Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/237615
Publisher's PICKS 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. WINES Grace Lane 2012 Riesling, Yakima Valley, Washington ($12) Sweet pears are edgier with a squeeze of lime and stoniness. A fabulous orange tea taste strikes an acidity chord that makes for a dynamic duo. German in style with all the New World bells and whistles. Shows what Riesling does in Washington State. 93 TERLATO WINES Smith-Madrone 2012 Riesling, Spring Mountain, Napa Valley ($30) A modest, mild entry of peach, tart apples and white grapes are a treat to the palate. The Riesling from 40-year-old vines, which are mostly dry-farmed, stainless steel–fermented and -aged, gets rounder as you keep sipping. It continues to stay restrained and coquettish and its flash of cleavage peaks out in its bold minerality flanked by a generous apricot finish. 91 Worthy of a smooch. French-style double bizou. Wildly infatuated. Seriously smitten. Montes Twins 2012 Red Wine, Colchagua Valley, Chile ($18) A blend of 50% Malbec and 50% Cabernet, this juicy, lavender-coated red is pure perfume. Spiced cherries and lifted into a string-tight acidity. Hints of earth and dusty tannins take us out of the clouds. Youth rules here. 92 Peachy Canyon 2011 Especial Zinfandel, Paso Robles ($40) A peppered, purple plummed Don Juan is seductive with tobacco-stained cherry, brisk tannins and a down-toearth sage-and-coffee elegance. 92 Rosa d'Oro 2011 Primitivo, Clear Lake, Lake County ($24) Concentrated choco-berries define "plush." Plums transform coffee base notes into a textural juicy-fruited finish accented by dried spice—and a dash of Worcestershire. 90 Lasseter Family Winery 2010 Amoureux, Sonoma Valley ($53) Estate-grown fruit from the Justi Creek Vineyard for this super blend includes 73% Malbec, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 2% Cab Franc. A charming combination of blueberry, vanilla and cedar form a creaminess that is supple and almost undulating. In fact, these waves are ebbing and flowing delights of chocolate, then blueberry, then peanut butter baked in pastry. Beautifully balanced tannins and acids. No edge, just curves . . . and those waves. 95 TGIC IMPORTERS Head over heels in love. 70 / the tasting panel / january 2014 TP0114_66-108.indd 70 12/19/13 9:47 PM