Innholdsfortegnelse for June 15-30, 2025 i Wine Spectator

Visit WineSpectator.com/063025 to find links to all of the following resources. FREE RESOURCES FOR ALL WINESPECTATOR.COM READERS BACKYARD DINING Some of the country’s best chefs share their cooking tips and delicious make-at-home summer recipes, while our editors recommend great value wine matches from their recent tastings. WINE & HEALTH Keep on top of the latest research with our regular Health News reports, get your questions answered in our Health Q&A, and sign up for Wine & Healthy Living, our twice-monthly email newsletter. DAILY WINE PICKS Every day of the week, get a recently reviewed wine handpicked by our editors for its value, collectability or other wow-factor that makes it worthy of the spotlight. Visit WineSpectator.com to see each day’s pick, plus the full archive of these standout wines.  WHAT AM I…

American wine consumers are confronting the fact that every bottle of wine imported into the United States is more expensive since the tariffs announced by President Donald J. Trump went into effect. And while the White House has paused higher tariffs on all nations save China for 90 days, that still means that all foreign wines imported after April 5 carry 10% tariffs. The uncertainty of how high the tariffs will be after 90 days is adding to winemakers’ concerns. The tariffs are part of Trump’s pledge to rebalance global trade. “For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike,” the President said in an announcement from the White House Rose Garden April 2. For the wine industry,…

Driving Howell Mountain Road offers a change of pace. The winding, narrow road cuts through eastern Napa Valley’s rolling hills. It’s the opposite of Highway 29’s straight shot up and down the valley floor. Make a sharp turn off Howell Mountain onto Big Rock Road and take that to Ric Forman’s winery at the end to complete the journey to another world. Forman’s spot feels like nowhere else: remote, but decidedly comfortable. Forman is a Napa wine legend whose curriculum vitae mirrors the tale of the California wine industry itself. Born in Oakland, Forman earned his formal education at University of California, Davis, graduating in 1969. Soon thereafter he was cutting his teeth at Sterling, where he made California’s first vintage-dated Merlot. He traveled to France in the mid-1970s with…

In 1997, I had been working at Wine Spectator for only a few months when senior editor Jim Laube asked me to “pull up a glass” and sit and taste with him. I took a sip of the Merlot he was reviewing and rattled off a few descriptors. “Your score, should you be called upon to vote?” he asked. I took a deep breath, and said, “Um, 85 or 86.” He barely nodded and replied, “86.” I often think about that moment because it was the first of thousands of moments like that we’d have over the next 22 years working and tasting together. Typically we were on the same page, but he still liked to tease me. Sometimes he would say, “Really?” and push me to defend my score,…

This Buying Guide contains ratings of new releases from around the world. Complete tasting notes are provided for new releases scoring 85 or more points (on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale, explained below). Hundreds of additional reviews appear each month on our website, www.winespectator.com.Each review carries the initials of the Wine Spectator editor who blind-tasted and scored the wine and wrote the review, based on the regional specializations indicated below. Bruce Sanderson Burgundy, Piedmont, Tuscany James Molesworth California Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, Bordeaux, Port MaryAnn Worobiec California Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, Australia, New Zealand Alison Napjus Spain, Italy, Champagne, South Africa Tim Fish California Zinfandel and Merlot, Oregon, Washington, U.S. sparkling wines Aaron Romano Argentina, Chile, California Rhônes Kristen Bieler Rhône Valley and other France, Germany, Austria How We…

AUSTRALIA Red 96 Giant Steps Pinot Noir Yarra Valley Apple-jack Vineyard 2023 $100 Fragrant, stylish and elegant, with dried rose petal, Saigon cinnamon and cardamom aromatics leading to a core of raspberry, maraschino cherry, blood orange and cranberry flavors on a sleek, juicy frame. Notes of spices and forest floor linger on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2037. 1,692 cases made, 56 cases imported.—M.W. 95 John Duval Cabernet Sauvignon Barossa Compono 2022 $40 There’s plenty to unfurl in this dense and concentrated version, with kirsch, black-berry preserves and cassis notes, plus a mix of clove, black licorice, tobacco, white pepper, rosemary, black tea and baking spice details. The harmony and seam-lessness is impressive, as is the length. Drink now through 2035. 300 cases imported.—M.W. 95 Giant Steps Pinot Noir Yarra…

