Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/35876
Slope, Hidden Ridge Vineyard, Sonoma County ($40) Dark, lush and fragrant; velvety smooth and supple with ripe black plum and blackberry fruit; notes of chocolate, spice and leather; dense, long and beautifully balanced; rich and layered with seamless structure and harmony. VINTAGE POINT 93 IMPORTS 90 Concha y Toro 2009 Chardonnay, Marqués de Casa Concha, Limarí Valley, Chile ($18) Tangy green apple and racy acidity; subtle oak and bright ripe fruit flavors; complex, elegant and quite lovely. BANFI VINTNERS Terrassen, Wachau, Austria ($18) Dry, bright and minerally with racy citrus over a background of smooth peach; pure and tangy. 89 VIN DIVINO 91 Alamos 2008 Malbec, Selección, Mendoza, Argentina ($20) A dazzling wine from Argentina that demonstrates why Malbec has become so popular; smooth, luscious and bursting with dark plum and black raspberry fruit with hints of vanilla oak; juicy, balanced, long and an excellent value. E. J. GALLO 90 S. Coquillette NV Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Diane, Champagne, France ($65) Smooth and creamy with racy flavors and juicy Chardonnay body; throw this in as a ringer in your next grandes marques tasting. MARTINE’S WINES INC. 90 Katsaros 2009 Chardonnay, Krania, Greece ($35) Smooth and creamy with lovely texture and crisp, ripe apple and citrus fruit; barrel-fermented and complex with clean, bright flavors and a long, juicy finish. CAVA SPILIADIS ($73) Bordeaux methods applied to Douro fruit; silky with elegant style and lovely fruit intensity; magical, complex and remarkable; an outstanding wine. PREMIUM PORT WINES 95 Greece ($79) A Rhône-style blend (92% Syrah, 8% Viognier) from Greece, with dense black cherry and raspberry and lush texture; supple, balanced and complex. CAVA SPILIADIS 91 VALUE AND BY-THE-GLASS RECOMMENDATIONS 88 Tiziano NV Prosecco, Italy ($13) Fresh and smooth with vanilla and sweet peach flavors; juicy and bright with tangy acidity and lively bubbles. TOTAL BEVERAGE SOLUTION Gerovassiliou 2006 Evangelo, Epanomi, Thessaloniki, Prats & Symington 2008 Chryseia, Douro, Portugal Domäne Wachau 2009 Riesling Federspiel blackberry, cherry and plum; spicy, dense and concentrated with fine acid structure and excellent balance; long, supple and stylish. This quinta is owned by François Lurton. 92 Château Tanunda 2008 Shiraz, Noble Baron, Barossa, Australia ($50) Dark and juicy with concentrated flavors of blackberry, blueberry and spice; meaty and rich with notes of vanilla oak and earth. BANFI VINTNERS 91 WINESELLERS LTD. Hidden Ridge 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, 55% 92 Borgo Scopeto 2006 Riserva, Vigna Misciano Riserva, Chianti Classico, Italy ($33) Edgy, nervy and bracing with clean, pure flavors of plum and blueberry fruit, leather and spice; showing a subtle, rich and earthy background; lively and long with great structure and style. VINEYARD BRANDS Quinta Beira Douro 2008 Douro, Portugal ($50) Ripe