Wine & Spirits - December 2019 - 95

US NEW RELEASES
It's dry and pure in its passion-fruit flavors,
the texture finely salty and electric. (217
cases) -P.J.C.
518393

91 | Red Newt

$20

2017 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling (Best Buy) ^
Bright and citrusy, this dry white leads with
scents of lemon lime and passion fruit, with
just a whiff of fusel. The flavors are tart but
not bony, with a core of peach and citrus,
before turning dry and talc-like. It's a lean
riesling for clams. (1,500 cases) -P.J.C.
518392

90 | Red Newt

$18

2017 Finger Lakes Riesling (Best Buy) ^ A
multi-vineyard blend, this is luscious and
succulent with spiced apple flavors before
turning lean, with a pronounced phenolic
bite. Pour it for a yellow curry flavored with
ginger and galangal. (650 cases) -P.J.C.

OREG O N RE D
PINOT NOIR
518170

95 | Cristom

$65

2017 Eola-Amity Hills Eileen Vineyard
Pinot Noir ^ This pinot, from the top elevations of Cristom's property, topping out
at 720 feet, dramatizes a tension between
savory whole-cluster scents and luminous
lean-fruit expression. It's aromatically seductive, with its scents of clove and thyme, lavender and autumn leaves leading into dark
cherry flavors. What's most impressive,
though, is the texture, firm but lively, with
an acid-tannin matrix that drives the wine
with firm, silky intensity. (876 cases) -P.J.C.
518169

94 | Cristom

$65

2017 Eola-Amity Hills Louise Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ Louise is one of Cristom's
warmer, low-elevation sites, with both Jory
soils and flood deposits on its lower slopes.
The wine is sleek and warm, with scents of
tar and black cherries, and bright flavors of
cherry and red plum delivered with polished
tannins. It's liable to age for years; then serve
with quail. (701 cases) -P.J.C.
518171

93 | Cristom

$70

2017 Eola-Amity Hills Marjorie Vineyard
Pinot Noir ^ This wine starts out aromatically
wild, with scents of crushed, dried violet petals and smoke. After a day it becomes elegant, with flavors of crushed plums infused
with dried flowers and soft oak spice, lasting
with a fine savor. (384 cases) -P.J.C.
518167

92 | Cristom

$65

2017 Eola-Amity Hills Jessie Vineyard
Pinot Noir ^ Like a Highland single malt, this
leads with scents of peat and pepper. The flavors fall deftly between plum, black cherry
and savor, with a suave texture that belies a
granular intensity, succulent and energetic
for veal marsala. (917 cases) -P.J.C.
518153

and compact, with a burnt-caramel finish; to
pair with roast chicken. (153 cases) -P.J.C.

MERLOT
518556

92 | Two Vintners

$32

2015 Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir ^ Dark
and intense, with a sumptuous oak build,
this wine is packed with dark plum flavors,
but needs some cellar time to meld. (300
cases) -P.J.C.

2016 Columbia Valley Merlot ^ Morgan Lee
is seeking to rehabilitate merlot, and this
wine, from several prestigious Columbia
Valley sources, including Pepper Bridge and
Stone Tree, makes a case for the variety. It's
plenty rich and a bit spicy, with a dark color
but bright flavors of red plum and cherry.
The texture is fine and sleek, cinched by taut
tannins and fine acidity. (275 cases) -P.J.C.

P I N O TA G E

PETIT VERDOT

90 | Matzinger-Davies

$42

518150

91 | Melrose

518602
$28

2016 Umpqua Valley Pinotage ^ A rare
domestic pinotage, this is leathery and
savory, with black and blue fruit linked with
a hearty rusticity, and lively acidity. Pair with
slow-roasted wild boar. (150 cases) -P.J.C.

V IRGI NIA RED
518706

92 | Early Mountain

$27

2017 Virginia Foothills (Best Buy) ^ A blend
of merlot, cabernet franc, syrah, cabernet
sauvignon, petit verdot and petit manseng,
this wine starts off so bright it's like smelling
red-berry pastilles. With air, a savory, vinous
note emerges, silky and fine in its texture;
after a day, the wine turns sneakily luminous,
lifted, and seamless, with a simple gulpability
for a pork chop. (1,053 cases) -P.J.C.

91 | Brook & Bull

$38

2016 Columbia Valley Petit Verdot ^ Dark as
a cavern, with scents of plum and burnished
leather, this is petit verdot in a posh mode,
spicy, coffee-scented and intense, with a finish of burnt violets and blueberries, and bitter apple-skin tannins that are firm and invigorating. (225 cases) -P.J.C.

SYRAH
518238

90 | Pursued by Bear

$60

WA SHINGTON RED

2015 Columbia Valley Baby Bear Syrah ^ No
one would mistake Kyle McLachlan's Baby
Bear Syrah for a baby. It's rich and heady,
with notes of cassis and carob and the sort
of concentration normally associated with
Port. Still, there's a minty licorice-root spice
lining the flavors that gives it a compelling
edge. For lamb, roasted over coals. (389
cases) -P.J.C.

CABERNET FRANC

RED BLENDS

518425

92 | Dama

518104
$50

2016 Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Franc ^
From XL Vineyard in the SeVein hillside project, this wine feels windswept, its core of red
berry and red currant fruit framed in vinous,
herbal notes. Its penetrating acidity and lean,
waxy tannins add energy and precision; for
an eggplant tagine. (200 cases) -P.J.C.

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
518195

90 | Saviah

$45

2015 Walla Walla Valley Reserve Cabernet
Sauvignon ^ A reserve with plenty of tarry
savor and dark berry fruit, this wine starts
out like a bowl of crushed figs and black cherries, then turns vinous and cedary. It shows
plenty of oak, but the wine remains elegant

88 | Chateau Ste. Michelle

$20

88 | Reininger

$20

2016 Columbia Valley Indian Wells (Best
Buy) ^ Composed of mostly syrah and merlot, with a smattering of other red varieties,
this is thick and meaty, with the concentration and density for sauce-slathered barbecue. -P.J.C.
518470
2017 Walla Walla Valley Mr. Owl's Red
(Best Buy) ^ A blend of cabernet, merlot,
syrah and petit verdot, this sappy red smells
of olives, black pepper and tar, with fresh
red-plum flavor. It's angular and sleek, with
a firm grip for roast chicken. (400 cases)
-P.J.C. n

WINE & SPIRITS

DECEMBER 2019

Wine & Spirits - December 2019

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