Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/101724
Publisher's PHOTO: JEREMY BALL In each issue THE TASTING PANEL's Publisher and Executive Editor, Meridith May, selects her favorite wines and spirits of the month. Check here for the latest arrivals in our offices, the hottest new brands on the market and an occasional revisited classic. PICKS WINES Hearst Ranch Winery 2010 Three Sisters Cuvée, Paso Robles ($18) A blend of 45% Roussanne, 29% Marsanne and 26% Viognier, the nectars of peach, mango and apricot swirl through a bed of stone, a lively swoosh of flavor. As all the wines from this winery are given a specific name significant to the Hearst legacy, this label represents a series of mountaintops east of Hearst Castle. 91 Pont de Chevalier 2010 Estate Chardonnay, Knights Valley ($45) A caressing textural entity; a sheath of cream and caramel that drapes the tongue: zaftig and awash with lemon oil, gardenia and vanilla musk. 94 Meridith May with Jim Saunders, President of Hearst Ranch Winery and Jim Allen, SVP of Fine Wines for SW&S, standing on Hearst Ranch property in San Simeon, just below Hearst Castle. See the story on page 108. Worthy of a smooch. French-style double bizou. Wildly infatuated. Seriously smitten. Head over heels in love. 64 / the tasting panel / january 2013 Justin Vineyards 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles ($25) In its newly designed bottle, this is Justin's "Ambassador Wine," which leads to the winery's iconic Justification and Isosoles wines (to be covered in a future issue). While still young, it gets rounder by the minute, so just imagine its beauty over the years. Bright is the first word that comes to mind, washed with blackberry and cedar spice. A great value for a labor-intensive wine that starts with hand-picked and -sorted berries and spends 18 months in 225-liter American oak barrels. 92 Mercer Canyons 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills ($17) An enjoyable mouthfeel of ripeness, from the red cherries to the black berries. Graphite roams while the fruit remains jammy with smacking tannins. 89 Château Puy-Blanquet 2009 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France ($26) Beefy, juicy and power-packed, this value-driven bottle—part of the Today's Bordeaux program—celebrates Bordeaux and its '09 vintage. Mint and cream envelop a thread of black fruit, its silky texture deep and dark.Tinges of espresso go deep. What an unexpected surprise! 91 Today's Bordeaux showcases the high-quality value wines of Bordeaux available in the U.S. market for between $9 and $35. For more info, go to www.bordeaux.com. Grgich Hills Estate 2008 Petite Sirah, Miljenko's Vineyard, Napa Valley ($55) This wine has an earthy groundedness, its inky purple plushness doing the P.S. dance of grip and grit, herbs and cedar taking the lead and swinging around its red fruit partner with intensity. 93