BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast

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83 Sebastiani 2009 Chardonnay (Carneros). Too sweet, like pineapple and pear juice sweetened with white sugar. The underlying wine is pretty good, with decent acidity and a clean minerality. But that sweetness is over the top. —S.H. abv: 14.8% Price: $25 82 Foyt Family 2010 No. 67 Chardonnay (Sonoma County). Simple and soft, with sugary sweet apricot and orange flavors that turn cloying on the finish. —S.H. abv: 14.5% Price: $26 82 Pomar Junction 2009 Espiritu Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County). Sweet and simple, with orange and vanilla cream flavors. —S.H. abv: 14.3% Price: $25 82 Sebastiani 2010 Chardonnay (Sonoma County). Made in the popular style, this Chardonnay features buttered popcorn, pineapple jam and buttered toast flavors. Turns cloyingly sweet on the finish. —S.H. abv: 13.5% Price: $13 SAUVIGNON BLANC 92 Dutton Estate 2010 Cohen Vineyard Dutton Ranch Sauvignon Blanc (Russian River Valley). This wine saw no oak barrel aging, but it’s so rich and satisfyingly clean, it’s probably better off not being weighed down by caramel and buttered toast. Brimming with brisk acidity, it shows brilliantly pure citrus fruit, tart gooseberry, Asian pear, green apple, mineral and white pepper flavors. The vineyard is in Green Valley. Editors’ Choice. —S.H. abv: 12.8% Price: $22 90 Deep Sea 2009 Coquina Sauvignon Blanc (Arroyo Grande Valley). A delicious Sauvignon Blanc, really fine. It showcases how well this cool little corner of Monterey County, with its stony soils, ripens white wines. Brisk in acidity and laden with minerals, it offers rich flavors of citrus fruits, white flowers, white currants and spices. —S.H. abv: 15% Price: $32 90 Foursight 2010 Charles Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (Anderson Valley). Anderson Valley is better known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but the cool climate is also good for Sauvignon Blanc. Foursight’s 2010 is a delightful wine, vibrant in citrus, tropical fruit and peach flavors, and there’s no oak to interfere with its purity. With a finish that seems just a little sweet, it’s a fine companion for Asian fare. Editors’ Choice. —S.H. abv: 14.3% Price: $20 90 Raymond 2010 Reserve Selection Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley). Fermented and aged in stainless steel, this wine is all about fresh, vibrant fruit. Limes, Meyer lemons, gooseberries, Asian pears and something tropical, like papayas, all mingle together. Aging on the lees, which is a popular intervention in many unoaked white wines, gives addition- 48 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | MONTH 2012 al notes of cream and sourdough. Editors’ Choice. —S.H. abv: 14.8% Price: $15 88 Carica 2010 Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc (Sonoma County). A very nice Sauvignon, easy to drink, and showing lots of style and elegance. Bone dry and zesty in acidity, it has citrus, tropical fruit and white pepper flavors, with a stimulating touch of tart gooseberry. —S.H. abv: 14.1% Price: $21 88 Dutton Estate 2010 Kylie’s Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc (Russian River Valley). This is Dutton Estate’s unoaked Sauvignon Blanc. It did not go through the malolactic fermentation, but it started as very ripe grapes, so what you get is pure citrus, Asian pear, white peach and green apple flavor, zesty and clean in acidity, with slight a sweetness in the finish. Nice with Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese fare. —S.H. abv: 13.7% Price: $20 87 Cakebread 2010 Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley). With bright, zesty acidity, this Sauvignon Blanc is clean and vibrant in orange, pineapple, lime and gooseberry flavors. If only it finished drier, it would be superb. —S.H. abv: 14.1% Price: $24 87 Flora Springs 2010 Soliloquy Sauvignon Blanc (Oakville). This proprietary bottling from Flora Springs has been around for a long time. It’s a good wine, satisfying