Innholdsfortegnelse for February/March 2020 i Wine Enthusiast Magazine

Adam M. Strum PUBLISHER Susan Kostrzewa EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jacqueline Strum ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER MANAGING EDITOR Lauren Buzzeo TASTING DIRECTOR Alexander Peartree CREATIVE DIRECTOR Marco Turelli DIGITAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR Julia Lea EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR Layla Schlack SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR Sarah Daniels TASTING ASSISTANT TASTING DIRECTOR Fiona Adams TASTING COORDINATOR Craig Chamberlain DIGITAL ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR Emily Saladino SENIOR DIGITAL EDITORS Dylan Garret, Siobhan Wallace SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Elyse Estrella SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Marco Bruno DESIGN ART DIRECTOR Monica Simon ASSOCIATE DIGITAL DESIGNER Eric DeFreitas VISUALS PRODUCER Jesse Reiter ASSOCIATE PHOTO PRODUCER Tom Arena CONTRIBUTING EDITORS EUROPEAN EDITOR Roger Voss ITALIAN EDITOR Kerin O’Keefe WINE Michael Schachner, Paul Gregutt, Virginie Boone, Jim Gordon, Matt Kettmann, Sean P. Sullivan, Anna Lee C. Iijima, Anne Krebiehl, MW, Christina Pickard SPIRITS EDITOR Kara Newman BEER EDITOR John Holl FOOD Nils Bernstein TRAVEL Lauren Mowery LIFESTYLE & ENTERTAINING Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Brett Rachlin…

EL LAGARTO ALE Yazoo Brewing Company In 2017, this Nashville brewery teamed up with musician Elizabeth Cook to brew this beer to benefit the Music Health Alliance, a nonprofit that provides musicians with health insurance, healthcare resources and more. The wheat beer, spiced with coriander, orange and lemon peel, and finished with sea salt, has been produced ever since. It’s released every “Heal the Music Day,” which the alliance celebrates each October. BAYKEEPER IPA Anchor Brewing This brewery is synonymous with San Francisco and involved in a number of area causes. To produce this beer, Anchor partnered with local nonprofit San Francisco Baykeeper, which patrols the waterway to stop polluters. The patrol boat is featured on the label, and Anchor says that a portion of sales will help fund the…

In the vast world of climate science, relatively little attention has been paid to the wine industry’s carbon footprint, mostly because it pales in comparison to that of others. Spanish company Grupo ARCE set out to get an idea of exactly what the impact was and where it came from. Tracking a Verdejo from production to consumption, the group found that the average bottle of wine releases about 1.28 kilograms of carbon into the atmosphere over its lifetime. CAN YOU DETERMINE THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF YOUR WINE? The short answer: Sort of. The type of research that Grupo ARCE conducted requires data that the average consumer just doesn’t have. But there are clues on the label for anyone who hopes to cut down their impact. Here are some things to…

There are an array of important issues being examined around the world right now. Conversations surrounding sustainability, labor, community development, equal opportunity and equitable representation are becoming more prominent in nearly every country, culture and profession, and the wine industry is not immune. These discourses can encourage a shared sense of cognizance and ethical duty to positive long-term effect. While South Africa’s social policies and citizen treatment were stained by apartheid, many within the country’s wine industry have been committed to social responsibility and development of their communities. Today, the pursuit of the greater good, especially in business, is not necessarily a given, but it’s one that rings louder and truer with each passing moment. Its effects can be real and lasting, and it can help to ensure a viable…

Everyone in the wine world knows that what happens in the vineyard is just as important as what happens in the winery, maybe more so, depending on who you ask. As consumers and collectors, we learn about soil types, elevations and pruning methods just as dutifully as we study barrel regimens and aging preferences. It stands to reason, then, that the people who work in the vineyards, cellars, bottling lines and tasting rooms should have at least a passing familiarity with each other and the work their cohorts do. That’s where the family meal comes in. Many producers put out a big spread weekly, monthly or to celebrate events like the beginning and end of harvest. The intention is not just to provide a nice perk—these meals give people a…

