Wine & Spirits - Summer 2023 - 104

Imported New Releases
88 | Charmes Godard
$25
2020 Francs Côtes de Bordeaux (BEST BUY) ^
This is Nicolas Thienpont's white-wine project
in the Côtes de Francs, where he grows
a blend of sémillon (54 percent, in this vintage)
and sauvignons blanc and gris. That
fruit comes together in a clean and mild Bordeaux
with scents of green fig and soft, Cara
Cara orange acidity before the wine firms up
in the end. -J.G. § Vintus, NY
87 | Olivier Ravoire
$14
2022 Côtes du Rhône Blanc Banderet (BEST
BUY) ^ Clean and peachy with a toothsome texture,
this is a patio pounder for the dog days
of summer. -C.W. § Fruit of the Vine, Long
Island City, NY
FRANCE RED
BORDEAuX
92 | Château
Lafite-Rothschild
2018 Pauillac Anseillan ^ A stodgy, old-fashioned
Pauillac, this grows on the north-facing
slopes of Anseillan, a village just to the
east of Château Lafite-Rothschild, toward
the Gironde. The cool clay soils produced
a blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and
petit verdot that's reluctant in its ripe flavors,
strict in its hold on that ripeness so that it
feels silken rather than flabby or bold. It's
bright at the edges even as the core of the
fruit is dark and powerful. Impressively structured
and suited to a decade or more of age.
-J.G. § Taub Family Selections, Boca Raton, FL
91 | Château d'Arsac
$32
2019 Margaux Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel
(BEST BUY) ^ This ancient estate is centered
west of Arsac, closer to the D1 than
the D2. In 2019, the wine's red-plum flavors
are tight, austere and mouthwatering, the
tannins directing the fruit in a narrow structure.
Lasting on that juicy red-plum savor,
this Margaux is easy to drink right now, and
structured for short-term aging -J.G. § Millesima/Joanne,
NY
90 | Château Lillian
Ladouys
$25
2019 St-Estéphe Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel
(BEST BUY) ^ Chokecherry and blackcherry-skin
intensity meets baking chocolate
tannins in the finish of this wine, marked by
the hard edges of oak. Fruit powers through
those tannins, even as the structure keep the
wine buttoned up, needing a year or two to
relax. -J.G. § Open Market, NY
10 4
WINE & SPIR IT S
90 | Château Puygueraud $22
2018 Francs Côtes de Bordeaux (BEST
BUY) ^ This estate in the Côtes de Francs has
served as a Thienpont family base in Bordeaux
since the 1940s, as generations of
the family branched out from Vieux Château
Certan to Le Pin and other properties
in the region. Nicolas Thienpont makes the
wines at Puygueraud, and they are consistently
among the best values you can find
on the Right Bank. In 2018, scents of violets
and cherry leaf lead into a silken red, then
tannins, with their savory umami tones of
woodland mushrooms, cut through any
fruit sweetness. Those tannins will readily
be relieved by a hanger steak or by a year or
two in the cellar. -J.G. § Vintus, NY
90 | Château Tour Bayard $25
2020 Montagne St-Emilion ^ Red fruit contrasts
the bitter-chocolate tannins of this
wine, the plum and pomegranate flavors lasting
through the fleshy structure. A blend of
merlot with 20 percent cabernet franc, this is
a wine with character and shape, this is a welcoming
Bordeaux to buy by the case. -J.G. §
Vintus, NY
88 | Château Castegens $28
2018 Côtes de Bordeaux (BEST BUY) ^ Charcoal
and fraises des bois scents meet some
bruised plum-skin tannins in a wine that's
as rich as pomegranate molasses, tangy and
clean. For burgers off the grill. -J.G. § Kysela
Père & Fils, Winchester, VA
88 | Château Peyredon
Lagravette
$27
2019 Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois (BEST
BUY) ^ Warm and leesy, with oak scents of
roasted coffee beans, this has a savory dustiness
to the tannins, then it lasts on a simple,
sweet red-cherry note. -J.G. § Polaner, NY
86 | Château Charmail
$27
2019 Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel
(BEST BUY) ^ This wine's assertive
strawberry warmth stands apart from the
plentiful tobacco scents and umami char,
like a grilled mushroom with soy and tamari.
Give it time for the elements to integrate.
-J.G. § Millesima, NY
BEAuJOLAIS
92 | Clos du Vieux Bourg $39
2021 Morgon Côte du Py ^ Highly aromatic
up front, this wine turns toward a pungent
mineral intensity, not fully showing itself
until it's been open for a day. It firms up with
air, all the herbal complexity of the aroma
Summ ER 2023
beginning to infuse the juiciness of the fruit.
Tight now, and built to age. -J.G. § Cape Classics,
NY
90 | Domaine Striffling
$43
2021 Morgon Les Charmes ^ High-toned
acidity adds a volatile edge to this wine's lush
blue fruit and floral notes. It packs plenty of
satisfaction in a sunny, chillable red for summer.
-J.G. § Cape Classics, NY
90 | Domaine Striffling
$25
2021 Morgon Grand Charmette ^ This is a
selection from five acres in three Morgon
terroirs-Grand Cras, Les Charmes and
Corcelette-where the soils are decomposed
granitic schist. There's a mineral stink to the
wine's reductive black-raspberry scent, a
sweaty Beaujolais that welcomes you in and
gives plenty of black-raspberry flavor to keep
your attention. Bright, robust and easy to
love. -J.G. § Cape Classics, NY
90 | Domaine Striffling
$24
2019 Régnié Crét d'Oeillat ^ Lively, youthful
and fresh, this carries a pomegranate edge
to its crunchy black-raspberry flavors. It lasts
on pink-peppercorn spice, easy to drink on
its own or with anything off the grill. -J.G. §
Cape Classics, NY
SOuTHERN FRANCE
92 | Moulin de la Roque
2019 Bandol Les Hauts du Vallon Rouge ^
Moulin de la Roque is a co-op with 150
member winegrowers spread across all eight
communes in Bandol. This wine comes from
three communes surrounding the village to
the west and north, and it has mourvèdre's
brusque and rustic appeal with a leatherand-earth
grip to the tannins. It lasts on
saline black fruit flecked with scrubby garrigue
complexity. Open it with dry-aged steak
seared rare. -C.W. § Jeff Welburn, Los Angeles,
CA
91 | Cave les Côteaux
du Rhône
$25
2021 Côtes du Rhône-Villages Massif
d'Uchaux Domaine de Beaunefort ^ This
blend of grenache (60 percent) with syrah (30
percent) and carignan shows earthy complexity
in its black-tea tannins and floral edges.
Its fruit is dark as night, but it holds that violet
floral character at the edges, making it feel
pretty and elegant in spite of some licorice
and leather flavors. -C.W. § W.Direct, Lawrence,
KS
Wine & Spirits - Summer 2023

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