Wine & Spirits - Winter 2012 - (Page 101)

100 BESTBUYS Of The yeAr U N I T e D STA TeS WHITE BLENDS 418543 Price doesn’t necessarily equate with quality when it comes to wine—and there’s nothing we like better than ﬁnding the exceptions. That’s why we compare the price of every recommended wine with its competition. Our 100 Best Buys all come in below the median price in their category, with scores far better than average. The list goes far beyond simple quaﬀs—and yet more than three-quarters of the wines are priced at $20 or less. We’ve arranged them here by country and variety, starting with the United States; Joshua Greene, Patrick J. Comiskey and Luke Sykora reviewed the American wines; Greene, Peter Liem, Patricio Tapia and Tara Q. Thomas reviewed the imports. To access all of our tasting results from this year, please go to wineandspiritsmagazine.com. CHARDONNAY 417882 | Bethel heights $ 2010 Eola-Amity Hills Unoaked Chardonnay^This feels perfectly poised between ripeness and nerve—forward lemon curd and ripe pear ﬂavors with a lacy mineral edge. Acidity gives it a citrusy lift against a backdrop of earth tones, a sinewy support for tense, energetic ﬂavors. Beautiful on its own, it would pair well with salt and pepper prawns. (118 cases) Bethel Heights Vineyard, Salem, OR green pear ﬂavors. It’s ﬁnely tuned to its wood—15 percent of the barrels are new— and the ﬂavors are integrated into the plump fruit. The ﬁnish is clean, sappy and a little salty, delicious with whole-roasted branzino. (4,900 cases) Three Saints, Santa Ynez, CA CHENIN BLANC | Buty $ 2010 Columbia Valley 61% Semillon, 21% Sauvignon, 18% Muscadelle^Wonderfully savory stuﬀ, this blend leads with marmalade scents, its ﬂavors deep with a honeycomb sweetness that’s long, attractive and beguiling. For grilled chicken breast. (1,050 cases) Buty Winery, Walla Walla, WA 416190 415152 | Paciﬁc rim $ | fess Parker $ 2010 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay Here’s a steal: a cool-vintage chardonnay with ﬂesh and zest. There’s a saline note that brings the ﬂor of Fino Sherry to mind, an earthy undertone to balance the sweet kumquat and tart grapefruit pith ﬂavors. Serve it with chicken braised with fennel and mushrooms. Fess Parker Winery, Los Olivos, CA 2008 Columbia Valley Chenin Blanc Pure, varietally correct and completely refreshing, this terse and spicy chenin has scents of baked apples and lean quince ﬂavors. For roast pork with applesauce. Paciﬁc Rim, Richland, WA PINOT GRIS 415846 | L’ecole No 41 $ 2010 Walla Walla Valley Seven Hills Vineyard Luminesce Two-thirds semillon, onethird sauvignon blanc, this stylish, hightoned white leads with scents of quince and caramel, a minerally spine guiding the ﬂavors. It’s weighty, the semillon delivering a broad, ﬁnely wrought ﬁnish. (850 cases) L’Ecole No 41, Lowden, WA 417669 | handley $ 416476 | Three Saints $ 2009 Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay From the Dierberg family’s estate-grown fruit, this is a rich chardonnay with white peach and 2011 Anderson Valley Helluva Vineyard Pinot Gris Clean, bright and juicy, this wine has a fresh, ﬂoral scent that carries straight through to the ﬁnish. It has a coastal salt air tang to balance a hint of sweetness. To chill for aperitifs, or serve with crab. (515 cases) Handley Cellars, Philo, CA 414417 & S P I R I T S B U Y I N G G U I D E 2 0 1 3 101 W I N E http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com http://www.butywinery.com/Wine-Store http://store.nexternal.com/pacificrim/2008-chenin-blanc-p40.aspx http://www.fessparkerwines.com http://www.lecole.com/ http://www.handleycellars.com/index.jsp http://www.starlanevineyard.com/shop

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - Winter 2012

Wine & Spirits - Winter 2012
Editor’s Note
Contents
Directory: Wine & Spirits’ Wineries of the Year.
2013 Calendar of Wine Events
Book of the Year: The final word on wine grapes.
Spirits of the Year: Ten exciting new bottles in 2012.
2013 Winery of the Year Awards
26th Annual Hall of Fame: Our top performers over the last 26 years.
Wineries to Watch: Eight promising producers.
American Wineries of the Year: 42 top wineries from the United States.
International Wineries of the Year: 58 exceptional producers from worlds old and new.
100 Best Wines
100 Best Buys
New Stuff: Essentials for 2013.

Wine & Spirits - Winter 2012