Back in the ’90s, the race was on the make the biggest, ripest, oakiest wines possible to win high scores from a particularly influential reviewer at the time. Every trick in the book was done to concentrate flavors and pile on the new oak. This worked better in California Cabernet country than in Oregon, where Pinot Noir was the hero grape. Oregon’s stalwart grape is celebrated for its elegance, grace and transparency, but too many Pinots from the state resembled Syrah, in both color and potency, with alcohol levels at 15% or even higher. A winery such as The Eyrie Vineyards, stubbornly dedicated to light, elegant, ageworthy wines, was completely out of step with the times, and founder David Lett rightfully railed at the influx of Willamette Valley Pinots that…

RIESLING 93 Red Newt Cellars 2016 The Knoll Lahoma Vineyards Riesling (Finger Lakes). This striking dry Riesling delves into deep tones of ripe apple, lemon and stone on the nose, lifted by a brisk note of early spring air. It’s rich and broad yet textural and succulent in feel, built by ripe fruit flavors that are honed by persistent acidity and a gentle grip of white tea. While a delight to drink now, this could be enjoyed through 2025. —A.P. abv: 13.2% Price: $42 92 Fox Run 2018 Silvan Riesling (Seneca Lake). For full review see page 126. Editors’ Choice. abv: 12.3% Price: $25 92 Red Newt Cellars 2015 Tango Oaks Vineyard Noble Select Riesling (Finger Lakes). Sunny aromas of hay, apricot and honeycomb kick off this lusciously sweet Riesling.…

RED WINES RIBERA DEL DUERO 94 Legón 2016 Premium (Ribera del Duero). Ripe blackberry, cola and oaky vanilla aromas are lush and ooze quality. A ramped-up palate is intense but in fine shape, while black-plum, blackberry and black-cherry flavors sizzle with energy on bucking finish that portends many good years to come; drink through 2035. The Northeast Wine Company. —M.S. abv: 14% Price: $45 94 Vega Sicilia 2014 Valbuena 5° (Ribera del Duero). Cuddly berry aromas include a hint of raisin. The palate echoes the nose, meaning this is full and ripe, with smooth tannins supporting raisiny softness. Cassis, exotic spice notes and baked berry flavors are lush on the finish. This seems ready for near-term drinking; enjoy now through 2030. Europvin USA. —M.S. abv: NA Price: $NA 93 Valduero…

GRÜNER VELTLINER SMARAGD 96 F X Pichler 2018 Ried Kellerberg Grüner Veltliner Smaragd (Wachau). A hint of apple freshness and crushed wild thyme savoriness play aromatically on the nose before riper notions of pear and Mirabelle plum hit. On the palate it is saltiness that prevails. A zesty, tingling core of yeasty salt, celery and white pepper sends its wonderfully sharp flavors through the generous fruit on the palate. This is mouthfilling, bold and big but also linear and precise. A picture of bundled, spicy power. Drink 2030–2045. Weygandt-Metzler. Cellar Selection. —A.K. abv: 14.5% Price: $NA 96 F X Pichler 2018 Ried Liebenberg Grüner Veltliner Smaragd (Wachau). Dried moss, warm stone, ripe russet pear and a gorgeous pithy citrus note spell concentration on the nose already. The palate then homes…

In this issue, as we look at all the ways the wine industry is becoming more welcoming, socially conscious and eco-friendly, the topic of getting any and all interested consumers into wineries is top of mind. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may have been passed nearly 30 years ago, but anyone who uses an accessibility device like a wheelchair or a walker will likely tell you that the world still isn’t fully accessible—and wine is no exception. Turn the page to learn how that’s changing. READY, WILLING & ACCESSIBLE “Tasting rooms or other public facilities must naturally meet current ADA requirements,” says Rob Kowal, a longtime winemaker. But “tours through the cellar, barrel room or vineyard will often present impassable accessibility obstacles.” Here’s how some wineries are changing that.…

