December 2019

CASA CASTILLO KEEPS ON ROLLING

We went through Jumilla two decades ago when we had an opportunity to visit Spain. The few towns we went through looked like they could have been movie sets for the ‘spaghetti westerns’ of the 70s. The terrain reminds us of the Southern California desert (sans the Joshua trees). Yet from this harsh landscape came some pretty surprising wines, packed with character and weight without being over the top. The ripe, persistent fruit and modest prices made these wines immediately appealing.

Casa Castillo was one of the early stars of the region. This was also a producer whose property looked a lot like the southern Rhône, with gnarly old vines sitting in a chalk soil covered in stones. Like most of the Jumilla producers we tasted then and have come to know since, this bodega (what the Spaniards call their wineries) had a gutsy, well-priced value wine that was impressive for its substance and it only went up from there.

Casa Castillo is still bringing drama even in a more crowded marketplace with substantially more options for the wine buyer. The drawing on the front label could have as easily been inspired by a site in Chateauneuf as here in this still relatively obscure region in southern Spain. While global warming generally represents negative things, the wines from this warm region show that Mourvedre likes the heat. When this late-ripening grape gets fully mature, it can take on a leading role in a ripe forward wine.

The Casa Castillo Las Gravas is something we have been fans of since those early days. The grape varieties here are the same as the southern Rhone but in different proportions with the Mourvedre making up 70% of the blend, with the balance divided equally between Grenache and Syrah. The track record here is pretty remarkable, with this 2015 version garnering a ’94’ from Wine Advocate as it has for 5 of the last six vintages (the 2011 got a mere ’92’)! The generosity of the 2015 vintage shows in this wine’s more rounded nature, though it packs plenty of punch as always.

Luis Gutierrez of Wine Advocate paints a pretty clear picture, ”
The 2015 Las Gravas is a classic Mediterranean blend of Monastrell with 15% each Garnacha and Syrah, with 15% alcohol after fermenting with part of full clusters and indigenous grapes and aging in used oak barrels for 19 months. 2015 is the last vintage that Las Gravas has some Syrah, as it adds some sweet fruit he wants to avoid. However, it shows fresh within the balsamic profile, with plenty of rosemary and thyme notes combined with floral undertones and the character of the esparto grass and tree bark that are textbook (aspects) of the variety.” A lot of wine for the fare as always…

TASTY STAGS LEAP RED FOR UNDER $25? WE GOT THAT

There are a couple of points to cover here. First, while we have not been out protesting at college football games, we do recognize global warming is an issue. We see it in wine. Don’t worry, we aren’t going to go off on some long tirade about greenhouse gases. Wine is supposed to be one of the fun things in life. But changes in the weather will likely affect what you drink because warmer seasons will change the varietal mix, even what gets bottles as a varietal.

What are we getting at? Grapes known as ‘late-ripening varietals’ are changing roles a bit as the growing seasons warm up. We aren’t expecting to see Cabernet in the Mosel any time soon. But a little more sunshine means Mourvedre will more consistently mature, and you’ll likely see more of it in Chateauneufs and Rhone blends. In Bordeaux, many are increasing their percentages of Cabernet Franc in the vineyards. Over a century ago, Carmenere was pretty much kicked out of Bordeaux because it didn’t mature very well. Now it is thriving in the New World. Our point is that the times they are a-changin’. So it is, with perfectly straight faces, we’d like to introduce you to a potential new friend, Petit Verdot.

If you have been around wine a while, you know that Petit Verdot is a bit player in Cabernet and Bordeaux blends in many wine regions. You may have even had a varietal Petit Verdot at some point, typically dark and inky with firm tannins and a cool edge, maybe even a little bite to the fruit. Most folks probably encountered it at some sort of a component tasting or bought a bottle to see what the stuff was about. We’d suspect if you had the experience, you understood why it was mainly a blending varietal, filed it in your memory bank, and got on with your life.

