Wine & Spirits - February 2013 - (Page 56)

YEAR’S BEST ZINFANDEL YEAR’S BEST CAtALAN WINEs Our blind panels tasted 65 new-release Catalan wines over the past 12 months. Patricio Tapia, our critic for spanish wines, rated 13 as exceptional (90+) and 7 as Best Buys. Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com. W hite 186107 420081 88 | Alexander Valley Vyds. $14 2010 California Temptation Zinfandel (Best Buy) ^ This is a straightforward, satisfying zin. Lean but in no way insipid, it offers plenty of dark spice and tangy fruit. Buy it by the case as a crowd-pleasing red to serve all winter. § Alexander Valley Vyds., Healdsburg, CA 420275 2010 Napa Valley Zinfandel (Best Buy) ^ Scents of violets and new oak rise off the potent extract of this wine. It’s black, smoky and warm, a concentrated zin for grilled meats. (1,058 cases) § Titus Vyds., St. Helena, CA 420105 2010 Sonoma County Heritage Zinfandel (Best Buy) ^ A big wine with resinous scents of pine and black fruit skin, this is peppery and smoky with alcohol. The round tannins may fill out that warmth with bottle age. § Dry Creek Vineyard, Healdsburg, CA 88 | titus 2011 Priorat Font de la Figuera ^ Focused on llicorella slate soil character rather than the fruity side of viognier, this layers aromas of spice and dried fruit over that earthy core. The texture is sensuous, melding the soft maturity of the fruit with enough tannic grip to match lamb couscous. § Europvin USA, Van Nuys, CA 186068 2011 Terra Alta Blanc (Best Buy) ^ This is a simple blend of garnacha blanca (70 percent) with macabeo, direct in its peach flavors, with a touch of mint. It has enough weight to match grilled grouper. § The Artisan Collection, NY 91 | Clos Figueras $39 with a fine layer of tannins and firm acidity that padlocks the flavors for now. Give it time in a decanter to open and serve with charcuterie. § Las Rocas USA, Hayward, CA 186101 2009 Costers del Segre Llebre ^ Scents of tart red fruit emerge under the cover of leaves and damp earth, a small feast of cherries in this unusual blend of tempranillo, merlot, cabernet, garnacha, samsó and syrah. It’s a liqueur-like red to serve with stewed rabbit. § Valkyrie Selections, San Francisco, CA 90 | tomàs Cusiné $17 $27 88 | Jaspi $22 Montsant 87 | dry Creek Vineyard $19 Red C a ta l u n y a 182169 2009 Empordà Ara (Best Buy) ^ Scents of cherries, dried leaves and tobacco rise out of the glass in a wine that’s fruity, pointedly acidic and deliciously refreshing. This blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and garnacha grows in the granitic soils of Empordà, in Catalonia. Winebow, NY 91 | Oliver Conti $20 WA s h i n gt On 186016 2010 Montsant Vespres (Best Buy) ^ The aroma of this wine is almost hallucinogenic, a wild mix of earth, blackberries and raspberries. The mouth is juicy, powered by the wine’s fruit with eccentric little details of meatiness and earthiness that focus on its originality and distinction. Vespres is an old-vine blend of garnacha (80 percent) and mazuelo. § Classical Wines, Seattle, WA 186041 2007 Montsant Venus ^ Produced by Sara Pérez and René Barbier, Jr., this Montsant grows in schist and granite parcels around the town of Falset. Oak dominates the aroma of the wine, but underneath there’s red fruit, fresh and juicy, evolving toward generous flavors of cherries and blackberries with air. The tannins are substantial, suggesting a few hours in a decanter before serving with a rib eye. § Domaine Select Wine Estates, NY 94 | Celler dosterras $29 90 | Venus La Universal $65 418373 90 | Angel Vine $22 2009 Walla Walla Valley Les Collines Vineyard Zinfandel (Best Buy) ^ Scents of barbecued meat give way to a smoky, almost syrahlike black plum scent. Its flavors are savory and red—strawberries and a hint of tar— with a smoky finish: Walla Walla terroir seen through the lens of zinfandel. (300 cases; §W&S, 10/12) § Angel Vine, Gaston, OR n 56 WINE & SPIRITS FEBRUARY 2013 186031 2009 Calatayud Spanish Red Blend (Best Buy) ^ The mix of almond, dried fruit and earth notes give a certain air of mystery to the aroma of this wine. The palate is taut, 90 | Las Rocas $14 http://www.avvwine.com/shop.html http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com http://www.classicalwines.com http://www.AngelVine.net http://www.lasrocaswine.com/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - February 2013

Wine & Spirits - February 2013
Editor’s Note
Happenings
Contents
Fined & Filtered
Austral Spirits
Petite Conversion
Sydney’s Sommelier Hangouts
Pinot Noir at the 46th Parallel
Extreme Patagonia
W&S Centerfold – Kimchi & Red Wine
Extreme Values
Introduction
Rhône Valley Reds & Whites
US Syrah
US Zinfandel
Catalan Wines
Chilean Cabernet & Carmenère
Argentine Malbec & Blends
American New Releases
Imported New Releases
New Books

Wine & Spirits - February 2013