Top 10 wines in the US press

Irene Virbila recommends a red wine that is “intense and concentrated, with a seductive tonal palate” while Sandra Silfven picks a “bold wine  with power and restraint.”

Writing in the LA Times, Virbila’s choice is “a great red for barbecue season, with the stuff to stand up to smoke and char.”

She added: “Think bistecca or any big old steak, pork chops, sausages and kebabs — any or all with a mess of grilled red peppers, zucchini and eggplant.”

While in the Detroit News Silfven recommends a Zinfandel that is “made off 130-plus -year-old vines planted by Italian immigrants during the Gold Rush. The grapes are from a 20-acre site with shallow, rocky soils.”

She added: “Because of their age, the vines produce less fruit and the juice is highly concentrated and complex.”

Click through the following pages to find out which wines these and other writers in the US press have recommended over the last week.

Mas Bruguiere La Grenadiere 2007/2009

Dave McIntyre, in the Washington Post, picked out a selection wine from Languedoc for his readers to try, he wrote that the region’s producers “are setting a high standard of quality for a region known mostly for pleasant, drinkable wines.”

He added that this wine “smells like a Hollywood version of the southern French landscape: lavender and thyme carried on a Mediterranean breeze. It has silky texture, with dark-fruit flavours and a subtle, compelling complexity.

“I tasted the 2009, which is just coming into this market. Retail stores may have the 2007, another good vintage that most likely improves with the extra bottle age.”

Le Bouc a Trois Pattes Tempranillo 2010

McIntyre also recommended this wine, writing: “Made from vines planted in the 1970s, this unusual example of Spain’s traditional red grape is unmistakably French in a way that’s hard to describe.

“It has the characteristic tobacco notes of Tempranillo, yet also some of the lavender and thyme common to red wines from Languedoc and Provence. Intriguing and delicious.”

2010 Penfolds Bin 28

Will Lyons in the Wall Street Journal picked out this wine, describing it as “a benchmark Australian Shiraz that won’t disappoint.”

He added: “First produced in 1959 by Penfolds winemaker Max Schubert, this wine is a blend – not of grapes but of regions. The 2010, which has just been released, is generous, voluptuous and seductive.”

2010 Deaver Vineyard Zinfandel

This is the wine recommended by Sandra Silfven in the Detroit News, she wrote: “The wine is aged 16 months in French and American oak.

“It’s like a baked cobbler of blueberries, plums and cinnamon. Tannins are briary and the brown cooking spice notes add more complexity. It’s a bold, beefy wine with power and restraint.”

2012 La Tordera Prosecco Alné Millesimato

Fred Tasker in the Miami Herald featured Prosecco, and this wine comes “highly recommended”.

He wrote: “Very dry, lightly bubbly, with floral aromas and flavours of lemons and limes.”

Powers, Columbia Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Rebecca Murphy in the Dallas Morning News, picked out this red as her “wine of the week”, writing that “this Columbia Valley Cabernet is a lot of wine for the money.”

She added: “It’s got plenty of plump and effusive blackberry, blueberry and blackcurrant fruit, with an inkling of dried herbs.

“It’s medium-bodied with plenty of snappy acidity, finishing with dusty tannins. Serve it with barbecued ribs or a grilled steak.”

2008 Tenuta di Trinoro Rosso Toscano ‘Le Cupole’

This is the wine that Irene Virbila recommended to her readers in the LA Times. She wrote: “The term ‘Rosso Toscano’ usually indicates an inexpensive wine made for everyday drinking.

“But in this case, the wine is essentially a Super Tuscan, made from a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Not a drop of Sangiovese, but it’s unmistakably Tuscan — intense and concentrated, with a seductive tonal palate and enough body and tannic grip to age and evolve. And hard to resist now.”

2005 Massimiliano Vivalda Barbera d’Asti Vivalda

Bill Daley, writing in the Chicago Tribune, told his readers that his tasting panel “tasted six Italian wines made with Barbera grapes alongside a platter of sliced salami.” He added that “the fattiness of the meat softened these young reds, while the wines brought out the peppery spice of the salami.”

In terms of this wine, he wrote: “Notes of cherry and violet on the nose, this wine had plenty of cooked cherry flavour. The wine emphasised the salami’s meatiness and spice while cutting down on the fat.”

Kim Crawford 2012 Sauvignon Blanc

Bob Scheer, the Indianapolis Star‘s wine dude, recommended this wine, writing that “the Kim Crawford is one that often gets good ratings from critics, and this one is pretty typical for its acidity, zingy citrus flavours and gooseberry.”

He added: “This is a kind of obscure fruit, and you don’t see it often. My mom brought it home from markets when I was a kid, so I got used to the unique flavour.”

2011 Pascual Toso “Barrancas Vineyard” Reserve Malbec

And finally Mark Tarbell, in the Arizona Republic, picked out this wine, writing: “Elegant and balanced, smooth but with structure. It’s a winner. Make sure you ask for the Reserve. It’s the best, and the labels look almost the same.”