Wine & Spirits - Winter 2023 - 83

Imported
New
Releases
Our blind panels tasted 242 imported New
Release wines for this issue. Our critics recommended
61 as exceptional, and 18 as Best
Buys. The reviews are from Joshua Greene
(Australia, Chile, New Zealand, Portugal),
Stephanie Johnson (Italy), Jamal Rayyis
(Armenia) and Corey Warren (Argentina,
southern France, South Africa). Find a complete
list of wines tasted and all reviews at
wineandspiritsmagazine.com.
ARGENTINA RED
92 | Finca Decero
$33
2021 Agrelo The Owl & The Dust Devil
Icon Blend ^ The Remolinos vineyard,
planted at 3,050 feet of elevation, is named
for the whirlwinds (remolinos) that pick up
its dusty topsoil. This wine takes a while to
wake up-at first, it's all hard-edged tannins
(makes sense, as it includes thirty percent
petit verdot and tannat, the rest mostly
malbec with some cabernet sauvignon). One
might stop short of describing its structure as
elegant with all that brawn involved, but it's
well-constructed, coming off with measured
aggression. A few hours of air reveals flavors
of violet-scented blueberries and notes of
loamy soil. Vibrant and primary, this wine
should deliver more complexity in five to ten
years' time. -C.W. § Vintus, NY
89 | Flight of the Condor $15
2022 Mendoza Malbec (BEST BUY) ^ Crunchy
plum flavors and some dark-chocolate bitterness
make for an approachable, fresh malbec.
-C.W. § Vintus, NY
ARMENIA SPARKLING
90 | Keush
$40
2018 Vayots Dzor Brut Nature Cuvée
Couchane Rosé ^ This faintly pink, Arenibased
bubbly draws from vines in the mountainous
Vayots Dzor region-Keush claims
it is among the highest-elevation sparklingwine
vineyards in the north of the equator,
reaching altitudes of up to 5,740 feet. That
elevation nearly assures fresh acidity, while
22 months of lees aging adds a hazelnut-like
creaminess to the wine's appealing dried
apple and pear flavors. A savory sparkler
to serve with cold appetizers-from garlic-laden
eggplant caviar and stuffed grape
leaves to cured fish and salty string cheese. §
-J.R. Storica, Manhasset, NY
ARMENIA WHITE
92 | Yacoubian-Hobbs
$30
2019 Vayots Dzor ^ For a distinct taste of
Armenia, you can hardly do better than this
utterly unique wine. On the one hand, there
is a delicacy to its sinews of fruit, earthy
spice, and compelling astringent acidity. On
the other, it feels broad and muscular. There
is a richness of golden mountain berries,
creamed corn and the detail of finely grated
lemon zest. If you are impatient to see what
this all means (like I said, it's unique), serve
now with a fenugreek-and-garlic-rubbed
roast chicken (or pick up some chicken
korma from your favorite Indian place).
Alternatively, lay it down three or more years
for what will certainly be a fascinating wine. §
-J.R. Paul Hobbs Selections, Sebastopol, CA
91 | Zorah
$75
2020 Rind Heritage Chilar ^ Documented
viticulture in Armenia is among the world's
oldest, represented today by ancient indigenous
varieties like chilar. This wine's raspy
yellow fruit notes-loquat, lemon and
golden raspberry-need time to integrate
with the twist of white pepper and the nervous
acidity. Give it a year or two in the cellar,
or pour it now, lightly chilled, with a simple,
savory stew of veal, chopped greens, and
potatoes. § -J.R. Skurnik Wines, NY
89 | Zorah
$41
2020 Rind Voskì ^ A blend of two local varieties,
vozkehat and garandmak, this wine
carries the aromas of late-summer-intoautumn
fruit: ripe yellow plums and spicy
golden apples. At first sip, a peppery, bitter
herbal quality joins the fruit and spice,
as well as a hint of heat from the alcohol.
This needs food to come into harmony; chill
it for grilled trout stuffed with herbs. § -J.R.
Skurnik Wines, NY
ARMENIA RED
94 | Noa
$50
2017 Vayots Dzor Areni Reserve ^ This succulent
wine shows the advantages of maturity,
opening with scents reminiscent of cherries
jubilee that have flambéed longer than
planned, but very much for the better. A taste
offers some of the same braised-cherry pleasures,
along with savory nuances of tamari,
cacao and star anise from its time in new
oak. Burnished by vibrant acidity, the wine's
fruit freshened the second day, throwing
some fresh cherry and Damson plum notes
into the mix, as well as a vein of aromatic
chocolate within strapping -though givingtannins-all
prophesying a long life ahead.
If you open this now, the tannins might suggest
you serve it with braised oxtails, but the
wine's nuance would show best with something
lighter, like a chocolaty chicken mole. §
-J.R. Storica, Manhasset, NY
92 | Zorah
$40
2020 Rind Karasì ^ A delightfully characterful
yet elegant wine, this offers an abundance
of aromatic notes, like sandalwood and long
pepper, and a saturation of berries: raspberry,
blueberry, then ripe red cherry. It gives
equal pleasure, whether you simply swirl and
sniff, or sip slowly to savor the wine's clarity
of fruit, accented by a crushed-rock minerality.
The grip of tannin on the end is balanced
by the length of the fruit and spice and
the fresh acidity. Serve with roast duck with
cherry sauce. § -J.R. Skurnik Wines, NY
92 | Zorah
$75
2019 Rind Heritage Sirenì ^ A sultry Sirenì,
this wine divided the tasting panel, some
finding it overly rustic. To me, that read as
down-to-earth: peppery pomegranate and
black-cherry flavors accented by sweet, cinnamon-like
spice. Sure, the wine's tannins
are prominent, veering toward rugged, and
there might be a touch of volatility in it, but
those give structure and lift to the long-lasting,
satisfying fruit. Serve it on a cold night
with pomegranate-glazed roast shoulder of
lamb. § -J.R. Skurnik Wines, NY
AUSTRALIA WHITE
92 | Cullen
$25
2020 Wilyabrup Dancing in the Sun (BEST
BUY) ^ Vanya Cullen blends this from her Mangan
and Cullen vineyards, working with sauvignon
blanc (62 percent), semillon (36 percent),
a little verdelho and chardonnay. The
wine's earthy richness-a savory-toasted lees
character-is pointed up by a small amount
W INTER 2023
WINE & SPIR IT S
83
http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com
Wine & Spirits - Winter 2023

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