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Telmo’s new Rioja releases just received some stellar ratings from Neal Martin in the Wine Advocate. Altos de Lanzaga 2007 and 2009, along with one other wine, are the No. 1-ranked current release Rioja in the report, with a score of 96 points! Lanzaga 2009 and LZ 2011 received 91 and 90 points, respectively. See below for the full text of the reviews.
Luca Sanjust gave us a little insight on the start of their harvest time. Although they had been experiencing a drought recently, they received their first rainfall last week and expect more rain in the upcoming week. Luca suggests that the Merlot grapes had not suffered much from the lack of rain and the upcoming rain will be excellent for the Sangiovese grapes as they begin their harvesting. Below are some beautiful photos from Luca himself!
There is a piece on the Wine Spectator homepage discussing how Spain’s most dynamic winemakers balance a new perspective of Spanish wine with tradition. The article centers around Telmo Rodriguez and his partner in La Compania de Vinos Telmo Rodriguez, Pablo Eguzkiza. As Mitch writes:
“During two weeks in Spain earlier this summer, I was struck by how the best winemakers here walk a tightrope between the past and the future. Spain is probably the most dynamic wine country in Europe right now, thanks to people like Rodriguez and Eguzkiza and a younger generation that is following their example. They want to prove that Spain is not just a source for value, but a land with incredible terroirs. The problem is that Spain is still a conservative country in many ways, even three decades after dictator Francisco Franco’s death triggered a wave of changes. The New Spain is still a work in progress.”
There are some great lines from Telmo and Pablo on how they search for extraordinary sites and seek to to preserve traditional viticulture, as well as a fantastic (albeit unfortunate) story of how they were, let’s say misled, in the re-planting of one of Rioja vineyards. Click on the image below for the full article.
Jaime Goode, journalist and blogger of Wineanorak.com, writes about his weekend in the countryside of the quaint village of Erdisland, Herefordshire in the UK. As he enjoyed the excitement of the village activities he mentions three rich white wines of various producers that he tasted with the group he traveled with. Among the three wines, 2010 Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay. Below are his comments and great photo of the three wines.
“Ripe and bold with peach, fig and toast notes. Lively and broad with some pithy notes and some citrus zip. Textured, broad and satisfying. 90/100″
To read more about his trip click the image below.
A video of Pierangelo is featured on the homepage of the Wine Spectator’s website. The video is titled “Exploring Amarone / Pierangelo Tommasi explains one of the world’s great wines”. Pierangelo talks about Amarone specifically, with the Amarone Classico and Ca’Florian as the main feature.
Click the image below to watch the video.
The Washington Post published an article giving readers some great wine recommendations from Chile. With each recommendation varying from “very good’” to “excellent”, the 2010 Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay was mentioned as excellent and the comments are as follows.
“Errazuriz has marketed this wine as something of a novelty; fermenting a wine with wild or indigenous yeast instead of commercial yeast is no longer unusual. It combines a smoky minerality with ripe fruit and exotic spice from barrel aging. Errazuriz makes two excellent sauvignon blancs from the 2011 vintage: an Estate ($13) and a “Single Vineyard” ($16).”
To see all their recommendations click the image below.
Dennis Schaefer released an article discussing winemaker Marcos Fernandez, of Finca Decero, and his visit to Kansas City, Missouri. An event was hosted by Gomer’s Midtown and Lukas Liquors allowing Kansas City locals to come and taste Finca Decero’s new vintages and meet Marcos Fernandez to learn more about the winemaking process ,and how the Decero contributes to Argentina’s ability to deliver “great flavor at the right price” philosophy. Click the image below to read the full article.
Chateau Montelena just released the 2010 Napa Valley Chardonnay. Check out these two Montelena videos with Bo Barrett discussing the 2010 harvest for the winery!
In their special Fall issue, Hi-Fidelity Terroir, Wine & Spirits Magazine questions a panel of wine professionals about the wines they consider to be particularly terroir-expressive. Andrew McNamara, MS, of Premier Beverage Co. in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida claims “the three single-vineyard Côte-Rôtie cuvées of Guigal, La Mouline, La Turque, and La Landonne are the essence of terroir”. Click the image below to read his comments.
The Wine Enthusiast held a blind tasting with four acclaimed celebrities, including actress Samantha Mathis. Mathis made her first film debut in Pump Up the Volume (1990) and has co-starred in several other films through the 90′s. Her most recent film is Lebanon, PA (2010). Mathis’s favorite wine of the flight was a 2009 Chenin Blanc, but her Number 1 choice of wine outside the magazine’s tasting is none other than Domaine des Baumard’s 2008 Clos du Papillon Savennieres. Here is the mention, which appears in the September 2012 issue:
