Gold, 91 Points

Gold, 91 Points

Platinum, 94 Points

Blue Fish is the consistent over achiever in the value category of German Riesling. This dry bottling offers easy-quaffing white peach and apricot flavor balanced by zippy lime acidity and just a whiff of stony minerality. It’s not deeply complex, but a crowdpleaserwith a fantastic price.

A green apple aroma follows over to the fresh palate along with green melon and a hint of white almond. Tangy acidity keeps it lively. 

Ripe, with Asian spice accents to the supple flavors of kirsch and blackberry preserves. Hints of mocha emerge midpalate, revealing dark chocolate details on the finish.

Rocca delle Macìe created Roccato, their Super Tuscan 50/50 Sangiovese-Cabernet Sauvignon blend, in 1988. Starting with the 2015 vintage, it is now entirely Cabernet Sauvignon, which is grown on their Poggio alle Pecchie vineyard on the Le Macìe estate located in Castellina in Chianti. Its lovely green olive-like nuances act as a perfect foil for its dark fruitiness. Finely textured, it has good weight. Classic Tuscan acidity enlivens it and amplifies its charms. This excellent wine shows that distinctive Tuscan Cabernet Sauvignon is not limited to Bolgheri.

This is great success for the difficult and hot 2017 vintage in Chianti Classico. One producer was so despondent he actually told me that you could forget about the vintage entirely. This wine clearly shows that assessment to be inaccurate. The grapes from Rocca delle Macìe’s “Famiglia Zingarelli” Chianti Classico Riserva come from their four estates and is a blend of Sangiovese (90%) with equal proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Riper and less energetic than their 2016s, it reflects the warmth of the vintage. Still, it has remarkable acidity for the vintage, which gives it life, and good weight without being overdone. I suggest drinking it with hearty pasta while you keep their 2016s in the cellar. 

As with their superb Chianti Classico Riserva, “Sergioveto,” Rocca delle Macìe has tweaked the style of their Chianti Classico Gran Selezione “Sergio Zingarelli.” They reduced the oak aging and eliminated the Colorino, so the 2016 is made entirely from Sangiovese. As much as I liked their Sergioveto, their Gran Selezione “Sergio Zingarelli” sings even more. Overall, the major difference is in its texture. The Gran Selezione is glossier, more polished and more refined than their superb Sergioveto. Cashmere versus lambswool. The Gran Selezione comes across as slightly riper and lusher as well, but retains the same alluring hint of bitterness in the finish. There’s plenty of structure, but without a trace of astringency.

Up in the San Pablo GI, there is a small plot of Chardonnay planted at 1,450 meters at the foot of the Andes which, in the cool 2016 vintage, rose its quality to an edge. 100% French oak, new and used. Yellow light golden, the 2016 Chardonnay Salentein Single Vineyard offers intense aromas of pears and apple, lemon zest with an herbal touch, conveying altogether into a compact oaked appealing profile. Concentrated, full and quite fatty, the acidity underline a refreshing and yet velvet mouth feeling. Lingering, the last breath is about the oak.

The oenologist José Galante made the first oak-aged Chardonnays in Argentina. Today, he is Head Winemaker at Bodega Salentein and his experience comes to bear in this 2019 Salentein Reserve Chardonnay which was 60% barrel-aged for 6 months. Straw yellow in color, it presents aromas of citrus, pear, corn, hazelnuts and linden blossom. A complex wine for the price range, it is creamy and full-bodied in the mouth without sacrificing freshness. Another white halfway between Burgundy and California.

A mix of green apple, sour melon, lime zest, and peppery florals form a stunning bouquet on the 2019 Fazi Battaglia Rosato. On the palate, soft textures usher in mineral-tinged apples with a tart citrus thrust, as wild herbs and inner florals resonate throughout. Its high-energy persona continues right through the salty, mineral-drenched finish, with mouthwatering acidity and green citrus lingering on. Well done, and a completely unexpected expression from a varietal Montepulciano Rosato.

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