Grape Varieties – Decanter

Volnay's new generation takes the reins

Charles Curtis MW — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 07:00:01 +0000

Thibaud Clerget, Domaine Y Clerget

Without Volnay, there is simply no joy,’ declared historian Claude Courtépée in his 18th-century work on the Duchy of Burgundy. The delights of the wine from this village have been known since before the dukes constructed their château there in the 11th century, while today’s wine lovers are discovering them again thanks to the able work of a new generation of winemakers.

While generational change is always occurring, it seems there are currently an unusually high number of fresh faces in Volnay, including the young winemakers Clément Boillot, Pierrick Bouley, Thomas Bouley, Marc-Olivier Buffet, Thibaud Clerget and Maxime Dubuet-Boillot.

To this, one should add Clothilde Lafarge, although her parents Frédéric and Chantal are still very much involved in the family domaine.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for wines from Volnay’s new generation

Wine selections and tasting notes by Charles Curtis MW:

Alcohol levels given where available

Mercurey: A regional profile of this hidden corner of Burgundy

Best value Burgundy 2022 wines en primeur

Discovering white Beaujolais: 10 wines to try

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Sonoma County's best kept secret: Moon Mountain District

J'nai Gaither — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 08:08:34 +0000

Harvest at Hanzell Vineyards in the Moon Mountain District.

The Sonoma American Viticultural Area (AVA) known as the Moon Mountain District presents a paradox. It is both a rough-and-tumble locale with rogue characters who flout convention, and a land of pristine beauty that produces some of the finest wines in Sonoma County.

Nestled within the larger Sonoma Valley AVA, Moon Mountain District was granted AVA status in 2013. It spans just 800 hectares (of Sonoma’s 7,000ha) at elevations between 120 and 716 metres, all within a 15 kilometre stretch.

The region’s hallmarks, that helped it gain its AVA status, are its hill and mountainside vineyards and red volcanic soils. These include some of the oldest vineyards in California too, including Hanzell’s 1953 Ambassador vineyard and the storied Monte Rosso.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for selected wines from producers on Moon Mountain

Wines from four featured Moon Mountain producers

Sonoma travel guide: The perfect three-day itinerary

Sonoma County AVAs: Overview and 10 wines to try

Exploring Sonoma County’s coolest vineyards plus top wines from each

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Bordeaux 2010: Reappraising the grands crus of the Médoc

Georgie Hindle — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 09:19:53 +0000

The estate of Château Lynch-Bages.

The Bordeaux 2010 vintage stands as a landmark year, one of the most celebrated in recent memory. Superb across the entire region, red wines reached optimum maturity with bright acidity and firm tannins.

Small berries produced concentrated wines with many having increased percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blends, leading to a slight advantage for the Left Bank over the Right.

Often talked about alongside the equally brilliant but contrasting-in-style 2009 vintage, 2010 offered less hedonism but more homogeneity with excellent red, dry white and sweet examples.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for our top 2010 Médoc reds

Hitting their stride: 40 top Médoc 2010 reds to seek out

Bordeaux 2004: A 20-year retrospective

Top value Bordeaux 2023 wines tasted en primeur

Bordeaux 2023 releases: Price cuts in early campaign

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Regional profile: Moulin-à-Vent celebrates its centenary

Andy Howard MW — Sun, 09 Jun 2024 05:16:46 +0000

Vineyards in Romanèche-Thorins, Moulin-à-Vent.

On 17 April 1924, the area which later became the Appellation d’Origine (AO) Moulin-à-Vent, was delimited – one of the very first in France. Precisely 100 years later, the stars have aligned for this historic Beaujolais cru with the submission of an application to elevate 14 of the appellation’s best sites to premier cru status.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for 30 Moulin-à-Vent wines

See notes and scores for 30 Moulin-à-Vent wines

Brits abandon Merlot in favour of Beaujolais

Discovering white Beaujolais: 10 wines to try

Beaujolais: assessing its premier cru potential

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Decanter partners with the International Pinot Noir Celebration

Clive Pursehouse — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 05:40:58 +0000

The International Pinot Noir Celebration takes place 26-28 June 2024.

