Top 10 wines in the US press

Feudo Principi di Butera Insolia 2011, Sicilia, Italy

Rebecca Murphy, writing in The Dallas News, recommended this Sicilian white made from the Inzolia grape.

She said: “The grape Inzolia, sometimes spelled Insolia, is considered to be a native of Sicily, where it is often used in white wine blends as well as the fortified Marsala wine. Here it is quite refreshing and zesty, with bright lemony fruit and floral, nutty and herbal notes. It is light bodied, with crisp, citrusy acidity, perfect for grilled shellfish or a scallop cerviche. It’s available at Jimmy’s Food Store and Pogo’s. Feudo Principi di Butera is owned by the Zonin family, along with 11 estates in seven other wine regions of Italy and Barboursville Vineyards in Virginia. The family counts its involvement with wine from 1821. Domenico Zonin, born in the late 1800s, began planting vineyards on his family’s land and founded Casa Vinicola Zonin in 1921. Today the company is run by Gianni Zonin with his sons Domenico, Francesco and Michele.

Price: $15.99-$17.99

Beauregard 2012 Pinot Gris Orange Wine

This “orange” wine with “Crisp citrus notes” was recommended by Stacey Vreeken writing in the Santa Cruz Sentinel this week.

She said: “Showing his adventurous spirit, Ryan Beauregard of Beauregard Vineyard has released a Pinot Gris that’s orange on purpose. The color in the normally white Pinot Gris from Regan Vineyard comes from leaving the red-colored skins in contact with the wine, in this case 21 days, to give it the distinctive hue.

“Orange wine is not rose gone wild. In fact, it’s the opposite. Rose is made by taking the skins off red wine grapes and pressing, leaving just a hint of color. Perhaps Beauregard gets his confidence from a lifetime spent on his family’s ranch and vineyard, maturing into a winemaker who intimately knows the land and terroir and wanting to reflect them in his wines. Wines are made using native yeasts, with the no chemical additives, and aged sur lees in American oak. Beauregard believes the coastal terroir adds a noted minerality to his wines.

“Why like it? Dude, this wine is orange, but in a good way. Crisp citrus notes are balanced by vanilla and honey flavors, with floral aromas. Clean acids, tannins and strong minerality allow this wine to play with lots of different foods.”

Price: $35

2012 Bodega Garzón Tannat, Uruguay

Sandra Silfven, writing in the Detroit News, picked this “dark as night” Tannat from Uraguay packed with black fruits.

She said: “Uruguay? Tannat? The question marks keep rolling. This wine is a surprise. Uruguay is tucked along the South Atlantic between Brazil and Argentina — and Italian consulting winemaker Alberto Antonini thinks like a New World vintner creating wines with Old World power and finesse. Tannat is the signature red-wine grape of this country. This baby is Ink Central. Think zombie teeth: It’s dark as night, intense, dense, and packed with fruit. Think berries, plums — and spicy black pepper, dark chocolate and espresso coffee. It’s fermented in those concrete egg-shaped fermenters that are trending in contemporary winery circles and aged in French oak. The winery uses sustainable building materials, terraced design and gravity flow.”

Price: $19.99

2013 Bodega Garzón Sauvignon Blanc, Uruguay

Silfven also recommended this “tart” Sauvignon Blanc from Uraguay.

She said: “Grass, grapefruit, gooseberry — this Sauvignon Blanc could pass for Marlborough, New Zealand, only it’s a tad less intense. It’s a beautiful wine — tart, dry, palate-cleansing.

“Bodega Garzón is part of Blends Wine Estates, a collection of wineries that also includes Bodegas Vistalba and Argento from Argentina, Renwood Winery in California and Dievole in Italy.

“Garzon, named after a nearby small town, is just now entering the American marketplace. Let’s hear it for the wines of Uruguay, the fourth largest wine producer in South America!”

Price: $16.99

2013 The Tribe Chardonnay Lodi

Irene Virbila, writing in the LA Times picked a selection of kosher wines for Passover.

