Wine & Spirits - April 2020 - 134

NORTH AMERICAN NEW RELEASES
persistent tannins. It's ideal for something
charry off the barbecue, like lamb chops.
(383 cases) -P.J.C. §
519380

90 | Desire Lines

$36

2017 Amador County Shake Ridge Ranch
Syrah ^ This is all about structure at first, with
mineral aromas like iron filings and rust.
With air, some smoky fig and olive flavors
fill the frame. It's lean and tannic, with the
stuffing to age well. (150 cases) -P.J.C. §

TEMPRANILLO
519346

88 | Peirano

$16

2017 Lodi The Heritage Collection Tempranillo (Best Buy) ^ Exceptionally dark, this
warm red has scents of cured sausage and
mortadella to go along with dark berry flavors. It would pair well with morcilla. -P.J.C. §

N E W YORK WHITE
519655

88 | Dr. Konstantin Frank

$15

2018 Finger Lakes Grüner Veltliner (Best
Buy) ^ Salty, biscuity, cool and pretty, this
grüner possesses high-toned lemon and peashoot scents, with flavors that are a bit more
plump and chewy. Chill it ice-cold for pasta
tossed with arugula pesto. -P.J.C. §
519654

88 | Dr. Konstantin Frank

$17

2018 Finger Lakes Gewürztraminer ^ (Best
Buy) ^ A classic gewürz that reflects the coolness of the Finger Lakes without too much
austerity, this has textbook scents of litchi
and white roses, assertive but not overly phenolic. The flavors are lemony and rounded;
for choucroute garnie. -P.J.C. §

N E W YORK RED

519130

$34

2018 Napa Valley Rancho Chimiles Valdiguié ^ David Wilson grew up on Rancho
Chimiles, a Mexican land grant northeast
of the town of Napa where his parents settled and started farming in the 1960s. They
planted their first vines in 1972, ten acres of
valdiguié in sandstone, of which two acres are
still bearing and contributed to this Wilson
Foreigner release. The project is a collaboration between David and Christine Wilson
and a couple they met in South Africa's Western Cape, Chris and Suzaan Alheit. They ferment this wine in concrete with 30 percent
whole clusters, then age it in neutral oak;
there are no additions other than sulfur. Valdiguié has none of the weight or richness of
a Napa Valley cabernet. But if you settle in
and spend some time with this wine, it offers
its own vinous pleasures. It's earthy and soildriven, with rustic red fruit that takes on the
succulence of a black-olive tapenade. The
flavors are gentle and clean, lasting on iron
and spice. Chill it slightly to enjoy a contemporary taste of what Napa Valley once was.
(229 cases) -J.G. §

Z I N FA N D E L
519336

88 | Peirano

$16

2016 Lodi The Heritage Collection Old
Vine Zinfandel (Best Buy) ^ This wine's
bright fruit turns darker with air, the pure
black-cherry lushness finishing with finegrain tannins. Simple and well-priced for
barbecue. -P.J.C. §

134

WINE & SPIRITS

APRIL 2020

$32

88 | Erath

$14

2018 Willamette Valley Pinot Gris ^ Modest skin contact gives this wine a pale orange
hue and scents of narcissus and curry powder. It's bright and savory, graceful in the
middle, with a mild grip of tannins; for king
crab and clarified butter. -P.J.C. §
519825
2017 Oregon Pinot Blanc (Best Buy) ^ Mild
scents of peach and apple give this wine a
sunny, expressive disposition. It's on the
thick side, but with irresistible flavors, and
a mineral grip. (400 cases) -P.J.C. §

WASHINGTON RED
519446

90 | Buty

$50

90 | Jolete

$45

2017 Horse Heaven Hills Columbia Rediviva Phinny Hill Vineyard ^ This cabernetdominant blend leads with scents of sawdust
and evergreen fronds. The menthol note
makes it feel bracing and tense, with plenty
of energy, ideal for lamb. (355 cases) -P.J.C. §
519311

VALDIGUIE

91 | Wilson Foreigner

90 | Big Table Farm

2017 Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon ^ With its high-toned herbaceous scent,
this cabernet won't be for everyone, but the
fresh herb flavors bring brightness to the
jammy flavors, emphasizing the lean, firm
texture. For steak. (320 cases) -P.J.C. §n
519656

90 | Dr. Konstantin Frank

$30

2017 Finger Lakes Saperavi ^ This stylish
red is dark and meaty, with notes of smoked
bacon and cigar infusing the purple fruit. It's
prodigiously tannic, needing food-like pork
belly-to show its best. -P.J.C. §
519261

88 | Fulkerson

$25

2017 Seneca Lake Reserve Syrah (Best
Buy) ^ Green and bright, with a bracing menthol scent, this offers purple fruit lined with
green-peppercorn spice; for braised beef.
(134 cases) -P.J.C. §

OREG ON WHITE
519570

91 | Big Table Farm

$48

2017 Yamhill-Carlton Chardonnay ^ Warm
and generous, this chardonnay opens up with
sumptuous oak and lees notes, broadened by
gentle, lemony fruit. It has a sesame-oil richness, and enough mineral notes to rein in the
finish. -P.J.C. §
519569

C ANADA: RED
125430

90 | Mt. Boucherie

$43

125426
90 | Mt. Boucherie

$22

2016 British Columbia Summit ^ A blend
of about half merlot, with cab franc, cabernet sauvignon, malbec and syrah, this wine
is all plum, with an overlay of cedar and pine
needles. It's lean but balanced, a savory, compelling red for lamb. Accolade Brands, Studio
City, CA
2018 Similkameen Valley Blaufränkisch ^
Faintly smoky, with scents of peat and dark
crushed berries, this youthful wine's inky currant flavors are crunchy and firm; it has the
lean acidity and meaty grip for a flank steak.
Accolade Brands, Studio City, CA n

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Wine & Spirits - April 2020

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