A first in its 38 years of existence, the International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) has chosen a media partner, Decanter magazine, in a pivotal year for the event –one of America’s longest-running wine celebrations.

The weekend of 26-28 July 2024 will mark an historic final IPNC weekend, as organisers have designs on pivoting to a different format for the event.

IPNC is a one-of-a-kind wine event held in McMinnville, Oregon that brings an array of Pinot Noir producers from around the world to the campus of Linfield University and the hillside vineyards of the Willamette Valley. The three-day immersive experience includes names like Burgundy’s revered Domaine des Comtes Lafon, CHACRA from Patagonia, and many Oregon and California producers, including Sonoma’s Three Sticks and Oregon stalwarts, Bethel Heights and Beaux Frères.

‘I was part of the first IPNC in 1987,’ said Dominique Lafon of Domaine des Comtes Lafon. ‘This celebration was key for the strong relationships between the burgeoning wine industry in Oregon and Burgundy. The event also puts the spotlight on Pinot Noir worldwide. I’ll be happy to participate in this wonderful event one more time with my family.’

Attendees will have access to in-depth, up-close wine education with some of the world’s biggest names in Pinot Noir. Raj Parr will provide the keynote address. The Grand Seminar, moderated by Karen MacNeil, will explore Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Champagne to Burgundy to South America and the US West Coast. There will be vineyard tours and intimate University of Pinot seminars.

The meals at IPNC include food prepared by some of the Northwest’s best chefs and deep verticals of Pinot Noir from the extensive IPNC library collection.

Guests may purchase tickets for individual events, including the Sunday Sparkling Brunch, the IPNC Salmon Bake, or the entire weekend.

Decanter’s North America editor, Clive Pursehouse, will be in attendance. IPNC represents an excellent opportunity for Decanter to speak with American wine lovers as the publication seeks to expand further into the US market, having launched a US team almost two years ago.

‘We are thrilled to have the sponsorship and support of Decanter magazine for the 2024 event,’ said Thomas Savre, president of the IPNC board, and winemaker for Lingua Franca. ‘This collaboration not only validates our event’s exceptional quality and reputation but also underscores our shared commitment to promoting excellence in the world of wine.’

‘This event is beloved by the industry and Pinot Noir fans. I am looking forward to celebrating one more time with the guests and some of the best Pinot Noir makers from all over the world. IPNC may be closing a chapter, but the book still has many pages to be written,’ Savre added.

DWWA results out 19 June!
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The sommelier suggests… Oregon Pinot Gris by Ron Acierto

Oregon’s Willamette Valley 2021: Vintage report and top-scoring wines

US West Coast: The new vanguard

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Top picks for World Verdejo Day on 14 June

Chris Wilson — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 05:35:11 +0000

Three Verdejo wines from Bodega Cuatro Rayas in DO Rueda, Spain

Verdejo is one of Spain’s most planted white grape varieties. It accounts for 8% of all white grapes planted in Spain and is grown all over the country from Rioja to La Mancha and Almansa, but its home is in Rueda in the Castilla y León region.

‘It is in the expansive region of Castilla y León where the Verdejo grape reigns,’ wrote Beth Willard in the introduction to Decanter’s 2022 Spanish Verdejo panel tasting. ‘High on the windy and sparsely populated plains of the Meseta Central, north of Madrid, the variety fully develops its showy lime and tropical aromas with racy acidity,’ she added.

DWWA results out 19 June!
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World Verdejo Day on Friday 14 June celebrates the grape variety in its myriad styles; as well as its classic unoaked incarnation which offers stone and tropical fruit and refreshing acidity, you can find oaked and even oxidised versions of this versatile grape.

Here’s a handful to enjoy on World Verdejo Day, or any day for that matter, including a 98-point scoring non-vintage wine, supermarket picks and one from Mendoza in Argentina.