OBISPO DE CUBA Courtesy Thad Vogler, owner, Obispo, San Francisco 1½ ounces dry gold rum (Obispo uses Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Gold Rum)½ ounce lime juice½ ounce simple syrup (equal parts raw sugar dissolved in hot water)½ ounce red wine Though wine lovers may associate “Obispo” with California’s San Luis Obispo, it’s also the name of one of the most famous streets in Havana, where bishops resided in centuries past. Another place that bears the name Obispo is a new rum-focused bar in San Francisco, owned by Thad Vogler, which serves a pink drink called the Obispo de Cuba. The cocktail was one of many discovered by Charles H. Baker Jr., a writer and bon vivant noted for drinking his way around the world during the 1930s and ’40s.…

Edgar Bar & Kitchen at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., is known for showcasing local ingredients prepared with global influences. Any type of radicchio can be used in this recipe, though Castelfranco radicchio, which is rose-shaped with Burgundy freckled leaves, would be exceptionally pretty. Labneh, a creamy cheese made from strained yogurt, is available at Middle Eastern and most gourmet markets, but feel free to substitute Greek yogurt. GRILLED RADICCHIO WITH LABNEH AND ZA’ATAR OIL Courtesy Lindsey VandenToorn, executive chef, Edgar Bar & Kitchen, Washington, D.C. ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to grill¼ cup za’atar spice mix4 heads radicchio, halved lengthwise with core intactSea salt and fresh-cracked pepper, to taste1 lemon, halved8 ounces labneh4 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced lengthwise, to garnish Stir olive oil with…

In early November 2019, more than 11,000 international scientists signed an SOS on behalf of our planet. The proclamation, titled “World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency” and published in the academic journal BioScience, made explicit connections between human activity and severe environmental repercussions. It also marked the first time such a vast and diverse pool of scientists rallied in support of as urgent a phrase as “climate emergency.” Later that month, that publication was bolstered by a report from the World Meteorological Organization that claimed global greenhouse gas concentrations, and, specifically, those generated by human activity, had shattered new records. This is bad news, because those gases don’t just disappear: They stay in our atmosphere, trap extra heat near earth’s surface and cause global temperatures to rise. If the…

The Buying Guide includes ratings and reviews of new-release and selected older beverage alcohol products evaluated by Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s editors and other qualified tasters. Regular contributors to our Buying Guide include Tasting Director Alexander Peartree, Editor-in-Chief Susan Kostrzewa, Managing Editor Lauren Buzzeo, Assistant Tasting Director Fiona Adams, Contributing Editors Michael Schachner, Anna Lee C. Iijima, Christina Pickard, Mike DeSimone, Jeff Jenssen and Spirits Editor Kara Newman in New York; European Editor Roger Voss in France; Italian Editor Kerin O’Keefe in Switzerland; Contributing Editor Anne Krebiehl in England; Contributing Editors Virginie Boone, Jim Gordon and Matt Kettmann in California; Contributing Editors Paul Gregutt and Sean Sullivan in Washington; and Beer Editor John Holl in New Jersey. If a wine was evaluated by a single reviewer, that taster’s initials appear…

MALBEC 93 Enrique Foster 2013 Firmado Malbec (Luján de Cuyo). A blender’s worth of aromas includes notes of lactic oak, graphite, vanilla, asphalt and berry fruits. On the palate, this is extracted and voluminous, with lemony oak. Black-fruit flavors are molten, while this Malbec is spicy as it deals tobacco notes. A charred, toasty finish is loaded with blackened spice, clove and peppery accents. Drink through 2025. Dreyfus, Ashby & Co. —M.S. abv: 14.5% Price: $90 93 Nieto Senetiner 2014 Don Nicanor Single Vineyard Villa Blanca Old Vines Malbec (Luján de Cuyo). For full review see page 123. abv: 14.5% Price: $50 93 Penedo Borges 2015 Icono Malbec (Agrelo). Ripe cassis and raisin aromas include welcome notes of marzipan and vanilla. This is thorough and lush on the palate, with…

