Wine & Spirits - April 2018 - 135

US NEW RELEASES
Our blind panels tasted 433 new-release US wines over the past 12 months. Our critics rated 26 as exceptional (90+) and 19 as Best
Buys. Joshua Greene reviews California wines; Patrick J. Comiskey reviews Oregon and Washington. Find a complete list of wines tasted
and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

89 | Santa Barbara Winery

CA LI FO RN I A W HIT E
CHARDONNAY

85 | Happy Camper

509934

91 | Flowers

$26

2015 Sta. Rita Hills Reserve Chardonnay
(Best Buy) ^ This wine's tart white fruit holds
its oak char in check, converting it to notes of
butterscotch and flamed orange zest. There's
some popcorn-butter richness, but overall
this is clean and cool. (998 cases)
510718

$45

2015 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay ^ A blend
of fruit from Flowers's Fort Ross estate, other
far-coast sites and a few vineyards farther
inland, this wine has purity to its citrus fruit.
Tangy and clean, that fruit mellows the oak
into soft notes of oats and wheat. A hint of
oak tannins in the end will help to keep the
wine structured as it develops over the next
few years in bottle.

2016 California Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^
Think of an apple crumble with oats and
brown sugar and you'll be close to the sweet,
smoky flavors of this wine. It's simple and
clean, ready to chill for a picnic.

SAUVIGNON BLANC

511032

91 | Robert Mondavi
Winery

510282

90 | Keenan

$35

2016 Napa Valley Spring Mountain District 40th Anniversary Chardonnay ^ Spicy
and savory, this oak-and-mineral-driven
chardonnay delivers flavors of bacon fat and
hominy. It carries its juicy, bold flavors into
an austere, dry finish. Point it toward milkbraised veal. (1,830 cases)
511128

89 | River Road

$17

2016 Russian River Valley Reserve Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ With its broad, juicy
apple flavors and a floral bite of alcohol, this
needs a firm chill to bring it into focus. It's
clean, round and simple, a chardonnay for
grilled salmon.
509977

$40

yeasts, foot-treading the fruit to keep the
extraction gentle. It's a fresh, bright cherry
red that looks to the Loire rather than Bordeaux for parallels, with green-peppercorn
spice and pretty floral bitterness in the tannins. Pour it with a flank steak stir-fry, or a
salad of duck confit. (400 cases)

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
510525

94 | Corison

$175

2014 St. Helena Napa Valley Kronos Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ^ This classical
cabernet grows at the vineyard behind Cathy
Corison's winery on the west side of Highway
29. It's the rare cabernet vineyard from the
1970s (1971, in fact) that was planted on St.
George rootstock and survived phylloxera,
providing an opportunity to taste contemporary old-vine cabernet from one of Napa
Valley's coveted benchland sites. And it delivers: St. Helena may be one of the warmest
spots in the valley, but these vines are rooted
in cool earth, and they carry that coolness directly into the wine. It's gently juicy
with cherry-plum flavors, though the main
impression is the suppleness of earthy tannins. Like the great cabernets of the 1970s,
this should age with grace. (600 cases)

2014 Oakville Napa Valley Fumé Blanc ^
Robert Mondavi produced the first Fumé
Blanc in 1968, inventing a new name and
a new style for sauvignon blanc. Fifty years
later, the wine is still distinctive, this vintage
being super oaky at first, then saturated with
a rich, golden fruit presence. It's as savory
as a meat broth with notes of flamed orange
zest. Decant it for gingery braised rabbit.

CA L IFORNIA RED

510014

CABERNET FRANC
511134

91 | Broc Cellars

$27

2015 Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara
Cabernet Franc (Best Buy) ^ Chris Brockway
gets the fruit for this wine from the Crown
Vineyard northeast of Los Olivos. It's a warm
site for Santa Barbara, where the vines grow
on hillsides of clay, loam and chert. He ferments it in concrete tanks without added

91 | Frog's Leap

$55

WINE & SPIRITS

135

2015 Rutherford Napa Valley Cabernet
Sauvignon ^ John Williams and his team at
Frog's Leap built their Rutherford Estate cabernet program on three vineyards: Red Barn
(surrounding the winery), Chavez Leeds (in
partnership with viticulturist Frank Leeds's
family) and the Rossi Ranch, 50 acres of
prime real estate on the Rutherford Bench
west of Highway 29, a property the winery
APRIL 2018

http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com https://store.flowerswinery.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=productdetail&product_id=540 https://www.robertmondaviwinery.com https://www.keenanwinery.com https://store.frogsleap.com/CHGALL.AMS

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - April 2018