There have been exceptions. We vividly recall the sensational Von Siebenthal Petit Verdot from Chile we sold a few years ago. But by and large, most Petit Verdot bottlings are more novelty than anything else. However the Avid Petit Verdot Napa Valley 2017 kind of changes everything! A little more sunshine, a little more physiological ripeness, and voila, you have a Petit Verdot that can play to a broad audience. You expect the deep purple color with aromas of ripe black fruit, plum, blackberry but the floral notes of violet and lavender come as a welcome surprise. There are also hints of smoked meat and leather, a hint of minerality, and none of the ‘edge’ typically associated with the grape.

The wine itself is 100% Petit Verdot from the Stag’s Leap District that sees 50% American and 50% French oak for six months and additional time in the bottle. This is a delicious mouthful without qualification, and it can play along with grilled meats as well as any Cabernet. It’s actually better than most of the Cabs you could buy for this kind of price, and it’s doubtful you could find much of anything with a Stags Leap designation on it for this kind of tab. Tasty, full-flavored, polished red? Napa Valley bargain? Petit Verdot breakthrough? It’s all of these things.

So who are these guys? The story here is a pretty short one since this is the first release under this label by Avid Wines, itself only founded in 2017. But these are the same folks that brought us the eye-opening Acoya bargain blend sourced from Oakville and Yountville just a few weeks ago. Winemaker Hossen Namdar started his journey with Domaine Chandon back in 1982 and later went on to the successful, occasionally surprising Stephen Vincent negociant lines. Partner Bob Goyette himself was a founder of La Crema Vinera, a serious boutique in the 80s and 90s before financial issues set in and they were purchased by Jess Jackson. Bob also did time at Chalk Hill and Benziger’s Imagery Series.

These guys have definitely been around the block so to speak, and it shows in the fact that this label got off the ground and delivered some impressive juice right off the bat. They aren’t big players yet. There were only 750 cases of this surprising Petit Verdot made. But it is clear this team, thus far anyway, has displayed quite an eye for quality and value.

Both that Acoya blend, and now this ‘next-gen’ Petit Verdot, are a little off the beaten path. But then how often do you see anything from Stags Leap for under $25?! Most important, it over-delivers in the glass. That’s what matters in the end.

A ‘RESOLUTION’ TO THE VALUE CABERNET ISSUE

The search for value Cabernet, specifically from Napa, is never-ending. But thankfully it is not hopeless, though we do have to work through a lot of juice to find a precious few gems. A while back (specifically January 2018) we introduced a new find (for us) that answered the prayers of California Cabernet drinkers. It was clean, varietally true, showed the nuances of its Napa Valley heritage, and cost under $20. A late Christmas miracle? Apparently not as here we are with the latest edition of the Branham Estate Resolution Cabernet Napa Valley that hits the mark again.

Winex has been scouring the countryside for remarkable values for nearly four decades. We have to wonder why we haven’t run across the wines of Gary Branham before. The guy has been in the wine business, by his own account, since 1971, and started the first of his two estates by planting Branham Rockpile Vineyard in 1994. In 1997, Branham purchased Obsidian Vineyard in Napa Valley, located near the Napa River near the Silverado Trail and Bale Lane. This 10-acre estate was planted in 1986 and then 60% was replanted in 2005.

Gary has basically existed as a grower for most of the time but has made numerous small lots of a variety of different things under his own labels, Branham and Resolution, all of which seemed to be priced at very reasonable fares given their pedigrees. Apparently, while Gary makes the majority of his livelihood as a grower, he likes to make wines that express their vineyards and that people can afford to drink. What a concept!

We couldn’t have been more elated when we were presented this Cabernet. In the value game, there are far too many one-hit wonders. This version was every bit as good as the last one, and that’s a big compliment. The Branham Estate Resolution Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2017 comes mainly from Gary’s Obsidian Vineyard with a portion from each of two other vineyards he works, one in Calistoga and one in St. Helena. There are bits of Merlot and Petit Verdot in the mix as well. This is all Napa Valley juice that sees 16 months in 100% used French oak to polish and soften the mid-palate and make something tender and delicious for current applications’ A year or two more in the bottle certainly won’t hurt either.

