Peter Zemmer Pinot Grigio Alto Adige 2016
Straw yellow in the glass, Peter Zemmer’s 2016 Pinot Grigio from the verdant storybook commune of Cortina, in the Südtirol/Alto Adige region of South Tyrol. A semi-alpine microclimate lends lightness and lift. Aromas of emerging spring flowers, fresh herbs, soft alpine breezes, white peach, and pear waft from the glass. Blithe acidity wends through the […]
Paul Blanck Pinot Blanc Alsace 2016
A wonderful value, Paul Blanck’s 2016 Pinot Blanc is a limpid, slightly burnished gold in the glass. Crafted from 100% Pinot Blanc grown in gravel, sand and clay-limestone soils on south-facing slopes, it is a terroir-driven, elegant wine replete with notes of yellow apple, d’Anjou pear, underripe pineapple, line dried-linen, and catmint. There’s weight on […]
Locations NZ-7 NV
Another stellar offering from Dave Phinney’s Locations project, the NZ-7 is fresh, grassy, and quite mineral, owing in part, to the Awatere Valley’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean and the Waihopai Valley’s gravelly soils in combination with a cooler climate. Fresh and elegant, it’s awash in underripe pineapple, boxwood, lemongrass, lime zest, and sea foam. […]
Sea Pearl Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2017
Sourced from vineyards across Marlborough’s sub-regions, including the Wairau Valley, Sea Pearl is straw-colored in the glass and abundantly layered with aromas of gooseberry, guava, passionfruit, lemongrass, and lime zest. On the palate, it’s fresh and somewhat lighter in body than expected—and yet there is ample concentration of flavor, grapefruit and lemon pith notes give […]
Carlos Serres Rioja Viura Tempranillo Blanco 2016
From the historic Bodegas Carlos Serres, one of the first wineries to established in Haro, the heart of Rioja, is this blend of Viura and 15% Tempranillo Blanco. Lemon hued, it’s an old-school wine, with restrained aromatics of lemon drop, granulated honey, flint and just-melted candle wax. In the mouth, it’s softly textured—one feels a […]
Finca Viladellops Penedès Xarel·lo 2016
Located in the Garraf Massif, a rugged mountain massif that extends to the Mediterranean Sea, the soils found throughout Finca Viladellops’ 60 ha estate are low-fertility limestone-based soils studded with marine fossils and sediment. Aged in stainless tanks on fine lees, the 2016 Xarel·lo offers lilting, subtle aromas of pear and apple, prairie flowers, apple […]
Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc 2018 — April 27, 2019 Lime zest, white grapefruit, passionfruit, d’Anjou pear, and boxwood waft from the glass. Taught acidity on the palate gives this medium to full-bodied Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc a mouthwatering sensory arc, that finishes with a lively burst of crushed herbs and grapefruit pith. An excellent value. 13.0% ABV […]
Locations F-5 NV
Locations F-5 NV offers up a deeply perfumed nose of black cherry, black raspberry, plum, earth, purple lilac, dark chocolate shavings, and vanilla bean paste. In the mouth, it’s medium bodied, with finely sueded tannins. Dark fruit is bolstered by a lively vein of acidity—all in all, this is a beautifully crafted wine from winemaker […]
Prosper Maufoux Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Rosé NV
A lively, cheerful bead set against a vibrant background—the sort of orangey-pink one finds in a sunset—sets the stage for this ebullient Crémant de Bourgogne from Prosper Maufoux. Aromas of peach, candied orange peel, crème fraiche, and hazelnut spread grace the nose. On the palate, limestone-etched acidity gives lift to more tender notes of peach […]
Biohof Pratsch Rosé 2017
I come back to Pratsch year after year—the estate is relatively small, comprising thirteen blocks planted on glacially formed hills overlaid in alluvial soils in Austria’s lower Niederösterreich appellation. The 2017 Pratsch Rosé is crafted from 100% organic Zweigelt, the profile is exactly as I remember it, a lilting burst of alpine strawberries, tart pie […]