The Tasting Panel magazine

June 2017

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74  /  the tasting panel  /  june 2017 88 Echo Bay 2015 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand ($16) Crisp and racy with fresh, tangy citrus notes; just the thing with oysters or New Zealand mussels. TRINCHERO FAMILY ESTATES 88 Day Owl 2016 Rosé, California ($15) The bottle is catchy and so is the wine; dry, racy flavors from 100 percent Barbera. O'NEILL VINTNERS 88 Coeur Clémentine 2016 Rosé, Côtes de Provence, France ($17) There's never enough Provençal rosé! Lush texture and bright raspberry and tangy acidity; fresh, balanced and long. Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Tibouren. V2 WINE GROUP 88 Bread & Butter 2015 Pinot Noir, California ($15) From the portfolio of vintner Gregory Ahn. Earthy, dense and balanced with bright acidity, ripe cherry and nice savory notes. ALCOHOL BY VOLUME WINE GROUP 90 Bonterra Vineyards 2014 Merlot, Mendocino ($16) Made with organic grapes by this leader in organic viticulture. Silky and juicy with plum and spice; rich, classic and fresh. FETZER VINEYARDS 88 Casarena 2015 Areyna Cabernet Sauvignon, Luján de Cuyo, Argentina ($15) Vanilla oak nose; silky and fresh with tangy plum flavors; long and snappy. VINE CONNECTIONS Spirit of Bolivia DIRECTOR STEVEN SODERBERGH BRINGS SINGANI 63 STATESIDE WHILE CHILE AND PERU CONTINUE TO QUIBBLE about which nation invented pisco, prolific film director Steven Soderbergh has gone to Bolivia to source that country's version of a Muscat-based spirit: singani. I met with Soderbergh recently in Los Angeles to get the full story. "While we were shooting Che on location in Bolivia, our Bolivian casting director gave me some singani, and I completely flipped over it," says Soderbergh, detailing how he spent seven years trying to get the product, which is considered the Bolivian national spirit, imported to the States. Due to U.S. regulations, his branded version, called Singani 63, is classified as a brandy, but Soderbergh explains that this traditional spirit—which is crystal clear, not brandy brown—has been around for 500 years, thanks to Spanish Jesuit missionaries who brought the Muscat of Alexandria grape to the Bolivian Andes. The grapes are grown in mountain terrain at a staggering elevation of 5,200-plus feet, and for authentic singani, the spirit has to be distilled at that same altitude as well. The high altitude lowers the boiling point during distillation, allowing more of the aromatics to be retained. Aside from promoting Singani 63 because of his personal taste for it (he has gone through a significant portion of the inventory for his own use), Soderbergh is also quick to note that the new export enterprise brings much-needed economic prosperity to a country in which many people live in poverty. Singani 63 is entirely Bolivian-made, from the grapes to the bottle caps. Yet another reason to try this exciting—and very mixable—new spirit. BLUE REVIEWS PHOTO COURTESY OF SINGANI 63 94 Singani 63 Bolivian Brandy, Bolivia ($35) Made from Muscat of Alexandria. Silky and aromatic with rich texture and spicy floral notes; fresh, bright and smooth with enticing depth and finesse; balanced, tangy and long.

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