Wine & Spirits - Summer 2023 - 95

elevations of the Alto Maipo, where this wine
grows. It's mostly cabernet sauvignon, with
a little carmenère, carignan and syrah in the
blend. It's savory, " like a St-Estèphe, " one
taster noted, the fruit persistent and earthy,
with pine-sap scents brightening that concentrated
and austere blue fruit. There's distinction
to the tannins, aristocratic length
and depth. § Pacific Highway, Greensboro, NC
92 | Concha y Toro
$75
2021 Puente Alto Marques de Casa Concha
Heritage ^ Scents of mountain herbs layer
over this wine's strawberry and black-cherry
flavors. It's full, gentle and clean. There's
intriguing detail in the crisp-lined tannins,
their savor green and herbal, but not aggressive.
§ Viña Concha y Toro USA, Hopland, CA
91 | Haras de Pirque
$65
2020 Maipo Valley Albis ^ James Conley of
Keen's steakhouse finds that certain wines
on his list just sell themselves, and this one
fell into that category, a wine he would be
ordering again before he expected to need
it. He liked the dark, jammy fruit in balance
with acidity and the vanillin of oak. The
prune-plum flavors are just edging toward
dimpled fruit, the wine amiable and easy to
drink. A blend of cabernet and carmenère,
it has some pyrazines and some chalky tannins,
but is overall gracious and approachable.
That informal feel places it with burgers
or hanger steak. § Ste. Michelle Wine Estates,
Woodinville, WA
90 | Santa Ema
$50
2018 Maipo Alto Catalina ^ Scents of hibiscus
and dried flowers carry through this wine's
red fruit flavors. The fruit ranges from cranberry
to orange and raspberry, a warm, soft
cabernet for calf's liver sautéed with bacon. §
Pacific Highway, Greensboro, NCl
Our blind panels tasted 276 newly released
US wines for this issue. Our critics recommended
85 as exceptional, and 26 as Best
Buys. Joshua Greene covers California's
North Coast, Patrick J. Comiskey covers the
rest of California and the US. Find a complete
list of wines tasted and all reviews at
wineandspiritsmagazine.com.
CALIFORNIA WHITE
CHARDONNAY
92 | Chev
2019 Russian River Valley Chardonnay ^ Jeremiah
Timm makes the wines at Chev, a project
launched by Michael and Sarah Browne.
Their Russian River Valley chardonnay is
spicy and savory, a clean wine wrapped in a
voluptuous texture. Dry for its density, this
has touches of floral lees, lending dimension
to the fruit. -J.G. §
90 | Lava Cap
$24
2021 El Dorado Reserve Chardonnay (BEST
BUY) ^ This has the warmth of pineapple and
very ripe pear in concert. It's sunny and simple,
with a juicy irresistibility for a chicken
panini. -P.J.C. (4,000 cases) §
US New
Releases
The flavors are smoky and elegant, the leesy
savor grounding sumptuous baked pineapple
flavors, with lemony freshness giving it
lift and energy. -P.J.C. §
91 | Eden Rift
$42
2019 Cienega Valley Estate Chardonnay ^
Fleshy at first and overtly creamy, this fills
out with air into caramel, nutty, buttery
(diacetyl) notes. It's an amber wine with
lemon curd and lees flavors, oak-driven but
not overly so. -P.J.C. §
91 | Hirsch
$65
2021 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay ^ David
Hirsch planted one block of chardonnay in
the midst of his pinot noir vineyard on the
far Sonoma coast. Those 3.9 acres have produced
some epic wines; in the cool 2021 vintage,
this one is more restrained in its expression
for the moment. There's chamomile
yellow and rich green pear flavor, along with
the nutmeg-spice of oak. It's a savory white
that needs time to evolve. -J.G. (65 cases) §
92 | Keenan
$46
2021 Spring Mountain District Chardonnay
^ Keenan's high-elevation chardonnay is
earthy and savory, layering scents of chamomile
and dry peach, caramel and pear. The
flavors last on that caramel-pear richness
while not getting sticky, instead holding to
mountain-grown tension. Pleasingly rich and
bright. -J.G. (2,370 cases) §
92 | Eden Rift
$54
2019 Cienega Valley Terraces Chardonnay
^ Round and rich, this wine's assertive lees
impression fits comfortably in its ripeness.
90 | Wentworth
$82
2021 Anderson Valley Nash Mill Vineyard
Chardonnay ^ Pale and smoky, this wine's
toasted lees character rides on a creamy, soft
and easy earthiness. Pithy. Its gentle ripeness
Summ ER 2023
WINE & SPIR IT S
95
http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com https://www.lavacap.com/shop/detail/2021-chardonnay/ https://wine.keenanwinery.com/product?productid=ACAAC87E-7918-4413-AD4B-767697C60EAC https://wentworth-vineyard-ranch.obtainwine.com/collection/current-releases
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