Wine & Spirits - Summer 2023 - 98

US New Releases
93 | Eden Rift
$78
2019 Cienega Valley Lansdale Pinot Noir ^
At once brighter and more generous than
Eden Rift's other 2019s, this wine comes
from the estate's highest elevation at 1,400
feet. Scents of olive and cedar smoke give it
an interesting savor, and hint at the wine's
depth. It has a sun-warmed cherry intensity
of flavor, wild and full or radiant energy; give
it time in the cellar before serving with duck
breast. -P.J.C. (834 cases) §
92 | Eden Rift
$78
2019 Cienega Valley Palmtag Pinot Noir ^
Scents of cola and cherry hint at the warm
summer days in this remote AVA. The
wine has a dark fruit profile and impressive
detail-a granular texture of plum-skin
tannins supporting fleshy blackberry and
plum fruit. Wildly flavorful, yet still at some
remove. Cellar. -P.J.C. (850 cases) §
92 | Siduri
$70
2021 Sta. Rita Hills Hapgood Vineyard
Pinot Noir ^ From a cool site in the heart of
the Sta. Rita Hills, this wine has the district's
windswept scents of pine and sage framing
dark red-cherry fruit. It's given contour
by a tart cranberry edge, all of it delivered
with nimble acidity and a lively mouthfeel.
-P.J.C. (353 cases) §
90 | Sarah's Vineyard
$54
2021 Santa Lucia Highlands Tondré
Grapefield Pinot Noir ^ Rich and forward in
its flavors, this leads with clove and five spice,
a healthy dollop of blackberry and caramelly
oak. The fruit is very concentrated, like jam
left to simmer on the stove, the tannins firm
enough to pour with a pork chop. -P.J.C.
(274 cases) §
90 | Siduri
$40
2021 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir ^
Santa Lucia with an edge: This starts out
classically dark, with blackberry and plum
scents, and the thick-skinned depth of fruit
from the windy Highlands. Fresh raspberry
flavors play on the palate, lithe with a juicy
lift for cured salmon. -P.J.C. (1,530 cases) §
90 | Siduri
$40
2021 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir ^ Dark and
structured, with black-raspberry scents and
a mild clove-like spice, this lively wine has
plenty of acidity to lend elegance and finesse
to its dark fruit character. -P.J.C. (189 cases) §
SYRAH & RHONE VARIETIES
94 | Samsara
91 | Alta Colina
$59
2020 Sta. Rita Hills Zotovich Vineyard
Syrah ^ Exotic right out of the gate, charred
meat, carob and creosote scents tell you
you're in for a savory display. The flavors are
dark and muddled, deep olive and blackberry
that meld seamlessly together, with melted
chocolate tannins overlaying mulled berry
sweetness. Despite its depth, it has splendid
energy and impressive length; ready to drink
now, or cellar. -P.J.C. (159 cases) §
93 | Melville
$62
2020 Sta. Rita Hills Donna's Block Syrah ^
Donna's Block in 2020 is brooding and lively
at once, a wine that's fiercely savory and
bright with fruit; quite a feat. From a 3.5-acre
block of almost pure sand, it leads with scents
of cocoa powder, olive and bacon, overlying a
dark plum flavor that's fleshy and sensuous,
the tannins melting and fine. It has the stuff
to age. -P.J.C. §
93 | Donkey & Goat
$36
2022 El Dorado Skinny Dip Grenache ^
Light in color and in scent, this wine's red
fruit is like a dusky cloud in the glass. That
cloud brings a wealth of aromatics-earth,
root beer and licorice, kombucha, sour strawberry,
rhubarb. All of it, together, feels like an
elemental expression of grenache. The strawberry-rhubarb
flavors are accented by earthy,
dusty tannins, grainy, the wine mildly sour
in its grip, mineral and mouthwatering. This
needs a chill and some charcuterie. -P.J.C.
(150 cases) §
92 | Donkey & Goat
$30
2022 El Dorado Twinkle Mourvedre ^ Dark
purple in color, this starts out youthful and
resinous, but, when tasted three days later,
the fruit has burst through-black, blue, and
brambly-scented with licorice, cedar fronds
and tobacco. It's got plenty of deep berry flavor
beneath the leafy savor, with surprising
complexity and layering, and the stuffing to
age. -P.J.C. (403 cases) §
92 | Melville
$42
2020 Sta. Rita Hills Estate Syrah ^ A darker
wine than Donna's Block (also recommended
here), this syrah has fruit flavors more in the
realm of fig and blackberry, with an oliveskin
grip and savor that draws against their
richness. It's for drinking now with lamb koftas.
-P.J.C. §
OREGON WHITES
CHARDONNAY
91 | Siduri
NEW YORK REDS
$65
2020 Paso Robles Adelaida District GSM ^
A blend of grenache and mourvedre with a
dollop of syrah, this starts out smoky and
dark, its scents of creosote and smoked plum,
along with the sleek juicy texture beg for barbecued
ribs. -P.J.C. §
88 | J. Lohr
$15
2021 Paso Robles South Ridge Syrah (BEST
BUY) ^ There's a lot here for the price: brambly
blackberry flavors dusted with milk chocolate
shavings, tarry tannins to frame the dark
grapey fruit. -P.J.C. §
90 | Heron Hill
$16
2021 Finger Lakes Blaufrankisch (BEST
BUY) Bright and lean, this smells of violets
and wood smoke. The dark cherry flavors
follow with a curious cracked-pepper funk
to the tannins that's hunger-inducing, for
lamb sausages. -P.J.C. §
$30
2021 Willamette Valley Chardonnay (BEST
BUY) ^ Generous and open, this wine's pineapple
flavors have a broad leesy frame which
reins in the ripe fruit and creates a creamy
impression. It's simple, but thoroughly irresistible
for a grilled bird. -P.J.C. (389 cases) §
98
WINE & SPIR IT S
Summ ER 2023
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Wine & Spirits - Summer 2023

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