In this, our June double issue, we celebrate the rich history of our publication and of California wine. For our cover story, I sat down with my old friend Bill Harlan, who founded Harlan Estate in Oakville’s western foothills in 1984 and went on to help define an elite class of Napa Cabernet. I first met Bill in 1981, when Wine Spectator opened a Northern California office in a building that was principally owned by him. In the years that followed, Bill and I enjoyed many happy occasions together that often included our families, such as joyful events at Meadowood Napa Valley, a resort he owns, operates and continually enhances. Despite his great success and adventurous side, Bill has always been a quiet, almost introverted man, dedicated and passionate about…

A legendary California winery has a new winemaker. Meghan Zobeck, formerly with Burgess Cellars, has been named director of winemaking for Opus One’s 170-acre Oakville estate. Started by Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild as a joint venture in the 1970s, Opus One touts 100 acres of vines in Napa Valley’s To Kalon vineyard and an annual 30,000-case production that enjoys a global market presence and collector prestige. The estate is co-owned by Château Mouton-Rothschild and Robert Mondavi Winery parent company Constellation Brands. “I’m very excited to work with Meghan. Her energy and intensity is a perfect fit for us,” said Michael Silacci, winemaker at Opus One since 2001. “My job is to facilitate her advancement, build a great team around her and be mentored by her at the same…

West Coast These wines from California, Oregon and Washington are full of flavor and character, including some familiar names and varietals. Mark Ryan’s Monkey Wrench is a red blend based on Cabernet Sauvignon. ET FILLE Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2023 (93, $34) Sleek, polished, refined; raspberry, orange peel, sassafras MARK RYAN Monkey Wrench Columbia Valley 2022 (93, $35) Black cherry, bay leaf, toasty spices; generous, well-built PIEDRASASSI Syrah Santa Barbara County PS 2021 (93, $30) Complex, savory; black currant, black plum, brambly berry, flowers MOUNT EDEN VINEYARDS Chardonnay Edna Valley Wolff Vineyard Old Vines 2022 (91, $26) Tangerine, citrus zest, orange blossoms, honey-suckle, toasted brioche, mineral; juicy, firm BABS WINE COMPANY Chardonnay Santa Barbara County Dail Tone 2023 (90, $24) Elegant, precise; lemon, apple, pear, pomelo, lemon balm, lemon verbena, Himalayan sea salt…

“ Everything that could have been too much seems just right,” is how Perrine Fenal, co-director of Burgundy’s Domaine de la Romanée, describes the 2022 vintage. “The wines show a unique combination of structure, balance and clarity. There is a strong temptation to drink them already.” In a recent tasting in New York, organized by the domaine’s U.S. importer, Wilson Daniels, the balance, juiciness, supple tannins and beautiful red fruit flavors of the 2022 Corton Prince Florent de Mérode, Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Duvault-Blochet and Echézeaux made a compelling argument supporting her statement. In all, 10 wines were presented by Fenal and co-director Bertrand de Villaine. (Note: All wines were tasted non-blind.) The Corton Prince Florent de Mérode ($990) is lush, ripe and bursting with dusky cherry, earth and spice flavors.…

CALIFORNIA Cabernet Sauvignon 94 ADAMVS Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain 2021 $400 This well-structured, muscular Cab is packed with dark currant and blackberry reduction notes supported by streaks of tar, bramble, chestnut leaf, espresso crema and licorice root through the finish. Flirts with an old-school feel and will need some patient cellaring. Best from 2028 through 2040. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 475 cases made.—J.M. 94 ADAMVS Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain Quintvs 2021 $220 This is vibrant and expressive, with a stream of violet, iris, ink, cassis and plum reduction aromas and flavors that pulses along, backed by licorice snap, walnut husk and tar notes through the dense but nicely chiseled finish. Best from 2027 through 2040. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 640 cases made.—J.M. 94 Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap…

