Best Wines And Spirits Of 2017

50 Wines That Inspired Us in 2017

The 2014 Innovant Red Wine is beautiful, with a ripe, upfront, charming style that’s hard to not drink. Plums, black cherries, leady herbs and a kiss of graphite all emerge from this medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated, textured effort that still holds onto the firm, age-worthy style present in all these releases. This beauty can safely be drunk anytime over the coming 10-12 years.

The nose is a precise and penetrating perfume of red cherry, spice box and graphite. The palate is lean and steely graphite with waxy notes of black fruit finishing with dry, spicy red fruit.

Deep red. A highly fragrant bouquet evokes fresh dark berries, rose oil and peppery spices, and a note of cola emerges with air. Juicy, focused and seamless on the palate, offering lively boysenberry and bitter cherry flavors that turn sweeter as the wine stretches out. Shows energetic lift and very good clarity on a long, gently tannic finish that leaves a zesty white pepper note behind.

Brilliant red. Lively red and dark berry scents are complemented by cola, white pepper and smoky minerals. Silky and focused on the palate, offering spice-tinged black raspberry, spicecake and lavender pastille flavors that tighten up slowly with air. Finishes with silky, harmonious tannins and very good clarity, tension and spicy persistence. In a cool, energetic style and pretty delicious right now.

Dark red. Spice-tinged blackberry and cherry aromas are complicated by sassafras, cola and allspice nuances. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering juicy red and dark berry and spicecake flavors along with suggestions of mocha and candied flowers. Finishes with strong, spicy punch, gentle tannins and strong, dark-berry-driven tenacity.

Offers a perfumed nose of cedar, carbon and plump blue plum with smoky notes of earth and mint. The palate is lean and bright red raspberry, currant. ‘Vibrant redness’, nice texture.

The nose is orange and vanilla with notes of nutmeg. The palate entry is immensely rich and flavorful with white currant, peach and baked apple. Beautiful weight and polish on the taffy-like finish.

The 2014 Merlot is a beauty. Black cherries, cassis, forest floor, and graphite notes all give way to a classy, pure, medium-bodied effort that has nicely integrated acidity, terrific purity of fruit, and fine tannin. It’s a classy effort to drink over the coming decade or so.

This light yellow colored Chardonnay opens with an attractive lemon, oak and pear bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied and nicely balanced between its fruit and acidity. The flavor profile is an oak influenced Bartlett pear with hints of butterscotch, lemon verbena and a touch of pineapple. The finish is dry and its flavors and light acidity tingle your tongue for just a little bit. This Chard is very food friendly and would pair nicely with chicken francese.

A chewy and fruity red with blackberry, chocolate and hints of cedar. Medium to full body. Hazelnut finish.

Lurid red. Oak-tinged raspberry, cherry and candied rose scents, along with cola and vanilla notes that build steadily with air. Smooth and broad on the palate, offering sweet cherry-vanilla and spicecake flavors that firm up on the back half. The vanilla note carries through a long, spice-tinged finish given shape by supple, harmonious tannins.

A Bordeaux blend (I’m not sure of the varietal breakdown), the 2014 Harmonie Red Wine offers a firm, tight, even backward, style to go with plenty of blackberry fruit, graphite, and crushed rock. Medium-bodied, fresh and focused, with excellent purity and ripe tannin, it certainly has potential, but is going to require 2-3 years of bottle age.

This opaque and very dark ruby colored Shiraz from Yangarra opens with a smoky oak bouquet with hints of match stick and cherry. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, nicely balanced and smooth. The flavor profile is a tasty mild black cherry with notes of gentle blackberry. We also detected hints of minerality, black olive and cola. The finish is dry and its flavors and mild tannins linger nicely. The Panel suggest pairing this this Shiraz with homemade meatloaf or a mushroom burger.

Deep red. Black raspberry, cherry pit, succulent herbs and rose oil on the pungent nose. Bitter cherry and floral pastille flavors unfold slowly while picking up peppery spice and licorice accents. Shows good depth and structure and finishes subtly sweet and long, featuring youthfully chewy tannins and a touch of cracked pepper.

A distinctly ripe if decidedly fresh nose combines liqueur-like notes of black cherry, plum, spice and a pretty floral hint. There is good volume to the polished and sleek flavors thanks to the relatively fine-grained tannins that shape the dusty and moderately firm finish. Despite the relatively high reported alcohol this robust effort manages to carry it pretty well as there is only a trace of warmth. While this won’t win any awards for refinement it certainly doesn’t lack for character.

The nose is a firm and linear flint and herb over red fruits. The palate is lean and focused on harder fruit and tobacco, with firm acidity.

The nose is an elderberry and fig/chocolate with shadings of sassafras and violet. The palate is precise in its entry. Dark fruits predominate with notes of spice and florals finishing with slightly waxy feel.

Taut and well-framed, showing hints of dried ginger to the lively pear tart and apple pastry flavors. Fruity midpalate, with notes of red peach. Spicy finish.

Mid-full and fleshy, with butterscotch and tropical fruit in the foreground and toasty oak and vanilla bringing up the rear, with fresh acidity for support. A well-proportioned Californian.

Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 Sonoma County, +331603 Vintages, $27.95: in time for the upcoming spring season and early BBQs -- this is a re-release of a popular selling red wine. It's sourced from Sonoma County (99%) and retails in the US at $24 USD. Black fruit all the way (black cherry, blackberry, black currant), 90% cabernet sauvignon, 6% cabernet franc, rest is petit verdot, merlot, and malbec – which makes it a Bordeaux-styled wine. 13.5% ABV, aged 10 months in French and US oak (86% of total production) plus balance in stainless for freshness. And there's some mocha nuances for the millennials to pick out and go wild over. I last tasted this in May 2017; here, it has picked up a few non-fruit tones such as leather and tobacco leaf, even some "smoke". All of which is a good thing for the evolution and maturing of wines.

Cali Chard Always a standout Chard from multiple vineyards located up and down the coast of California. This has a voluptuous nose of layered and expressive apple, pear, vanilla, buttered toast and creamy barrel spices. It’s a lush and spicy Chard on the palate with a range of ripe orchard fruits, mango, pineapple and just enough acidity to keep it lively on the finish. Big, rich, Cali Chard.

This very dark ruby colored Syrah from Copain opens with a mild red cherry and oak bouquet with hints of red raspberry and leather. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced and juicy. The flavor profile is a ripe strawberry jam with notes of gentle oak and minerality. We also detected hints of craisin. The finish is dry and its moderate tannins are a bit sticky. The Panel suggested pairing this Syrah with a pulled pork barbecue plate or a lamb burger. 89 points. Very good.

Fans of earthy Pinot Noir will love this vintage from Carmel Road's Panorama Vineyard. With a floral note on the nose, this wine quickly delves into the realm of earthy forest-floor aromas of damp forest and black tea. The earthiness tends to dominate the pretty fruit aromas of raspberry and cherry, though many Pinot enthusiasts would consider this a feature rather than a flaw. The finish shows a touch of wood spice. 89 points.