BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast

86
Lava Cap 2009 Estate Barbera (El Dorado).
A soft, robust Barbera with dark cherry flavors
from beginning to end, and a pleasant level of minerality
that levels off on the finish. —V.B.
abv: 14.8% Price: $25
83
Zucca 2009 Barbera (Amador County).
A simple Barbera with not much in the way of
aromas and just a slight amount of earthy berry flavors.
—V.B.
abv: 13.9% Price: $32
TEMPRANILLO
91
Twisted Oak 2008 The Spaniard (Calaveras
County). It may just be that this 84%
Tempranillo blend (plus 12% Graciano, 4% Garnacha)
needs some more time in bottle to develop, in which
case it will only get better. In the meantime it has undeniable
juicy, red fruit, grippy tannins that are just starting
to mellow and is overall a very savory and delicious
wine. Fermented as a field blend, The Spaniard mingled
for months in all-new French oak and would go
gangbusters with lamb or other red meats. —V.B.
abv: 14.3% Price: $49
90
Yorba 2007 Shake Ridge Vineyards Tempranillo
(Amador County). Yorba’s Tempranillo
is very masculine, briary and tannic, packed with
earthy baked plum, raspberry and dark chocolate mocha,
with a slight trace of black licorice. Concentrated
and lush, it would stand its own against many a big slab
of meat. —V.B.
abv: 14.9% Price: $38
87
Longoria 2009 Clover Creek Vineyard
Tempranillo (Santa Ynez Valley). Pinot
Noir specialist Rick Longoria continues to tackle this
difficult variety, which may be the hardest to master in
California. His results are inconsistent. The ’09 is a very
good wine, bone dry and dusty, with tobacco and cherry
flavors. —S.H.
abv: 14.1% Price: $36
OTHER RED WINES
93
Twisted Oak 2009 Torcido Garnacha (Calaveras
County). What a wine. It tries to intimidate.
At first, by its bottle size and alcohol level,
but in the glass this 100% Garnacha is like a purring
kitten—well a purring 20-pound Maine Coon cat, joyous
in its pretty red fruit, and its earthy, meaty, vanilla
and cinnamon toast range of goodness. All lush, Twisted
Oak’s Torcido is, like a retro soap opera, brave and beautiful.
—V.B.
abv: 15.3% Price: $32
88
Samsara 2009 Larner Vineyard Grenache
(Santa Ynez Valley). A ripe red wine, brimming
with cherry fruit, and heightened in texture by
acidity. Not particularly complex, but rich and satisfying,
making it one of the better Grenaches from California.
—S.H.
abv: 14.6% Price: $36
87
Fenestra 2009 Graciano (Lodi). Livermore
Valley-based Fenestra loves to source fun stuff
from Lodi, and Graciano has proven to like Lodi very
much. In Fenestra’s hands this varietal is soft and round,
perfectly fine drinking, a taste of Bing cherry in liquid
form. —V.B.
abv: 14.7% Price: $25
86
Mica Cellars 2010 Babcock VIneyard
Charbono (Suisun Valley). This is a tiny
production Charbono that’s light and in balance, with
flavors and aromas of raspberry, red cherry and mushrooms
right out of the dirt. —V.B.
abv: 14.1% Price: $30
86
Rusack 2009 Sangiovese (Santa Ynez
Valley). Very ripe and flashy, but a little too
sweet. Shows sugary raspberry and cherry jam flavors,
with lots of zippy acidity. —S.H.
abv: 14.5% Price: $32
DESSERT WINES
93
Terre Rouge 2008 Muscat a Petits Grains
Vin Doux Naturel (Shenandoah Valley).
Bill Easton doesn’t make this dessert wine every year,
so when he does, especially of this caliber, it’s a good
time to pick up some of this deliciously balanced dessert
delight. It’s a very nuanced rendering of crisp, clean
peach, pear and honey flavors that would go well with
fruit desserts or anything involving almond paste. Best
Buy. —V.B.
abv: 16.5% Price: $15/375 ml
93
Quady 2010 Essensia Orange Muscat
(California). For full review see page 5.
abv: 15.4% Price: $25
92
Quady 2010 Elysium Black Muscat (California).