Of this Chardonnay from The Tribe, she said: “The Tribe is a new line of kosher mevushal wines from Jeff Morgan of Covenant Wines, known for its excellent Napa Valley Cabernet (which just happens to be kosher). Both reds and whites from the Tribe project are barrel-fermented in French oak with native yeasts. The Chardonnay is crisp and fresh with hints of apple, pear and quince. Kosher-for-Passover.”

Price: $32

2011 Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Another top pick from Virbila was this kosher Cabernet Sauvignon from Covenant who she said had enjoyed “knockout” vintages since its first 2003 release in 2005.

She said: “Napa vintner Jeff Morgan shot onto the scene in 2005 with the release of his first Covenant from the 2003 vintage, a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that could stand with the big boys and garnered some high points from Parker and Wine Spectator. And yet it was kosher. Pretty much every vintage has been a knockout. Expensive, yes, but if you show up with a bottle of Covenant, it’s a very serious gift.”

Price: $90

2013 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier, California

Michael Dresser, writing in The Baltimore Sun, recommended this “wonderfully spring-like” Chenin-Blanc Viognier which he said was “dry but also very fresh, fruity and lively”.

He said: “There are hints of pears, apples, tropical fruit and citrus. It would match up well with spicy foods but also is perfect for outdoor drinking on an April or May spring day. Unlike some of the more hard-to-find wines praised here, this one is in wide distribution.”

“Serve with: Thai cuisine, fried chicken.”

Price: $16

Geyser Peak Pinot Noir 2012, California

This “bargain” Pinot Noir from Geyser Peak was praised by by Dennis Sodomka, writing in The Augusta Chronicle this week.

He said: “This smooth, velvety wine is bursting with lively young fruit flavors, but it is not overextracted. The style is more restrained Burgundy than brash New World with lots of subtle flavors that unfold in layers. There is some spice and black tea on the nose followed by raspberry and strawberry flavors.
Winemaker Ondine Chattan was an exchange student in Burgundy, and she apparently learned to appreciate the subtleties of well-made Pinot Noir.

“Only 25% of the wine spent any time in oak barrels, so the lightness of the wine is not overpowered by oak.
Geyser Peak also used the occasion of this new wine to debut new labels to highlight the winery’s heritage in Sonoma and the Alexander Valley. An updated logo appears at the top of each label with a nod to the history of the place.”

Price: $14 to $17

2011 Mettler Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Colette Bancroft, writing in Tampa Bay Times, chose this Cabernet Sauvignon from California’s Mettler Family Vineyards which she said was “luscious, complex and deeply satisfying.”

She said: “This cab is a deep garnet red in the glass, which gives the first hint of its lushness. A swirl produces a deeply aromatic bouquet of blackberry, as one would expect, but even bigger blueberry, which is a lovely surprise. Brash and lively blueberry leads on the tongue, bolstered by deep dark blackberry, accented with a bit of cinnamon and augmented by rich mocha at mid palate. Its depth is notable. The finish is a trifle more abrupt than one might expect of such a lush cab but it is clean and pure. Blueberry recedes at the finale and lets tart blackberry take the last bow.

“Overall, this is a luscious, complex and deeply satisfying cab. It would be the perfect accompaniment to roast duck but it also will go beautifully with roast leg of lamb or a savory ham.”

Price: $20

2010 Luna di Luna Pinot Grigio delle Venezie, Italy

Finally Gil Lempert-Schwarz, writing in The Las Vegas Review Journal, recommended this “crisp and softly acidic” Pinot Grigio – a bargain at just $3.99.

He said: “Luna di Luna Pinot Grigio is a fine pale citrine color with a clear, bright core going out into a translucent and lightly greenish-tinted edge and clear rim definition with medium viscosity.

“On the nose: The wine has a lovely white fruit fragrance right off the bat with a sort of hypothetical white cran-raspberry and green honeydew melon melange, then pear skin and light citrus notes and finally a supple minerality underlying.

“On the palate: It is a crisp and softly acidic wine with excellent white fruit delineation and sweetish underlying citrus and pear and apple sauce character. There’s excellent balance in this wine, fluidly mixing the acidity with the fruit and the citricity through the midpalate and into a nicely lingering finish that should satisfy even the savviest of tastes.”

Price: $3.99