Top 10 wines in the US press

Youngberg Hill Cuvée Pinot Noir 2012, Willamette Valley, Oregon

Dave McIntyre’s weekly wine round up for the Washington Post featured a selection of summer wines including this organic Pinot Noir from Oregon, newly available in the Washington market.

He said: “Youngberg Hill is an organic producer from the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, only recently available in the Washington area. The Cuvée is blended from fruit grown throughout the valley; there are also two delicious single-vineyard Pinot Noirs that offer an edgy sense of vineyard terroir rather than regional character.”

Price: $39

Loosen Bros. Dr. L Riesling 2013, Mosel, Germany

McIntyre also recommended this Loosen Bros. Dr Riesling 2013 calling it the perfect accompaniment to spicier cuisines.

He said: “This is the “introductory” wine from famed vintner Ernst Loosen. The good doctor has produced a textbook Riesling in what German winemakers call the “fruity” style. Although the wine is not fermented totally dry, it does not taste sweet. The acid and sugar balance each other and yield a refreshing wine with moderate alcohol that pairs well with a variety of foods, including spicier cuisines.”

Price: $13

Migration Chardonnay Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2012, Sonoma

Sandra Silfven, writing in the Detroit News, showcased Duckhorn’s Migration range this week – a winery specialising in cool-climate Burgundian varietals such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir overseen by winemaker, Neil Bernardi.

Silfven said: “The 2012 vintage was declared near-perfect by California vintners. Coupled with the precision sourcing of the fruit, these wines according to Bernardi are “the best … we have ever made.”

Taking the winery’s flagship Chardonnay, she said: “It’s a smile-maker: the intense fruit; the graceful integration of spicy, smoky oak; the crisp character thanks to only partial malolactic fermentation. It’s textbook Chardonnay in the mouth — the apple-floral-tropical character, the silky texture, the balance that keeps the oak, the fruit and the acidity all in harmony.

“Winemaker Neil Bernardi thought out every step — keeping back 10% to ferment in stainless steel to retain an element of freshness, and limiting new French oak to 35% of the barrels. The fruit is mostly off the Green Valley subappellation, with a small portion from old-vine grapes of the acclaimed Dutton Ranch.”

Price: $32

Migration Russian River Valley Chardonnay Searby Vineyard 2012

Duckhorn’s limited edition Chardonnay, produced from its Searby Vineyard, showcases this vineyard’s “incredible hillside fruit planted in 1972” known for its “sleek, racy, intense style”, according to Silfven.

She said: “The 2012 captures these notes and more. It’s quite the package, marrying intensely floral, melon, white-stone fruit aromas with the spice of French oak. In the mouth, floral-herbal notes, vibrant citrus and passion fruit are framed in toasty oak and firm acidity. The finish is dry and reminds you of the peel of a Granny Smith apple and herbs. It’s a taste experience.”

Price: $55

Caldora Cerasuolo D’Abruzzo DOC 2013

Rebecca Murphy, writing for Dallas News, implored readers who might avoid rosé wines because they are “too sweet or not bold or serious enough” to try this “bone dry” example which she said had an “intense dark rose color” thanks to the Montepulciano grape.

She said: “Intense, layered flavors of cherry, strawberry, pomegranate, dried herbs and flowers are vibrant and fresh due to bright acidity. It’s a versatile wine that will go with a caprese salad or a grilled lamb chop.

“Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is a relatively new official Italian regulated wine name, or Denominazione di Origine Controllata, for rosé wines made of the Montepulciano grape variety in the Italian region of Abruzzo. This grape is grown in several areas of Italy, but Abruzzo is considered its original home.”

Price: $9.99 to $12.99

Alexander Jules Manzanilla “17/71” Sherry, Spain

This Manzanilla Sherry caught the attention of Irene Virbila, writing in the LA Times this week, which she said was capable of turning “even the most dubious wine drinker into a sherry fancier.”

