Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 97

US NEW RELEASES

521400

93 | Skinner

$60

2018 El Dorado Syrah ^ A tiny estate production, this wine fits stylistically with winemaker Adam Smith's other reds, in its heady
fruit expression. It settles down with air, the
acidity providing a frame and contour for
its spicy, dark violet-tinged purple fruit. The
texture is sensuous, velvety and supple, lasting on a long and savory finish. -P.J.C. (50
cases) §
521339

92 | Chanin

$50

2018 Santa Barbara County Schock Family Vineyard Syrah ^ Schock Family Vineyard
is just east of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, putting
it on the warmer side of cool. In 2018, it produced a smoky wine burled up like morning
fog. With air, the wine starts to open, offering
lean blackberry and currant flavors framed in
dusty fine-grit tannins. Ideal for barbecued
ribs. -P.J.C. (100 cases) §
521444

92 | Piedrasassi

$26

2018 Santa Barbara County P.S. Syrah
(Best Buy) ^ All black pepper, olive and
smoked meats when first poured, this wine
is wildly expressive and relentlessly savory. A
modest core of fig and currant flavor keeps all
the savor on point, finishing firm and spicy,
ready for thin-sliced Ibérico ham. -P.J.C. §
521407

92 | Terre Rouge

$42

2017 Fiddletown DTR Ranch Syrah ^ Dusty,
red-fruited, a touch leathery, this tasted so
much like the place it comes from that I
wrote "Frontiertown syrah" in my notes.
Bill Easton's syrahs always reflect the region's
warmth in their dusty minerality; here, it
mingles with flavors of black raspberry and
chaparral herbs, structured by dark, granular tannins. Ready for barbecue. -P.J.C. (300
cases) §

Z I N FA N D E L
521311

94 | Ridge

$45

2018 Alexander Valley Geyserville Zinfandel ^ The Geyserville vineyard isn't much
to look at, a relatively flat gravel wash with
stones deposited by a river that ran through

the valley long before vines arrived. The
vines themselves have been here a long time,
more than 130 years for the oldest. The Trentadue family owns the vineyard and has sold
the fruit to Ridge since 1966; David Gates
oversees the farming, working to sustain the
vines, a field blend of zinfandel with carignane, petite sirah and mataro. The history
of the vines and the farming come together
in this 2018, an elegant California classic. It's
a silky red, a mineral bath of fine vine-wood
tannins over complex fruit notes that only
emerge days after the bottle is first opened-
bergamot, raspberry and cherry skin in subtle, dark red warmth and equally subtle richness. This is a great vintage of Geyserville to
treasure in your cellar for as long as you can
wait-though it's usually best to wait at least
ten years from the vintage. -J.G. §
521310

93 | Ridge

$32

2018 Dry Creek Valley East Bench Zinfandel (Best Buy) ^ Not far from Ridge's Lytton
Springs, East Bench was planted to vines in
the 19th century, though those vines were
abandoned in the early 20th. Nearly 100
years on, the team at Ridge started replanting the site, using cuttings selected at four
vineyards planted before Prohibition. David
Gates farms it as he does Ridge's historic
mixed plantings, the vines head trained and
spur pruned. John Olney made this wine
from vines planted in 2000 and 2001, creating a plump and delicious zinfandel emphasizing cozy fruit richness and firm tannins. It
is exuberant, a pleasure to drink, while holding enough tension to make it a cellar candidate. § -J.G.
521298

91 | Green & Red

$27

2017 Napa Valley Chiles Canyon Vineyards Zinfandel (Best Buy) ^ Green & Red
founder Jay Heminway designed this wine as
his estate blend, combining fruit from three
northeast-facing vineyards on his Chiles Valley ranch, now run by his daughter, Tobin
Heminway. While this wine comes in at 15.1
percent alcohol, a cool earthiness checks it,
taking the supple plum and crushed-currant
flavors through a subtle, heady warmth. It's
the fruit and earth that last, setting a place
for grilled quail. -J.G. (1,900 cases) §

NEW YORK WHITE
RIESLING

521382

92 | Ravines

$23

91 | Ravines

$30

2018 Finger Lakes 16 Falls Vineyard Dry
Riesling ^ This is Ravines' first bottling from
16 Falls, a vineyard on Seneca Lake. It's tense
and austere when first poured, a scent of celery leaf overlying dried apple and pineapple flavors, but on day two it finds another
dimension, broadening into flavors of
mango and peach, remaining dry and sharp
but also concentrated and sinewy, rippling in
its youth. -P.J.C. (600 cases) §
521383
2016 Finger Lakes Dry Argetsinger Vineyard Riesling ^ This 2016 is very tense at first
pass, a leesy, grainy phenolic edge playing
over litchi and pineapple fruit aromas, but
there is a freshness to the flavors, with persistent acids that need a year in the cellar to
tame. -P.J.C. (425 cases) §

NEW YORK RED
BORDEAUX-VARIETY BLEND
521386

90 | Ravines

$25

2016 Finger Lakes Maximilien (Best Buy) ^
A blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot,
this is a delicate red-fruited beauty, with
aromas of red berry and plum and a velvety,
mouthwatering texture. Pour it with lamb
chops. -P.J.C. (1,650 cases) §

CABERNET FRANC
521363

92 | Hermann J. Wiemer

$37

2018 Seneca Lake Magdalena Vineyard
Cabernet Franc ^ This smells like a Loireinspired red in its scents of lavender and mild
green olive adorning smoky black cherry.
The flavors follow the aromatic profile, with
a texture that's delicate and tannins that feel
powdery and fine. Chill it to serve with charcuterie. -P.J.C. (190 cases) §
521364
WINE & SPIRITS

OCTOBER 2020

https://store.skinnervineyards.com/Wines https://enjoy.ravineswine.com/shop/All-Wine

Wine & Spirits - October 2020

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