Palate Press has selected our top ten stories from 2012 and will publish a 2012 Redux article each weekday until January 4, 2013. These stories highlight our featured columnists, widely recognized contributors, and most popular works published through the year. The Palate Press editorial board hopes you enjoy these highlights as we look
The nose is very pretty, fresh squeezed apple with orange blossoms floating atop and a copper penny sinking to the bottom. The palate opens with a great mouth feel, smooth and soft. Apples and pears lead the palate with white flowers and a hint of ginger snap in the background.
There’s a crunch of leaves underfoot and a tinge of wood smoke in the air. Monarch butterflies, little jags of flame, meander in a big cerulean sky. Fall’s upon us here in New England. Gone are the high summer patio days that found me grilling quick suppers at 8:30 p.m.
Clear, bright, medium-pale gold. Clean medium-full aromas of grapefruit pith, fresh grass, juniper, star fruit, and gooseberry. Has an herbal or white tea note. Dry on the palate, medium-high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, medium-long finish. Bright, medium-full flavors of grapefruit, lemon, chalk, green herbs, tart green apple, and lime
Terrific bright red fruits backed by anise. Cherries, earth, black tea and a field of violets are all restrained by huge but smooth tannins demanding cellar time or enthusiastic decanting. This is jut a baby, a declassified Barolo that will be approachable in half the time of its big brothers.
Smooth and buttery, with obvious but not overwhelming wood effects. Apples and pears open on the attack, with minerality shining through on the mid-palate. Acids are high enough to offer good balance to the buttery wood. This is a very pleasant food wine. Drink with roast chicken. Recommended (88). DH
This New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc hits the mark with the real taste of gooseberry, bright and acidic, and not a hint of litter box. Lemongrass, lime, and melon join the gooseberry. An acidic palate cleanser, pair this with rich seafood. Drink with stuffed flounder. Recommended (88). DH WHO: Brancott Estate
The wine is very light almost white/clear, in color. The nose offers light tropical fruits and a touch of citrus. The feel on the palate is soft, slightly viscous, and leads with pears, mangos, and fresh-cut grass. It adds citrus and Key lime on the mid-palate. The finish lingers. The