Letters on Laube The news of senior editor James Laube’s death brought an out-pouring of sentiment. Below is a sampling of the messages from the California wine community. I was saddened to read about Jim Laube. I just filmed my Friday story for our Instagram account and shared some memories of him. I remember the first time I met him I was terrified. But I soon learned that beneath that tough exterior was a kind and gentle person. I feel fortunate to have gotten to know him. He was one of the first critics to validate our vision for our Dry Creek Valley Cabernet program and for that I’ll always be grateful. Kim Stare Wallace Dry Creek Vineyard One of the most important things Laube said about Napa Valley was…

The U.S. wine landscape has shifted: On Feb. 26, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves approved a bill permitting wineries to ship wines directly to consumers in the Magnolia State. The law takes effect July 1, 2025. Arkansas, Delaware, Rhode Island and Utah are now the only states to not permit direct-to-consumer (DTC) winery shipping or to limit it to in-person, on-site purchases. State Sen. Jeremy England, one of the bill’s sponsors, told Wine Spectator via email, “It is one more notch in the positive for our image and for our efforts to attract new people and businesses. That is worth a toast here in the Hospitality State.” The law allows licensed in- or out-of-state producers to sell and directly ship wine to Mississippi residents and fulfillment companies through approved common carriers…

James Laube, longtime Wine Spectator senior editor and Napa bureau chief, died March 21, after a short illness. He was 73. A writer and taster with the magazine for nearly four decades, Laube helped shape the California wine industry and educated and entertained thousands of wine lovers who read his articles and books. In the process, he helped build Wine Spectator into the world’s leading magazine for wine. “California wine would not be what it is without James Laube,” said Marvin R. Shanken, editor and publisher of Wine Spectator since 1979. “I hired him at a young age, but he was already years ahead of others when it came to knowledge and understanding of California wine. For more than 30 years, we worked together and traveled the world together. His…

Isabelle Meunier’s winemaking roots span continents. Originally from Québec, she was not exposed to wine in her youth but upon discovering Burgundy, in college, she was hooked. She went on to study winemaking and viticulture at the University of Burgundy and at Lincoln University in New Zealand, where she later worked at Felton Road with Blair Walter. She returned to Burgundy to work with fellow French-Canadian Pascal Marchand at Domaine de la Vougeraie. That eventually led to her becoming the debut winemaker at Evening Land in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Since 2014, she has been winemaker, viticulturist and partner at Lavinea, which means “of the vine” in Latin. She recently talked with senior editor Tim Fish about her life and career. WINE SPECTATOR: How did you become interested in wine? ISABELLE…

91 d’Arenberg Viognier-Marsanne McLaren Vale The Hermit Crab 2023 $18 AUSTRALIA Fragrant and floral, offering a pretty mix of lemon blossom, honeysuckle and tangerine notes on a delicate, juicy frame, with details of wildflower honey, peach and apricot, plus a squeeze of lime on the fresh and expressive finish. Viognier and Marsanne. Drink now. 6,500 cases imported.—M.W. 91 Rapaura Springs Sauvignon Blanc Marl-borough Classic 2024 $15 NEW ZEALAND A mouthwatering white, with notes of lemon verbena, crunchy sea salt, passion fruit and lime, along with a core of tangerine, mango and lime curd through the long, expressive finish, where a hint of matcha emerges. Drink now. 25,000 cases made.—M.W. 90 Matua Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2023 $14 NEW ZEALAND Vibrant, expressive and intense, with notes of Key lime, passion fruit, tangerine and dried…

The movie Ratatouille introduced the idea that in some alternate universe a rat could become a chef and cook haute cuisine. But what about a sommelier? A new study has found that these smart rodents may also have the ability to distinguish between fine wines. Research published in the journal Animal Cognition in February by a team of scientists, most of them affiliated with the University of London, has indicated that not only are rats able to distinguish between Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc in a blind smell test, but they were able to mark different aromatic markers within these wines and identify other wines made from the same grapes. The research shows that other mammals, such as rats, not only have strong olfactory abilities but can distinguish between various wines…