Top 10 wines in the US press

2014 Vesper San Pasqual Valley Rancho Guejito Mourvèdre

Patrick Comiskey of the LA Times starts our US press round-up this week with a focus on Mourvèdre.

“This wine is made with young vine fruit from an Escondido vineyard not far from the San Diego Zoo”, he said.

“At 11.5% abv, this is a wine so frisky it’s nearly impossible to sip: No, it must be glugged.

“Sunny and brisk, with a bright berry scent and salted plum flavours, a happy-making red you can chill.”

2014 Dirty and Rowdy California Familiar Mourvèdre

Next, a wine that “may as well be Mourvèdre 101, a wine sourced from five vineyards statewide (Dirty and Rowdy made no fewer than seven Mourvèdre wines).

“It’s youthful, pretty and refreshing, smells like a strawberry essence, of jam without the jam, flavours of fresh berry with a leafy, tea-like savour on the finish.”

Dolin, Vermouth de Chambéry AOC, Blanc

Rebecca Murphy of Dallas Morning News is up next with her wine choice of the week.

“Maison Dolin, located in Chambéry in the French Alps in Savoie, makes particularly elegant vermouths like this sweet white with aromas that are a heady potpourri of dried rose petals, chamomile, anise hyssop and juniper”, she writes.

“It’s mildly sweet and delicate with earthy, herbal flavours balanced with a slight bitterness in the finish.”

2014 Daou Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, California

San Diego Union Tribune‘s Michele Parente opts for this “Cab with bravado and grace” for her wine choice this week.

“I can heartily recommend the 2014 Daou Cabernet Sauvignon”, she writes.

“With a deep purple colour and intoxicating blackberry, coffee and chocolate aromas, you’d expect it to be a brute in the glass. A friend described it aptly: ‘I like powerful reds that are like velvet. This was like chiffon.’

“Soft and nuanced, with smooth tannins, this cab makes a ideal steakhouse selection but can be enjoyed with a variety of more complex dishes, from seared duck with berry sauce to slow-cooked pork or beef rubbed with espresso to a crumbly aged cheddar.”

True Myth Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2013

Next, Sandra Silfven of the Detroit News chooses this “approachable” dry red that is “teeming with intense dark berries, cherry, currant and cola flavours.

“You pick up the sweet caramel-spice notes off the barrels; tannins are smooth; texture is creamy”, she writes.

“It’s aged in a mix of French and American oak for 18 months. The warm, rugged terrain of Paso is known for its spectacular reds. The Nivens sourced these grapes from six vineyards there.”

True Myth Chardonnay Paragon Vineyard San Luis Obispo 2014

“Layers of tropical fruit, white stone fruit and pear are infused with minerality and supported by refreshing acidity” in Silfven’s next wine choice.

“It has a textured creaminess on the palate and the finish is marked by toasted oak and vanilla bean.

“The fruit is all from the Niven family’s Paragon Vineyard in the Edna Valley. It’s 50% fermented in French oak, 50% stainless steel.”

François et Jean-Marie Cherrier Les Chailloux 2015, Sancerre, Loire Valley, France

The Washington Post‘s resident wine critc Dave McIntyre is up next, singing the Pinot rosés praises as it displays “zesty red-fruit flavors of currants and raspberries, with a vibrant acidity and length to help it pair with robust dishes such as seared tuna or other fish.”

Fontaleoni Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2014, Tuscany, Italy

“Vernaccia di San Gimignano tends to be boring – sort of Tuscany’s Pinot Grigio”, McIntyre continues.

“This example from Fontaleoni, in contrast, shows an appealing floral freshness, like a backyard garden recovering from a spring downpour.”

Mendoza Vineyards 1907 Malbec 2011, Mendoza, Argentina

Dusted Valley Columbia Valley Syrah Stained Tooth 2012, Washington, US

Finally, Eric Asimov of the Washington Post tops off our round-up with this “brooding and dense” Washington Syrah “with aromas and flavours of flowers, olives and red fruit.”