Top 10 wines in the US press

2014 Domaines Ott Clos Mireille, Côtes de Provence, France

Will Lyons, of the Wall Street Journal, picked a selection of refreshing rosé wines, a style that he said “isn’t complicated”, but which should be “crisp, dry and only mildly aromatic”.

Lyons said this example from Domaines Ott Clos Mireile was “one of France’s greatest rosés”.

“This Côtes de Provence wine sits in the glass with a gorgeous pale peach color. The 2014 is fresher than previous vintages, with a delicate floral nose and some wild strawberry, finished off with juicy ripe, grapefruit.”

Price: €35 or $40

2014 Whispering Angel, Château d’Esclans, Côtes de Provence, France

“The overriding plus factor about this wine, produced by Château d’Esclans owner Sacha Lichine in Côtes de Provence, is its finesse”, said Lyons of Whispering Angel.

“Pale pink, it has a subtle, peach character with a fine, dry finish. If rosé is your thing, this is almost impossible not to like.”

€15 or $20

2013 Calera Pinot Noir Central Coast, California, US

With summer fast approaching, Irene Virbila, writing in the LA Times, rounded up a selection of wines to pair with a well-made burger.

“What’s needed is a red wine that delivers flavor and complexity, that’s direct and true”, she said of the art of burger and wine pairing, and of course a great burger to begin with.

Virbila said this 2013 Calera was a “great bargain for the quality”, made up of grapes from nine vineyards from Monterey to Santa Barbara.

“Tasting of bright cherries and dark plums, this Pinot Noir from Pinot pioneer Josh Jensen has an earthiness and clarity that makes it a perfect match with a burger.”

Price: $24 to $30

2012 Ridge Zinfandel, Lytton Springs, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, US

Upping the budget slightly, Virbila also recommended this “brambly and earthy” 2012 Zinfandel from Ridge.

“A wine with nuance, this Ridge Zinfandel from a great vineyard is as elegant as Zinfandel gets”, she said. “With its lingering taste of blackberries and dark cherries, pepper and spice, it wears well — and it’s brilliant with a burger.”

Price: $33 to $38

Buried Cane Chardonnay 2014, Middleton Family Wines, Columbia Valley, Washington, US

This “bright, crisp, dry style” Chardonnay, with notes of “honey crisp apple, pear, mandarin orange and pineapple”, was recommended by Sandra Silfven, writing in the Detroit News.

“It has structure from the firm acidity and added complexity from the minerality, plus a touch of cream and vanilla from oak aging”, she said. “It’s blended with 11% Semillon for a kiss of honeyed sweetness on the midpalate. The name “Buried Cane” comes from the vineyard practice of burying canes in the dirt to protect them from frigid temperatures. They are then unearthed in the spring.”

Price: $14

Cadaretta Windthrow 2012, Columbia Valley, Washington, US

Silfven also recommended this “inky, lush, turbo-charged Rhone-style blend”, made with 50% Syrah, alongside Grenache and Mourvedre.

“It’s a tarry, dense blast of dark berries, spice, strawberry, smoked meat and vanilla encased in sturdy acidity and styled with smooth, creamy tannins”, she said. “Inhale and the hairs in your nostrils will twitch. It’s made from the winery’s top barrels of the vintage — in this case from just five barrels, the very best in the cellar. It’s unfined and unfiltered to give you the full effect.”

Price: $50

Avancia Cuvée de O Godello 2013, Valdeorras, Spain

Dave McIntyre, of the Washington Post, recommended a series of wines for outdoor dining this week, including this “terrific” Spanish white made from the Godello grape variety, also known as Verdelho.

“We might not think of white wines as intense, but this terrific example shows mineral concentration over ripe tree-fruit flavors of apricot and peach, with some white-pepper spice.”

Price: $20

Mittelbach Zweigelt Rosé 2014, Lower Austria

McIntyre also highlighted this rosé made from the lesser-known Zweigelt grape – a red grape grown in Austria and virtually nowhere else.

“It typically makes a fruity, medium-bodied wine with peppery spice over black-fruit flavors”, he said. “This rosé is zesty and refreshing, with impeccable balance. It is a great partner to garlicky appetizers and charcuterie.”

Price: $14

Educated Guess Chardonnay 2013, Carneros, Napa, US

Dennis Sodomka, writing in the Augusta Chronicle, had praise for this 2013 Chardonnay which he said was “simply delicious, with tropical fruit flavors, pear, spice and a hint of vanilla”.

He added: “The long finish has a creamy mouthfeel. The tastes are the right combination of clean and crisp, complex and smooth.”

Price: $16 to 18

Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Carmenere 2013, Central Valley, Chile

Finally Gil Lempert-Schwarz recommended an Chilean staple –Concha y Toro’s Casillero del Diablo Carmenere – writing in the Las Vegas Review Journal. He described it as having “oodles” of interesting aromas including “crushed earthy black fruits with underlying spice elements, peppery crushed blackberries, black truffle, tobacco leaf, phenolic compounds, earthy minerals, licorice root, herbs, tar and light wood components.”

“On the palate: This wine has an immediate pleasant sweetish peppery mouth-feel with concentrated wild cherries, spice-laced huckleberry sauce and spicy blackberries, then a massive phenol-laden structure, earthy minerals and slight oak references. The midpalate is highly impacted by the liqueur-like cherry and elderberry fruit with notes of sloe fruit, herbs and earthy minerals and then a solid finish sets in for 20-plus seconds with yet more licorice root, star anise and earthy rustic wood.”

Price: $8.99