She said: “Alexander Jules proprietor Alex Russan fell in love with sherry in his college days when that was about all he could afford. It quickly turned into an obsession — and just recently into a business bottling and selling sherries hand-picked from certain casks belonging to the soleras of historic sherry houses in southern Spain.

“Pour a little of this manzanilla into a white wine glass. Immediately there’s the complicated scent of flowers, hazelnuts and something of the sea. Dry and with a quiet intensity and complexity, the sherry lingers on the finish, a touch saline, a touch mysterious. To create this bottling, Russan tasted through the 71-barrel San Léon solera from Bodegas Argüeso and picked out the 17 barrels that spoke to him. (That’s the meaning of the 17/71 on the label.)

“Enjoy it with a bowl of olives or almonds, with shellfish, sushi or sashimi, or, suggests Russan, cured hams and meats.”

Price: $40

2012 Hoopla Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California

Michael Dresser, writing in The Baltimore Sun, recommended this Napa Chardonnay which he said had hints of “banana, marzipan and honey.”

He said: “This unoaked version of Chardonnay didn’t need any wood to provide richness and depth. It has both aplenty, and there’s nothing to get in the way of the pure fruit flavors. There are hints of apples, banana, marzipan and honey. It seems to be just a little off-dry, but that doesn’t change the fact it’s a very well-made white wine that should have broad appeal.”

Price: $15

2013 Les Rastellains Cotes du Rhone Rosé

This “go-to summer sipper” was recommended by Colette Bancroft, writing in The Tampa Bay Times – a rosé she said “seduces first with its color, a disarming tea rose pink”.

“What summertime would taste like if there were a wild strawberry patch in the woods behind your grandmother’s house. Indeed,” she said.

“Strawberries are just barely there on this wine’s super subtle nose. On the tongue, the wine is soft, fresh and bright, and it becomes obvious that the strawberries here are wild. Raspberries add their light and flirty grace note in second place. The finish is lingering and admirably dry, with mineral and floral undertones present in equal measure.

“Enjoy this wine, a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah grapes, on its own or as an aperitif. Pair it with birthday cake or, as we did, with pasta tossed with shallots, asparagus and bacon.”

Price: $10

Edna Valley Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Central Coast, California

Peg Melnik, writing in the Press Democrat, picked Edna Valley Vineyard’s Sauvignon Blanc as its wine of the week, produced by winemaker Joe Ibrahim.

She said: “It’s a grassy Sauvignon Blanc with great minerality. It has tangy grapefruit and lime, as well as bright acid and a crisp finish. It’s a perfect summer pick.

“Ibrahim said the most challenging part of producing Sauvignon Blanc is the expedience of the pick. ‘To express the flavors we find on the vine, it’s imperative to harvest Sauvignon Blanc close to the winery and bring it in quickly for the best results in the glass,’ he said.”

Price: $15

Prazo de Roriz 2011, Douro

Finally Dennis Sodomka, writing in The Augusta Chronicle recommended this wine from Portugal’s Douro Valley, a region showing increasing strength in its winemaking and which is “one of the most exciting wine regions in the world right now”, according to Sodomka.

He said: “After 300 years of producing port, the most famous fortified dessert wine in the world, Portugal has begun producing world-class table wines. New whites and reds are coming out in a dizzying assortment. Luckily for American consumers, nearly all of them are high quality and fun to drink. The Prazo de Roriz is a great example of what is happening.”

Of this wine he said: “Prazo de Roriz had been produced on the estate for years, but the new partners remade the wine, with modern techniques used to produce the best French wine. The result is an outstanding wine at a reasonable price.

“It is a beautiful ruby color in the glass, with a fruity, spicy aroma with a touch of eucalyptus. On the palate the flavors are raspberry, black cherries and peppery tannins. The lingering finish adds another note of spice. The blend of traditional Portugese grapes reminded me of a Cabernet Franc.
The grapes are Tinta Barroca, 37%; Old Vines 18%; Touriga Nacional 16%; Touriga Franca, 15%; Tinta Amarela, 7% and Tinto Cão, 7%.”

Price: $15 to 17