in citrus, peach and spice flavors, leading to a clean, fruity-sweet finish. —S.H. abv: 14.2% Price: $20 87 Jacob Franklin 2010 Massa Ranch Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley). The vineyard is in Yountville, and the wine shows plenty of the zesty acidity that marks this cool portion of Napa Valley. The wine also exhibits ripe flavors of oranges, Meyer lemons, kiwi fruit and sweet limes. —S.H. abv: 14.2% Price: $26 86 J Ludlow 2009 Sauvignon Blanc (Santa Ynez Valley). Brisk in acidity, this everyday Sauvignon Blanc has ripe, bright flavors of tangerines, peaches and pineapples. It’s a good by-the-glass wine for restaurants. —S.H. abv: 14.1% Price: $19 86 J Ludlow 2008 Sauvignon Blanc (Santa Ynez Valley). This is a good, everyday Sauvignon Blanc. It’s sweet and jammy in pineapples, grapefruits, peaches and tangerines, brightened with crisp acidity. —S.H. abv: 14.1% Price: $19 86 Lola Kay 2010 Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley). For full review see page 9. abv: 14.1% Price: $16 86 Sea Fog 2010 Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley). A touch of oak adds some creaminess, but this 100% Sauvignon Blanc is marked mainly by fresh fruit flavors of lemons, limes and oranges. It’s zesty in acidity, but could be a little drier. —S.H. abv: 14.1% Price: $25 VIOGNIER 86 Melville 2010 Verna’s Estate Viognier (Santa Barbara County). Despite lots of ripe peach, white flower and spice flavors, this Viognier is a little uneven. It’s too sweet, almost a dessert wine, and yet there’s a green pea, vegetal note. —S.H. abv: NA Price: $26 84 Whetstone 2009 Catie’s Corner Vineyard Viognier (Russian River Valley). Toasted oak dominates everything in this Viognier, which features charred wood, buttered toast, butterscotch and vanilla aromas and flavors. The fruit is pretty buried. —S.H. abv: 14.7% Price: $40 82 Pomar Junction 2010 Viognier (Paso Robles). Sweet, soft and simple to the point of insipid, with jellied apricot, orange and vanilla flavors. —S.H. abv: 14.9% Price: $25 WHITE BLENDS 88 Venge 2010 Spettro (Napa Valley). Cabernet specialist Venge tinkers with white blends under the Spettro designation, with inconsistent results. This 2010 is mainly Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, with a splash of Chenin Blanc. It’s a good, sound white wine, dry and crisp in acidity, with mineral-infused pear, citrus fruit and apricot flavors. No oak is evident. —S.H. abv: 14.5% Price: $26 87 Sarah’s Vineyard 2010 Estate Côte de Madrone Blanc (Santa Clara Valley). This Roussanne, Viognier, Marsanne and Grenache Blanc blend is very rich and fruity. It has all kinds of fruity, flowery, spicy and toasty flavors, brightened with crisp acidity. A nice, easy-drinking alternative to a creamy Chardonnay. —S.H. abv: 13.5% Price: $25 85 Turn 4 2010 White (California). Sweet and forward in pineapple, peach and lime flavors, this is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. It has good acidity and a clean, spicy finish. —S.H. abv: 14.5% Price: $15 OTHER WHITE WINES 92 J. Wilkes 2007 Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Blanc (Santa Maria Valley). Very rich and opulent, with maybe a touch of botrytis giving the apricot, orange and buttercream flavors a honeyed decadence. Bright acidity keeps it all clean and balanced. Showing exceptionally well for a white wine at 4½ years of age. Editors’ Choice. —S.H. abv: 14.5% Price: $19 92 Marimar Estate 2010 Don Miguel Vineyard Albariño (Russian River Valley). For full review see page 6. abv: 13.5% Price: $32
