Top 10 wines in the US press

2013 Poggio le Volpi Epos Frascati Superiore, Frascati, Italy

Lettie Teague, wine writer for the Wall Street Journal, singled out five Italian Frascati wines this week – the so-called “wine of the popes”. Hailing from the region of Frascati in Lazio, Italy, Frascati is made from Malvasia di Candia, Malvasia del Lazio, Grechetto, Bombino Bianco and Trebbiano grapes and has Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) status and, since 2013, DOCG status.

It is said that Frascati once flowed from the fountains of Rome to celebrate the inaugurations of two particular pontiffs, Clement X and Innocent X, in the 17th century.

Once the most top-selling imported wine in America, the style has fallen out of favour since its peak 30 years ago, but a small group of producer are now hoping for a revival.

Of this example Teague said: “The Epos bottling, Poggio le Volpi’s flagship offering, is a medium-bodied white aged on its lees, or sediment, for added complexity and richness. Round and supple, it has nutty, slightly tropical aromas.”

Price: $18

2014 Castel de Paolis Campo Vecchio Frascati, Italy

“Fabrizio Santarelli has been one of the leading forces behind the creation of higher-quality Frascati, seeking out long-forgotten grape varieties,” said Teague of this Frascati.

“This dry, full-bodied white is the estate’s flagship Frascati.”

Price: $17

2015 Casale Marchese Frascati Superiore, Italy

“Casale Marchese is one of the oldest and most venerated Frascati estates, and one of the few to hand-harvest its grapes,” said Teague.

“A multi-varietal blend, this wine is a soft but approachable white, with an attractive citrus nose.”

Price: $15

2014 Principe Pallavicini Poggio Verde Frascati, Italy

“Owned by an old noble family, Principe Pallavicini is the largest private estate in Frascati, and its consultant winemaker is superstar Carlo Ferrini,” said Teague. “The Poggio Verde bottling is a brisk, minerally white, made from the estate’s best vineyards”.

Price: $15

Les Vins Georges Duboeuf Domaine des Rosiers Moulin-à-Vent 2014, Beaujolais, France

Moving from one old world wine region to another, this week Dave McIntyre of the Washington Post sampled the wines of Beaujolais, recommending a number of examples for summer sipping.

“Beaujolais’s refreshing acidity and bright, fruity character make it an ideal red for warm weather,” said McIntyre. “Chill it for a half-hour or so in the refrigerator or an ice bucket, then serve it with just about anything you want to eat. And look especially for the exceptional 2015, which Georges Duboeuf calls the best vintage for Beaujolais since 1947. The crus should reach our market later this year, but this week’s wines include a delicious early 2015 to get us excited about the vintage”.

Of this example from Georges Duboeuf McIntyre said: “One of Duboeuf’s domaine wines from a Beaujolais cru, the Domaine des Rosiers shines with red-fruit flavors and a hint of wood spice to give it complexity. Alcohol by volume: 13%”

Price: $25

Paul Durdilly Les Grandes Coasses 2015, Beaujolais, France

“This effusively delicious Beaujolais — from the wider regional appellation rather than one of the smaller crus — offers the fun fruitiness of a Beaujolais nouveau, accented by the smoky complexity of a more serious wine,” said McIntyre of this wine. “Buy this by the case and enjoy it over the next two to three years”.

Price: $12

Jean-Marc Lafont Saint-Amour 2012, Beaujolais, France,

“At its best, a Beaujolais cru wine can mimic Burgundy,” writes McIntyre of this 2012 Beaujolais. “This Saint-Amour is elegant and nimble, with a dancer’s grace.”

Price: $20

Lieu Dit, Santa Ynez Valley, Sauvignon Blanc 2014

This Sauvignon Blanc from California’s Santa Ynez Valley “inspired by the Loire Valley” was a hit with Rebecca Murphy, who praised its “lean elegance and vivid acidity” writing in Dallas News.

“Lieu Dit (luh-DEE) is a small winery in Southern California created by sommelier Eric Railsback and winemaker Justin Willett. They apparently love the wines of the Loire Valley in France, so they work with some of the traditional Loire grapes such as this sauvignon blanc. Their love of French wine also is expressed in their name, Lieu Dit, which refers to a named vineyard, particularly in Burgundy.

This 2014 sauvignon blanc is in the style of a Loire Valley sauvignon blanc with lean elegance and vivid acidity. The citrus fruit is entwined with floral, herbal, chalky notes, and in the mouth it’s bone-dry and svelte with edgy acidity.”

Price: $21.99 to $22.99

Tascante Buonora IGT 2014, Sicily

Dennis Sodomka, writing in the Augusta Chronicle, recommended this Sicilian white made from the Carricante grape.

“It is a pale yellow in the glass with delicate aromas of lemon. On the palate, you get lemon and green apple with pleasant hints of minerals on the finish. The wine has great depth and complexity.

“I loved this wine and couldn’t really think of another wine I would compare it to. It is not as lush as a chardonnay but not as severe as a Sauvignon Blanc. It really does have its own wonderfully complex flavor.”

The Tascante estate was formed in 2008, though the Tasca family has been making wine in Sicily for eight generations. The grapes are sourced from 51 acres of land averaging 2,500 feet above sea level on the northern slope of Mount Etna, an active volcano, with its volcanic soils adding minerality to the wine.

Price: $19 to $21

Charles Smith Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2014, Washington, US

“Just as I thought we had checked off riesling on the list of wines to enjoy in the summer months, along comes this Kung Fu Girl from Charlie Smith in Washington state, and kicked my palate up a notch,” writes Gil Lempert-Schwarz in the Las Vegas Review Journal.

“I have known about this brand and all the other awesome wines that Charlie makes, but never thought much of this, until I tasted the 2014. Wow! Not a lightweight wine by any stretch of the imagination, this is a supercool wine to drink by the glass, properly chilled to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and if you happen to have a dozen freshly shucked oysters lying around, then that wouldn’t hurt it one bit.”

On the nose, he describes it as having “nicely concentrated notes of pears, crisp Fuji apples, stone fruit, grapefruit segments, kaffir lime and warm minerality”.

“On the palate: The wine is expansive with lovely delineated white fruit, crushed pear skins, apple sauce, clean, bright citrus character and hints of green melon and chalky minerals with just a touch of sweet white currants.”

Price: $9.99