WHITE WINES POUILLY-FUMÉ 93 Domaine Landrat-Guyollot 2017 Gemme Océane (Pouilly-Fumé). This small-production wine is one of two that are labeled Cuvées Exquises by the producer. This wine takes its inspiration from the small ocean shells in the chalk soil. The terroir gives the wine great herbal flavors, very ripe pink-grapefruit flavors and final mineral-driven acidity. Let the wine age and drink from 2021. Canon de Colorado. Cellar Selection. —R.V. abv: 13% Price: $35 92 Domaine des Berthiers 2016 Cuvée d’Eve (Pouilly-Fumé). This wine is now mature, a beautiful transformation into ripe almond, melon and yellow-fruit flavors with an intense tang of ripe citrus. It is perfectly ready to drink. Vineyard Brands. —R.V. abv: 12.5% Price: $39 92 Domaine Landrat-Guyollot 2017 Gemme de Feu (Pouilly-Fumé). One of a pair of wines…

Yes, vodka can be distilled from anything, but most often, that “anything” sprouts from the soil, from grain to potatoes to sugar beets. A growing number of vodka producers want consumers to remember the spirit’s tie to the earth. To that effect, many are emphasizing terroir and provenance in vodka bottlings. Perhaps the most vocal proponent has been Belvedere, which rolled out two single-estate bottlings to spotlight how rye grown in two different regions of Poland manifests when distilled into vodka. Tasted side by side, the bottlings do show nuanced differences: robust vanilla and spice dominate the warmer-climate Smogory Forest bottling, while the Lake Bartezek, from rye cultivated on the shores of a glacial lake, is lighter, finishing with lemon peel and ginger. “Vodka has been thought for so long…

The best terroir doesn’t mean a thing without the workers who tend to the vineyards. Similarly, the most environmentally sound practices don’t add up to much if issues like clean water are ignored close to home. That’s why true sustainability extends to practicing social responsibility, giving back to local communities and providing assistance to employees. “To us, sustainability isn’t just what we do in the field, it’s the people, too,” says Julia Zuccardi, who spearheads community programs at Bodega Santa Julia in Mendoza, Argentina. Read on to learn how her team and other producers the world over are benefitting the greater good. BODEGA SANTA JULIA ARGENTINA In addition to providing daycare for workers’ children, the winery’s Santa Rosa estate offers adult workshops and education programs. An onsite cultural center…

Nothing against common oranges, but it’s hard to resist a fruit that’s the shade of red wine, with many of its health benefits to boot. This similar coloring is no coincidence: The crimson flesh of blood oranges comes from anthocyanins, the same antioxidant pigments found in the beverage. If pairing the fruit with wine, however, don’t rule out whites, which can highlight its layered flavors. In the U.S., peak blood orange season is from January to April, when they’re a smart addition to Mimosas, fennel salad and duck a l’orange. CITRUS For all its rich color, a blood orange is, in fact, an orange, with notes of grapefruit, lime and tangerine. Australia’s Hunter Valley Semillon is a unique expression of the grape, a light and crisp wine fragrant in…

In 2004, when sister-and-brother writing team Yuko and Shin Kibayashi started The Drops of God manga series about blind tasting classic wines, no one believed that the Japanese comic form would click with lovers of Y’quem and Montrachet. But the pen-and-pour pairing immediately struck a chord, first in Japan, then in South Korea, the U.S. and even France. Now, more than 40 volumes later, The Drops of God squad is behind a blind-tasting game app and a wine club featuring such producers as Matthiasson, Robert Sinskey Vineyards, Marietta Cellars and Ashes & Diamonds Winery (Visit dropsofgodwinesalon.com to sign up). They recently launched a wine salon concept in Napa and Beverly Hills, after which they answered a few questions under their shared pseudonym, Tadashi Agi. —Matt Kettmann Did you ever…

Unique to Italy, this spirit is made from pomace—the grape skins, seeds and stalks left over after the juice is pressed to make wine. By law, those leftovers must be taken from wineries to a separate facility to be distilled into grappa. While some grappas are crisp and clear, many are barrel-aged, which softens the sometimes fiery spirit into a softer, honey-hued liquid that can be pleasant with desserts. It’s possible to find grappas aged in ash, chestnut or acacia, but oak is most common. Since it’s made from wine grapes, grappa can carry familiar designations like Prosecco, Chianti Classico and Valpolicella. Still, it drinks quite differently, as its alcohol levels are considerably higher. Typically, grappa is consumed as a digestif or added to coffee. Here in the U.S.,…

