Wine & Spirits - Winter 2019 - 102

33RD A N N UA L B U YI NG G UI D E

Wine & Spirits

SAUVIGNON BLANC

CA L IFORNIA RED

MERLOT

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

93 | Frog's Leap

514712

93 | Balius

517197

90 | Rodney Strong

$17

2018 Sonoma County Charlotte's Home
Sauvignon Blanc ^ This generous sauvignon's
lemon pith flavors cut its passion-fruit sweetness. It's creamy enough for chicken in a buttery caper sauce. (W&S 8/19) -J.G. §

WHITE BLEND
517311

93 | Massican

$30

$35

2014 Rutherford Reserve Block Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Trevor Sheehan, a former
accountant, started Balius in 2010, working
with Beckstoffer fruit in Rutherford. The
grapes for his 2014 come from the Pestoni
Vineyard, just east of Highway 29. With its
crunchy, tart red fruit, this wine gives an
impression of delicacy and finesse before
launching into a saturated mouthful of
savory tannins. It has Rutherford's grandeur,
a texture that's complete and complex, the
tannins seamlessly integrated into the wine's
dusty refinement. There's nothing aggressive
about it, including the price, which looks like
a typo, and warrants purchasing this wine by
the case before others do. (W&S 2/19; 1,900
cases) -J.G.

2018 Napa Valley Annia ^ There's a generation of winemakers who benefited from
George Vare's interest in friulano and ribolla
gialla, including Dan Petroski at Massican
and Steve Matthiasson. The Massican Annia
adds a little chardonnay (11 percent) to friulano and ribolla, presenting a flinty, creamy
white with a jazz riff of mineral tension, a
play on the Meyer-lemon-and-pomelo-pith
acidity racing through it. That freshness
holds it tight, energizing the wine's luxurious feel. It's a fascinating take on Napa Valley
terroir. (W&S 10/19) -J.G.

90 | Paso Highlands

517130

93 | Trail Marker

$22

2018 Mendocino County Bartolomei Vineyard Rosé of Carignan ^ Drew Huffine makes
this wine with fruit from a vineyard east of
Ukiah where the carignan vines date to the
1930s and '40s. And it's proof that when the
vines are old and planted in the right place,
carignan can produce astonishing wine. This
one is floral, with a pale salmon color and delicate muskiness that develops into all forms
of citrus, from grapefruit to lime pith, lemongrass and Buddha's hand. It's an elegant,
spicy rosé that will hold your attention as
you share a bottle, whether before dinner or
with poached prawns. (W&S 8/19; 600 cases)
-J.G.

102

WINE & SPIRITS

$40

2016 Rutherford Napa Valley Merlot ^
Hmm. Dry-farmed merlot in Napa Valley?
John Williams and his team at Frog's Leap
grow some of the freshest, prettiest merlot in
a region where the variety is mostly irrigated
and taken to extremes of richness. They focus
this wine on fruit from their estate vineyard
on the east side of Rutherford, where the cool
clay soils near the Napa River provide shelter for the vine roots while the heat of the
day ripens the fruit. I don't think I've ever
written "sing-song merlot" to describe the
variety in Napa Valley, but there it is in my
notes on this red-fruited wine, a mouthwatering depiction of red plums, savory chewing tobacco and light, brisk, gentle tannins.
(W&S 8/19) -J.G.

PETITE SIRAH

515018

90 | Criss Cross

514919

C A LI FO RN I A R OS E

516906

$19

2016 Highlands District Cabernet Sauvignon ^ The Miller Family Wine Company
makes this wine from grapes grown in the
Paso Robles Highlands. It's a fragrant cabernet with a clean, fresh red-currant savor as
well as a beefy meatiness, all of it bright and
zesty. It's a Total Wine exclusive, priced to
buy by the case. (W&S 2/19) -J.G.

GRENACHE

PINOT NOIR

516014

91 | Verdad

$30

2015 Edna Valley Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard Garnacha ^ Pale and fine-boned, this
succulent grenache comes from a biodynamically farmed vineyard in the inner recesses of
Edna Valley. It's sleek and velvety, with scents
of cherry blossoms in the fog and a pure, linear texture that carries mildly foresty sourcherry flavors. (W&S 4/19) -P.J.C.

BUYING GUIDE 2020

$14

2016 Clarksburg Petite Sirah ^ David Akiyoshi and Karen Birmingham of LangeTwins in
Lodi make the Criss Cross wines in a partnership with wine importer Vino del Sol. Grown
at LangeTwins's vineyards in Clarksburg, this
is a lovely petite sirah, tense and floral, then
big and rich with green fig, date and walnut flavors. It's brisk and firmly tannic, with
plenty of stamina to last for ten years in the
cellar. (W&S 2/19; 5,000 cases) -J.G.

515426

94 | Stephen Ross

$42

2016 Santa Maria Valley Bien Nacido Vineyards Pinot Noir ^ A wine of uncanny poise
and grace, this balances classic Santa Maria
elements of licorice root, seaweed and pine
tips with deep black-currant fruit. With air,
the wine reddens, the savor becomes more
delineated, so that everything feels poised
and gentle, vinous and complete. A steal
for such a beauty; serve it with tea-smoked
squab. (W&S 4/19; 97 cases) -P.J.C.

https://shop.rodneystrong.com/SHOP.AMS?LEVEL=BOT&PART=0720186 http://www.vinodelsol.com/thewineries/crisscross.html https://www.totalwine.com/wine/red-wine/cabernet-sauvignon/paso-highlands-cellars-cabernet-sauvignon-paso-highlands/p/187719750

Wine & Spirits - Winter 2019

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