World Verdejo Day: Top wines to try

Expert’s choice: Ribera del Duero wines under £30

White Rioja: Panel tasting results

Xarel·lo: From Cava workhorse to white wine thoroughbred

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Expert's Choice: Empordà

Fintan Kerr — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 08:46:57 +0000

View from Espelt Viticultors vineyards over the guest house area at Vilajuïga.

The 160km drive from Barcelona to the French border via Girona takes little more than 90 minutes. Driving up the efficient and clinical motorway, you’d never know you were passing through one of the most rugged, individual and below-the-radar wine regions in Spain: Empordà.

Empordà’s history, kinship, language and terroir are shared with Roussillon in southern France as much as they are with Spain. The cold Tramontana wind blows from France south across the border into Empordà – so strongly at times that anyone behaving strangely is said to be ‘tocat per la Tramontana’ (‘touched by the Tramontana’).

Scroll down to see notes and scores for 18 exciting wines from Empordà

See notes and scores for 18 exciting wines from Empordà to seek out

Tim Atkin MW: ‘Rías Baixas’ reds are some of the most exciting in Spain right now’

Aragón: Exploring Spain’s wild frontier plus the wines to seek out

Hidden Spain: Tiny wine regions

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New Chianti Classico releases in 2024: Top picks for the table and cellar

Michaela Morris — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 08:34:31 +0000

Selecting favourites among Chianti Classico’s new releases is like splitting hairs: so many deserve a place at the dinner table and/or in the cellar.

Given different ageing regulations within Chianti Classico’s three-tiered classification, a wide range of vintages is released every year. A first peek at the ‘saved-by-August-rain’ 2022 is restricted to the ‘annata‘ level, while the preliminary 2021 Riserva and Gran Selezione, together with longer-aged annata, provide a comprehensive picture of what has shaped up to be an excellent vintage.

Add to this some stunning late releases from 2020 and 2019, and the choices multiply further.

My recommendations below attempt to represent the exceptional value and incredible diversity the denomination offers.

See the score table with Michaela’s tasting notes and scores for 180 new Chianti Classico releases

Featured in this article:

See the wines featured in this article, arranged by score. To see all wines tasted, including all the top scorers, view the score table.

Chianti Classico annata: New releases in 2024

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2021: Vintage snapshot & 15 top picks

Decanter meets: Marco Balsimelli, production director for Ornellaia and Masseto

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Chianti Classico Gran Selezione: New releases in 2024

Michaela Morris — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 08:47:50 +0000

The gallo nero (black rooster) – symbol of Chianti Classico – in the town of Gaiole.

As new labels continue to flood Chianti Classico’s highest category, I have tasted almost as many Gran Selezione as annata this year.

The steady increase can largely be attributed to changes in the denomination’s regulations: in July 2023, the minister of agriculture signed the decree legally recognising the region’s Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive (UGA).

See the score table for Michaela’s tasting notes and scores for 180 new Chianti Classico releases

Featured in this report:

The wines below are all mentioned in this Chianti Classico Gran Selezione report. To see all wines tasted, including all the top scorers, view the score table.

Chianti Classico annata: New releases in 2024

Chianti Classico Riserva: New releases in 2024

Brunello di Montalcino 2019 – ‘spoiled for choice’: Full report

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Chianti Classico Riserva: New releases in 2024

Michaela Morris — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 08:15:24 +0000

Frescobaldi's Tenuta Perano Riserva vineyard in Gaiole.

Last year’s preview of the 2021 annata inspired great expectations for the Riserva and Gran Selezione categories of Chianti Classico, exhibiting great depth of fruit, balancing acidity and alcohol, and confident rather than arrogant tannins. This year’s tastings confirm that scaling Chianti Classico’s ladder in the 2021 vintage is well worth it.

Despite the challenges of spring frost followed by a hot, dry summer, conditions in the crucial period leading up to harvest seemed to work in symbiosis with this. The combination of slightly stressed vines and relatively cooler temperatures in September encouraged slow ripening, according to Alessandro Campatelli at Riecine.

