With an eye to restaurant wine lists, our cellar reconnoiterer Jeffery Lindenmuth picks ideal new releases recently reviewed by Wine Spectator.
Note: Wine Spectator rates on a 100-point scale. 95—100: Classic, a great wine. 90—94: Out standing, superior style and character. 80—89: Good to very good, a wine with special qualities. Prices listed are average wholesale case prices.Best Buys
Beringer Viognier Napa Valley 2004
Offering good varietal character, this aromatic Viognier blossoms with aromas of white flowers, ripe peach, fragrant spice, and a breezy burst of roadside honeysuckle. On the palate it offers juicy stone fruit, some zesty citrus, and a rich full body, finishing with lingering sweet vanilla. 35,000 cases made.
Score: 87 Cost: $136 per case
Château Carignan Premières Côtes de Bordeaux 2003
This excellent value relies primarily on Merlot and offers aromas of ripe currant and black fruit with secondary floral notes and a tertiary touch of vanilla and oak. Its seductive black cherry and tar flavors and ample tannins make it more intriguing than most New World Merlots at the same price. 15,000 cases made.
Score: 86 Cost: $137 per case
Cline Syrah California 2003
Even at entry level, this producer doesn't disappoint, offering a deep purple, full-flavored, and rich Syrah with ripe blackberry and blueberry fruit throughout. Hints of peppery spice and coffee add complexity to the aroma, and the tannins, while modest, are pleasingly supple on the long finish. 11,500 cases made.
Score: 85 Cost: $96 per case
Highly Recommeded
Château Pibran Pauillac 2003
The vineyards of this Cru Bourgeois estate border many of its "upper classé" neighbors. This wine, the result of an exceptionally warm vintage, shows good concentration and ripeness throughout, with gobs of black fruit and currant on the aroma following through in the rich and chewy palate. Spicy and cedary oak offer good complexity.
Score: 92 Cost: $240 per case
Groom Sauvignon Blanc Adelaide Hills 2005
The aroma skews toward pineapple, passion fruit, and citrus, but the palate retains cool-climate acidity with zesty lime and a streak of minerality. It shows nice balance, with a long mouthwatering finish that makes it wonderfully food-friendly. 1,400 cases made.
Score: 90 Cost: $136 per case
Ceretto Moscato d'Asti Vignaioli di S. Stefano 2004
A perfect choice for the season, this refreshing, low-alcohol wine is certainly the lighter side of Piedmont, with its aroma of melon and white peach coupled with fragrant orange blossoms and honey. The palate is refreshingly frizzantino, with a creamy texture and nicely balanced sweetness. Ideal with fresh fruit desserts.
Score: 87 Cost: $170 per case
Specials
Château Cos-d'Estournel St.-Estèphe 2003
Profuse aromas of blackberry and black plum accompany smoke, spice, and mineral. Massive on the palate, with good heft and great concentration, this wine achieves good balance with very fine, ripe tannins and a finish that goes on and on. One for the cellar.
Score: 97 Cost: $1,800 per case
Château La Tour Blanche Sauternes 2003
Redolent of honey and apricot, spice and peach, with a heavily botrytized nose. The palate is dripping with sweet stone fruit and candied lemon peel flavors. Full-bodied, lush, and rounded, with flavors that crescendo on the long finish. 2,915 cases made.
Score: 97 Cost: $400 per case
Markus Molitor (Haus Klosterberg) Riesling Spätlese Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Wehlener Sonnenuhr 2004
Peach and apricot, flowers and lime, smoke and slate: the classic varietal aromas appear here in abundance. The palate shows equally good complexity, with expressive fruit, a juicy texture, and minerality streaming in on the long finish. Shows well in its youth but should develop greater complexity over time. 500 cases made.
Score: 95 Cost: $300 per case
