Wine & Spirits - August 2018 - 85

IMPORTED NEW RELEASES
91 | La Marca
di San Michele

$32

2015 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva Passolento ^ This small estate
is run by three siblings and produces just
2,000 cases a year. This riserva aged for nine
months in large Slavonian casks, developing deep flavors of golden apple and dried
pineapple accented with notes of tarragon
and toasted nuts. Hints of citrus and salinity brighten those robust flavors, keeping the
wine lively and fresh on the long finish. § Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
230128

90 | Bisci

$23

2015 Verdicchio di Matelica Vigneto Fogliano ^ From a vineyard planted in 1978, this
tightly structured verdicchio shows impressive depth, offering flavors of fleshy nectarine and citrus edged with a pleasantly bitter
raw-almond note. Mouthwatering acidity
keeps those hefty flavors aloft and refreshing. § Michael Skurnik Wines, NY
230518

90 | Casalfarneto

$17

2016 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Fontevecchia (Best Buy) ^
This wine's flavors of grapefruit and white
peach crackle with notes of sea salt. It gets
creamier as it sits in the glass, taking on notes
of pine nut and lemon, even as the acidity
continues to drive the flavors toward a cool,
clean finish. § Enotec Imports, Denver, CO

230594

90 | Umani Ronchi

$38

2014 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva Plenio ^ Grapes for this riserva
are harvested from the estate's higher-elevation vineyards and fermented in a combination of stainless steel and large oak casks. It's
deep gold and loaded with salty flavors of
lemon, pineapple and guava. Notes of chamomile and mint give a pleasant herbal tint to
the finish. § Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL
230129

88 | Bisci

$16

2016 Verdicchio di Matelica (Best Buy) ^
Notes of sage and mint enliven this wine's
brisk lemon and green-apple flavors. With its
clean mineral tone, it's a refreshing choice for
alfresco dining. § Michael Skurnik Wines, NY
229856

88 | Andrea Felici

$17

86 | Velenosi

$15

2016 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore (Best Buy) ^ Delicate scents
of lime blossoms lead into flavors of chilled
pear and golden apple in this zesty verdicchio. Macerated on the skins for a few days,
it's spicy and firmly textured, ready to take
on a spicy Vietnamese fish curry. § David
Bowler Wines, NY
229965
2016 Offida Villa Angela Pecorino (Best
Buy) ^ This wine's smoky, golden apple flavors
and waxy texture are brightened by hints of
tart lemon and salt. Decant it to let some of
the flinty reductive notes blow off, and pour
with paella. § Domaine Select Wine Estates, NY
231212

86 | Cantina Zaccagnini

$14

2016 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Viterosa (Best Buy) ^ Ripe
and honeyed, with crushed-apple flavor, this
needs a good chill to tone down the ample
alcohol, and a plate of egg pasta in a creamy
sauce. § Vignaioli Selection, NY

VENETO
230135

93 | Gini

$35

2014 Soave Classico Contrada Salvarenza
Vecchie Vigne ^ The Gini family has been cultivating grapes in the Soave area since the
17th century, and about one-third of their
vines in Contrada Salvarenza are ungrafted,
with an average age of over 100 years. The
soils here are a mix of volcanic and limestone, and fruit for this wine can hang on the
pergola-trained vines into early November.
The result in 2014 is a Soave that's lush with
notes of pineapple, pear nectar and mandarin orange. After 18 months of cask aging, it's
as smooth as crème fraîche, yet free of oak
flavor, the old-vine concentration of the flavors lifted by a beam of acidity. This is built to
age, but gorgeous now if decanted. § Michael
Skurnik Wines, NY
230134

92 | Gini

$28

2015 Soave Classico La Froscà ^ Grapes for
this wine come from 80- to 90-year-old vines
on a volcanic hill that, according to Claudio
Gini, offers some of the most dramatic daynight temperature swings in Soave Classico.
In this 2015, ample acidity intertwines subtly with flavors of perfectly ripe pear, white
peach, skinless almonds and tangerine pith,
finishing with an orange-sherbet coolness. §
Michael Skurnik Wines, NY
230133

91 | Gini

$18

90 | Balestri Valda

$16

88 | Suavia

$17

88 | Tommasi

$16

87 | Zenato

$16

2016 Soave Classico (Best Buy) ^ Gini makes
its entry-level Soave Classico from 70-yearold vines rooted in volcanic and limestone
soils and fermented with wild yeasts. It rests
on the lees for six months at low temperatures to block malolactic conversion and
retain the wine's fresh, fruity profile. Flavors
of crushed apple and pear mix with notes
of nutmeg and lemon peel, brightened by
crackling acidity. § Michael Skurnik Wines, NY
229854
2016 Soave Classico (Best Buy) ^ A mouthwatering Soave, this balances creamy flavors
of crushed apples and raw almonds with
crisp, tight acidity. Refreshing and persistent. §
Terroir Society Wines, Orinda, CA
230259
2017 Soave Classico (Best Buy) ^ Vinified
in stainless steel, this wine offers flavors of
golden apple and Bosc pear laced with notes
of sea salt. A hint of smoky reduction blows
off with exposure to air, revealing a cool wetstone minerality. Dry and a touch austere, it's
a versatile wine for the dinner table and will
complement a range of simply prepared seafood dishes. § The Winebow Group, NY
230628
2017 Soave Classico Le Volpare (Best Buy) ^
This wine feels lean and pithy, with flavors of
green apple and honeydew melon lifted by a
surge of acidity. The flavors gain weight and
texture with air, balanced by a bright note of
lime zest. § Vintus, Pleasantville, NY
230126
2017 Lugana San Benedetto (Best Buy) ^
Made from trebbiano di Soave grapes, this
wine's piercing notes of green apple balance
sweet, tropical fruit flavors. Serve it well
chilled, with ceviche. § The Winebow Group, NY

ITALY RED
LIGURIA
230588

90 | Tenuta Anfosso

$32

2015 Rossese di Dolceacqua ^ Alessandro
Anfoso is the sixth generation of his family to
farm vines in this rugged far-western corner
of Liguria. He pulls this fruit from 30-yearold vines, some of his youngest. It's darkly
concentrated, with notes of iodine and a
meaty rusticity to balance the wine's vibrant
strawberry and red currant flavors. It has the
structure to stand up to braised pork, but it's
also light enough to match grilled sea bass. §
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
WINE & SPIRITS

AUGUST 2018

85
http://www.vineyardbrands.com/producer.aspx?id=118
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - August 2018
