Top 10 wines in the US press

The Washington Post‘s Dave McIntyre reviews and recommends wines, which “over-perform for the price and offer tremendous value”, while Bill St John picks a Loire white, which “delivers wide-open flavour”.

McIntyre picks wines from France, Spain and Bulgaria. The Bulgarian he recommends is called “Bulgariana Cabernet Sauvignon 2011”, and he adds: “This is the second Bulgarian label I’ve recommended in recent weeks. A trend? If this line is any indication, let’s hope so.”

In the Chicago Tribune, Bill St John features “Loire whites ideal for the table and beyond”. He wrote: “The Loire Valley makes more types of wine than any other winemaking region of France. It produces the tricolour of red, white and rose wines; much sparkling wine; and a raft of wines that range in sweetness from as dry as a mouthful of cotton to as sugary as honey.”

He added: “The Loire pushes the upper geographic limit where wine grapes will grow. But that cool climate also guarantees its wines a pronounced acidity that frames them with both verve and nerve. That is especially true with Loire whites.”

Click through the following pages to find out more about these and other wines recommended in the US press over the last week.

2011 Trisaetum Coast Range Estate Dry Yamhill-Carlton Riesling

In the San Francisco Chronicle, Jon Bonné, takes a look Riesling, writing that the US Pacific Northwest has a “deep romance with the grape. He added: “Riesling is the world’s great white-wine grape, and one that has a proud American history. If we’re heading into an era of serious, terroir-driven American Riesling, it’s a great sign of progress.”

In recommending this wine, Bonné wrote: “This bottle from [the Frey family’s] original parcel in the hills west of McMinnville is filigreed and juicy, a sign of deft handling of texture, with green quince, blanched hazelnut, dried herbs and nectarine skin.”

2011 Ponzi Willamette Valley Riesling

Bonné also recommends this wine, writing: “This Pinot powerhouse also keeps the faith with Riesling, and this is a high-functioning example that shows the quality of the grapes. Fine-boned, chewy in texture and firmly dry, with cardamom spice and more citrus pith than sweet fruit. The austerity softens with food.”

2010 Shea wine cellars Homer Pinot Noir

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Lettie Teague, picks out this wine, she said: “Shea Vineyards is the source of some of the best Pinot Noir in Oregon, and Homer is a special selection of Shea’s ‘best barrels,’ which certainly raises expectations for how good the wine will be. The prodigious wine more than meets those expectations. Big, dense, ripe and chewy, it’s a Pinot that will only get better with time.”

2004 La Rioja Alta Viña Arana Rioja Reserva

S. Irene Virbila chose this as her “wine of the week” in the LA Times, writing that “La Rioja Alta is one of the great old Rioja houses, best known for Viña Ardanza, long one of my favourite Riojas. The 2004 Viña Arana is winning me over, though.”

She added: “Give this terrific Rioja some time in the glass for all its layers to show themselves. Drink it with a chorizo-laden paella, with grilled meats, roast lamb or pork. If you can commandeer a suckling pig, this is the bottle for it. The 2005 vintage, which is just appearing on the shelves now, is an excellent vintage too.”

Bunnell Family Cellar 2010 Clifton Vineyard Viognier

In the Seattle Times Paul Gregutt recommends this wine, writing: “Rich and golden, this is done in a most-accessible, soft and tropical style. It fills the mouth with rich, ripe flavours of banana, peach and papaya.”

Domaine Gouron Chinon 2010

This is the first of the “bargain wines” recommended by Dave McIntyre in the Washington Post. He wrote: “Here’s French Cabernet Franc in all its white-pepper finery, with bing cherry flavours and a hint of earth. It’s the clean, more modern side of Chinon. The winery also produces a more intense cuveé called Terroir.”

Domaine Lafage Cote Est 2011

McIntyre also recommends this as a wine which “offers tremendous value”, he wrote: “Jean-Marc Lafage is a leading young winemaker in the Languedoc-Rousillon region of southern France. This blend of Grenache Blanc, Chardonnay and Marsanne offers citrusy notes of lime and grapefruit along with a fleshy fruitiness, making it ideal for casual sipping or to accompany zesty seafood dishes.”

Hanzell, Sonoma Valley, Sebella, Chardonnay 2011

Rebecca Murphy, in the Dallas Morning News, she wrote that Hanzell “is a legendary winery perched on the hillside of Sonoma’s Mayacamas Mountains. It has an illustrious history and serves as a model of quiet-spoken elegance in winemaking.”

She added: “This Chardonnay has subtle fruit flavours of pear, apple and citrus with highlights of chalk and honeysuckle. It is a leaner style of Chardonnay than you might expect, with vivid acidity and a long finish. With time in the glass, it continues to open and evolve. Open it an hour or so before serving it with oysters, grilled shrimp or ceviché.”

2011 Domaine Vacheron Sancerre

This is one of the Loire whites recommended by Bill St John in the Chicago Tribune, he wrote: “Surprising how a white so light and delicate in body can deliver such piercing acidity and wide-open flavour. If you’re having healthy portions of fatty fish or briny oysters, tame what might weigh the palate down with this cleaner-upper.”

St. Julian Reserve Pinot Grigio Lake Michigan Shore 2011

Sandra Silfven, writing in the Detroit News, recommends trying this “clean, crisp, fruity and dry” wine. She added: “This pale golden nectar stands out with its sassy mid-palate blast of lime, tangerine and grapefruit zest. Aromas are pear, mango and pineapple. It finishes tart and dry with a faint taste of honeyed apple. It’s begging to be poured with plank-cooked whitefish or sautéed pickerel, or lake perch.”