BUYING GUIDE DECEMBER 15 2011 MAKE YOUR HOLIDAYS SPARKLE WITH A GLASS OF DELICIOUS CALIFORNIA BUBBLY. 2 CALIFORNIA 29 WASHINGTON 36 BRAZIL 37 PERU 38 URUGUAY 38 SOUTH AFRICA 39 FRANCE 46 ITALY 48 SPAIN 58 AUSTRIA 59 OTHER EUROPE 60 SPIRITS 63 BEER FOR ADDITIONAL RATINGSNGS ANDAND REVIEWS, VISIT BUYINGGUIDE.WINEMAG.COMAG.COM WineMag.com | 1 CALIFORNIA SPARKLERS OF THE GOLDEN STATE ith corks popping across the nation during this holiday sea- cause it’s so far north, in California, cooler climate increases with prox- W son, celebrants can look to California’s wide range of spar- imity to the Pacifi c Ocean. Hence, the better vineyards are within 30 klers—not just for toasts, mind you, but for pleasurable drink- miles of the coast. The main varieties, as in France, are Pinot Noir and ing throughout the night, especially with food. Chardonnay, with sometimes a little Pinot Meunier blended in. California’s tier of sparkling wines is dominated by Schramsberg, A great California sparkling wine approaches great French Cham- Iron Horse and Roederer Estate, followed, often closely, by Gloria Fer- pagne in every respect. Producers have worked long and hard over the rer, Laetitia, Domaine Carneros, J Vineyards & Winery, Chandon and years, both in the vineyard and in the winery, to boost quality, with evi- Mumm Napa. This top tier rests on a huge base of affordable, value- dent results. Consumers have never had more choices in California bub- oriented bubblies produced by such brands as E&J Gallo’s Barefoot bly, at a better range of prices. and Korbel. This month’s Buying Guide includes great wines from France’s The best sparkling wines in California come from grapes grown in Rhône Valley, Italy, Washington State and elsewhere. Enjoy, and happy cooler areas, as is the case in France. Where Champagne is chilly be- new year! —STEVE H EIMOFF CALIFORNIA 46% Chardonnay sparkler is as good as ever, a beautiful Laetitia 2006 Cuvée M (Arroyo Grande peach color with peach and strawberry aromas and fl a- 90 Valley). For full review see page 8. vors that are not too overpowering, not too subtle, just abv: 12.5% Price: $35 SPARKLING WINE right. The creamy mousse, medium body and bright Scharffenberger NV Brut NV ( Mendocino Iron Horse 1997 Joy! Blanc de Blancs acidity make it a stunner with food. Bring on the goat County ). A delicious Chardonnay and Pinot (Green Valley). For full review see page 3. cheese fritters or tempura. — V.B. 90 97 12% $ 23 abv: 13% Price: $179/1.5 L abv: Price: Noir blend from coolly grown Mendocino grapes that is equal parts golden apple and honey in both aroma and Roederer Estate 2003 L’Ermitage (Ander- Gloria Ferrer 2007 Brut Rosé ( Carneros ). fl avor. Creamy from full malolactic fermentation, this 96 son Valley ). 2003 was a great vintage for Ro- 91 A really nice sparkling wine from Gloria Fer- sparkler is full-bodied and plenty fruity with a caramel, ederer Estate. This, their top vintage wine, is very great, rer. Mostly Pinot Noir, with some Chardonnay, it has vanilla tone on the fi nish. Will pair well with creamy, and the price is an absolute steal for this worldclass a dark copper color and is full-bodied and rich in rasp- full-bodied foods. — V.B. 12% $ 19 sparkler. It’s enormously rich in the strawberries from berry and strawberry fl avors. Feels crisp and satisfying. abv: Price: Pinot Noir and the limes from Chardonnay, while the Best over the next few years. — S.H. abv: 12.5% Price: $ 42 Gloria Ferrer 2006 Blanc de Blancs toast and rich lees combine for a perfect Champagne- (Carneros). For full review see page 9. style smokiness. And so smooth, it’s like a kiss of silk. At 89 Laetitia 2008 Brut de Blancs (Arroyo abv: 12.5% Price: $24 the age of eight years, this wonderful wine is just getting Grande Valley). For full review see page 6. started. Editors’ Choice . — S.H. 91 abv: 12.5% Price: $28 Iron Horse 2006 Brut X ( Green Valley ). abv: 12.1% Price: $ 45 89 This is one of Iron Horse’s drier wines, with a Mumm Napa 2005 DVX Rosé ( Napa Val- Gloria Ferrer 2000 Carneros Cuvée low dosage, but it’s still fairly sweet. There’s a coating of ley ). Pricey, yes, but a very good wine. Filled sugar on the raspberries, oranges and limes. The bub- (Carneros). For full review see page 3. 91 95 with fruity fl avors of strawberries, raspberries, limes abv: 12.5% Price: $50 bles are a bit scoury now, but this Pinot Noir and Char- and tangerines, it has a toasty richness, and fi nishes dry donnay blend could develop nuances in the cellar after, Iron Horse 2003 Brut LD (Green Valley). despite the core of sweetness. The bubbles are a little say, 2013. — S.H. 13.5% $ 50 For full review see page 4. rough, but this still is a very fi ne sparkling wine. — S.H. abv: Price: 93 12.5% $ 65 abv: 13.5% Price: $85 abv: Price: Iron Horse 2006 Ocean Reserve ( Green Iron Horse 2006 Brut Rosé (Green Val- Mumm Napa 2003 DVX Méthode Tradi- 89 Valley ). A lovely sparkling wine, with a refi ned tionalle (Napa Valley). 