PERFECT PALATE Top Wines of 2015
Since 1988, the publication Wine Spectator has published a list of top 100 wines, in which their editors select the best and most exciting wines from the thousands they have sampled and reviewed that year. To evaluate whether a particular wine is in the running to make the top 100, the reviewers consider quality, price, availability, and what they refer to as the “X-factor.” “At first, you’re tasting blind, so no factor matters except the taste,” says James Molesworth, a Senior Editor at Wine Spectator, “but when the bag comes off and you see the label, that’s when the x-factor comes in to play. Is it a new domain? A new producer? Is it a great value?” Combining the subjective flavor with the objective facts helps the tasters narrow down their list of fantastic wines. With 17 tasters on staff in offices in New York and Napa
Valley, the reviewers have 200 cumulative years of wine tasting experience between them. While evaluating a bottle of wine, both the tasting and scoring is done blindly. Once the label of the bottle has been revealed, the score the wine received during the tasting cannot be altered. Of the nearly 20,000 bottles that are reviewed each year, about
5,000 receive scores high enough to be contenders for the top 100 list. Below are the crème de la crème, top 3 spectacular wines evaluated for Wine Spectator in 2015:
Peter Michael Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Au Paradis
Number 1 on the top 100 list, this Cabernet is also the most expensive. At $195 a bottle, this wine is described by Wine Spectator as, “Deliciously pure and supple, with explosive dark berry and red berry flavors, and a silky, polished texture.” A vintage 2012, only 1,785 cases of Peter Michael Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Au Paradis were produced.
Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
Tying with the Peter Michael Cabernet at 96 points out of a possible 100 on the wine reviewer’s scale, Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley is also a tad cheaper at $140 a bottle. A slightly heartier wine, this cabernet is described by the reviewer as having a “savory” and “meaty” tone throughout, with a “beautiful” lingering taste.
Evening Land Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills Seven Springs Vineyard La Source
Though this Pinot Noir comes in third place on the top 100 list, it out scored both the Quilceda Creek Cabernet and the Peter Michael Cabernet on the 100 point scale. With a score of 98, this vintage 2012 wine is the least expensive of the 3. At $70 a bottle, Evening Land Pinot Noir is described as having the taste of currants, plums, and blueberries, blended with spice flavors that blend together “harmoniously,” creating a wine that is overall “seductive” and “silky.”
26 OFF THE EASEL MAGAZINE – SUMMER 2016 Wine
“New Napa Sun” Steven Quartly Oil on Canvas 30” x 24” “L’ Auberge” Michael Flohr Limited Edition 36” x 48”
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