‘Both technical [sugar] and phenolic ripening were close to perfect,’ he asserted, saying that the period from veraison to harvest lasted between 37-45 days. He compared this to 2022, which was 28-35 days, and 2020, which was barely over two weeks. Of course, these numbers are specific to Riecine’s high altitude vineyards in Gaiole.

In Radda, Poggerino’s Piero Lanza also points to ideal temperatures during September. ‘We had significant differences – early mornings as low as 3°C and days between 28-30°C.’ He maintains that this favoured great acidity, perfumes and polyphenolic complexity, all of which translated to the wines in the glass.

See the score table for Michaela’s tasting notes and scores for 180 new Chianti Classico releases

Featured in this report:

The wines below are all mentioned in this Chianti Classico Riserva report. To see all wines tasted, including all the top scorers, view the score table.

Chianti Classico Gran Selezione: New releases in 2024

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2021: Vintage snapshot & 15 top picks

Brunello di Montalcino 2019 – ‘spoiled for choice’: Full report

The post Chianti Classico Riserva: New releases in 2024 appeared first on Decanter.

Chianti Classico annata: New releases in 2024

Michaela Morris — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 09:16:35 +0000

Tenuta Casenuove lost nearly 50% of the harvest in 2022.

Italy’s mid-August public holiday, Ferragosto is synonymous with the height of the country’s summer break, but in 2022, it also marked a crucial turning point for the vintage.

Following the arid 2021 vintage, 2022 needs new superlatives. With little rain or snow in autumn 2021 and winter 2022, the dusty terrain resembled August when I visited in mid-March.

Chianti Classico 2022 vintage rating

Extreme heat and drought conditions were somewhat alleviated by mid-August storms. An early but long harvest yielded a variable mix of characterful near-term drinking annata with unexpected freshness.

4/5

While beneficial, April showers were nowhere near sufficient to replenish reserves for the parched months that followed. ‘Between mid-May and mid-August, we recorded less than 10mm of rain,’ said Valentino Davaz at Poggio al Sole.

Then, in late spring, the heat began to soar and didn’t relent for most of the summer. ‘Average temperatures with maximum peaks over 30°C lasted for more than 80 consecutive days,’ relayed Rocca delle Macìe’s Thomas Francioni. Tim Schefenacker at Castagnoli added that there were five days in July that reached 43°C.

See the score table for Michaela’s tasting notes and scores for 180 new Chianti Classico releases

Chianti Classico annata: Featured in this report

The selection of wines below are all mentioned in this Chianti Classico annata report. To see all wines tasted, including all the top scorers, view the score table.

Chianti Classico Riserva: New releases in 2024

Chianti Classico Gran Selezione: New releases in 2024

Brunello di Montalcino 2019 – ‘spoiled for choice’: Full report

The post Chianti Classico annata: New releases in 2024 appeared first on Decanter.

The sommelier suggests... Oregon Pinot Gris by Ron Acierto

Ron Acierto — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 04:00:24 +0000

Ron Acierto is wine & beverage director at the Tributary Hotel’s ōkta restaurant in McMinnville, Oregon. He is an Imbibe 75 Person to Watch for 2024, as voted by Imbibe magazine in the US.

I have long had an affinity for this lovely wine. In my native Philippines, the national beverage is beer. Growing up, I never dreamed that wine would be part of my career path. Most Filipino households never even had bottles of liquor or beer at home, and drinking alcohol was something you did only on special occasions.

My first encounter with wine occurred when I worked in food and wine at a family friend’s retirement home in Indiana, USA and I built on this with more exposure to fine wines through various food service jobs. After moving to Oregon wine country in 2005, I immersed myself in learning all about the wines of Willamette Valley, while working first at Cherry Hill winery in the Eola-Amity Hills, and then in management at some of Portland’s finest restaurants.

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are considered the king and queen of Willamette Valley wine grapes, but I also became curious about Pinot Gris, which is planted throughout Oregon. When working in restaurants in Portland, I noticed that Pinot Gris wasn’t usually highlighted on wine lists. The perception was that it was less interesting as a variety, perhaps because it was so widely available, and at a lower price point than other whites. Yet, over the last decade, I’ve gained more respect for this wine and grown to love its many expressions.

