Top 10 wines in the US press

Eric Asimov asks if a certain French region could be surprisingly set for greatness and Bill St John picks out a “seductively delicious” Australian wine.

Writing in the New York Times, Asimov’s tasting panel takes on Beaujolais which, he writes, “has rarely been included in anybody’s pantheon of great wines.”

He added: “It has been considered an archetypal joyous wine, pleasant and thirst-quenching. But consequential? Hardly. It lacks, to use a ponderous word, gravitas.

“I’ve said as much myself, but I have reconsidered. I’ve had so many really good, complex Beaujolais wines that I can’t help thinking, these wines are great.”

Of the wines that the tasting panel tried, Asimov wrote: “It would be hard to exaggerate how good these 2011s were. They showed all the delicious drinkability of Beaujolais, yet they were structured and balanced, with layers of complex flavours and added dimensions of depth, purity and nuance. They made us all feel grateful that, unlike so many great wines, these were affordable as well.”

Meanwhile in the Chicago Tribune, Bill St John tells his readers: “My ideas for this column come about as a function of a winemaker interview, a holiday or season, a suggestion from a student or a reader or, often enough, a whim.”

He adds: “Writing them up, I’ll of course recommend wines that I’ve researched and tasted. But my tasting notes also sport a fair number of orphans or strays, terrific wines that don’t fit under any one rubric or motif. It would be a shame that they went wanting for recommendation due to that.”

Click through the following pages to end out which wines these two writers, and others in the US press, have recommended over the last week.

Silver Palm Cabernet Sauvignon North Coast 2011

Writing in the Detroit News, Sandra Silfven, recommends “this beauty”. She wrote: “It’s a striking wine, beginning with the bottle, with a single etched platinum palm tree on the front, a silver capsule over the neck and cork, and silver lettering on the back.”

She added: “It opens with aromas of cassis, black cherry, blackberry and dark plum, has round, firm tannins and is infused with oak and smoke off the barrels.”

Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Summation 2010

Silfven also recommended this wine, writing that the “2010 vintage is a knockout”. Going into more detail about the wine, Silfven wrote: “A blend of almost equal parts Syrah and Zinfandel, backed up with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petite Sirah — no doubt a recipe that changes with every vintage. It’s a layered, structured dry red with a personality of black cherry, raspberry, dark chocolate, black pepper, dark plum, cranberry and herbal, leathery notes.”

2012 Reichsrat von Buhl Pinot Noir Rosé

This was the “wine of the week” for S Irene Virbila, writing in the LA Times.

She described the wine as “pale salmon pink, it is crisp and dry, with soft, beautiful fruit and a silken texture.”

Virbila added: “Cherry and plum trees are covered in blooms. Time for rosé. And here’s a terrific one from Germany to usher in the season.

“Von Buhl winery in the Pfalz produces this lovely Pinot Noir rosé. Have a glass before dinner, or with a light first course of marinated vegetables, a salad, or poached salmon. I’d drink it with pad Thai too.”

Calcu 2010 Cabernet Franc

Paul Gregutt recommended this wine to his readers in the Seattle Times. He wrote: “Finding inexpensive Cabernet Franc is not easy, and given the cost of the grapes, it likely won’t come from Washington.

“But this dark, lightly herbal offering from Chile hits the target with aromas of plum and black cherry, blackberry fruit and a wash of tobacco and oak.”

2011 Torbreck Roussanne Viognier Marsanne “Woodcutter’s”

This is the wine that Bill St John described as “seductively delicious” in the Chicago Tribune.

He wrote: “You cannot put it down for want of a sip. Damp scents and savours of peach and pineapple and a texture that approaches the viscous are zinged into life by both stony minerality and bracing acidity.”

NV Adami Prosecco Brut “Bosco di Gica” Veneto

St John also recommends this sparkler, writing: “There sure are a lot of Prosecco wines all lined up at the bar or on those store shelves. Same grape, same region, close to same prices. How to choose? Trust the maker, is my advice. Adami is solid; its “Bosco di Gica” is a selected parcel of old vineyards. Fruity, fresh, fizzy, finely etched with citrusy acidity.”

Marcel Lapierre Morgon 2011

This wine came top of the list for Eric Asimov and his tasting panel in the New York Times, he described it as “complex, delicate, vivacious and pure with spicy floral and mineral flavours.”

He added: “These are the wines that demonstrate the future of Beaujolais, like our top bottle, the 2011 Morgon from Marcel Lapierre. Lapierre was one of the pioneering producers who, in the 1980s, began to grow grapes organically and work without manipulation in the winery. He died in 2010, but his son, Mathieu, is carrying on well, as this complex, lovely wine demonstrates.”

Julien Sunier Régnié 2011

Described by Asimov as “elegant and subtly complex, ‘like smelling a field of flowers’”, this wine was ranked second by the New York Times‘ tasting panel.

Asimov added: “Younger producers are taking up the challenge as well. Julien Sunier, whose elegant, floral Régnié was our No. 2 wine, is up and coming. His wines are well worth seeking out.”

2005 Arnaldo-Caprai “Collepiano” Sagrantino di Montefalco, DOCG Umbria

In the Miami Herald, Fred Tasker featured Italian wines and this wine came “highly recommended”. He wrote: “Deep ruby hue, aromas and flavours of red raspberries and cinnamon, full-bodied and rich, firm tannins, long, smooth finish.”

Block Nine, California, Caiden’s Vineyard, Pinot Noir 2011

Writing in the Dallas Morning News, Rebecca Murphy, noted that “the movie Sideways started a Pinot Noir craze that has not abated.”

Murphy recommended this wine with “its charming basket of black cherry, raspberry and strawberry fruit with a whisper of toast. It is medium bodied with balancing zesty acidity. It’s quite drinkable on its own and is compatible with a pulled pork sandwich.”

She added: “The wines from Block Nine are made by Larry Levin, a veteran California winemaker with stints in wineries all over the world. He does have a way with Pinot.”