Recommendations from the Houston Chronicle’s tasting panel.
2016 Penner-Ash Viognier
Overall score: 17.4 (8.9 for quality, 8.5 for value)
Our tasters: Missed a unanimous recommendation by one-tenth of a point but received six scores of 9. “Floral, well-textured.” My score: 9. “Bright, crisp flavors. Honeysuckle.”
Alcohol: 14.3 percent
Varietal/blend: 100 percent viognier
Winery/vineyards: Lynn and Ron Penner-Ash launched Penner-Ash in Oregon’s Willamette Valley in 1998; their current sustainable gravity-flow winery in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA opened in 2005. The fruit is sourced from vineyards in both the Columbia and Rogue valleys.
Winemaking: Penner-Ash is a proponent of small-lot indigenous yeast fermentation with extended cold soaks, which contributes to a fruit-focused, textured mouth-feel for the wine. The wine was aged in stainless-steel tanks.
Winemaker notes: “Aromas of peach, stone fruit and white flowers with tropical notes. Dense and creamy texture with green pear-skin, honeydew melon, tart peach and exotic spice on the palate. Summer fruits along with fresh honeysuckle extend to a crisp finish.”
Critical acclaim: Wine Enthusiast awarded 92 points.
Pairings: Pad Thai, Asian chicken salads, dishes made with ginger, saffron and coconut
Price: $29.44 by special order through Spec’s
2014 Frank Family Vineyards Zinfandel
Overall score: 17.9 (8.9 for quality, 9 for value)
Our tasters: Gave it a unanimous recommendation with three scores of 9. “Rich, ripe red fruit with a nice minerality.” My score: 8.8. “Classic California zin.”
Alcohol: 14.6 percent
Varietal/blend: Zinfandel (86 percent), petite sirah (14 percent)
Winery/vineyards: The Calistoga winery dates to 1884, and the massive stone central building is listed on the National Register of History places. It’s co-owned today by Richard Frank and Koerner Rombauer. The zinfandel fruit is sourced from the Chiles Valley in the Vacas Mountains.
Winemaking: The wine spent 16 months in 33 percent new French oak barrels and the rest in twice-filled French oak barrels.
Winemaker notes: “Garnet in color, it opens with aromas of raspberries, vanilla and earthy dried herbs notes. Medium bodied on the palate with an abundance of fresh fruit and black pepper flavors on the entry, this wine is round, silky, and finishes with flavors of ripe blackberries.”
Critical acclaim: Wine Spectator awarded a score of 89.
Pairings: Burgers and barbecue
Price: $29.29 at Spec’s
2014 Argento Reserva Malbec
Overall score: 18.9 (8.9 for quality, 10 for value)
Our tasters: Gave it a unanimous recommendation with three scores of at least 9. “Tight and well-balanced.” My score: 8.9. “Lovely tannins complement the fruit.” Alcohol: 13.9 percent. Made from 100 percent Mendoza (Tupungato, Luján de Cuyo and San Carlos) malbec, the wine spent a week fermenting in stainless steel, then nine months in American (60 percent) and French oak.
Price: $16.03 by special order from Spec’s
2015 Cameron Hughes Lot 533 ‘Limestone Cowboy’ Chardonnay
Overall score: 18.8 (8.9 for quality, 10 for value)
Our tasters: Missed a unanimous recommendation by one-tenth of a point but received three scores of 9. “Crisp lean citrus notes.” My score: 8.7. “Lemony, minerally.” Alcohol: 13.9 percent. The grapes were grown in a Santa Barbara vineyard famous for its limestone soil; hence, the name. The wine receives neither wood nor malolactic fermentation. Cameron Hughes is a valuedriven négociant, owning neither vineyards nor a winery.
Price: $13 from chwine.com
2014 Beringer The Waymaker Paso Robles
Overall score: 18.4 (8.9 for quality, 9.5 for value)
Our tasters: Missed a unanimous recommendation by one-tenth of a point but received six scores of at least 9. “Dark and rich. Prune flavors. Spicy.” My score: 9.1. “Blue fruits, elegant.” Alcohol: 14.5 percent. A blend of seven grapes with syrah (56 percent) at the forefront, The Waymaker reflects the chalky soils of Camatta Hills vineyard in which the fruit was grown. The juice spent 16 months in seasoned oak barrels to soften the tannins and add spicy notes.
Price: $24.99 from wine.com
2015 Raeburn Russian River Valley Chardonnay
Overall score: 18.3 (8.8 for quality, 9.5 for value)
Our tasters: Gave it a unanimous recommendation with four scores of 8.9. “Tropical fruit, tart lemon.” My score: 8.9. “Oaky and fruity. Easy drinking.” Alcohol: 14 percent. Derek Benham, a longtime winemaker/ marketer in the Russian River Valley, opened Raeburn in 2014. Raeburn, from Olde English, means “the stream where one drinks.”
Price: $17.99 at Spec’s