Wine & Spirits - August 2018 - 72

US NEW RELEASES
Our blind panels tasted 441 new-release US wines over the past 12 months. Our critics rated 97 as exceptional (90+) and 39 as Best
Buys. Patrick J. Comiskey reviews Colorado, New York, Oregon and Washington. Joshua Greene reviews California.
Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

91 | Sarah's Vineyard

CA LI FO RN I A W HIT E
ALBARINO
512138

87 | Klinker Brick

$15

2017 Lodi Albariño (Best Buy) ^ This has the
broad flavors of a wine grown in deep soil,
taking albariño, an Atlantic grape that's usually crisp and fresh, in a smoky, earthy direction. Chill its pale pear and pineapple flavors
as an aperitif. (600 cases)

$32

2016 Santa Cruz Mountains Bruzzone
Vineyard Chardonnay ^ Here's an intriguing
California take on chardonnay, its warmth
showing in baked-pear scents and smoky
notes of fresh corn tamales. The texture is
luscious, with alcohol lifting the aromas,
providing full richness and gentle harmony
rather than any overt heat. It's a big wine to
serve chilled with roast veal. (227 cases)

CHARDONNAY

511970

88 | Ferrari-Carano

$14

2017 Russian River Valley Pinot Grigio
(Best Buy) ^ Fragrant with scents of green
grapes and yellow apples, this is juicy and
clean. Serve it chilled by the pool.

511879

94 | Deovlet

93 | Donkey & Goat

$32

2016 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay ^
Ryan Deovlet's basic appellation wine just
keeps getting better. He blends it from vineyards in Santa Maria and the Santa Rita Hills,
aging it on the fine lees in French oak barrels (30 percent new), and manages to integrate the oak so it's merely a platform for
the wine's zesty, sandy freshness. The immediate impression is brisk, coastal cool, then
the fruit begins to develop from green melon
toward tangerine and bright tangelo. Three
days later, there's not a touch of oxidation on
the wine: It's still lovely, saline and as brisk as
ocean air. (145 cases)
512174

92 | Barden

$48

2016 Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay ^ Doug
Barden Margerum shows off the savory side
of the Santa Rita Hills in this coastal chardonnay. Its sun-dried apricot and pineapple flavors are spicy rather than sweet, the
finish firm and edgy. One taster suggested
a match with something green and chlorophyll driven, like an English pea salad with
goat cheese. (131 cases)
512120

91 | Dutton-Goldfield

512063

90 | Trefethen

$38

88 | Fleur

$17

2016 Oak Knoll District Napa Valley Chardonnay ^ This supple, juicy chardonnay has
scents of white pear and jasmine. The succulent fruit is overlaid with creamy butterscotch notes, though the wine remains salty
and briny, finishing dry, for veal blanquette.
511986
2016 North Coast Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^
This juicy, unoaked wine is fresh, focused on
sweet orange and pithy lemon notes. Chill it
for salmon poke. (1,400 cases)

PINOT BL ANC

AUGUST 2018

512267

92 | Skylark

$42

2016 El Dorado County Eliza Barsotti
Vineyard ^ Working with Ron Mansfield,
the Brandts planted a range of white Rhône
varieties in 2010, using cuttings from Tablas
Creek. They make this blend from clairette,
picpoul, vermentino, roussanne and grenache blanc, allowing it to ferment without
additions, then aging it in neutral French oak
barrels. Initially focused on earthiness, this
develops complex layers of flavor that keep
giving nuances of pear skin, ramen broth and
smoke. The texture feels supple, the flavors
clean and rich. This is a fascinating wine to
drink now with a trotter terrine, or to cellar
and see what it might become. (265 cases)

SAUVIGNON BLANC
511794

93 | Geyser Peak

$24

93 | Heitz Cellar

$23

2017 Russian River Valley Sauvignon
Blanc (Best Buy) ^ This grows at a block at
the River Road Ranch, all Clone 1 sauvignon,
fermented in stainless steel. It's sexy sauvignon, with plenty of fresh tropical fruit to
cushion the acidity, tart and mouthwatering
enough that a sip might make you hungry.
The wine only gets better with a day of air,
integrating into a supple textural pleasure,
lasting on notes of green melon and river
stones. (125 cases)
512973

$55

2015 Green Valley of Russian River Valley
Rued Vineyard Chardonnay ^ Warren Dutton planted these vines in 1969 on an eastfacing hillside of sandy Goldridge soil. Today,
they produce fruit so concentrated that you
might not guess this wine fermented in barrels. On the other hand, it isn't particularly
fruity; it's almost ricey in its delicate, nutty
pallor, the flavors refreshed by peppery spice,
ready for pan-seared salmon. (649 cases)
511780
WINE & SPIRITS

PINOT GRIGIO

RH ONE-VARIETY BLEND

512114

pale lime flavor and a hint of cedar greens,
with enough cushioning for pan-roasted
sand dabs. (750 cases)

$19

2017 Mendocino County Orsi Vineyard
Pinot Blanc (Best Buy) ^ Here's a clean, fresh
pinot blanc with more depth than you might
expect from the grape. It's saturated with

2017 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc (Best
Buy) ^ Organically farmed at an estate vineyard on Howell Mountain, this sauvignon
blanc grows at the lower elevations, in
rocky, alluvial soils, at 750 feet. The freshness of the site comes through in citrus scents

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