Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/26650
Publisher’s PICKS Wines De Bortoli Wines 2008 Family Selection Shiraz, South Eastern Australia ($7) Chestnuts and plums prime your palate for a juicy and deliciously spiced sipper. 88 DE BORTOLI WINES USA Small Vines 2008 Pinot Noir, MK Vineyard, Sonoma Coast ($71.50) Raspberries so fresh, jammy and juicy, you have to look to see if the ingredient is listed on the label. A wash of acidity and sleek satin fl ows across the palate, denoting one concentrated Pinot. 93 Spirits Meridith May with vintner Tobin James. 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 offi ces, the hottest new brands on the market and an occasional revisited classic. Foppiano Vineyards 2009 Estate Chardonnay, Russian River Valley ($22) Juicy tangerine mar- malade and vanilla bean sweetness; add the white fl oral spring day and heighten with full-hearted viscosity. The crisp acid fi nish hints of lime and cucumber. 93 Peachy Canyon 2008 Zinfandel, Mustang Springs Vineyard, Paso Robles ($36) Big and juicy with lush tannins. Brandied plums and meaty dark-cherry notes overfl ow to a roasted coffee/bittersweet coffee fi nish. Try it an hour later and it continues to open to a port-like dimension. 92 Worthy of a smooch. French-style double bizou. Wildly infatuated. Seriously smitten. Head over heels in love. 56 / the tasting panel / march 201 1 Hoyt Family 2009 Collage, Malibu ($19) Clear sunshine in a bottle, this white blend—50% Pinot Gris, 25% Viognier, 25% Chardonnay—is an aromatic fl orist’s shop, a tropical fruit candy store and a creamery of rich delights. 93 Bainbridge Battle Point Organic Whiskey, USA ($47) This organic wheat whiskey from Washington State’s Bainbridge Island makes its fi rst point by offering a briny nose, leading to a sherry-like character. Why? Perhaps the distillery’s proximity to salt water. Its brilliant opening act is followed by heady orange peel and pekoe tea. Spice from the use of new American oak warms the palate and spreads evenly, with a dash of pepper and char on the fi nish. 91 BAINBRIDGE ORGANIC DISTILLERS Rémy Martin V, France ($40) The perfumed nose of this 100% grape distilled white eau-de-vie is of sweet marzipan, jasmine and ginger with a yeasty edge. On the palate, it’s texturally like a pil- low—supple and round. Cookie dough, vanilla and an oh-so-subtle baked apple remind me of the heady notes of a good pisco. 93 RÉMY COINTREAU USA Effen Cucumber Vodka, Netherlands ($30) Freshly-cut cucumber, the aromatic and tex- tured imagining of crunching on a newly-dilled, unbrined pickle. Grassy, clean notes linger. 92 PHOTO: ROB BROWN