Zelma Long Co-owner/Winemaking Partner, Vilafonté Paarl, South Africa One of best-known winemakers in the world, Long has been an icon of the vine and inspiration to many for decades. This pioneer in the California wine scene was one of the first women to study oenology and viticulture at University of California, Davis, in the late 1960s. Her winemaking career started at Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa Valley, where she worked for a decade and rose through the ranks to become the winery’s chief enologist. In 1979, Long was recruited as winemaker for Simi Winery in Sonoma County. During her 18-year tenure, she became president and CEO of the winery, which made her the first woman to assume senior management of a California winery. In 1997, Long established Vilafonté winery in…

WHITE BLENDS 93 Margerum 2018 M5 Reserve Margerum Estate Vineyard (Los Olivos District). Pleasantly restrained aromas of Meyer lemon pith, light nectarine and fresh honeysuckle show on the nose of this blend of 60% Roussanne, 20% Marsanne, 10% Grenache Blanc, 9% Viognier and 1% Picpoul Blanc. It’s tightly wound on the palate, where white rocks provide a mineral backbone to the flavors of yellow and green apple, light mango and pineapple. —M.K. abv: 13.6% Price: $36 93 Tablas Creek 2018 Côtes de Tablas Blanc (Adelaida District). For full review see page 124. Editors’ Choice. abv: 13.5% Price: $30 92 Le Casque 2018 Adrian (Sierra Foothills). This full-bodied wine shows excellent depth of flavor and breadth of texture as it unfolds ripe pear, honeydew melon and vanilla flavors. Blended from Grenache…

SHIRAZ 93 Walsh & Sons 2017 Felix Syrah (Margaret River). From a single, family-owned vineyard on sandy, clay soils in eastern Margaret River, this is small-batch, minimal-intervention winemaking at an affordable price. It weaves together black currant and raspberry, with licorice, pepper, earth and a touch of vanilla, but it’s not from oak. It changes rapidly in glass, the aromas reminiscent of a winery at crush time. In the mouth, it’s textural, peppery and tangy, buoyed by bright acidity and granular earthy tannins. Wine Dogs Imports LLC. —C.P. abv: 13.5% Price: $35 92 Forest Hill 2017 Highbury Fields Shiraz (Great Southern). This excellent value Shiraz from Western Australia’s Great Southern region doesn’t convey its cool climate origins at first sniff. But give it time in glass or decanter and those…

BARBARESCO 99 Roagna 2014 Asili Vecchie Viti (Barbaresco). Fragrant, structured and loaded with finesse and complexity, this stunning, perfumed wine opens with alluring scents evoking new leather, pressed rose, eucalyptus, cinnamon and carob. It’s vibrant, focused and bestowed with incredible energy, delivering crushed raspberry, red cherry, licorice and savory mineral notes. Bright acidity and polished tannins lend remarkable elegance and precision. It’s the best wine from this challenging vintage. Drink 2022–2036. Polaner Selections. Cellar Selection. —K.O. abv: 14% Price: $225 98 Gaja 2016 Barbaresco. Aromas of rose, red berry and eucalyptus mingle with whiffs of exotic spice on the gorgeous, fragrant red. Loaded with finesse and tension, the elegant, structured palate delivers crushed raspberry, white pepper and star anise set against fresh acidity and taut, lithe tannins. It’s already compelling,…

Modern beer trends are pushing flavors towards the sweet end of the spectrum, which has been to the great benefit of milk stouts. Simply speaking, milk stouts, sometimes called sweet or cream stouts, are traditional dark ales with the addition of lactose. The milk sugar adds a creamy mouthfeel to the beer, and a dose of sweetness that perfectly complements the roast coffee, chocolate and toast flavors of the moderate-alcohol (4–8% abv) stout. This particular style of beer has been shrouded in myth for decades. Marketed to new mothers for health benefits, or as the beer to properly start off a day, it was always on the fringe of the stout category. The recent rise of pastry stouts, a style where brewers aim to mimic well-known desserts in beer form,…