WINERIES THAT CAUGHT

AMAURICE WALLA WALLA, WAAnna Schafer is a flfth-generation Washingtonian whose paternalgrandfathet Maurice, built a timber empire in the Pacific Northwest.Her father, Tom, established a small Walla Walla vineyard and dedi-cated it to Maurice. The family's first commercial release in 2005reflected an idiosyncratic range of specialties: viognier (2 versions),malbec, chardonnay and a Bordelais blend. Anna makes the winesand sells them in the Seattle area; she feels her winemaking aes-thetic has been honed with frequent input from Seattle's somme-liers. lt shows: These wines reflect an energy and food affinity suchas you'd glean from a close-knit sommelier community, like thevibrant, pristine dMaurice malbec and the beautifully detailedHoriuchi blend. (dMaurice, Walla Walla, WA) -Patrick J. Comiskey

HEART & HANDS FINGER LAKES, NYSTom Higgins fell in love with making pinot noir during a stint in the cellars at Josh Jensen's Calera, inHollister, California. lt wasn't easy to transfer that stubborn infatuation to a place like Cayuga Lake inNew York, where this year,for example, Hurricane lrene dumped a dozen inches or more upon the re-gion's vineyards. Higgins is undeterred; he's accustomed to extreme crop thinning and sortingregimes for Heart and Hands, his pinot and riesling brand in Union Springs. His attention to detail re-

sults in a pristine, savory style of pinot noir, marked by bright red fruits and a purity of expression thatfeels like a bellwether for the variety in the region. (Heart & Hands, Union Spflngs, N, -P.J.C.

Y ROUSSEAU NAPA, CAYannick Rousseau worked with colombard in his nativeGascony before relocating to California, where he dis-covered the charms of high-altitude Mount Veeder fruitwhile at Chateau Potelle from 2001 to 2006.ln 2OO7,

he started his own winery. His 2008 Mount VeederCabernet is impressive; the old-vine colombard that he

sources from the Russian River Valley is equally delight-ful. A tangy, clean-lined white, the 2010 carries itselfwith a Zenlike, satisfying simplicity. Meanwhile, his2009 Napa Valley Milady Chardonnay ls sunny andripe in the best sense, a wine of sheer exuberance.(Y Rousseau, Napa, CA) -Luke Sykora

FORJAS DEL SALNESRIAS BAIXAS, SPAINHard by the sea in R[as Baixas, Rodrigo M6n-dez produces oustanding alvarifros in collabo-ration with rising star Ra0l P6rez (whose ownfirm is a Winery of the Year profiled on p.74).What makes Forjas del Salnes worth watching,however, are the bright, pungent reds M6ndezand P6rez produce in this extreme cool climatefrom grapes like caiho. Their Goliardo wines arereds from the sea that may well change youridea of Rias Baixas. (Peninsula Wines, NewRochelle, NY) -Patricio Tapia

BLANDY'SMADEIRA, PORTUGALCelebrating 300 years as a Madeira shipper, the Blandy familyhas used the occasion to take back a majority interest in theirbrand. The timing of the decision coincided closely with a tast-ing in New York, in which seventh-generation Chris Blandyshared wines going back to 1822. lt was the Bual 1863 and theTerrantez 1870 that stopped New Yorkers in their tracks. Josh

Raynolds, of Steven Tanzer's lnternational Wine Cellar, com-mented, "lt's like reading Burroughs." The Symington family,which had held the majority interest in the brand, will continueto market the wines. With the Blandy family back in force, weare likely to see more great Madeira coming to the States.(Premium PortWines, San Francisco, CA) -J.G.

WINE & SPIRITS BUYING GUIOE 2O12

OUR ATTENTION IN 2OLT.

CHATEAU POTENSACBORDEAUX, FRANCEThis property in the northern M6doc has been in the Delon family for three generations. ln recent vintages, Jean-HubertDelon has been emphasizing a higher percentage of merlot and cabernet franc in the blend, turning a once stolid cabernetinto a glorious young wine in 2OtO. Tasting at the cellar this past June, my notes read, "l'm buying Potensac: lt's a beauty.Fresh, bright, juicy with firm tannins and without any excess-neither hyper ripe or hyper extracted." As a young wine,Potensac 2010 stands higher in the Delon hierarchy than ever before. (Various importers.J -Joshua Greene

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KYPEROUNDA CYPRUS

occH r Pt NTr srGlLY TTALYCOS is the star of Sicily's Vittoria, the brand a partnership amongthree school friends with family vineyards. Glambattista Cilia, GiustoOcchipinti and Pinuccia Strano produce some of our favorite southernItalian wines, pafticularly their Cerasuolo di Vittoria. The only Vittorianwho comes close-or surpasses them-is Giusto's niece, AriannaOcchipinti, who farms herfrappato under biodynamics and turns outa fragrant, dynamic red. We profiled Occhipinti among our 30 Under 30top new talents in the wine world (Fall 2OIL) and buy her wine when-ever we see it on a restaurant list. (LoulslDressner Selections, N}{ -J.G.

WINE &

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ln 2003, when Kyperounda began producingwine at1,000 feet, high above Limassol, everyone thought itwas a crazy idea. Snow regularly falls in these peaks,

and there's nothing to stop the wind that comes scream-ing across them. But winemaker Minas Mina believesthe best expression for the local xynisteri comes fromhlgh altitudes-and Yiannis Voyatzis, the chief wine-maker for Boutari in Greece and a consultant here,

agrees. Given the 2009, it's believable: Rather than theusual beachy sipper, this is a xynisteri with guts andvibrancy, its lemon-drop flavors girded with mineraltones and electrifled with acidity. lt's an exciting newinterpretation for a very old variety. -Tara Q. Thomas

SPIRITS BUYING GUIDE 2012