Wine & Spirits

33RD A N N UA L B U YI NG G UI D E

B E ST C H A M PA G N E
BLANC DE NOIRS

BEST BURGUNDY

95 | Domaine Quivy

233020

96 | Krug

$2,000

2002 Champagne Clos d'Ambonnay Brut
Blanc de Noirs ^ The pinot noir corollary to
Clos du Mesnil, Clos d'Ambonnay steps up
to a new level with the 2002 vintage. The
gentle, brooding character of its initial scent
may bring back ghosts and memories of
great Burgundies; then the massive power
of its structure may crush those memories
in a quarry of stony acidity, floral citrus notes
and beefy pinot fruit. This swirls with youthful power, weightless and ageless, undeniably
grand. (W&S 12/18) § Imported by Moët Hennessy USA, NY -J.G.

B E ST C H A M PA G N E R O S É
233636

96 | Louis Roederer

$489

2008 Champagne Cristal Brut Rosé ^ Frédéric Rouzaud and Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon
decided to hold the 2008 Cristal Rosé longer
than the 2009, giving it eight years to rest on
the lees. The cool vintage and long aging created a wine with a huge personality and presence, its compressed power barely relieved
by Lécaillon's decision to include lots that
underwent malolactic fermentation (16 percent), a rare move for Roederer's vintage
cuvées. Even though the wine is a giant, challenging to approach right now, there's elegance under its deep well of flavor, from rich,
floral raspberry to elusive wild fruit. This is
destined to live for decades. (W&S 12/18) §
Imported by Maisons Marques & Domaines
USA, Oakland, CA -J.G.

BEST MUSCADET
236681

95 | Claude Branger

$19

2016 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie Terroir Les Gras Moutons ^ The Brangers farm
18 acres of vines in Les Gras Moutons, the
site's name believed to be an old French reference to a prominent rise (gros moton) rather
than the direct contemporary translation of a
voluptuously proportioned sheep. This 2016
is, however, pretty voluptuous in its concentrated flavors, completely integrated, all of a
piece. The marine salinity is almost feral in its
intensity, hinting at ginger and mushrooms;
then it lengthens out into an ephemeral character and lasts with grace. Give it time in the
cellar to tame the lemony undertow of acidity for Belon oysters. (W&S 4/19) § Vintage '59
Imports, Washington, DC -J.G.

WINE & SPIRITS

BEST
C H A T E A U N E U F - D U - PA P E S

272504

$330

2016 Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru ^
Gérard Quivy takes this wine through a cool
fermentation in a combination of stainlesssteel and wooden vats. Then he ages it for
20 months in François Frères barrels, 90
percent new. The vines, planted by his wife's
family in the 1940s and 1960s, produced fruit
that's concentrated and racy enough to stand
up to that oak, a bright light of strawberry
freshness and a deep scent of crushed roses.
Together, the elements combine in a fascinating range of tannins, earthy and fleshy, with a
fine textural grit. A beautiful 2016 with years
of development ahead. (W&S 10/19) § Banville
Wine Merchants, NY -J.G.

BEST COTEAUX CHAMPENOIS
233912

94 | Jean Vesselle

$60

2008 Coteaux Champenois Bouzy Rouge ^
A still wine, this is the kind of delicate,
mature pinot noir that would be easy to
drink all night long. It comes off vines that
range from 15 to 30 years old, ferments without added yeasts and ages in neutral oak, so
there's nothing to get in the way of the bright
Bing cherry flavor and scents of woodland
flowers and forest floor. Those flavors are sustained by brisk tannins, extending the wine's
lively fruit complexity for minutes. (W&S
12/18) § Imported by North Berkeley Imports,
Berkeley, CA -J.G.

BEST CHINON
236265

95 | Charles Joguet

$42

2015 Chinon Les Varennes du Grand Clos
Cabernet Franc ^ This 11.4-acre parcel sustains some of the domaine's oldest vines,
planted in 1962 and '76 on a gravelly terrace
over a limestone slope along the bank of
the Vienne River. They produce a wine that
seems to explode with mineral tannins, bold
and powerful, gracious enough when the
bottle is first opened, but best two or three
days later. At that point, all the wine's beauty
is on display, its deep fruit, accents of persimmon, and black-pepper-tannic intensity
melding into classical franc richness. This
should continue to develop for ten years or
more. (W&S 4/19) § Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA -J.G.

BUYING GUIDE 2020

273077

96 | Domaine des
Carabiniers

$67

2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Fruit de Lune ^
The Leperchois family have farmed this
estate organically since 1990; in 2009, they
earned Demeter certification for biodynamics. Fruit de Lune references their holistic
work, though, in 2015, the name could just
as well suggest the wine's otherworldly deliciousness: The wine is so generous in its spicy,
salty, earthy tones that it's hard to refuse. A
sip confirms all that promise, notes of green
olive and musky game adding animal appeal.
The wine lasts for days after opening, developing detail, without losing the energy that
makes it so compelling. (W&S 10/19) § Indie
Wineries, NY -T.Q.T.
272822

96 | Alain Jaume

$120

96 | Domaine du Pégau

$600

2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes
Domaine Grand Veneur ^ The Jaume family
has been growing grapes in Châteauneuf-duPape since 1826; they now own four Rhône
wineries, including Domaine Grand Veneur,
established in 1976. This wine comes off the
estate's oldest vines, a blend of half grenache,
the rest mourvèdre, syrah and small bits of
other varieties, all the parcels farmed organically. It's a stunning wine, exuberantly fresh
in its red-berry flavors while sophisticated
in its detail, weaving in notes of licorice and
pepper, flowers and wood spice. Even after
the bottle has been open for a couple of days,
the wine's freshness doesn't flag, the smooth,
fine tannins holding it steady. This should
age well for a decade at least. (W&S 10/19) §
Kysela Père et Fils, Winchester, VA -T.Q.T.
272703
2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da
Capo ^ This is the second year in a row that
the Férauds have bottled this rare cuvée,
made only in exceptional vintages. The 2016
is even more intense than the 2015, with a
bright energy that makes it inviting despite
its size. A blend of all 13 red-wine varieties
permitted in the appellation, fermented in
whole bunches with ambient yeasts in tank, it
uses stemmy herbal notes to lift the masses of
dark, figgy fruit, taking it into higher, fresher
registers of roses and seedy strawberries,
cracked peppercorns and garrigue. The tannins and alcohol are not harsh, but intense
enough to suggest this is best left untouched
in the cellar for five years, or even up to 15.
(W&S 10/19) § Hand Picked Selections, Warrenton, VA -T.Q.T.

Wine & Spirits - Winter 2019

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

Wine & Spirits - Winter 2019 - 94

Wine & Spirits - Winter 2019

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