Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/818616
may 2017 / the tasting panel / 77 Tolosa Winery 2015 Chardonnay, Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa M aria Valley ($75) Clean and crisp: the well-integrated oak charms the heck out of pineapple, and an array of Italian herbs gently adds seasoning. A creamy texture interplays mid-palate and lightens up on the finish with a touch of apricot/vanilla-accented minerality. 92 Balletto 2016 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley ($18) Stone and raspberry, with notes of candied watermelon on the nose. The palate is all about the mineral tones and how they interplay with exotic fruits such as rhubarb and persimmon. High acidity adds even more to the textural nuances. 93 Cave des Vignerons de Saint-Chinian 2014 Chant des Garrigues, Languedoc DOC, France ($10) A blend of 50% Syrah, 25% Grenache and 25% Carignan, this fresh and fruity red offers up violets and sweet cherry on the nose. Succulent to sip, fruits are perfumed with floral oils: the garrigue itself shows through, with a dry but fragrant finish. 90 MICCA LLC Gnarly Head 2015 1924 Double Black Red Blend, California ($12) The y ear 1924 may have been full of flap- pers with short skirts, but it was also a time when J. Edgar Hoover led the FBI during the bleak period of Prohibition in the U.S. However, it was also the same year that Delicato planted its first vineyards in California. Back then their wines were probably imbibed at a speakeasy or two, but today this particular liquid tribute to that era is a "drink easy." Rich, concentrated and intense, rhubarb, cinnamon and melted dark chocolate charleston across the tongue; tannins are round and firm, and that 15% alcohol is quite restrained. Notes of wheat bread, black tea and dried cherries lead to a savory finish. Before you know it, thanks to its fine food pairing abilities, the wine is all gone—23 skidoo! 92 DFV WINES St. Francis 2015 Pinot Noir, Sonoma County ($22) This unique blend of 97% Pinot Noir, 2% Syrah and 1% Zinfandel, aged ten months in French oak, caught our attention. Alive with lyrical aromas of cherry-leather, tilled soil and cinnamon, the juicy tex- ture and eloquent palate speak in vivid color and form. Cedar and violets are markedly integrated, along with cherry-toned saddle leather. A touch of ginger on the soft, finely grained tannins sparks up the finish. 93 KOBRAND San Simeon 2013 Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles ($30) Aged 18 months—pri- marily in French oak— this earthy, black-fruited wine delivers a lushness and its richness is balanced by fine acidity and gritty tannins. Its power is admirable and speaks of the nature of this expressive region. It finishes with plum liqueur, anise and spiced coffee. 94 RIBOLI FAMILY WINE ESTATES Michael David Winery 2014 Inkblot Petit Verdot, Lodi ($35) This is the first varietal Petit Verdot wine produced by Michael David—and one of the few you can find in Lodi. It spent 17 months in French oak, and that may have slightly tamed the big purple fruit that explodes from the glass. The life of the party, this PV dazzles among a crowd of violets, surrounded by dusty tannins. The mouthfeel offers up plum skin, new leather, pencil lead and broad strokes of savory, spiced cranberry. 92 Benessere Vineyards 2014 Aglianico, Collins Holystone Vineyard, St. Helena, Napa Valley ($58) The only Aglianico produced in Napa Valley, it showcases a rich, deep wealth of black and purple fruit. Graphite and plum skin, pits and the juicy pulp itself is delivered in a generous mouthfeel. Tannins feel like suede on the palate: soft, but you can detect the movement and juiciness— and also the sturdiness of this wine. 94 Sutro 2013 Merlot, Warnecke Ranch, Alexander Valley ($35) Grapes are grown along the ridge that runs from Chalk Hill to the Russian River on a steeply terraced vineyard on the family-owned 260-acre ranch. The Warnecke Ranch is also home to the Chalk Hill Artist Residency, founded in 2010 to support contemporary artists, inclu- sive of artists living with disabilities. Producer Alice Rousseau Warnecke Sutro is an artist herself. The wine's aromas are expressionist: leather-bound cherry wood. On the palate, a palette of lifted pomegranate and chocolate cherry comes into the fore, while big, robust strokes of cigar leaf and a thread of granite paint an abstract integration with the lush blue and red fruit. 93 Eighty Four 2013 Malbec, Napa Valley ($42) Winemaker Elias Fernandez and vintner Doug Shafer began making wine together in 1984, hence the name. They age this Malbec—a variety they term a "newcomer" to Napa Valley—for 20 months in 75% new French oak. The wine is meaty (with iron blood and grilled aromas) and an espresso-orange zest melded with the right amount of red and black fruit. Spiced wild cherries and great acidity make it a wonderful food wine. 92 Abbot's Passage 2014 Points Unknown, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County ($60) The producer refers to this highly-allocated wine as a Rhône-style field blend, a composi- tion of 50% Grenache, 32% Syrah and 18% Mourvèdre grown in rocky alluvial soils. Aged 20 months in thin-stave French oak (45% new), this wine defines broad and broodingwith notes of brandied plum and chocolate-espresso. The grainy tannins feel good on the tongue, playing into a parade of lavender, tobacco and blackberry jam. A new project from the Bundschu familys sixth generation. 93