Wine & Spirits - Winter 2020 - 102

34TH A N N UA L B U YING G UI D E

Wine & Spirits

2016 vintage, unfolding with black cherry
and red currant ﬂavors framed by dusty
tannins and laced with notes of thyme and
lavender. The ﬂavors are taut and precise,
already highly expressive yet with the potential to age gracefully. -S.J. (W&S 4/20) § MW
Imports, White Plains, NY

tinue unfolding on the palate, joining a wave
of juicy red-berry ﬂavor that surges forward
on cool, refreshing acidity. The wine's translucent cherry color, evocative aromas and
vibrant ﬂavors offer loads of sensual pleasure at an accessible price. -S.J. (W&S 8/20) §
Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY

M O N TA L C I N O

N E W Z E AL AND

VINHO VERDE

SAUVIGNON BLANC

277735

93 | Quinta da Raza

125254

93 | Ata Rangi

$25

2015 Brunello di Montalcino ^ This wine
aged for two years in French oak barriques,
gaining notes of cacao and cardamom that
enrich its ripe cherry and plum ﬂavors. Hints
of orange zest and crunchy herbs add dimension, the ﬂavors held together by ﬁne, dusty
tannins. -S.J. (W&S 4/20) § Maisons Marques
& Domaines USA, Oakland, CA

2018 Martinborough Raranga Sauvignon
Blanc ^ Helen Masters makes this wine from
a range of parcels in Martinborough, adding complexity to the blend with 15 percent of the lot fermented in contact with the
skins (including ﬁve percent that ferments
as whole bunches), 40 percent fermented
in barrels, and everything fermented without sulfur or yeast additions. It's from a different island than Marlborough sauvignon,
and might as well be from a different planet,
honeydew-melon rich and cucumber crisp. It
buzzes with ﬂoral highlights and keeps delivering different wavelengths of spice while
notes of white rose and soil add to its savory
intensity. Tame it with Dungeness crab.
-J.G. (W&S 4/20) § Verity Wine Partners, NY

S I C I LY : E T N A R O S S O

PINOT NOIR

276750

93 | Castiglion del Bosco

$65

276010

92 | Tasca d'Almerita

125463
$22

2017 Etna Rosso Tenuta Tascante Ghaia
Nera ^ Floral and juicy, with typical nerello
mascalese ﬂavors of dark plum, cherry, dried
thyme and lavender, Ghaia Nera offers a
great entry point to Etna Rosso. -S.J. (W&S
4/20) § Dalla Terra, Napa, CA

VITTORIA
278181

90 | Feudi di Santa Tresa

$13

2018 Cerasuolo di Vittoria ^ This blend combines cask-aged nero d'Avola with 40 percent
frappato aged in stainless steel. The result is
a tasty wine with a generous core of mixed
berry ﬂavors accented by notes of licorice
and crunchy herbs. A serious value proposition for weeknight roast chicken. -S.J.
(W&S 10/20) § Vias Imports, NY
277754

92 | Valle dell'Acate

$23

2018 Vittoria Il Frappato ^ Winery owner
Gaetana Jacono says the family considers
this wine the most representative of their
estate. Made from frappato, it takes you on
a walk through the wild Sicilian countryside,
as aromas of rosemary, lavender and mint
burst from the glass. Those herbal notes con102

WINE & SPIRITS

92 | Invivo

$26

2017 Central Otago Pinot Noir ^ 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 bloodyrich 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. (W&S 6/20) § Seaview Imports, Port
Washington, NY

PORT UGAL WHITE
ALENTEJO
275164

93 | Paulo Laureano

$16

2016 Alentejo Ema's Vineyard Verdelho ^
Verdelho can capture the warmth of the
Alentejo plain with more energy than most
white varieties. Paulo Laureano farms it in
the schist soils of Vidigueira, viniﬁes it in
stainless-steel tanks and then ages it on the
lees for three months. At three years old,
the 2016 has developed remarkable com-

BUYING GUIDE 2021

plexities, holding fresh notes of bee pollen, nettles, yellow plums and quince. The
aroma is intense, then the ﬂavors are quiet
and persistent. Vitalii Dascaliuc of Maxwell
in DC pointed to the elegant way "its acidity
behaves like tannins." That structure gives it
the ﬁrmness to stand up to roast suckling pig.
-J.G. (W&S 2/20) § Grape2Glass, Newark, NJ

$15

2019 Vinho Verde Dom Diogo Arinto ^
Arinto was once notable for creating longlived white wines in Bucelas. Here, at an
estate in the inland hills of Vinho Verde, it
grew a deliciously ripe 2019 "with fruit off
the charts," as one taster said, pointing to
the cantaloupe, citrus and star-fruit ﬂavors
he found in the wine. For me, it was more
like drippingly juicy pear cleaned up by the
malic acidity of green apples. Then it ends on
the savor of raw almonds. It's compellingly
drinkable, a stony white that's waiting for a
place next to Dungeness crab, as it shares
that same pale buttery savor. -J.G. (W&S
8/20) § Regal Wine Imports, Moorestown, NJ
277830

92 | Quinta das Arcas

$11

2019 Vinho Verde Arca Nova Rosé ^ While
most of the Arcas wines grow just northeast
of Porto, in and around Valongo, the estate
vineyard for this espadeiro-based rosé is further inland, near Penaﬁel. This is all about
freshness, from the wild strawberry and
crunchy cranberry notes to the clean and
fragrant ﬁnish. It feels healthy and bright,
almost red in the depth of its ﬂavors, built
to drink this summer with spicy lamb dumplings and other dim sum. -J.G. (W&S 8/20) §
Wine Bridge Imports, Davis, CA

PORTUGAL RED
274883

93 | Marcolino Sêbo

$20

2015 Alentejo Visconde de Borba Reserva ^
Jorge Santos selects this fruit from the Sêbo
family's vineyards, a blend of aragonez, alicante bouschet, trincadeira and tinta caiada
that he ferments in lagars while controlling
the temperature. Aged in a mix of French
and American oak, it's a sunny and grand
Alentejo red, capturing the ripeness of the
region's fruit and delivering it with elegance,
grace and persistence. Notes of spicy black
peppercorn, dark berry and ripe ﬁg integrate
with black mushroom and soy, layered in a
way that would parallel Cantonese soy sauce
chicken or roast duck. -J.G. (W&S 2/20) §
Aidil Wines & Liquors, Newark, NJ

http://www.castigliondelbosco.com/en

Wine & Spirits - Winter 2020

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