Wine & Spirits - August 2019 - 74

IMPORTED NEW RELEASES
Our blind panels tasted 322 imported new-release wines for this issue. Our critics rated 46 as exceptional (90+) and 29 as Best Buys.
Joshua Greene reviews the wines of Chile, Portugal and Spain; Stephanie Johnson reviews Italy; Tara Q. Thomas reviews Argentina,
Cyprus, southern France, Germany and South Africa. Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

A RGE N T I N A W HIT E
124262

86 | Santa Julia

$6/375-ml can

Mendoza Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ If you're
looking for something to pack in your bag
for fish tacos on the beach, this chardonnay
would do the trick. All it needs is a chill to
play up the acidity; the clean apple-herb
flavors will provide the rest. § Winesellers,
Niles, IL

is light and pleasantly ripe, its sweet bakedstrawberry flavors held by graphite-scented
tannins and a prickle of acidity. Pour it with
a salad of duck confit. § Tri-Vin Imports, New
Rochelle, NY

spicy, this is an easy-going party pour. § JeanClaude Mas, NY

CYPRUS RED

2015 Ermitage Ex Voto ^ The Guigals make
Ex Voto only in years they consider exceptional, and focus the white wine on two parcels of the Hermitage hill: the rocky, alluvial Les Murets, and the sandy loess soils
of L'Ermite. Mostly marsanne, vinified and
aged for 30 months in new oak casks, it's a
lush, full-bodied white that wraps its mineral flavors in warming notes of caramel and
spice. While the oak is very present, it's also
in proportion to the depth of fruit and firm
structure, which bodes well for this wine's
development over the next 10 to 15 years. §
Vintus, Pleasantville, NY
271009

271880

90 | Tsiakkas

$33

Mendoza Rosé (Best Buy) ^ Made from
malbec, this pretty pink smells of violets
and tastes of cherry candy. Serve it cold with
spice-rubbed ribs. § Winesellers, Niles, IL

2016 Lemesos Vamvakada ^ Made from
Cyprus's most important indigenous redwine grape, this is dark and dense, its tannic, plummy flavors wrapped in a soothing
coat of vanilla-scented oak. It's impressively
youthful for a 2016, still almost grapey in the
freshness of its fruit, suggesting that this will
benefit from another few years in the cellar to
integrate. § Athenee Importers & Distributors,
Hempstead, NY

A RGE N T I N A RE D

CYPRUS DESSERT

A RGE N T I N A R OS É
124263

85 | Santa Julia

$6/375-ml can

124251

271239

90 | Casa Natal

$37

88 | Santa Julia

$6/375-ml can

2015 Mendoza Reserva Malbec ^ This is fresh
and vibrant, with lots of earthy spice to give
dimension to the velvety purple fruit. It feels
firm and dense without being weighty, a wellbalanced malbec for sliced steak and chimichurri. § W.Direct, Lawrence, KS
124261

94 | Loel

$32

Mendoza Tintillo (Best Buy) ^ A summerweight red made from equal parts malbec
and bonarda, this is as vibrant and juicy as
its fuchsia color suggests. Give it a light chill
and serve it with anything-meat or vegetable-off the grill. § Winesellers, Niles, IL

Limassol Commandaria Alasia ^ Commandaria is the wine that put Cyprus on the
world wine map, and Loel's Alasia is particularly impressive. Made from late-picked, sundried xynisteri and mavro grapes, this is aged
for at least three years in oak barrels, balancing its intense sweetness with savory notes of
roasted nuts and warm spice. The satin texture, in combination with the complex bitteredged sweetness of caramelized sugar, brings
to mind an expertly made crème brûlée-
only the flavor of this lasts longer, and ends
more cleanly. Pour it instead of dessert. §
Nestor Imports, NY

CHI L E W H I T E

FR A NC E WHITE

124144

88 | Calcu

$14

2018 Colchagua Valley Reserva Especial
White Blend (Best Buy) ^ A blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon, this has a waxy
note to round out the tart lemon. It's a brisk
and smoky white to serve with roast sablefish. § Global Vineyard Imports, Berkeley, CA

CHI L E RE D
$10

2018 Central Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
(Best Buy) ^ A simple, herbal cabernet, this
74

WINE & SPIRITS

272157

87 | Côté Mas

AUGUST 2019

$13/1L

2018 Pays d'Oc Blanc Méditerranée (Best
Buy) ^ A simple palate-whetter, this is light
and clean, with faint notes of lime and sea
salt on a smooth texture. § Taub Family Selections, Boca Raton, FL
272167

86 | Arrogant Frog

124005

86 | Anakena

PA Y S D ' O C

$13

2018 Pays d'Oc Lily Pad Chardonnay (Best
Buy) ^ Pillowy in its apple flavor and gently

RHONE
271015

94 | E. Guigal

$320

93 | E. Guigal

$140

2017 Condrieu La Doriane ^ From a range
of parcels in Condrieu and aged in new oak
for 12 months, this tastes like autumn in its
golden flavors, the peach and pear fruit soft
and scented with warm spice. A leesy richness gives the wine a creamy fullness as well
as a fine grip; it has the structure to stand
up to rich dishes, like a crown roast of pork
with roasted apples. § Vintus, Pleasantville, NY

ROUSSILLON
271856

90 | Mas Janeil

$25

2015 Côtes du Roussillon ^ A blend of
macabeu and grenache gris from a plot of
old bush vines in Maury, this is sunny and
spicy. Give it time in the glass and the initial
caramel notes turn toward roasted pears and
hazelnuts while spicy acidity keeps the wine
buoyant. A broad, elegant white, it's rich
enough to pair with veal in a cream sauce. §
Cape Classics, NY

FRANC E ROSÉ
271044

88 | Fortant

$11

2018 Pays d'Oc Coastal Rosé Grenache
(Best Buy) ^ A light, pale rosé, this has delicate
notes of herbs and underripe strawberries. §
Boisset Collection, St. Helena, CA
271876
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Wine & Spirits - August 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - August 2019
