Wine & Spirits - June 2020 - 78

IMPORTED NEW RELEASES
shows varietal hallmarks of graphite, tobacco
leaf and black pepper, even as the rich fruit
tones and wild-thyme notes recall Bolgheri's
sun-soaked coast. Seamless, with lively acidity and a long, vertical finish, this is a vintage
to seek out for your cellar, or to look for on
top Italian wine lists. -S.J. ¤ Vintus, Pleasantville, NY
276796

96 | Le Macchiole

$225

2016 Toscana Messorio ^ This pure merlot
from the Bolgheri coast is smooth and velvety. This is the second year in which proprietor Cinzia Merlia has reduced the toast
levels in the new French oak barriques where
Messorio ages, and the effect is brilliant in
this wine from the moderate 2016 growing
season, bringing striking clarity to the wine's
juicy plum and black cherry flavors. Notes
of fennel bulb and aniseed accent the fruit
tones, and the flavors glide on silky tannins
toward a long, elegant finish. -S.J. ¤ Vintus,
Pleasantville, NY
276802

94 | Le Macchiole

$175

2016 Bolgheri Scrio ^ With scents of fresh
violets and crushed black peppercorns, this
pure syrah is reminiscent of a great Cornas.
Its juicy plum and blackberry flavors take
on notes of licorice and black spice with air,
while ferrous minerality and grippy tannins
give it the savor and structure for grilled
game. -S.J. ¤ Vintus, Pleasantville, NY

N E W Z E A L A N D WHIT E
125319

90 | Cloudy Bay

$60

2016 Marlborough Te Koko Sauvignon
Blanc ^ Jim White blends this wine from six
vineyards, the fruit hand-harvested from
three subzones-Rapaura, Renwick and
Brancott. He allows it to ferment spontaneously and slowly in French oak barrels (eight
percent of them new), where it then rests for
15 months. As the wine opens in the glass, it
displays creamy richness and saturated passion-fruit flavors, smoky lees scents and an
almost searing limelike acidity. Still young,
this will benefit from several years of bottle
age. -J.G. ¤ Moët Hennessy USA, NY

N E W Z E A L A N D RE D
125501

93 | Dry River

$70

2015 Martinborough Pinot Noir ^ Wilco
Lam makes this wine at a vineyard established by Neil and Dawn McCallum in 1979.
In 2015, Lam increased the percentage of new
oak barrels to balance the density of the fruit
and tannins in the grapes. Those tannins are
just now beginning to open up, along with
78

WINE & SPIRITS

JUNE 2020

the spice from whole clusters in the fermentation, their brisk, brash structure releasing
a rush of red fruit, darker cherry tones and
woodland berries. Still focused by the tannins, the fruit goes on to last with a cool rosy
brightness. At a lovely moment of its development right now, this will continue to age
with grace. -J.G. ¤ Hendry Premium Imports,
Crystal Lake, IL
125463

92 | Invivo

$26

2017 Central Otago Pinot Noir (Best Buy) ^
Rob Cameron makes this wine at a historic
winery on the North Island, just south of
Auckland, dating to 1902, long before the
Invivo project began. The fruit comes from
Bannockburn and Gippston, where it grew
into a bloody-rich pinot with fresh black fruit
at its core, surrounded by iodine and smoky
ancho chile edges. One taster remarked on its
integration, as well as that edginess: "It goes
out at night and does things it's not supposed
to do." -J.G. ¤ Seaview Imports, Port Washington, NY

PORTUGAL ROSÉ

277286

90 | Cabriz

$11

2019 Dão Colheita Selecionada Rosé (Best
Buy) ^ Made from touriga nacional and the
already-light-red alfrocheiro, this is ripe and
fresh, delivering yellow plum and yellow
apple flavors in a clean and delicate wine for
any moment by the beach or in the mountains this summer. -J.G. ¤ Tri-Vin Imports,
New Rochelle, NY

PORTUGAL WHITE
277301

88 | Casa de Santar

$12

2019 Dão Branco (Best Buy) ^ A blend of
encruzado with cerceal and bical, this wine's
fresh pear and white peach flavors last
through a clean finish. One panelist was particularly impressed by the wine's elegance:
"I would serve it by the glass and it would
make people happy," he said. -J.G. ¤ Tri-Vin
Imports, New Rochelle, NY
277285

87 | Cabriz

$11

2019 Dão Colheita Selecionada Branco
(Best Buy) ^ White peach flavors enrich this
dry wine, its mineral acidity bringing out
notes of Meyer lemon and herbs. The balance between sweet fruit and cool acidity is
right for sautéed skate with lemon. -J.G. ¤ TriVin Imports, New Rochelle, NY
277124

85 | Este

Vinho Verde Escolha (Best Buy) ^ Here's an
$8 bottle of juicy peach sweetness and limezest refreshment. It's clean, a little spritzy,
tense and floral. Summer wine. -J.G. ¤ Tri-Vin
Imports, New Rochelle, NY

277261

88 | Bacalhôa

2019 Península de Setúbal JP Azeitão
Syrah Rosé (Best Buy) ^ Bright raspberry
and strawberry flavors infuse this fresh rosé,
a clean, quiet wine with crunchy acidity and
summery floral notes that last. Cool, steely
refreshment. -J.G. ¤ Tri-Vin Imports, New
Rochelle, NY

PORTUGAL RED
277284

88 | Vinha Maria

$13

87 | Grillos

$11

2017 Dão Premium Tinto (Best Buy) ^
Savory and rich, this is an earthy red for
braised pork, its dark raspberry and plumskin flavors a little astringent, ending fresh.
-J.G. ¤ Tri-Vin Imports, New Rochelle, NY
277268
2017 Dão Reserva (Best Buy) ^ Here's an
ampelography lesson from Dão, a wine
that's 40 percent aragonez (tinta roriz in
Douro, tempranillo in Spain), 20 percent
jaen (mencía in Spain) and 40 percent touriga
nacional, a variety local to the Dão that's
spread throughout Portugal's modern plantings. For $11, it's a simple, sweet and primary
red with meaty horseradish bitterness. Order
a glass to go with your burger. -J.G. ¤ Tri-Vin
Imports, New Rochelle, NY

https://www.tri-vin.com/wines/portugal/quinta-de-cabriz-colheita-selecionada-rose-2019/ https://www.tri-vin.com/wines/portugal/bacalhoa-vinhos-jp-azeitao-rose-2019-p1515/

Wine & Spirits - June 2020

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