Top 10 wines in the US press

2011 Robert Eymael-Mönchhof Estate Riesling

This is the pick for “wine of the week” by Irene Virbila in the Los Angeles Times. She wrote: “If you think you don’t like off-dry Riesling, open up a bottle of this lovely floral Riesling from a Mösel estate that goes back to 1177 and has been owned by the same family since 1804. The 2011 Mönchhof Riesling’s honeyed sweetness is balanced by a racy acidity and an earthy minerality. A touch of bitterness pulls it all into focus. The more you keep drinking, the more you’ll find in the glass: white peaches, honeysuckle. And this Mösel Riesling is a great value.”

She added: “Open a bottle to accompany a fiery chicken or beef larb. It goes with Thai or any spicy Asian cuisine too. I’d try it with lobster or grilled prawns, and with Chinese noodle dishes.”

Altesino, Tuscano IGT, Rosso di Altesino 2010

Rebecca Murphy, in the Dallas Morning News, picked out this wine, writing: “Altesino is a well-respected winery in the area of Tuscany that is home to one of Italy’s great wines, Brunello di Montalcino. Brunello and its baby brother Rosso di Montalcino must be made from 100% Sangiovese. Because this week’s wine contains 10% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, its appellation is of a larger region of Tuscany.”

Murphy added: “The 2010 vintage is showing very well indeed. It has Sangiovese’s cherry fruit with notes of liquorice and tobacco, while Merlot adds plummy roundness to the flavours and Cabernet lends its sold structure and firm tannins. The winery considers this wine to be one for everyday drinking. It pairs nicely with pasta with a meaty Bolognese sauce or a sausage pizza.”

Spy Valley Pinot Noir 2011

In the Washington Post, Dave McIntyre picked a selection of wines to “toast the end of the shutdown”. He wrote of this aptly names wine: “Is the National Security Agency compiling meta-databases of wine tasting notes posted on Twitter? (If not, some marketing firm probably is.) The entry for this outstanding wine should note that it’s made from grapes handpicked from vineyards on the slopes of Marlborough’s southern valleys, whole-cluster-fermented with wild yeasts in open-top fermenters, foot-trodden, hand-plunged and aged in barrels for a year. If that doesn’t get your clandestine wine-geek adrenaline pumping, then the dark-fruit flavours singed with wood spice and delicately balanced on a mineral core will. From the Broadbent Selections portfolio. Alcohol by volume: 14%.”

Domaine de Vaufuget Vouvray 2012

McIntyre also recommended this wine, writing: “This is a delicious dry Chenin Blanc, easily found, easily gulped and easily paired with all sorts of seafood and light dishes. ABV: 12%.”

Ravenswood “Besieged” Sonoma County 2012

This is the wine that Sandra Silfven described as “the real deal” in the Detroit News. She added: “Oak, dry dark berry fruit, black pepper spice, earthiness, deep colour, length on the palate, acidity for structure. It’s robust, complex, intense. Consider the blend: Carignane, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Mourvedre, Alicante Bouschet and Barbera. The front label reads: ‘A blend of Old Vine California heritage varietals.’ It is not sweet and flabby; it has good structure and does not taste predictable.”

2012 Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay

This recommendation comes from Michael Dresser in the Baltimore Sun, who wrote that “it’s great to be in a position to heartily recommend a wine that is so readily available.”

He added: “Despite being made in huge quantities, Ste. Michelle’s basic Chardonnay shows artisanal-level quality. It’s a vibrant white wine that seems just a touch off-dry, but its generous acidity keeps it well within balance. There’s ample green apple and citrus character and a very subtle kiss of oak. This is an exceptional example of skilful blending, and it can be served with a wide variety of foods.”

2012 Chateau Thieuley

This wine is recommended by Will Lyons in the Wall Street Journal as an autumnal drop to enjoy now. He wrote

“Made by two sisters, Marie and Sylvie Courselle, this white Bordeaux is one of the most consistently good wines I know. Delightful and gentle, it has a soft, flowery smell with a rounded, lemony finish. A lovely aperitif for the end of summer.

2011 Stuhlmuller Vineyards Estate Alexander Valley Chardonnay

Jon Bonné wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle that this wine comes from, “more Cabernet country than Chardonnay,” but, he added, “the Stuhlmuller family and winemaker Leo Hansen (who makes also wine under the Leo Steen label) present a strong case for the grape in Alexander Valley. Partial skin contact and native-yeast fermentation help provide a power here that matches its richness. Pear drop, cantaloupe and tangy citrus match a great pastry-cream finish.”

2011 Haden Fig Cancilla Vineyard Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Bonné also recommended this wine, writing: “This label from Erin Nuccio and his wife Jordan (Haden Fig) has long been made at Evesham Wood, which they now run. Cancilla is tucked into the Coast Range in the northern Willamette, and despite being a relatively marginal spot, it brims with savory complexity. Sea-foam and dried herb, with taut plum-skin and huckleberry fruit, and just enough tannin to give it a future in the cellar, plus a mandarin-orange sweetness on the finish. Totally charming.”

2010 Poliziano Morellino di Scansano “Lohsa” Tuscany

And finally this wine is recommended by Bill St John in the Chicago Tribune, who described it as: “Round, aromatic, super-juicy and even refreshing for a deeply pigmented red; a best buy.”

He added: “In its area of birth, Morellino is favoured with the common red meat or game dishes of the region, also with Tuscany’s sheep’s milk cheese, pecorino. It is delicious with many pasta or dough preparations, such as two of Scansano’s indigenous dishes called “acquacotta” and “lunchini.” The first is a peasant dish of leftover bread, onion, olive oil and water; the second, long thick ‘noodles’ formed of rolled leftover bread made to resemble the pasta of the upper classes. If it’s a profitable week, add some mushrooms or pork with the lunchini; if a rough one, mere oil and garlic. But in any case, pair with some Morellino di Scansano.”