Chronicle tasting panel picks summer sippers
PICK OF THE WEEK 2016 Provenance Sauvignon Blanc
Overall score: 19 (9 for quality, 10 for value)
Our tasters: Gave it a unanimous recommendation with five scores of at least 9. “Grapefruit and green apples. New World ripeness and lovely balance.” My score: 9.1. “Big, bright, expressive, layered wine. Delicious.” Varietal/blend: Sauvignon blanc (94 percent), semillon (5) and muscat (1) Alcohol: 14.8 percent. Winery/vineyards/winemaking: The estate vineyard covers 12 acres in Rutherford. It was certified as 100-percent sustainably farmed in 2014. A selfdescribed “Bordeaux house” for the mix of white and red grapes used in its wines, Provenance is part of the expansive Treasury Wine Estates portfolio.
Winemaker notes: “The wine shows a sense of place from vineyards in the Rutherford AVA, with the majority from our own vineyards. This appellation, in the geographic center of Napa Valley, is outstanding for sauvignon blanc and semillon. Each block was picked at its peak maturity and fermented separately to increase complexity.” Critical acclaim: Wine Spectator awarded a score of 90; James
Suckling a 91.
Pairings: Grilled or pan-fried salmon or scallops. Lightly smoked fish. Pasta in a buttery or creamy sauce. Price: $20.39 at Spec’s
ALSO RECOMMENDED
2015 Goldeneye Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Overall score: 17.5 (9 for quality, 8.5 for value)
Our tasters: Gave it a unanimous recommendation with four scores of at least 9. “Fruity aromas, floral, herbal and earthy.” My score: 9.2. “Spicy. Lots of red fruit.” Part of the Duckhorn wine family and located in the heart of the Anderson Valley along the migratory pathway of the Goldeneye duck, the winery harvested its first grapes in 1997. The wine aged in 100 percent French oak Burgundy-style barrels, 55 percent new. The fruit came from Goldeneye’s estate vineyards in the warmer part of the valley and fruit sourced from the cooler deep end. Wine Enthusiast awarded a score of 91 points. Alcohol: 14.5 percent. Price: $49.79 at Spec’s
2015 Ladera Vineyards Chardonnay Russian River Valley Pillow Road Vineyard
Overall score: 17.5 (9 for quality, 8.5 for value)
Our tasters: Gave it a unanimous recommendation with five scores of at least 9. “Creamy lemon pastry.” My score: 9.1 “Tart with excellent minerality. Lovely wine.” After the grapes were night-harvested and crushed, the juice was cold-settled for 24 hours and barrel fermented, followed by partial malolactic fermentation. Sur-lie aging followed in 60 percent new French oak for 15 months. Pat and Anne Stotsebery founded Ladera two decades ago and became known for their mountain-fruit Napa Valley cabernets, but their expansion into Sonoma chardonnay and pinot noir country has proved successful. Alcohol: 14 percent. Price: $50 from laderavineyardsstore.com
DRINK PINK! 2017 Nice Winery Rosé of Pinot Noir
17.4 (8.9 for quality, 8.5 for value) Overall Our tasters: score: Price: $30 from nicewines.com
Gave it a unanimous recommendation with three scores of 9. “Off-dry and juicy. A bold rosé.” My score: 9. “Round, ripe strawberry and watermelon flavors.” The Houston-based Nice team of Ryan Levy and Ian Eastveld work with California winemaker/pinot noir maven Sean Capiaux to make the wine, now in its sixth vintage. All proceeds go the Nice Wine Club member Emma Jacobs’ foundation, Taking Initiative to Survive, which raises money for breast-cancer research. (She’s a survivor.) The fruit is sourced from Russian River Valley Vineyards. Alcohol: 14.1 percent.
DOUBLE GOLD
Nearly 140 wines in this year’s Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo International Wine Competition earned double-gold status, signifying that every judge on the tasting panel deemed them worthy of a gold medal. Many also earned Class Championships. We’ll be featuring one bi-weekly for the rest of the year.
2014 Michael David Inkblot Cabernet Franc
Class Champion (Cab franc $35$58) Winery/vineyards/winemaker: Michael and David Phillips, fifth-generation grape growers in Lodi, grow their cab franc grapes — rare for the AVA — from a 9-acre plot west of town and close to the winery. Their total holdings cover some 500 acres, predominantly old-vine zinfandel and Rhone varietals. The property is irrigated by mineral-rich water from the Moklelumne River, rushing down from the nearby Sierra Nevada Mountains. Winemaker notes: “Black cherry on the mid-palate and a bit of graphite on the finish with a touch of vanilla. It shows complex aromas of freshly crushed blackberry and plum fruit, pepper and tobacco. Velvet-smooth tannins, dense, rich and decadent. Pair with any kind of mushrooms, olives or red sauce pasta.” Price: $35.69 at Spec’s