For full review see page 6.
abv: 15.1% Price: $21
90
Bonterra 2010 Bartolucci Vineyard Muscat
(Lake County). Bonterra is offering up
some serious yumminess here, from organic grapes
grown in Lake County. The sweet wine opens with a
sweet floral nose and a lot of minerality graduating into
a concentrated thickness of golden honey-graham flavors.
—V.B.
abv: 9% Price: $16/375 ml
87
Terre Rouge 2003 ROX Monarch Mine
Vineyard Roussanne (Sierra Foothills).
Made in an oxidized style like a Sherry from Spain, ROX
is meant to be drunk as an apéritif with raw oysters or
hard, stinky cheeses and cured meats. An interesting
almond-flavored take on Sierra Foothills-grown Roussanne
grapes for sure. —V.B.
abv: 14% Price: $20/500 ml
84
Martin Ray 2008 Dessert Wine (California).
Very sweet, but the raspberry and cherry
fruit is thin, making the wine ultimately unsatisfying.
—S.H.
abv: 16.8% Price: $18
WASHINGTON
WHITE WINES
93
Poet’s Leap 2010 Riesling (Columbia
Valley). For full review see page 5. Editors’
Choice.
abv: 12.9% Price: $20
91
Upland Estates 2009 Gewürztraminer
(Snipes Mountain District). Gewürztraminer
is a great success at this Snipes Mountain winery,
here done in a full-bodied, fleshy style that discards any
hint of floral soap. Vanilla bean, lemon cream, graham
cracker and a thoroughly yummy core of ripe fruit mark
this as nonclassic, but incredibly delicious. Best Buy.
—P.G.
abv: 13.2% Price: $12
90
Robert O. Smasne 2008 Francis Reserve
White (Columbia Valley). Two-thirds Chardonnay,
22% Viognier, and the rest Sauvignon Blanc—
an unusual blend that works well. Medium gold and
showing the color and scents of oak aging, this bigboned
white runs the gamut from apple to pear to
peach, soaked in Bourbon barrel flavors, with a rich,
creamy finish. —P.G.
abv: 13.5% Price: $38
89
Stottle 2008 Viognier (Walla Walla Valley).
From Dwelley vineyard grapes, this barrel-fermented
Viognier offers appealing toasty fruit
coated in buttered nut goodness. Meyer lemon and
stone fruits, dusted with cinnamon, give it a French
pastry sort of finish, though it is completely dry. —P.G.
abv: 14.1% Price: $24
88
Airfield Estates 2010 Lightning White
(Yakima Valley). A screwcapped, Rhône-style
white, blends 43% Viognier, 39% Roussanne and 18%
Marsanne in a tightly wound, fresh, lively wine. Spicy
apple and pear fruit flavors run into a medium long finish
with some near-term aging potential. —P.G.
abv: 14.2% Price: $20
88
Upland Estates 2009 Sauvignon Blanc
(Snipes Mountain District). This opens soft,
even a bit flat, and should be served chilled for best
showing. With some breathing time tropical fruit flavors
come up, ripe and fleshy, with a butterscotch finish and
a bit of heat. Best for near-term drinking. —P.G.
abv: 13.5% Price: $15
SPARKLING WINES
90
Treveri Cellars NV Brut (Columbia Valley).
A Chardonnay-based sparkler, this rich
and concentrated wine has a luscious mix of apricot,
peach and papaya fruit flavors in a creamy, textural setting.
Exceptional length and development in the glass,
which keeps bringing in nuances such as vanilla and
pepper. Best Buy. —P.G.
abv: NA Price: $14
87
Treveri Cellars NV Demi-Sec Gewürztraminer
(Columbia Valley). A sweetly floral
nose wraps around you with the intensity of the
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