DWWA results out 19 June!
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I’ve offered Pinot Gris as a glass pour at ōkta restaurant in downtown McMinnville since it opened in July 2022. The Eyrie Estate Pinot Gris 2021 is delicious with our ōkta carrot snack with farro waffle tart shell, served with miso. It was also an excellent match for a dish on last year’s menu: wild sea bream, radishes, watercress and shiitake mushrooms. And it seems to be gaining more traction in general, with wine merchants introducing drinkers to more producers and styles of the grape.

Most consumers don’t know that Pinot Gris is the result of a genetic mutation that occurred in Pinot Noir. Their DNA profiles are remarkably similar; the colouration of the leaves and grape skin are the main differences. Many of the wine producers with whom I’ve opened bottles of Pinot Gris over the years have learned to coax the best expressions from this grape. Starting in the 1960s, David Lett planted Pinot Gris at Eyrie Vineyards in the Dundee Hills AVA. Its wines have always been rich in texture and flavour, balanced between fruit and acidity, and a versatile pairing.

Perhaps surprisingly, the Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Gris wines have demonstrated great ageability. Jason Lett, the late David’s son, recently poured a 1982 bottling, and I still remember its texture and richness, the lingering aroma of caramelised white fruit – tasted blind, I would probably have guessed Chardonnay, though the acidity and freshness were still distinguishable. I wish that more local producers would vinify their Pinot Gris to age in the same way that the great grand cru Pinot Gris wines of Alsace do.

Pinot Gris vinified with skin contact shows another aspect to the grape – look out for wines from Antiquum Farm and Big Table Farm. Aromas of these wines range from fresh flowers to candied fruits. At ōkta, we pair this style with the flavours of umami, sashimi-style seafood and chef larder-fermented root vegetables. It brings out the best in the food and highlights the wine’s acidity and lingering mouthfeel.

In general, I pair young Pinot Gris with shellfish and summer salads with white stone fruits. Meanwhile, wines with age would pair beautifully with spring and summer grilled vegetables. Pinot Gris will also hold up with your backyard barbecues, as well as charcoal-roasted chicken.

Discovering Pinot Gris: Acierto’s top picks

Jason Lett at Oregon’s Eyrie Vineyards has continued to make Pinot Gris to the same high quality as his father David, who died in 2008. The 2021 and 2022 Eyrie Pinot Gris ($US30 eyrievineyards.com) are both drinking beautifully now, with bright acidity, but will definitely get better with age. The richness in the mouthfeel and the balance of summer fruits make it the perfect bottle to take to your friends’ spring and summer dinners. Pair with tomato salad, grilled root vegetables and grilled whole fish with chimichurri-inspired sauces.

Some skin-contact Pinot Gris wines are made in a way that gives a dark rosé or lighter style red in the glass. The Ltd+ Wines project, run by husband and wife Bree and Chad Stock, sees grapes sourced from David Hill Winery, which owns some of the oldest vines planted in Forest Grove, just west of Portland. Introducing their Old Vine Skin Fermented Pinot Gris 2022 (currently US$42 for the 2021 on limitedadditionwines.com), the winemakers themselves describe it as neither a red wine nor what might typically be described as an ‘orange’ wine, ‘but utterly its own unique self and completely captivating’. It has definitely captivated me, and I’d pair it with any preparation of pork, as well as rotisserie chicken. I’ve recently cooked my personal version of Filipino chop suey – shrimps and pork mince stir fried with vermicelli rice noodles – and it balances the umami flavours of these dishes perfectly. Or just savour it on its own while reading a great novel on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

The sommelier suggests… Riesling by Melody Wong

The sommelier suggests… Cabernet Sauvignon by Keize Mumba

The sommelier suggests… Semillon by Florencia Rey

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Wynns’ John Riddoch: an Australian Cabernet icon

David Sly — Sun, 02 Jun 2024 07:00:50 +0000

Wynns chief winemaker Sue Hodder with the John Riddoch line up.

