Wine & Spirits - Summer 2023 - 55

➤Bodega
Garzón
MALDONADO
WINEMAKER:
Germán Bruzzone
FOUNDED: 2007
VINEYARD ACRES
OWNED: 625
WINERY CERTIFICATION:
LEED
VALUE HITS: 3
AVG SCORE: 92.33
AVG PRICE: $20
TOP SCORE: 94
Pacifi c Highway
Wines & Spirits,
Greensboro, NC
Here's something
you don't see very
oſt en: 625 acres of
vines established in
less than a decade,
carved from a
2,500-acre parcel
of coastal scrub on
the outskirts of what
was once a sleepy
fi shing village. Pueblo
Garzón is now a
chic beach resort,
and Bodega Garzón
is growing worldclass
wines on the
oldest granite on
the planet. With the
backing of Argentine
businessman
Alejandro Bulghe roni,
the team is taking
tannat and marselan
to the major leagues.
If you're looking for
your own MVP in red,
you can't do better
than the blackberryfresh
and silken
2021 Reserva Tannat
for $20.
under $12-this year,
we recommended
their cabernet
sauvignon, merlot
and zinfandel as
Best Buys. The 2020
Lodi Zinfandel, in
particular, is meaty
and dark-berried,
with touches of clove
and peppercorn; it
touches all the bases
for just $11.
➤J. Lohr
➤Gen5
LODI, CALIFORNIA
WINEMAKER:
Karen Birmingham
FOUNDED: 1916
ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
5,000 cases
VINEYARD ACRES
OWNED: 7,000
FARMING CERTIFICATION:
Lodi Rules
Sustainable
VALUE HITS: 4
AVG SCORE: 87.3
AVG PRICE: $11
TOP SCORE: 89
The Lange family
are members of the
old guard, making
wine in Lodi for fi ve
generations. Their
extensive vineyard
holdings allow them
to off er quality wines
in today's market for
CENTRAL COAST,
CALIFORNIA
WINEMAKER:
Brenden Wood
FOUNDED: 1974
VINEYARD ACRES
OWNED: 1,400
FARMING CERTIFICATION:
CSWA Sustainable
VALUE HITS: 4
AVG SCORE: 87.8
AVG PRICE: $17.50
TOP SCORE: 91
One of W&S's Top
100 Wineries in
2022, J. Lohr has a
standing reputation
for fi ne winemaking,
a skill they carry
into value-priced
wines. The winery
excels at a range
of varieties, from
riesling to cabernet
sauvignon. But the
home run for value is
their valdiguié-the
2022 Arroyo Seco
Wildfl ower-with its
notes of crushed
berry and clove. It's
a lively wine you can
chill for a post-game
barbecue, especially
with lamb sausages.
➤Rack
& Riddle
NORTH COAST,
CALIFORNIA
WINEMAKER:
Manveer Sandhu
FOUNDED: 2006
ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
1,500 cases
VALUE HITS: 3
AVG SCORE: 88.7
AVG PRICE: $20.67
TOP SCORE: 91
When Manveer
Sandhu isn't busy
tending to other
people's wines at this
custom-crush facility
in Healdsburg, he's
making sparklers for
founders Rebecca
Faust and Bruce
Lundquist's Rack
& Riddle brand.
Sandhu connected
with three of his four
bottlings this year,
all at $20 to $22,
prices you don't see
in bright, fragrant
sparklers from
California. He looks
to Carneros pinot
noir for his Blanc
de Noirs, a 91-point
beauty to keep
chilled in the dugout.
➤Black
Star Farms
MICHIGAN
WINEMAKER: Lee Lutes
FOUNDED: 1998
ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
35,000 cases
VINEYARD ACRES
OWNED: 130
FARMING CERTIFICATION:
MEAP
VALUE HITS: 5
AVG SCORE: 89.2
AVG PRICE: $19.20
TOP SCORE: 90
The only team
representing the
Midwest Division,
Black Star Farms
is one of the oldest
wineries in north
Michigan and boasts
holdings in both the
Leelanau and Old
Mission Peninsulas.
For its Arcturos
brand it draws on
multiple estate
vineyards, relying
on the region's lakemodulated
cool
climate for their
white wines, like
the 2021 SemiDry
Riesling with
broad melon-y
appeal. Don't miss
the surprisingly
sumptuous 2017
Leelanau Peninsula
Blanc de Blancs.
➤Buttonwood
Grove
FINGER LAKES,
NEW YORK
WINEMAKER:
Susan Passmore
FOUNDED: 2004
ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
12,000 cases
VINEYARD ACRES
OWNED: 67
VALUE HITS: 6
AVG SCORE: 89.5
AVG PRICE: $19.50
TOP SCORE: 91
Under new
ownership and
management
since 2014,
Buttonwood Grove
has systematically
climbed in the
standings. Dave
and Melissa Pittard,
natives of nearby
Skaneateles, have
invested in new
vineyards and
improved existing
ones, including
extensive plantings
of riesling and
chardonnay.
Winemaker Sue
Passmore creates
signature wines
from both varieties,
especially the
2021 Finger
Lakes Unoaked
Chardonnay-a crisp
lemony white-and
the 2020 Riemer
Block Riesling. Chill
either one to sip
between innings.
➤Heron Hill
FINGER LAKES,
NEW YORK
WINEMAKER:
Jordan Harris
FOUNDED: 1977
ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
20,000 cases
VINEYARD ACRES
OWNED: 41
FARMING CERTIFICATION:
Vine Balance
(Sustainable)
VALUE HITS: 6
AVG SCORE: 90.2
AVG PRICE: $20
TOP SCORE: 92
Heron Hill manages
nearly 45 acres of
vines in the Finger
Lakes, including
SUMMER 2023
WINE & SPIR IT S
55
Wine & Spirits - Summer 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - Summer 2023
