Goldeneye pinot, $12 California red blend are top panel picks
The Chronicle’s tasting panel, made up of industry professionals, educators and knowledgeable consumers, convenes on a regular basis to blind-taste at least 36 wines, scoring them on a 10-point scale, with an 8.5 or higher considered a recommendation. I further grade them on value and determine their local or online availability. To qualify as a “bargain tout,” a wine must sell for less than $20. Here are two to try now.
TOP PICK 2016 Goldeneye Anderson Valley Pinot Noir
Overall score: 18.5 (9 for quality, 9.5 for value)
Our tasters: Gave it a unanimous recommendation with five scores of at least 9. “Cherry, blackberry and green herb notes.”
My score: 9.1. I was taken by the wine’s velvety elegance. A blend from several estate vineyards, it offers serious value at $50.
Winery/vineyards/
winemaking: Dan and Margaret Duckhorn began exploring opportunities in the cooler-climate, pinot-perfect Anderson Valley in 1990. Six years later, they completed the purchase of the 80-acre ranch that was close to the headwaters of the Navarro River and had a small winery/vineyard on the property. They named it Confluence Vineyard. Goldeneye is the name of the duck species that annually migrates in vast numbers over the heart of the valley. The Duckhorns’ Anderson Valley winery at Gowan Creek came online in 2009. Head winemaker Katey Larwood works with more than 200 separately fermented small lots to produce six distinct wines. Winemaker notes: “Combining the lush fruit of our warmer estate vineyards with the rustic elegance of grapes from the cooler “deep end” of the valley, this wine offers a beautifully complete expression of Anderson Valley pinot noir. On the palate, lively flavors of wild strawberry and cherry are in perfect harmony, with terroir-driven hints of saddle leather, anise, pennyroyal and wild mushrooms, as well as notes of confectionary spices and vanilla from aging in the finest French oak. Critical acclaim: 92 points from the Wine Enthusiast (“full-bodied, dark and brooding — in a good way”) and 92 points from Wilfred Wong of wine.com. Pairing: Wong suggested a spit-roasted leg of lamb. Price: $49.79
BARGAIN TOUT Marietta Old Vine Red Lot 68
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. “Fresh, fruity and satisfying. Easy drinking.”
My score: 9. Owner-winemaker Chris Bilbro calls this multivintage blend, which he has made for four decades, his take on an “Old World table wine,” the kind of bottle you can happily find for just a few Euros on a supermarket shelf in France, Italy or Spain.
Winery/vineyards/ winemaking: Bilbro founded Marietta Cellars in 1978 in a rented cow barn in the Dry Creek Valley near the town of Geyserville, naming it for his great aunt Marietta, an Italian immigrant who took him under her wing in the family kitchen.
Winemaker notes: “Dominated by zinfandel, syrah and petite sirah, it’s a boisterous, exuberant Mediterranean-style red.”
Critical acclaim: 90 points from Jeb Dunnick: “Terrific fruit, lots of spice and graphite nuances with medium body and shocking purity and texture for a wine at this price point (from California anyway). It has tons to love and is a little gem to drink over the coming year or two.”
Pairing: Barbecue and burgers. Price: $12.59 at Spec’s