Top 10 wines in the US press

Will Lyons recommends a “superb” wine with a “spicy acidity and savoury finish” while Katie Kelly Bell picks out “one of the best values in white wine on the market.”

Writing in the , Lyons addresses the issue of summer wines. “As the temperature rises”, he wrote, “our palates change and the question of what to drink becomes very real.”

He added: “My list of summer drinking includes Riesling from the slopes of the Rhine in Germany, Muscadet grown at the western end of France’s Loire Valley and extremely pale and dry rosé from Provence. When it gets really hot, factors such as refreshment and freshness come to the fore, trumping complexity and maturity. In short, we crave a glass of bracing, food-friendly wine. In this category, especially in terms of price and alcohol level, one wine trumps them all: Vinho Verde.”

“This youthful, ever-so-slightly spritzy, pale white wine from the northernmost wine-growing region in Portugal is ideal for keeping in the fridge, ready to be pulled out at the appropriate moment.”

Click through the following pages to find out which wines Lyons and other wine writes in the US press have recommended over the last week.

Inman Family Pinot Noir 2008

In the Washington Post this week, Dave McIntyre, recommends Russian River Valley wines to his readers, writing that the wines “are found more often on restaurant wine lists than on retail shelves, primarily because of limited production.”

He added: “This wine features delicious black-fruit flavours, a hint of spice and the suggestion of a hidden story line waiting to emerge with the next sip. I certainly wanted to keep on drinking it. Also look for the Olivet Grange and Thorn Ridge bottlings.”

Kendall-Jackson Avant Chardonnay 2012

This wine was picked out by Sandra Silfven, in the Detroit News, she wrote: “K-J has nailed Chardonnay for 30 years. The Vintner’s Reserve is the leading wine in its price category. The Avant must be up there too.”

She added: “Avant is a popular Chardonnay that boasts on its label: ‘Fresh, Crisp, Clean.’ It’s all that and more. The aromas are pineapple, green apple, lemon and white floral. In the mouth, it has nice soft texture, good acidity for structure, vibrant tropical fruit. It’s the wine I want to order when the girls do lunch. Bet you find it for under $17.”

2010 Fattoria Selvapiana Chianti Rufina

The LA Times‘ wine writer, Irene Virbila,  The Chianti region is large, and while the wines from the Classico region are the best known, for price and quality, look to the lesser-known Chianti Rufina, a small area in the northeastern corner of Chianti proper. Selvapiana is one of the best estates in Rufina, turning out first-rate Sangiovese-based reds. I’ve been buying its Chianti for years, keeping it on hand for pasta nights and grilled skirt steak or chops. A deep ruby in colour, the 2010 Selvapiana tastes of bright cherries and plums, but a touch of earth gives it some weight. A great everyday Chianti.

Gérard Bertrand Crémant de Limoux, NV

In Forbes Katie Kelly Bell, featured wines from the South of France, writing: “The minimal wine producing regulations and versatility of Languedoc allow winemakers to grow a broad range of varietals and blend according to individual taste and personal style. Consider the staggering variety: fortified dessert wines, rosés, crémants (sparkling wine), unique red blends of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Grenache and whites such as Muscat and Gris Blanc, if you can conceive of it, someone in the Languedoc probably makes it. And, saving the best for last; most of the wines are pleasantly affordable.”

In describing this wine she wrote: “This is a fabulous steal for anyone who loves sparkling wine. Zesty and fresh with mouth-watering joyfulness, you’ll get citrus and green apple notes on the nose.”

Picpoul de Pinet, 2012

This is the wine that Katie Kelly Bell described as, “one of the best values in white wine on the market”. She added: “This white varietal loves the Languedoc sunshine. Packed with crisp, refreshing minerality, this is the perfect hot weather white to enjoy poolside.”

Montevertine Le Pergole Torte 2009

John Mariani, for Bloomberg, recommended this wine, writing: “Finding Tuscan wine laws too restrictive in the 1960s, Sergio Manetti withdrew from the Chianti Consorzio and in 1971 bottled a 100% Sangiovese from a vineyard he called Le Pergole Torte.

He added: “The wines tend to be supple even when young, and this is a delicious example of what caused all the fuss in Tuscany four decades ago, when ‘super’ was a novel descriptive.”

2012 Morgadio da Torre

This is one of the wines recommended by Will Lyons in the Wall Street Journal. He wrote: “A Vinho Verde that is complex and bold enough to drink with food. This sits in the glass with a brassy, light-golden hue and imparts an aroma that is both gentle and understated. What appeals is the wine’s texture, its spicy acidity and savoury finish. Superb.”

Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Valley, Dry Riesling 2011

In the Dallas Morning News, Rebecca Murphy wrote: “Washington State has a great reputation for world-class reds, especially its merlots. But Riesling? Yes, Riesling.”

She added: “From the state’s largest winery, this one is an affordable wine of extraordinary quality. Aromas and flavours of apple, lemon and white peach mingle with chalky mineral notes animated by vibrant acidity. Light of body and full of freshness, it will enliven a shrimp cocktail or a fresh goat cheese.

“The folks at Chateau Ste. Michelle have been Washington Riesling leaders, having planted their first vines 40 years ago. In the late 1990s, to develop a greater understanding of the grape, they looked to Germany, considered to be the home of Riesling, to collaborate with German vintner Ernie Loosen. They make several styles to showcase the variety’s versatility, and this dry Riesling for less than $9 shows just how accomplished they are.”

2005 De Bortoli, Noble One

The Wine Dude aka Robert Scheer, in the Indianapolis Star, featured sweet wines and picked out this one. He wrote: “It’s made in a style like French Sauternes, but is much deeper in color than I’d expected. Delicious, it had penetrating caramel and baked apple richness and terrific acidic balance. Grade: A”

Cuda Ridge Livermore Valley Petit Verdot

Jessica Yadegaran, from the San Jose Mercury News, wrote that this wine comes “from the Smith Ranch Vineyard on the western side of the Livermore Valley.”

She added that the wine is: “Dark and inky in colour, the wine is bold and flavourful without knocking you upside the head with tannins and alcohol. Rather, it feels silky-soft on the palate, with dark berry flavours mingling with hints of tobacco and dark chocolate.”