In September 2020, Wynns Coonawarra Estate‘s 2016 John Riddoch became the first Australian wine distributed by La Place de Bordeaux.

Beloved in Australia, this famed Cabernet Sauvignon, now reaches a prestigious network of international fine wine buyers and collectors in more than 100 countries.

Scroll down for 14 vintages of Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon

John Riddoch: the pinnacle of Wynns Coonawarra Estate

Updated 07/05/2024 to add additional vintages. Wines are listed in vintage order, with the most recent release first.

Wynns Coonawarra Estate: producer profile

Crozer & Bizot: a family vision in Wrattonbully

Great Southern wines: Australia’s biggest secret

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Six icon wines from Rioja

Simon Field MW — Tue, 28 May 2024 16:01:34 +0000

The historic winery of Marqués de Murrieta.

Leaving aside its most traditional meaning as a devotional image of Christ, an icon has come to mean ‘a person or thing serving as a representative symbol’, a symbol that may or may not be worthy of veneration, but certainly merits respect. I have selected six wines from Rioja that, I feel, meet this criterion.

The choice was relatively easy, although some very worthy contenders didn’t make the final line-up, including Artadi’s El Pisón, Telmo Rodríguez’s Remelluri and Benjamin Romero’s Contador, as well as several others. I have focused on wines and wineries that lend an historical perspective, and that capture the very best of the notion of tradition in this celebrated DOCa.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for 12 wines from six iconic Rioja wineries

See notes and scores for 12 wines from six iconic Rioja wineries

Rioja’s best wine bars

Decanter’s top tips for buying Rioja

Hidden Spain: Tiny wine regions

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American Syrah: 30 top buys

Anna Lee Iijima — Mon, 27 May 2024 07:00:24 +0000

Colombia Valley is one of America's prime spots for Syrah.

Syrah in the US remains an enigma. Cult brands that emerged during the 1990s – Sine Qua Non on the Central Coast or Cayuse Vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley – are among the country’s iconic and most expensive wines.

But by and large, Syrah is still the perennial underdog of American wine. ‘There’s this assumption that Syrah [in America] is just this goopy, overly alcoholic, overoaked and overextracted wine,’ explains Jeff Lindsay-Thorsen, the winemaker-sommelier who produces WT Vintners’ Syrah from vineyards in Washington and Oregon.

The benchmark for Syrah is still encapsulated in the northern Rhône ideal. But to critics who claim that Syrah’s otherworldliness, its haunting florality and sanguine, sauvage complexities, can’t be found outside France, America’s Syrah growers have a firm response…

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 30 of the best Syrahs from across the US

See notes and scores for 30 of the best American Syrahs

Sonoma wine country property with Syrah vines listed at $9.4m

Paso Robles’ Saxum Vineyards: Producer profile and 10 wines to try

Washington GSM: Panel tasting results

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Torbreck: profile plus 16 new releases and older vintages from this cult Barossa label

Sarah Ahmed — Sun, 26 May 2024 07:00:29 +0000

Years ago when interviewing Ian Hongell, he dismissed generic stereotypes about South Australia’s Barossa Valley: ‘it’s not one flat paddock!’ Back then he worked for Peter Lehmann. Today Hongell is chief winemaker and general manager at Torbreck, a winery that shot to fame in the 1990s by cherry-picking the best of that ‘paddock’.

Influential US critic Robert Parker gave rave reviews for Torbreck’s opulent Shiraz-based wines, sourced from select dry-grown, old-vine parcels, vinified in small batches and seamlessly constructed. Parker awarded 100 points to the inaugural 2005 vintage of The Laird, Torbreck’s flagship single-vineyard Shiraz, now among Australia’s most expensive wines.

Scroll down for scores and tasting notes of 16 Torbreck wines

Torbreck: 16 new releases and older vintages tasted and rated

Elderton: Over 40 years of Cabernet and Shiraz in the Barossa Valley

Peter Lehmann: Stonewell Shiraz vertical and other select releases

Yalumba 175th anniversary: Museum Collection wines released

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Expert's Choice: US Riesling

Maiah Johnson Dunn — Sat, 25 May 2024 10:11:22 +0000

Lamoreaux Landing's vineyards in Finger Lakes.

