Joe Czerwinski

Managing Editor of Digital and Print

In his role, Joe Czerwinski manages all aspects of digital and print production for Wine Enthusiast Magazine as well as helping drive the creative direction of the dynamic online and print publications. Czerwinski has been a wine journalist, editor and taster for over a decade and is a regular wine panelist, speaker and educator for events and organizations worldwide. Czerwinski was previously Senior Editor and Tasting Director for Wine Enthusiast Media. Czerwinski currently reviews wines from Australia, New Zealand and the Rhône Valley in France.

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Jacob's Creek 2006 Centenary Hill Shiraz (Barossa Valley)

Price $35

If you can tolerate a fair whack of mint in your Shiraz, this may be even more to your liking. Vanilla and mint notes frame the juicy cassis flavors, while the finish is smooth, leaving behind a dusting of fine-grained tannins. Ready to drink. — J.C. (4/15/2013)

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Felton Road 2010 Calvert Pinot Noir (Central Otago)

Cellar Selection

Price $60

Unusual for New Zealand Pinot Noir, this full-bodied bottling is structured firmly enough to warrant 2–3 years of cellaring. Earthy, savory notes that include roasted meat and coffee intertwine with black cherry and beetroot, while the tannins turn dusty on the finish. — J.C. (4/1/2013)

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Man O' War 2009 Ironclad Red (Waiheke Island)

Online Exclusive

Price $45

This powerful, intense Bordeaux-style blend includes (in decreasing amounts) Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is richly textured, and it offers ripe boysenberry and cassis fruit, layered with supple tannins and smoky oak. Approachable now, but it will probably be better in five years, and it could still be going strong… — J.C. (4/1/2013)

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Felton Road 2010 Cornish Point Pinot Noir (Central Otago)

Price $63

More perfumed and floral than the other 2010 Pinot Noirs from Felton Road, the Cornish Point is a pretty, slightly delicate wine that nevertheless doesn’t lack for intensity. It’s medium in weight, with creamy tannins that finish like silk. — J.C. (4/1/2013)

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Felton Road 2010 Block 3 Pinot Noir (Central Otago)

Price $79

Winemaker Blair Walter has dialed up the intensity in this powerfully concentrated bottling, which packs ample black-cherry fruit and sturdy notes of hickory smoke, cured meat and dark coffee. Despite the wine’s considerable weight, the tannins are supple enough to make it approachable now. — J.C. (4/1/2013)

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Felton Road 2010 Block 5 Pinot Noir (Central Otago)

Price $75

Already complex, this luscious blend of fruity and savory nuances features black cherries and smoked meat notes that are wrapped in a silky glove of dusty tannins. It’s approachable now, but it should age easily for another 5–7 years. — J.C. (4/1/2013)

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The Crater Rim 2011 Bendigo Terrace Pinot Noir (Central Otago)

Editors' Choice

Price $25

Bendigo is a warm subregion of Central Otago, and this wine shows the plush, creamy texture of superripe fruit. The wine is smoky and briary, marrying black cherry and mocha notes in harmonious complexity, and ending lush and long. Drink it now and over the next few years. — J.C. (4/1/2013)

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Saint Clair 2010 Pioneer Block 22 Barn Block Pinot Noir (Marlborough)

Editors' Choice

Price $30

Saint Clair’s Pioneer Block wines are always worth trying for their expressions of Marlborough’s subregional characters. This one, from deep clay soils at the foot of the Dry Hills, features a bold cherry aroma and flavor, backed by ample vanilla and baking spice notes. It’s big and slightly chunky in style, but it seems likely to smooth out over the next 12 months… — J.C. (4/1/2013)

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2009 Russian River Vineyards Estate Grown

Rich flavors of cherries, persimmons, cola, anise and oak flood the…

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