Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1013885
82 / the tasting panel / august 2018 Félix Solís Avantis 2017 FYI Red Blend, Spain ($13) This juicy, sangria-like treat comprises 60% Tempranillo, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Garnacha. At 14% ABV, it's more serious than sangria, but it has that delicious, approachable, refreshing quality that makes it appealing with food or as an easy sipper on its own. Red berries and earth deliver on the nose and palate. 90 Nobilo Icon 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand ($22) Sourced from three of Nobilo's best Sauv Blanc vineyards, Icon is the flagship of the Nobilo Wine brand. Aromas of white tea, pear, and grapefruit are charming in this full-bodied wine. With a palate of pine- apple and mango seasoned with oregano, a cer tain nobility arises in this white as minerality graces the palate on a long finish. 93 CONSTELLATION BRANDS Schramsberg Vineyards 2012 Brut Rosé Magnum, North Coast ($92) Aged entirely in the bottle, where it also spends five and a half years on the lees, this wine has a remarkable mouthfeel. Pinot Noir (76%) is grown in Carneros in the Anderson Valley, as well as the coastal regions of Marin and Sonoma; the remaining balance of 24% Chardonnay adds spice and length. Bubbles gently caress alongside an almost invisible toastiness made strikingly refined with fresh and fragrant notes of peach, orange blossom, cherry skin, and raspberry. 94 Cadaretta 2015 Southwind Syrah, Walla Walla Valley ($60) From one of the warmest vintages in Washington State in the last 20 years comes this voluptuously defined Syrah. Aromas of bacon fat and soy sauce are savory and inviting, and the palate carves a silky pathway with fruit both bright and dense. Creamy layers of melted dark chocolate, grilled meat, and blackberry coat the tongue. 94 Argyle Winery 2015 Nuthouse Chardonnay, Lone Star Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon ($40) Winemaker Nate Klosterman practices a root-to-bottle approach for these wines, choosing fruit among three renowned vineyards in the Dundee Hills and Eola-Amity Hills AVAs. But for this iconic white, the Lone Star Vineyard, with its red Jory and Missoula Flood soils, is the sunniest site of the three. Creamy and elegant, our tongues responded to the lemon-pudding- and-pith combo as white flowers and cashew butter merged into crisp, white pear. This powerhouse Chard is underscored with wet stone, which livens up the mouthfeel. 94 Sea Smoke 2015 Ten Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills ($82) Ten types of low-vigor French Pinot Noir clones were selected for the planting of Sea Smoke Estate Vineyard in 1999. As Winemaker Don Schroeder explains, "The wealth of clones at our vineyard is one of the keys to the complexity of our wines." This bottling is made from all ten clones farmed directly from the organic- and Biodynamic-certified estate vineyard: Aged 16 months in French oak, it shows scents of chocolate syrup and baked plum pudding. A solemn Pinot, it remains extravagant with flavors of black cherry washed with rose petals and rhubarb. Tilled soil, beet root, and firm tannins prove its profundity. 95 Calabria Family Wines 2014 The Iconic Grand Reserve Shiraz, Barossa Valley ($151) Brace yourself: This is a sensory adventure from the start. Earth, leather, black olive, and blackberry greet the nose; drink and repeat, as these olfactory notes also play on the palate. Dense and meaty, black peppercorn navigates through concen- trated, ripe fruit from 100-year-old vines for a rich, exuberant mouthfeel. Acidity moderates the sheer "size" of this chewy red and keeps its indestructible structure reined in. 96 VINEYARD BRANDS Locations E Spanish Red Wine, Spain ($20) Winemaker Dave Phinney sources grapes from five regions throughout Spain for this blend of Garnacha, Tempranillo, Monastrell/Mourvèdre, and Cariñena aged ten months before release. From its inky hue to its dense palate and extracted nose of leather, spiced plum liqueur, and coffee bean, we're convinced! This is an opulent soul. Grainy tannins and a beefy body extend to an earthy core. 94 E. & J. GALLO Coeur de Terre Vineyard 2017 Rustique Rosé, Willamette Valley, McMinnville, Oregon ($21) This unique, magenta-hued rosé blends 45% fresh-pressed Syrah and 55% fresh-pressed Pinot Noir from the winery's estate vineyard. While cinnamon toast and rhubarb generate glorious aromas, the palate offers a wide array of flavors: rooibos tea, tart cranberry, basil, and oregano with dusty tannins. Abundant in both character and body: a great combination! 93 SPIRITS Wild Turkey Sherry Cask Finished Master's Keep Revival Bourbon, USA ($150) Bourbon aged 12–15 years and finished in 20-year-old Oloroso Sherry casks defines this 101-proof spirit. Dried orange peel and Luxardo cherries tease the nose along with a tuft of cocoa. Walnuts dress up in a creamy suit with spice and brown sugar on the palate as salted toffee leans in with coffee bean and dried apricot. This is one of the oldest whiskies Wild Turkey has released—the third in the series of Master Distiller Eddie Russell's Master's Keep bottlings. 95 CAMPARI AMERICA