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Wine & Spirits Newsletter When you think about wine... June Wine of the Month




Nebbiolo Prima: Barbaresco 2010
Nebbilo Prima: Day One
Critic's Pick: 93 | Pérez Pascuas $49 2009 Ribera del Duero Viña Pedrosa La Navilla</b> Presented in Pérez Pascuas's old-school style, this comes from a vineyard of old tinto fino vines at about 2,800 feet, in Pedrosa del Duero. The scent of roasted coffee beans may be the first element to emerge from the glass, but stay with the wine and it builds in detail, becoming brighter, layering notes of fresh cherries and flowers on the dark fruit. In the end, the tautness of the tannins and the spark of the acidity combine with the fruit to make this feel like it's is still a young wine with a long life ahead. Think Global, Santa Barbara, CA — Patricio Tapia
White Wine of the Month: 96 | Szepsy $110 2008 Tokaji Szent Tamás Furmint István Szepsy is one of the most respected winemakers in Tokaj, a man who produced wine throughout the Communist era both in a cooperative and in his own artisan winery. He went on to launch Királyudvar with Anthony Hwang of Domaine Huet, where he and winemaker Zoltán Demeter pioneered the concept of a high-quality dry furmint. His own 2008 from the revered Szent Tamás vineyard shows how far this idea has come. It has the noblesse of a grand old Burgundy with a distinctly furmint flavor, smoky and peppery with a limey edge. The acidity moves trippingly through the stony flavor, firming the wine even while keeping it agile and lively. As it lasts, the flavors go deeper, as if reaching through layers of volcanic soil. It will last well another decade at least, although it'd be delicious now with roast sweetbreads and bacon. Domaine Select Wine Estates, NY — Tara Q. Thomas Red Wine of the Month: De Martino $27 2012 Secano Interior/Coelemu Viejas Tinajas Cinsault A distinctly different wine from Chile, this was produced from old-vine cinsault in the coastal hills of Itata, about 250 miles south of Santiago. It was made by Marcelo Retamal in tinajas (clay pots, most of which are more than 80 years old), with nothing but ripe grapes (no additions of any kind). The wine's purity is the first thing that stands out: It's fruity and direct in its aromas of raspberries, like the freshest juicy red fruit you can imagine. What follows is resonant acidity through a lively, refreshing finish. An exciting new path for Chilean wine. Opici Wines, Glen Rock, NJ — Patricio Tapia
White discovery: >90 | Domaine San de Guilhem $12 2012 Vin de Pays des Cótes de Gascogne (Best Buy) Alain Lalanne is thought to be the first person to plant gros manseng in Bas-Armagnac, believing that it would strengthen and add complexity to dry whites made from the local ugni blanc and colombard. That was 35 years ago, and his 2012 supports the idea. This is a substantial Côtes de Gascogne white, crisp and pithy in fruit flavors while granite-firm and earthy in feel. The acidity grips like tannins would in a red wine, a power that would be put to good use with lobster claws dipped in brown butter. Vintage '59 Imports, Washington, DC — Tara Q. Thomas
RED discovery: 92 | Li Veli $20 2009 Salice Salentino Riserva Pezzo Morgana The Falvos (of Avignonesi in Tuscany) purchased this property in 1999. The 81 acres of vineyards, certified organic in 2005, are mostly given over to bush vines planted in settonce, a hexagonal layout based on the Latin square. Mathematicians will get a kick out of this; for the rest of us, it means that the vines are evenly spaced and open to sun and air on all sides, and have ample leaf coverage all around. Perhaps these qualities helped the 12-year-old negroamaro vines that contribute to this wine present their fruit with such confidence and elegance. While there is some bright cassis fruit in there, this is all about earth, firm and stony, aristocratic in its lean profile and silky touch. Dalla Terra, Napa, CA — Tara Q. Thomas
June Issue On Sale NOW
Tempranillo a la Chambolle Patricio Tapia reports on the delicate wines of Ribera del Duero
Napa Cabernet, Interrupted What happens in Yountville, by Luke Sykora
Value Brands of the Year The most consistent producers with wines priced $18 or less
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