Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1025306
september 2018 / the tasting panel / 61 91 Mullan Road Cellars 2015 Red Blend, Columbia Valley ($45) Creamy, mellow, and lush with a long finish; soft yet surprisingly intense. 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 17% Cabernet Franc. KOBRAND WINE AND SPIRITS 92 Steele Canyon Cellars 2014 50 Harvests Meritage, Napa Valley ($50) Vivid, fresh flavors of juicy plum and spice; tangy and nicely structured; a lovely, well-balanced effort. 91 Artesa Winery 2016 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay, Los Carneros, Napa Valley ($35) Polished and sumptuous with refined notes of ripe pear and subtle toasty oak; silky with fine balance and considerable finesse courtesy of Artesa Director of Winemaking Ana Diogo Draper. IMPORTED 93 Masi 2013 Costasera Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG, Italy ($65) Dark, rich, and earthy; concentrated, complex, and well-balanced; a long and lush blend of three ancient varieties: Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara. KOBRAND WINE AND SPIRITS 93 Tenute del Cabreo 2016 La Pietra Chardonnay, Toscano IGT ($40) Gentle and smooth with notes of toasty oak; juicy, bright, and elegant; fresh and beautifully balanced. Aged 12 months in 50% new French oak, followed by an additional six months in bottle. KOBRAND WINE AND SPIRITS 93 Frankland Estate 2014 Olmos's Reward Red Blend, Frankland River, Australia ($55) Sleek and flavorful with complex spice notes; a long and generous wine named for Dr. Harold Olmo, a Californian viticulturist known as a pioneer of the Frankland River wine region. QUINTESSENTIAL WINES 95 Croft 2016 Vintage Port, Douro, Portugal ($100) Inky and rich with not-too-sweet and toasty flavors; spicy and incredibly nuanced; fresh, generous, and ageworthy from a late- ripening season in the Douro Valley. KOBRAND WINE AND SPIRITS 97 Fonseca 2016 Vintage Port, Douro, Portugal ($120) Dark and mildly sweet with density and notes of vanilla and toast; racy, luscious, and long; superb now—and built to last—from a producer that released its first Port in 1840. KOBRAND WINE AND SPIRITS VALUE 91 Félix Solís Avantis 2016 Pulpo Albariño, Rías Baixas, Spain ($14) Aromatic, juicy, and fresh; spicy and crisp with a nice minerality. Delicate and sleek with balance and good length, it's a classic Albariño with depth and style—plus, it's an amazing value. 88 Caposaldo 2017 Pinot Grigio, Delle Venezie IGT ($11) Refreshing and silky with succulent, tangy fruit; bright, long, and satisfying, it's precisely the wine many want from this variety. KOBRAND WINE AND SPIRITS 89 Steele Wines 2014 Shooting Star Blue Franc, Washington ($14) Leave it to Jed Steele to make a delightful domestic wine out of the somewhat unexpected German/Austrian variety Blaufränkisch; glossy and fresh with tangy plum and spice. 90 Don Rodolfo 2017 Art of the Andes Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina ($12) Deep ruby color ; lush and tangy with a streamlined texture and penetrating notes of plum, black raspberry, and cassis. Dense and spicy with a slightly warming effect on the finish, it's like biting into a ripe plum. At this price, it's an absolute steal. 95 High Dive 2015 Red Blend, Napa Valley ($95) Soft and luscious with elegant, tangy blackberry and cassis; smooth, rich, and deep with an exquisite velvety texture; an impressive, complex blend of all the Bordeaux varieties, save Malbec.