The Tasting Panel magazine

June 2015

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72  /  the tasting panel  /  june 2015 PICKS In each issue THE TASTING PANEL's Publisher and Editorial Director, 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. Worthy of a smooch. French-style double bizou. Wildly infatuated. Seriously smitten. Head over heels in love. PHOTO: CAL BINGHAM Publisher's WINES Hahn Winery 2014 Pinot Gris, Monterey County ($14) Cool breezes from the Pacific and extended hang time lend this coastal white an extra crispness. Honeysuckle and white jasmine line the nose and the mouth with an on-going fragrance. Peach and pear yield to lemon drops and a crisp tart green apple finish. 90 Château Cavalier 2014 Réserve de la Famille, Côtes de Provence, France ($18) The salmon pink hue with blue highlights gives this engag- ing rosé an enticing start. Ripe, dusty cantaloupe is aromatic from nose to taste buds. Sweet pink grapefruit and linen notes meet a stony middle. Peach pit and rose petals finish the taut, floral finish. This blend of 62% Grenache, 16% Syrah and 12% Cinsault is glorious. 93 LUNEAU USA Pennywise 2012 Merlot, California ($12) The opaque black-purple wine offers up ripe- nosed earth and sunshine. Dark chocolate mint is striped with sweet cassis and brandied cherries. The fruit continues on a generous, never-let-you-down path to the finish. 88 THE OTHER GUYS Ancient Peaks Winery 2012 "Renegade," Margarita Vineyard, Paso Robles ($24) Winemaker Mike Sinor puts his passion into this red blend, combining 71% Syrah, 24% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot from the ancient seabed–based vineyards just south of the town of Paso Robles. This purple goddess is slick and shiny. She's both Earth Mother and Venus out of the shell, drawing out minerals, lilacs, black pepper and plump blueberry in an edgy, modern unfolding. 93 Michael David Winery 2013 Ancient Vine Cinsault, Lodi ($25) While the raspberry jam is persistent and generous, the silky texture of the wine offers up a stateliness that comes with a rich, intelligently spiced character. The fruit comes from the region's old- est producing vineyards and the world's oldest Cinsault plantings. The 100-plus-year-old vines are head-trained and dry-farmed. Plum and clove and lots of Lodi sunshine, along with its indigenous vein of white pepper, make this a charmer. 92 Mauricio González-Gordon, Chairman of Gonzalez-Byass, with Meridith May. Photo taken at La Paella restaurant in L.A. See the interview on page 48.

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