Winemaker Heidi Barrett was making Moscato way before the current craze started, so you can call her a visionary. Her 2011, an unusual blend of fruit from Napa Valley and Paso Robles, is a real crowd pleaser. Tasted in May of 2012, it’s a little spritzy, which gives a nice, clean edge to the orange, vanilla and white flower flavors. While it’s dry, there’s a rich edge of honey. The alcohol is a refeshingly low 12.8% by volume.

The 2011 Moscato Azul is terrific in this vintage. All of the classic Moscato notes of nutmeg, white peaches, lychee and flowers come through beautifully. In 2011 Barrett lowered the residual sugar, opting for a dryer style that has also given the wine more energy and focus than it has had in the past. Moscato, of course, is already generous and expressive on its own, so it needs very little help in the cellar. The 2011 is the first vintage that includes fruit from Paso Robles. The wine was vinified and aged in steel, and the malolactic fermentation was blocked, all choices that resulted in an immensely pleasing white well worth taking the time to get to know. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2015. - Antonio Galloni