92 ley). For full review see page 5. 91 For full review see mouthfeel and intricate fl avors of limes, strawberries, abv: 13.5% Price: $50 page 7. vanilla and yeasty lees. Extremely dry, it’s a fi ne bub- abv: 12.5% Price: $55 bly to drink with sushi or, if you’re feeling extravagant, Roederer Estate NV Brut Rosé (Ander- scrambled eggs with caviar. — S.H. Gloria Ferrer NV Blanc de Noirs (Sonoma 13.5% $40 92 son Valley). Great price for a sparkling wine abv: Price: County). this refi ned, and the fact that it’s a rosé makes it an even 90 For full review see page 8. Editors’ better deal. It’s rich in strawberry, orange and lime fl a- Choice. Gloria Ferrer NV Va de Vi (Sonoma Coun- abv: 12.5% Price: $20 vors, with that savory yeastiness that marks the best 88 ty). For full review see page 10. 12% $22 bubblies. The blend is Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Ed- abv: Price: Laetitia 2006 Brut Coquard (Arroyo itors’ Choice . — S.H. Grande Valley). For full review see page 8. abv: 12% Price: $ 27 90 abv: 12.5% Price: $35 Scharffenberger NV Brut Rosé ( Mendoci- Continued on Page 14 92 no County ). This nonvintage 54% Pinot Noir- 2 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | DECEMBER 15, 2011 The Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide The Buying Guide includes ratings and reviews of new-release and selected older beverage alcohol products evaluated by Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s editors and other qualifi ed tasters. Regular contributors to our Buying Guide include Senior Editor/Tasting Director Joe Czerwinski, Assistant Tasting Director Lauren Buzzeo, Tasting Coordinator Anna Lee C. Iijima, Executive Editor Susan Kostrzewa, Iron Horse 1997 Joy! Blanc de Blancs Contributing Editor Michael Schachner and Spirits Reviewer Gloria Ferrer 2000 Carneros Cuvée ( Green Valley). Kara Newman in New York, European Editor Roger Voss in 97 A triumph, really. Held back ( Carneros ). The winery held back this brut- 95 Bordeaux, Italian Editor Monica Larner in Rome, California for 14 years and just recently disgorged, it’s fantastically style wine for eleven years. Even at this great age, the Editor Steve Heimoff in Oakland, Contributing Editor Paul rich and complex, just oozing the most delicious orange, wine tastes young and vibrant in acidity, with rich straw- Gregutt in Seattle and Contributing Reviewer Virginie Boone butterscotch, yeast and toast fl avors. So silky, so sweet in berry, orange, lime and yeast fl avors, fi nished with sweet in Santa Rosa. fruit, and yet with a dry fi nish. Stands out in any tasting If a wine was evaluated by a single reviewer, that taster’s vanilla. Tastes beautiful now, but extraordinary as it is, initials appear following the note. When no initials appear of the best sparklers. Hard to imagine a California bub- it should gain traction over the next ten years. — S.H. following a wine review, the wine was evaluated by two or bly better than this. — S.H. abv: 12.5% Price: $ 50 more reviewers and the score and tasting note refl ect the input abv: 13% Price: $ 179 / 1.5 L of all tasters. Unless otherwise stated, all Spirits Reviews are by Kara Newman and all beer reviews are by Lauren Buzzeo. Each review contains a score, the full name of the product, its suggested national retail price, its abv as reported to us by the submitter and a tasting note. If price or alcohol content cannot be confi rmed, NA (not available) will be printed. Prices are for 750-ml bottles unless otherwise indicated. TASTING METHODOLOGY AND GOALS All tastings reported in the Buying Guide are performed blind unless otherwise noted. Typically, products are tasted in peer-group fl ights of from 5–8 samples. Price is not a factor in assigning scores. When possible, products considered fl awed or uncustomary are retasted. ABOUT THE SCORES Ratings refl ect what our editors felt about a particular product. Beyond the rating, we encourage you to read the accompanying tasting note to learn about a product’s special characteristics. Classic 98–100: The pinnacle of quality. Charles Smith 2008 King Coal Caber- Alto Moncayo 2008 Aquilon Garnacha Superb 94–97: A great achievement. Excellent 90–93: Highly recommended. 96 net Sauvignon-Syrah ( Columbia Valley ). 94 ( Campo de Borja ). A huge load with sophis- Very Good 87–89: Often good value; well recommended.