June 2017


June 2017
Top 100 Values


Editor’s Note
Value, Amplified
Editor’s Note
Contributors
Fined & Filtered
2016 En Primeur, by Fiona Morrison, MW
Happenings
Knechting the Dots:
The Price of Value by David Schildknecht
Spirits
Mezcal, by Jordan Mackay
Top Stops for Brick & Mortar Retail
Books: The Dirty Guide to Wine reviewed by Jamie Goode
Tastings
Year’s Best
Top 100 ValuesSauvignon Blanc
South Africa
Ribera del Duero
Languedoc-Roussillon
Southern Italy
Eastern Europe
Focus On
New Releases
US New ReleasesImported New Releases
Editorial Features
Eat | Drink Napa


From taco trucks to white-tablecloth restaurants, Julia Weinberg covers the best dining in the city of Napa.
Cinsault: Pinot Noir of the South?


On both sides of the Atlantic, vintners are reconsidering cinsault, embracing it for its ability to tolerate heat and drought. In Chile, Patricio Tapia finds great summer reds from Itata’s old vines (p. 32), while in France’s Languedoc, Tara Q. Thomas discovers a host of vintners relying on the once maligned grape to add levity to their sunny reds (p. 35).
Chicago Steak-Out


Sarah Sutel Looper sent six top Chicago retailers on a quest: Find the best wine for a steak and spend less than $20—at someone else’s store. Here are the results of the taste-off.
Value Brands of the Year


From A to Z to Zuccardi, here are our 44 top names for wines at everyday prices.