Wine & Spirits - February 2020 - 72

IMPORTED NEW RELEASES
125095

86 | Cramele Recas

2018 Romania I am Chardonnay (Best
Buy) ^ Grown at estate vineyards in the warm
Banat region, this is gentle and ripe, with
a vanillin sweetness to its apple flavors.
-T.Q.T. § Tri-Vin Imports, New Rochelle, NY

RO M A N I A RE D
274814

88 | Cramele Recas

2018 Romania Werewolf Merlot (Best
Buy) ^ Firm tannins give this merlot more
structure than most at the price. It's plummy
and earthy, an inexpensive merlot that
doesn't taste cheap. -T.Q.T. § Tri-Vin Imports,
New Rochelle, NY
274678

86 | Cramele Recas

2018 Romania Werewolf Pinot Noir (Best
Buy) ^ Sweet and tangy with herbal cherry flavor and a touch of vanilla, this is recognizably pinot noir at an impressively low price.
-T.Q.T. § Tri-Vin Imports, New Rochelle, NY

S PA I N RE D
275450

92 | Franco-Españolas

$68

2011 Rioja Royal Gran Reserva ^ This has the
light body and layered textural depth Rioja
can achieve with age. It's a blend of tempranillo (70 percent) with graciano and mazuelo, combining in dark black-cherry flavor
and the sweet spice of oak. The fruit tones
last with coolness and freshness, a complement to smoked duck breast. -J.G. § M.S.
Walker, Somerville, MA
275415

90 | Franco-Españolas

$54

2011 Rioja Excelso Gran Reserva ^ A smoky,
leathery scent shows this wine's maturity,
and even though the fruit feels juicy and
lush, its flavors are muted. That dark, brambly fruit carries hints of game and tobacco,
waiting to come alive with spicy cured pork.
-J.G. § M.S. Walker, Somerville, MA
275266

90 | Luzón

$19

2016 Vino de la Tierra de Castilla Ulterior
Parcela No 6 Garnacha ^ Elias LopezMontero worked with Castile-La Mancha's

WINE & SPIRITS

90 | Verum

$35

88 | Luzón

$11

2011 Vino de la Tierra de Castilla V
Reserva Familiar Tempranillo ^ This comes
from a parcel of 55-year-old tempranillo
vines on La Mancha's plateau. The first sip
gives you a sense of Spain, its rustic texture
and strong tannins supporting clean flavors
of macerated strawberries and black olives.
For gamey stews. -R.D.T. § Vintage Wines, NY
274581
2018 Jumilla Luzón Verde (Best Buy) ^ A
winter wine with scents of clove-studded
orange peel, this tastes of cherry jam and
lasts on rustic tannins. For dark-meat poultry.
-R.D.T. § Tri-Vin Imports, New Rochelle, NY
274551

88 | Tintoralba

$13

2018 Almansa Garnacha Tintorera (Best
Buy) ^ Garnacha tintorera (aka alicante bouschet) produces red-fleshed grapes. It thrives
in some of the Mediterranean regions of
Iberia, including Almansa, where it grew
this smoky, dark-fruited red. The depth of
sour-cherry flavor and the warming spice will
meld with lean meat and confituras. -R.D.T. §
Vintage Wines, NY

SOUTH AFRIC A WHITE

FEBRUARY 2020

90 | Alheit Vineyards

$63

2017 Stellenbosch Nautical Dawn ^ Chris
and Suzaan Alheit worked in Napa Valley,
Languedoc and the Mosel before founding
their Walker Bay winery in 2011. They make
this chenin from old, dry-farmed vines growing near False Bay. It offers chewy fruit notes
of bruised apple and honeyed peaches, with
sharp acidity and hints of dandelion that
develop with air. -R.D.T. § Broadbent Selections, Richmond, VA

SOUTH AFRIC A RED

125072

88 | Smoke Eater

$15

86 | Excelsior

$10

2018 Western Cape First Due Red Pinotage
(Best Buy) ^ Firemen share a certain camaraderie in the face of danger. Ray Cooney
and Gerard Kane, retired FDNY firefighters,
developed their television show, Firehouse
Kitchen, around the family meals that firefighters often share during a shift. Smoke
Eater is their latest venture, created to support firefighter and first-responder charities
through wine. Made from pinotage, it shows
the variety's typical smoke and chipotle pepper notes, which shine through its blackberry
jamminess. With its dark fruit and firm tannins, it's a great choice for barbecue or burgers-or for a fireman's family meal. -R.D.T. §
Black Hawk Imports, Farmingdale, NY
124905
2018 Robertson Cabernet Sauvignon
(Best Buy) ^ This is a brooding, dark-toned
cabernet with cherry and plum fruit. Scents
of tobacco and granitic tannins give some
depth to a wine you could enjoy at a cozy
dinner party. -R.D.T. § Cape Classics, NY n

$55

2015 Jumilla Luzón Colección Crianza ^
This monastrell is rounded out by 30 percent
garnacha tintorera. The wine's 12 months in
French and American oak adds vanilla notes
to the cherry flavors, integrated with ripe
wild raspberry and a savory hint of thistle.
Decant it to serve now. -R.D.T. § Tri-Vin
Imports, New Rochelle, NY
274640

90 | Verum

local university research team to launch
the Ulterior project in 2007. They planted
multiple plots of indigenous varieties to study
their performance in the region's changing
climate. It's a continuing project with this
garnacha being one of the latest releases.
The wine travels from blood orange pulp to
sweetened hibiscus tea and tart cranberry,
while the flavors deliver garnacha's white
pepper and wild strawberry brightness.
-R.D.T. § Vintage Wines, NY
274646

124983

92 | Robertson Winery

$10

2019 Robertson Chenin Blanc (Best Buy) ^
East of the Cape, Robertson is a town in the
Breede River Valley where this chenin ripened to juicy honeydew melon and spiced
pear flavors. There's a line of lemony acidity to highlight the fruit sweetness, a match
for turkey and stuffing with raisins. -R.D.T. §
Indigo Wine Group, Venice, FL

http://www.blackhawkimports.com/the-smoke-eater/ https://www.robertsonwinery.co.za/

Wine & Spirits - February 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - February 2020