91 Coghlan 2009 Tourmaline Grenache Blanc (Santa Ynez Valley). For full review see page 7. abv: 13.6% Price: $24 91 Cutruzzola 2010 Riven Rock Vineyard Riesling (San Luis Obispo County). What a lovely Riesling. The grapes were grown near the coast, and you can taste the zesty natural acidity, which gives a lift to the orange, lime, mineral and honeysuckle flavors. It’s a little sweet, but the finish is dry and spicy. Great to drink now. Editors’ Choice. —S.H. abv: 12.5% Price: $22 90 Manzoni 2010 North Highlands Cuvée Pinot Gris (Santa Lucia Highlands). Rich doesn’t begin to describe this Pinot Gris. It’s explosive in orange and apricot jam flavors, with vanilla and buttered toast layers. There’s a fat, oily texture that adds interest to a variety that can be simple. Editors’ Choice. —S.H. abv: 14.2% Price: $18 88 Tangent 2010 Grenache Blanc (Edna Valley). With no oak to interfere with the fruit, this wine shows flashy tangerine, pineapple, Meyer lemon and tart lime flavors that are bone dry, and brightened by Edna Valley acidity. It’s savory, refreshing and frankly delicious. —S.H. abv: 14.1% Price: $20 86 Bailiwick 2010 Vermentino (California). Basically dry, this Vermentino is crisp in acidity and forward in lemon, lime and tangerine fruit. It’s a nice, easy drinking wine to try as a switch from Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. —S.H. abv: 13.9% Price: $18 SPARKLING WINES 91 One Hope 2009 Two Pisces Vineyard Reserve Blanc de Noir (Sonoma Coast). It’s easy to like this smooth, clean sparkling wine, which hails from the Petaluma Gap, an increasingly important area in the cool, foggy south of the Russian River Valley. It’s very rich in raspberries and strawberries, with notes of sweet vanilla and yeast. The mouthfeel is smooth and elegant. —S.H. abv: 12.4% Price: $45 89 One Hope 2009 Split Rock Vineyard Reserve Blanc de Blancs (Sonoma Coast). A little rough in the mouth, with a scoury feeling. But it’s extraordinarily rich in orange and lime flavors, with the vanilla and yeasty dough accents you want in a nice sparkling wine. —S.H. abv: 12.4% Price: $45 89 Schramsberg 2004 Extra Brut (North Coast). Extra brut means that this Pinot Noirbased bubbly is drier than Schramsberg’s regular brut. Even at the age of more than seven years, it’s aggressive in bubbly acidity, with a scoury mouthfeel framing ripe raspberry and lime flavors. Feels austere and hard, but who knows? Could surprise. A gamble if you want to cellar it. —S.H. abv: 12.9% Price: $70 87 Iron Horse 2007 Chinese Cuvée (Green Valley). Iron Horse crafted this brut, which has a gorgeous red and yellow label, for the Chinese market. It’s similar to their other bruts, dry and rich in lime, strawberry and yeasty flavors, although it’s softer, which may reflect what Iron Horse knows about the Chinese palate. The price also seems to reflect what Iron Horse believes the Chinese market will bear. —S.H. abv: 13.5% Price: $98 CABERNETS & BLENDS 95 Hunnicutt 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon (Oakville). Strong Oakville tannins mark this 100% Cabernet, although they’re so ripely sweet, you can negotiate them now, especially considering the opulence of the fruit. Blackberries, cassis and dark chocolate just begin to describe the flavors. They’re as sweet as a dessert pastry, but the finish is utterly dry, a magic trick the best red wines pull off. Beautiful now after decanting, and should develop through 2018. —S.H. abv: 14.7% Price: $75 95 Hunnicutt 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon (Rutherford). Made from 100% Cabernet, this wine hits all the right notes. It’s fantastically rich and ripe, with flavors of sweet cherries, cassis and dark chocolate, while oak brings delicious notes of buttered toast. The tannins are complex, but so soft you can enjoy this wine now, although it should develop for at least a decade. —S.H. abv: 14.7% Price: $75 95 Venge 2009 Bone Ash Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley). For full review see page 3. abv: 14.9% Price: $80 94 Clos du Val 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (Stags Leap District). One thing you can depend on concerning Clos du Val’s Cabernets is that they’re elegant. The winery resolutely refuses to kowtow to the modern style of ultraripe, extracted fruit, high alcohol and massive oak. This lovely Cab, which contains a drop of Merlot, defines their style, and is a joy to drink. It has rich, complex cherry and blackberry flavors, flecked with earth and herbs, and is just beginning a long journey. Now–2021, at