Wine & Spirits - Winter 2020 - 84

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

Wine & Spirits

A UST RI A W H I T E
B E S T G R U N E R V E LT L I N E R
276449

96 | Högl

$40

2017 Wachau Freigeist Grüner Veltliner ^
"The back label suggests shaking this up
before serving, so I did," said our pourer as
he placed the glasses in front of us. Made
from grüner veltliner macerated with its
skins and then left on them for 35 days, this
was pressed into 500-liter Manhartsberger
oak barrels to rest on the lees for 10 months;
it was bottled without ﬁltering, and with very
little sulfur. The result, when it's shaken up,
is as cloudy as a hefeweizen beer. And it feels
like a cloud-a pillowy cumulonimbus ﬁlled
with aroma. There's a hint of cedar, ginger,
peach skin and porcini as it scuds across the
palate; with air, those notes become more
grüner-like, scents of orange mingling with
herbs, all of it carried with a green-apple
verve. It's clean and energetic, with a mesmerizing balance of weightlessness and fullness that would suit sushi extremely well.
-T.Q.T. § (W&S 4/20) § Winemonger Imports,
San Anselmo, CA

BEST RIESLING
276074

95 | Jurtschitsch

$37

2017 Kamptal Ried Heiligenstein Riesling ^ Alwin Jurtschitsch took over his family's winery with his wife, Stefanie Hasselbach, in 2006; the two set about converting
the vineyards to organic viticulture, and to
higher-density plantings. She makes the
wines, favoring ambient yeast fermentations
and minimal sulfur additions. Heiligenstein
is one of their most prized sites, the vines
rooted into an outcropping of stone that's
some 250 thousand years old. Aged on the
ﬁne lees in 2,000-liter casks before bottling,
this is a massive wine, belting out its rieslingness in bell tones of litchi and lime, peaches
and spice. It feels pure and precise, just at
the beginning of its life. -T.Q.T. § (W&S 4/20) §
David Bowler Wines, NY

B E S T Z I E R FA N D L E R
276288

95 | Gebeshuber

$38

2013 Thermenregion Lage Modler Zierfandler ^ Johannes Gebeshuber has specialized in Thermenregion's little-known varieties since the late 1990s, when he began
vinifying some fruit from his family's vines
in his in-laws' cellar. Today, he's assembled 62
acres of vines, certiﬁed biodynamic by Demeter since 2017. Eighteen of those acres are
planted to zierfandler, a red-blushed variety
84

WINE & SPIRITS

unique to the region. This one comes from
a single site of what he describes as brown
earth over fossil-rich limestone, the oldest
vines reaching 70 years of age. Facing southsoutheast, the slope gets ample sun, which
this wine has translated into opulent notes
of honeyed fruit and nougat. Age has turned
the variety's tropical fruit toward orange,
spice and nuts; one panelist remarked that
it recalls an old Rioja, only richer in texture,
with a beguiling limey spice. The wine lasts,
satin-textured and generous, ready to pour
with meaty ﬁsh or cream-sauced vegetables.
-T.Q.T. § (W&S 4/20) § Vignaioli Selection, NY

C HILE RED
BEST CABERNET SAUVIGNON

125288

95 | Concha y Toro

CHIL E WHITE
BEST SAUVIGNON BL ANC
125602

94 | Tabalí

$22

2019 Limarí Valley Talinay Sauvignon
Blanc ^ This is a wine that's completely of
itself-of a parcel of sauvignon vines planted
on a hillside of pure white chalk at the inland
base of a mountain, the other side of which
descends directly into the Paciﬁc. The oceanfacing side of the mountain is a rain forest
created by the collision of tropical and Antarctic currents; the leeward side is desert,
with viticulture only possible by piping water
in from the Limarí River. The Talinay vineyard grows interesting chardonnay, pinot
noir and syrah, but from the beginning, the
distinctive talents of this place have been
clearly expressed through sauvignon blanc.
This vintage is tense and ﬂoral, with creamyfresh green-pear scents and a cozy feel to the
acidity as it weaves through the wine. The
ﬂavor intensity builds through the ﬁnish,
smoky and oceanic, bold enough to match
with geoduck clam sashimi with wasabi.
-T.Q.T. § (W&S 8/20) § Biagio Cru and Estates
Wines, New Hyde Park, NY

$70

2017 Puente Alto Gravas del Maipo Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Isabel Mitarakis makes this
wine from blocks at Puente Alto planted
from 1985 to 1992, at a time when Pablo
Morandé, then chief winemaker for Concha
y Toro, was exploring the soils of this vineyard on terraces above the north bank of the
Maipo. The vineyard has since been parceled
out for Almaviva and Don Melchor, both of
which have their own sectors of the original
Puente Alto; for Gravas, Mitarakis works
with the fruit from the younger vines at
the Don Melchor parcel. This seems like the
optimal Maipo cabernet, silken in texture,
Andean in its refreshing mint and rosemary
notes, layering cool fruit ﬂavors of strawberries and plums in a nuanced and quietly
gracious wine. It feels dynamic, and seemingly effortless, with an energy that makes
it lovely to drink now, and will extend its life
for a decade. -J.G. (W&S 6/20) § Fetzer Vineyards, Hopland, CA

BEST CABERNET BLEND

BEST CARMENERE
125716

95 | Casa Silva

$50

2013 Colchagua Valley Microterroir Los
Lingues Carmenère ^ Mario Geisse developed this wine through experimental viniﬁcations of small parcels at Casa Silva's vineyard in the foothills of the Andes. His harvest
decisions show off the coolness of the site, the
fruit chilled by cold air descending from the
mountains. A blend of selected micro-lots,
this wine's fruit is delicate, with ﬂoral strawberry notes and an explosion of cool mineral
tannins, their structure ﬁrm and encouraging to the bright red fruit. A friendly Chilean beauty. -J.G. (W&S 10/20) § Vine Connections, Sausalito, CA

BUYING GUIDE 2021

125322

95 | Viña Almaviva

$145

2017 Puente Alto Almaviva ^ The joint venture between Baron Philippe de Rothschild
(Mouton) and Concha y Toro began in the
mid-1990s, launched with the 1996 vintage.
The winery was constructed in the midst of
the 148 acres of vines dedicated to Almaviva
at Puente Alto. It's an ideal site for cabernet
sauvignon, a plateau at 2,130 feet, nestled
into the Andes on a terrace above the north

https://conchaytoro.com/ https://www.almavivawinery.com/

Wine & Spirits - Winter 2020

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