Wine & Spirits - August 2019 - 79

IMPORTED NEW RELEASES
BAIRRADA
272142

90 | Vadio Wines

$90

2015 Bairrada Rexarte ^ A cool coastal
red, this is light and airy, with touches of
sweetness in its blackberry flavors. As those
flavors develop with air, they turn richer,
with red-fruit notes and bright acidity. This
needs cellar time to integrate and show its
complexity. § Grape2Glass, Newark, NJ

PORT
272180

95 | W.& J. Graham's

$500

1963 Porto Single Harvest Tawny ^ From a
year made famous by the Vintage wines, this
Tawny is markedly fresh and lively, delivering a generous creamy richness that melds
textures and flavors into luxurious density.
Notes of ripe apricot and fresh herbs last in a
brisk, peppery finish. A wine to contemplate
on its own, long into the night. § Premium Port
Wines, San Francisco, CA
272182

90 | W.& J. Graham's

$145

1994 Porto Single Harvest Tawny ^ Richly
textured in a lovely contrast between supple and frisky, this wine focuses on generous
almond flavors over a light touch of strawberries and cream. Its caramel and toffee notes
clean up in the end; a bold Tawny to serve
with a savory almond tart. § Premium Port
Wines, San Francisco, CA

S O U T H A F RI C A WHIT E

ALELLA

93 | La Vizcaína

$38

92 | Raúl Pérez

$68

91 | José Antonio García

$24

91 | Raúl Pérez

$72

88 | Raúl Pérez

$20

271018

2016 Bierzo La Vitoriana Lomas de
Valtuille ^ There's fineness to this mencía,
with clean flavors of plums just coming into
ripeness. The tannins feel light, with the
crunch of blueberry skins, and some umami
notes of wild mushrooms. It's tight and
vibrant, a Bierzo to serve with grilled baby
lamb chops. § Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
270992

90 | Alta Alella

$19

2018 Alella PB ^ A tense, floral pansa blanca,
this has a pear-skin freshness that buzzes
over the sappy juiciness of its round white
fruit. It feels integrated, and its spicy flavors
last. § Avant-Garde Wine & Spirits, NY

VINO DE LA TIERRA DE
CASTILL A
271648

85 | Dominio de Eguren

$8

2018 Vino de la Tierra de Castilla Protocolo (Best Buy) ^ Soft and cushioned with flavors of orange and candied pear, this simple,
warm white is a steal for $8. Chill it for spicy
braised pork. § Jorge Ordóñez Selections, Dedham, MA

S PA IN ROSÉ
G E TA R I A K O T X A K O L I N A
272161

92 | Gañeta

$25

2018 Getariako Txakolina ^ Bright, cool
and dynamic, this is a brisk, rose-scented
rosé, its lush citrus flavor driving freshness
through to the end. Nacho Monclus, who
pours magnums of txakoli rosé by the glass
at Camperdown Elm in Park Slope, Brooklyn,
described this wine's flavors as "blood orange
rather than strawberry-a different flavor
profile for people who want to drink rosé." §
Bonhomie Wine Imports, South Orange, NJ

2016 Bierzo Ultreia La Cova de la Raposa ^
This is a gamey Bierzo, with perfumed
scents of pink peppercorns and green notes
of shishito peppers and figs. It's super spicy
and bright, a mineral-tinged red to decant
for roast peppers stuffed with pork. § Skurnik
Wines & Spirits, NY
271669
2017 Bierzo Unculín Tinto de Valtuille
Mencía ^ Smoky and sleek, this is a generous
mencía with notes of black cherry and green
fig that wrap around schist-driven tannins.
Its smoky oak and supple textures will meld
with a grilled Iberian pork chop. § De Maison
Selections, Chapel Hill, NC
270994

2016 Bierzo Ultreia de Valtuille ^ This is as
black as black cherries and filled with floral
notes, the initially spicy green-peppercorn
scent yielding roses, violets and lavender as
it opens with air. Match its richness to salty
barbecue. § Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
270988
2017 Bierzo Ultreia Saint Jacques (Best
Buy) ^ This mencía's blue fruit has a spicy
green-fig undertone. It's zesty and floral,
with tannic grip that needs substantial foods,
like braised pork shoulder. § Skurnik Wines &
Spirits, NY n

S PA IN RED
ALELLA
271427

90 | Alta Alella

124167

88 | Bayten

BIERZO

271433
$1,200

1940 Porto Single Harvest Tawny ^ Europe
was deep in the throes of war when these
grapes ripened, nearly eight decades ago.
Anyone considering the future of the
European Union might find this wine's
integration inspiring, its powerful depths
immediately apparent, even if its freshness
seems long gone. But consider it a bit longer
and the wine adds stone fruit, dried apple
and raw nut scents to its gracious texture and
broad-shouldered concentration. Smoky,
rich and fascinating, the flavors will expand
out of a drop to completely fill your head. §
Premium Port Wines, San Francisco, CA
272181

93 | W.& J. Graham's

S PA IN WHITE

$15

2018 Constantia Sauvignon Blanc (Best
Buy) ^ From the estate formerly known as
Buitenverwachtig, this is fresh and tangy
with notes of lime and red grapefruit. A little
spice and some vegetal notes give it complexity, and point it toward a Sichuan green-bean
stir-fry. § Cape Classics, NY

$35

2018 Alella Merla ^ A colorful blast of cool,
pithy red fruit, this has intriguing flavors
lifted by scents of wild herbs and shishitopepper spice. It's a fresh and youthful take on
monastrell grown in sandy granite, to serve
cellar temperature with grilled pork chops
rubbed with fresh thyme. § Avant-Garde Wine
& Spirits, NY

WINE & SPIRITS

AUGUST 2019

79
https://www.altaalella.wine/en/wines
Wine & Spirits - August 2019

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