Too often, Riesling gets a bad rap. Through much of the 20th century, American bottlings were often confusing. There was little consistency in labelling and wines made using unrelated varieties or distant relatives often adopted the name, such as ‘Grey Riesling’ or ‘Missouri Riesling’.

A 1996 ruling by the TTB (US Treasury department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) cleared up a lot of the ambiguities around the use of the name ‘Riesling’ on US wine labels. But it wasn’t until 2006 that TTB regulations doing away with the last of the misleading Riesling-based names came into force. In 2008, a sweetness scale developed and launched by the International Riesling Foundation debuted on American Riesling bottles to help dispel the common belief that all Rieslings are sweet.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for 18 US Rieslings to seek out

See notes and scores for 18 US Rieslings to seek out

Oregon’s Willamette Valley is a special place for Riesling

The sommelier suggests… Riesling by Melody Wong

Best Michigan Riesling: Top bottles to try

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Capezzana’s Trefiano: Quintessential Carmignano

Michael Apstein — Fri, 24 May 2024 09:01:23 +0000

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Trefiano – Tenuta di Capezzana’s stunning take on Carmignano Riserva – a vertical tasting of a handful of vintages ranging from 1988 to 2019 (the current release) was held in Florence this February.

In preparation for the tasting, I opened a bottle of the 2015 from my own cellar, so I have included my impression of that below, along with the wines from the tasting. Spoiler alert: Trefiano, like other great wines, takes at least a decade to reveal its considerable charms and stature.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the Capezzana Trefiano

A taste of Trefiano:

Wines are listed oldest to youngest

Il Caggio’s Ipsus: A Tuscan wine legend in the making

Castello di Fonterutoli’s Concerto: A Sangiovese-dominant SuperTuscan in its 40th vintage

Isole e Olena’s Cepparello: the Paolo de Marchi effect

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The Chappellet family and the forging of Napa's Cabernet identity

Jonathan Cristaldi — Thu, 23 May 2024 08:00:37 +0000

Dominic Chappellet in the barrel room at Chappellet Vineyard & Winery

In the mid-1960s, American businessman Donn Chappellet began doing some soul searching and started to imagine life as a winemaker. He had co-founded Interstate United Corporation, a food services business that, at its apex, employed 8,000 workers and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Then, in 1966, at the age of 34, he sold his shares and moved his family from Los Angeles to a remote part of Napa Valley called Pritchard Hill, which is now home to a bevy of Napa giants, including Bryant Family, Colgin, David Arthur, Continuum, Realm, Ovid and, of course, Chappellet.

Today, Chappellet is regarded as one of Napa Valley’s greatest assets, known for its powerful, structured, mineral-driven and ageworthy Cabernet Sauvignons. Beginning in September 2023, Chappellet has offered stocks of its 2019 Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon and 2019 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon wines on La Place de Bordeaux through Les Vins d’Ailleurs, a branch of courtier (broker) Bureau Barre & Touton.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for 10 Chappellet wines

Cristaldi’s pick: a taste of the Chappellet range

The rich history of California’s Louis M. Martini including a vertical tasting

St Helena 2020: The top Cabernets from this Napa AVA

Producer profile: Hundred Acre plus 18 great wines to try

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In praise of Rioja's old vines

Sarah Jane Evans MW — Wed, 22 May 2024 10:00:26 +0000

Manu Michelini in the cellar

Rioja and age go well together. That’s bottle and barrel age. There’s nothing like a mature gran reserva, layered with the memories of red fruit, autumn, wood smoke and wild herbs; smooth and very long-lived.

Its age of maturation is firmly regulated: a minimum of two years in a 225-litre barrel, a minimum of two years in bottle, with five years’ ageing overall before release.

What is curious, though, is that the age of the vines has never featured in the appreciation of the wine. Until now, that is.

The wine world is talking about vineyards and old vines, and Rioja has joined the conversation.

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