stuffed freshwater fish while
the floral notes that come up keep it feeling
sunny. § Jenny & François Selections, NY
229772

2010 Makarska Zlatan Crljenak Mellowed
by age, this wine has gentled into notes of
baked berries and earthy spice, yet retains a
fresh feel thanks to its acidity. Zlatan crljenak

2011 Landes Vieilles Vignes (Best Buy) ^
Made from old-vine ugni blanc, this is a fullflavored white with a light, airy body, the

90 | Zlatan Otok

$20

2015 Hvar Zlatan Posip (Best Buy) ^ A deep
yellow wine, this brims with roasted pear and
pineapple flavor, along with enough savory,
saline minerality to keep it balanced. Pour it
with a seafood tagine. § Terraneo Merchants,
Lincolnwood, IL

CR OATIA RED
229356

90 | Zlatan Otok

88 | Tour Blanc

$18
https://www.kingstonvineyards.com
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