Wine & Spirits - Spring 2022 - 92

Top Rhones
eted. Cellar the two together to see which one
wins out in the long run. § Maisons Marques &
Domaines, Oakland, CA
TOP ST-JOSEPHS
97 | E. Guigal
Rhone in the USA
$75
2018 Saint-Joseph Lieu-Dit Syrah (BEST
BUY) ^ Pulled from the historic heart of the
appellation, where the vines cling to a steep
gneiss-based slope, this is elegant and firm,
almost forbidding in its polished, well-oaked
façade. Those mahogany tones course along
lean, firm lines, the wine compact and concentrated,
a nugget of dense black fruit
wrapped in tannins and lashed with notes
of licorice and spice. The wine in our bottle
remained unchanged for days after opening,
opulent in a stand-offish way. Of course, we
opened it years before its prime-so you
don't have to. Better to wait at least another
ten years, or even twenty. § Vintus, NY
95 | Ch. de Saint Cosme $40
2019 St-Joseph (BEST BUY) ^ This is bright and
invigorating, with a bone-warming radiance.
It's made from an old clone of syrah, sourced
from parcels in Malleval, at the northern end
of St-Joseph, and captures the coolness of the
area in the fresh crunch of its fruit and the
its effusive florals. Underneath, darker notes
of damp earth and stone give the wine a fullness
and firmness that bodes well for this
wine's future, though it's hard to resist at the
moment. § Winebow, NY
BEST BUYS: REDS
91 | E. Guigal
$34
2018 Saint-Joseph (BEST BUY) ^ This is dense
and austere, wrapping its fruit in ferrous
tannins and smoky, caramel-scented oak.
There's richness at the center, where the wine
comes together in a chocolate-cherry core,
but this needs time in the cellar to integrate
and unwind. § Vintus, NY
88 | Maison
Les Alexandrins
$17
2020 Vin de France Syrah (BEST BUY) ^ Pure
syrah, floral and purple, this is clean and
juicy, uncomplicated pleasure, with a clarity
that's especially impressive at the price. § Vineyard
Brands, Birmingham, AL l
The dry heat of California, inland from the
coast, has taken chefs in a Mediterranean
direction, and a lot of winegrowers as well.
Syrah also thrives in the cold nights close
to the Pacific in Paso Robles, in the
Mendocino Ridges, or north, to the inland
desert of eastern Washington State. Other
Rhône denizens find a welcome home on
the West Coast, from grenache (noir and
blanc) to mourvedre, which appears to be
a favorite of the bears in the Sierra
Foothills. Our blind panels tasted 318
syrahs, grenache and Rhone varieties for
this issue. Joshua Greene rated the wines
from California's north coast; Patrick J.
Comiskey rated the wines from the rest of
the US, each selecting a group of top
wines we present here. Additionally, you
will find more Best Buys following the top
selections. Find a complete list of wines
tasted and all reviews at
wineandspiritsmagazine.com.
CALIFORNIA WHITE
TOP RHONE WHITE BLENDS
93 | Tablas Creek
92 | Tablas Creek
$25
2020 Adelaida District Patelin de Tablas
Blanc (BEST BUY) ^ This wine blends grenache
blanc (40 percent) with viognier, roussanne,
marsanne and clairette, emphasizing scents
of white flowers and pulpy white-fleshed
fruits like pear and golden apple. The flavors
are generous, adding melon, a lemoncream
highlight and tart phenolics that give
way to a honeycomb finish. Delicious with
miso-glazed cod. -P.J.C. §
CALIFORNIA RED
TOP SIERRA FOOTHILLS
gRENACHES
93 | Lava Cap
$25
2018 El Dorado Grenache (BEST BUY) ^ Bright,
tense and concentrated, this wine reflects the
sunny altitudes of the Western Sierra and the
devigorating tension of volcanic soils. The
flavors are all red cherry and strawberry, concentrated,
but lifted by a lively acidity and
a powdery, dusty mineral grip that keeps it
assertive and forward. -P.J.C. (450 cases) §
$30
2020 Adelaida District Côtes de Tablas
Blanc ^ This vintage of Côtes de Tablas
is mostly viognier and grenache blanc, the
rest marsanne and roussanne. The viognier
and grenache blanc account for 72 percent of
the blend, and their individual varietal characters
create a dramatic tension, with the
lemon, salt and celery notes offsetting the
peachy viognier scents. Its flavors of white
peach, apricot and ginger ride on a texture
that's bright and soothing at once, with a
firm phenolic grip to the finish; for halibut
with lemon and capers. -P.J.C. §
92 | Hearst Ranch
$25
2020 Paso Robles Three Sisters Cuvée
(BEST BUY) ^ A blend of viognier, grenache
blanc and roussanne, this is aged in stainless
steel and neutral wood. It leads with scents
of apple and grapefruit, with a whiff of pekoe
tea, ginger and orange oil, more ethereal
than powerful, a wine that smells rich but
comes off lean and dry, surprisingly harmonious
and very delicious. -P.J.C. (611 cases) §
92
WINE & SPIR IT S
S PR IN g 202 2
93 | Le Casque
$30
2019 Sierra Foothills Grenache ^ This wine's
appealing flavors and alluring, easy texture
suggest grenache is a natural in the Sierra
Foothills. The scents of cloves, nutmeg and
pepper overlie bright red-berry fruit, leading
into a juicy and bright, soft and approachable
red. In the end, it gathers into floral, rosy tannins,
the wine gentle and effortless. -P.J.C.
(160 cases) §
TOP SONOMA COUNTY
gRENACHES
93 | Thirty-Seven
$32
2019 Petaluma Gap Grenache (BEST BUY) ^
The last two vintages for Thirty-Seven's
syrah each earned 92 points and this grenache
from 2019 bests them on release with
its fresh red-cherry flavors. Shane Finley
makes it from the Paradise Estate Vineyard,
at the southeastern edge of the Petaluma
Gap, close to the bay and just north of the
border with Marin. The grenache block faces
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Wine & Spirits - Spring 2022

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