Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/49694
Friendliest Foreign Exchange Shaw + Smith 2009 Shiraz, Adelaide Hills, Australia ($45) Out of the heralded Adelaide Hills, this Australian Shiraz is the ideal foreign exchange student. Approachable and well- rounded with very nice spice, this import is a prime example of what Australia's wine industry is all about. Winemakers Martin Shaw (who did an exchange of his own by honing his skills in California) and Michael Hill Smith, M.W. have come together to produce small-batch, environmentally-friendly Shiraz that's more charming than an Aussie accent, and with an approachable screwcap closure, this mate is ready to go wherever, whenever. Lush texture and lovely pepper spice with blackberry and tangy cherry; balanced, complete and complex with lots of charm and length. VINTUS Most Detail-Oriented Camarena Silver Tequila, Mexico ($20) Like a straight-A student furiously scribbling notes in the front row of every class, the Camarena family knows that there's magic in the details—especially when you're talking about the artisan crafting of a high-end spirit. Earning extra credit in our class is Camarena Silver, a 100% blue agave offering that's made from mature, slow-roasted piñas, then small-batch distilled twice, resulting in a super-smooth, complex spirit with a fl avor profi le as nuanced as its production process. Soft agave and vanilla nose; creamy, lush and spicy with agave and vanillins; rich and balanced with a long, lovely fi nish. ALTO SPIRITS LTD. Best Teamwork Murrieta's Well 2008 "The Spur," Livermore Valley ($25) With 20 years of teamwork under their belts, fourth-generation winegrower Philip Wente and renowned winemaker Sergio Traverso have been making beautiful wines together in the Livermore Valley long enough to make their partnership look like second nature. With this year's release of proprietary blends The Whip and The Spur, the duo prove that blending talent, like blending grapes, is a fi nely-tuned art. The Spur 2008 is a symphony of perfectly-balanced varietal collaboration, with 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Petit Verdot, 10% Petite Sirah, 9% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec coming together as nicely as Wente and Traverso have in this effort. Smooth, juicy and lush with lovely ripe blackberry fruit and spice; notes of chocolate and oak; long and balanced. WENTE VINEYARDS Most Well-Balanced Comandon XO Cognac Aged 25 Years, France ($150) Graduating with honors in 2011 is this spirit with a profi le better balanced than a valedictorian's extracurricular activi- ties. Made from a blend of 125 eaux-de-vie from the leading terroirs in Cognac, Comandon XO achieves perfect synchron- icity between young and mature cognacs, with old rancio and youthful fruitiness swirling together effortlessly on the palate to demon- strate well-honed skills developed by the House of Comandon, founded in 1821, and ever-appreciated in 2011. Dark amber; lush and mellow with creamy texture; extremely smooth and feminine with orange peel, fl owers and spice; fragrant, aromatic and rich with sweet oaks and long, luscious lovely Borderies fl oral notes. DISTILLERIE TESSENDIER USA december 201 1 / the tasting panel / 109