Wine & Spirits - Winter 2019 - 104

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

Wine & Spirits

of the Amador County line. Combined with
fruit from the foothills, it makes a light and
supple syrah with plenty of cracked-blackpeppercorn spice. The blueberry and strawberry ripeness fills the wine's tight, granitic
tannins, lasting without any sense of excess
weight. (W&S 2/19; 4,500 cases) -J.G.

WA SHINGTON

appley scent and wheaty savor. The 2017,
however, is leaner than usual, slightly more
nervy, and long. It's a steal for early summer
sipping. (W&S 6/19) -P.J.C.

CHARDONNAY

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Z I N FA N D E L
516413

93 | Birichino

$25

2017 Central Coast Saint Georges Zinfandel ^ Jon Locke and Alex Krause pull this wine
from a 90-year-old own-rooted vineyard just
outside the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA. It's
a pleasure to taste over the course of a few
days, starting out tart and crunchy, then filling out as dramatically as a spinnaker sail as
it takes on air. Taut and generous at once,
it's refreshing and delicious. (W&S 6/19; 568
cases) -P.J.C.
516436

93 | Foppiano

$25

2015 Russian River Valley Zinfandel ^ Paul
Foppiano grows this wine at his family's
estate in Healdsburg. Most of it comes from
a block planted to the Dupratt clone in 2009
on red volcanic soils. He thins the crop on
those young vines, oriented for morning sun
and afternoon shade to promote the kind of
even ripening they achieved in 2015. Nova
Perrill includes a small amount of Foppiano's
signature petite sirah in the blend, adding
dark tones of dates to the zin's bright flavors
of ripe raspberries and pink peppercorns.
It's tannic, but the tarry tannins turn fresh
and floral with air, deepening the fruitiness
of the wine. A beauty to cellar, or to decant
several hours before dinner. (W&S 6/19; 784
cases) -J.G.

516722

90 | L'Ecole No 41

$16

2018 Yakima Valley Old Vines Chenin
Blanc ^ The fruit for this wine is drawn from
three old-vine sites, most notably Upland
Vineyard, on Snipes Mountain, planted in
1979. It has classic chenin aromas of grass
and wool, with broad pear and mildly salty
flavors. It needs air and food to open up;
pour it with a duck-and-lentil salad. (W&S
8/19; 4,060 cases) -P.J.C.

RIESLING
516578

93 | Chateau Ste. Michelle
& Dr. Loosen

$20

N EW YO RK

2017 Columbia Valley Eroica Riesling ^
Subtle and complex as ever, the 2017 Eroica delivers on its best features while introducing a few more. It is always an accessible wine, just off bone dry; this one starts
off with lemon and dried pineapple scents,
then yields more complex markers of petrol,
wool and citrus. It feels balanced and bright,
luminous in purity, with a mild phenolic bitterness that holds the sweet fruit aloft. (W&S
8/19) -P.J.C.

CHARDONNAY

SEMILLON

517291

91 | Knapp

514867

104

WINE & SPIRITS

$16

516291

$15

2017 Columbia Valley Semillon ^ Vintage after vintage, L'Ecole's Columbia Valley Semillon is remarkably consistent in its

BUYING GUIDE 2020

MERLOT

$25

2016 Red Mountain Merlot ^ Starting off
broad and waxy, this formidably structured
wine quickly shows its refinement, with
scents of plum skin and lilac. It's fresh and
succulent, bright with youthful detail, with
classic Red Mountain tannins framing a
cushion of dark purple fruit. It needs cellar
time; if you open it now, decant. (W&S 6/19;
1,700 cases) -P.J.C.

RIESLING

90 | L'Ecole No 41

$25

2016 Horse Heaven Hills A Squared Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Destiny Ridge is a 237-acre
site overlooking the Columbia River in the
center of a string of vineyards in the Horse
Heaven Hills. In 2016, it produced a supple
and relaxed cabernet, with mild, savory fruit
and compelling hints of carob and mace.
Suave tannins mark the close, along with
a mellow, cedary note of oak. (W&S 6/19;
1,643 cases) -P.J.C.

92 | Kiona

$15

2017 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling ^ Thrillingly
brisk, this bone-dry riesling has an herbal
frame that holds apricot and apple flavors
in fine balance. It's savory and saline, with a
resinous rosemary note in the finish. (W&S
2/19; 904 cases) -P.J.C.

92 | Alexandria Nicole

516231

2017 Finger Lakes Chardonnay ^ Bright and
limey, with a salty edge, this has the texture
of a crisp pear spritzed with lemon, broad yet
zippy. (W&S 10/19) -P.J.C.

91 | Sheldrake Point

516408

https://www.lecole.com/wine/2018-chenin-blanc/ https://www.alexandrianicolecellars.com https://www.kionawine.com/wine https://www.lecole.com/wine/2017-semillon/

Wine & Spirits - Winter 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - Winter 2019