least. Cellar Selection. —S.H. abv: 13.5% Price: $75 94 Pestoni Family 2007 Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Howell Mountain). A terrific Cabernet Sauvignon, dramatically structured in smooth mountain tannins, with lush, complex blackberry, cassis and dark chocolate flavors. Satisfies on every level you could ask of Napa Valley. Good as it is, it will age over a decade. —S.H. abv: 14.4% Price: $65 94 Robert Young 2008 Scion Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley). Another terrific Scion from Robert Young. Blended this year from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it’s rich in blackberry and cherry fruit, with caramel from oak barrels. Feels soft and gentle in the mouth, in the way of Alexander Valley Cabernet. An au- thentic wine of place, it deserves a place on the best tables. —S.H. abv: 14.8% Price: $62 94 Volker Eisele Family Estate 2008 Alexander Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley). For full review see page 4. Cellar Selection. abv: 14.5% Price: $125 93 Bennett Lane 2008 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley). A distinguished Cabernet, rich in fruit and impeccably oaked. But it’s young. There’s a fresh, jammy taste to the blackberries, cassis and dark chocolate, and the tannins are brisk and fuzzy. Don’t drink it until at least 2015, and it should develop for years afterward. Cellar Selection. —S.H. abv: 14.5% Price: $95 93 Flora Springs 2009 Hillside Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Rutherford). For full review see page 4. abv: 14.4% Price: $100 93 Mario Perelli-Minetti 2005 Miriam Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley). Shows the lush richness, dryness and complexity you want in a fine Napa Valley Cabernet. At more than six years of age, the tannins are just beginning to resolve, although they’re still pretty fierce. But the flavors are beautiful, showing classic blackberries, cassis, dark chocolate, plums and cedar. Drink now–2015. —S.H. abv: 14.2% Price: $75 93 Rodney Strong 2008 Symmetry Meritage (Alexander Valley). For full review see page 5. abv: 15% Price: $55 93 Rutherford Grove 2008 Pestoni Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (Rutherford). A beautiful Cabernet, dry and rich, with wonderful tannins. They’re firm, yet soft and sweet, an apparent contradiction the palate loves. Shows near perfect ripeness, an impressive range of blackberries, plums and cassis, and an earthy herbaceousness. May be a little too young for proper enjoyment, so give it a few years in the cellar. —S.H. abv: 14.3% Price: $45 92 Atlas Peak 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (Mount Veeder). For full review see page 5. Cellar Selection. abv: 14.6% Price: $86 92 Flora Springs 2009 Trilogy (Napa Valley). For full review see page 6. abv: 13.9% Price: $65 92 Rubissow 2006 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Mount Veeder). Seems to have hardly aged over nearly six years, still showing massive blackberry, cherry, cassis and dark chocolate flavors, sweet and fresh. Lots of oak, too, bringing even more caramelized sweetness. Yet the finish is dry, long and spicy. Made from 100% Cabernet, but sometimes these wines surprise. Give it another six years. Cellar Selection. —S.H. abv: 14.7% Price: $125 <strong>Wine</strong>Mag.com | 49
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Page 19 and 20: long-lasting. This is a beautiful w
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Page 31 and 32: texture, it revels in its fresh red
Page 33 and 34: Devo Enterprises Corporation. Edito
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Page 37 and 38: y. Drink now-2015. The Triton Colle
Page 39 and 40: in a zesty, mouthwatering finish. D
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Page 59 and 60: 86 Lava Cap 2009 Estate Barbera (El
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Page 63 and 64: SPIRITS REMEMBER THE REPOSADO drink
Page 65: BEER STOCKING UP FOR SUMMER With su

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