‘The Res’, as the winery refers to it, is full-bodied, rich, and balanced with aromas of dark berries, cassis, mocha and spice on the nose. You get the same profile on the palate with a touch of coffee in the mix as well. For Cab drinkers, this is a fastball down the middle, delivering all you could ask for in terms of size, richness and nuance, as well as actual notes of Napa Valley terroir. If we told you this was a $30-40 Cab, you would have no reason to question it since even that would be a pretty sensational deal for legit Napa Cabernet in today’s world.

Like its predecessor, perhaps the biggest plus for us is that it actually tastes like good Cabernet. Simply put, this is the ‘resolution’ to all of our Napa value Cabernet needs… at least while it is around. Once again it isn’t going to make a gigantic splash in the marketplace because only 700 cases were produced this time around. So grab this needle-in-a-haystack/holy grail/unicorn Cabernet value while you can. Last year’s version sold out in a flash and we suspect those folks will happily be back for the next round. Wines like this don’t come around all that often, and they usually don’t hang around very long.

RIGHTEOUS RIOJA

Over the years A LOT of La Rioja Alta juice has passed through these doors. But, for reasons we can’t really put our finger on, not a lot of this particular bottling. Part of that is that it isn’t bottled every year. In this case, this is also the first Vina Arana (2012) to have a Gran Reserva designation, making definitely worth highlighting even as we have an epic version of the Vina Ardanza (2010) on the floor.

As the winery tells it, “A vintage marked by drought, resulting in very heterogeneous grapes. Late September rains had a very positive effect on vine development, resulting in perfect ripening. The grapes arrived in perfect condition with a great balance between alcoholic strength and polyphenols, leading to wines of superb quality, with good polyphenolic structure and magnificent aromatic tipicity, key traits for making aged wines and determinant in our decision to make our first ever Viña Arana Gran Reserva.” In simple terms, this Rioja rocks!

The star of the show is Tempranillo (95%) from 40-year-old vines from Las Cuevas, El Palo and Las Monjas vineyards in Rodezno complemented with 5% Graciano from the Montecillo estate in Fuenmayor. This is everything you could ask from a Rioja in the classic sense. There’s plenty of round, supple-yet-lifted and energetic plum and blackcurrant fruit with flecks of spice, tobacco, damp earth, and dried orange. Impressive from start to finish, harmonious, and textbook Rioja, this is one where the bottle just doesn’t seem quite big enough. Super deliciosa!

James Suckling clearly ‘got it’, commenting, “Brambleberries, licorice, dried blueberries, cedar, tobacco, smoke, vanilla, dried citrus and even a hint of grapefruit. The laser-sharp acidity evinces a real sense of purity, and the tannins are really edgy and structured. Full-bodied but very elegant and stylish. The finish goes on and on, thanks to the shimmering acidity. Beautiful now…95 points.”

BOURGOGNE CHARMER

The title Bourgogne doesn’t give one a lot of information. Basically the wines can come from any legitimate terroir within the entire appellation of Burgundy and quality can vary greatly. We surely like the pricing but value depends ultimately on what’s under the cork. The back story here does a lot to set expectations. This firm was founded as a negocient back in 1865 and for a long period was a respected source of traditional Burgundy.

In 2002, it was acquired by Ann Colgin (yes, that Colgin) and husband Joe Wender. They brought in young winemaker David Croix, hooked up with savvy importer Becky Wassermen, revamped the cellars and replaced a lot of old wood, including the introduction of a wooden press for the red wines, open wooden vats for fermentation. These days they use little or no new oak and little racking. The winemaking pulls from both traditional and modern methodology and the wines these days are much more supple and approachable.

As you might expect, this is quite the ‘little’ Bourgogne. Certainly, the engaging 2017 vintage, ripe like 2015 but a little lighter on its feet, provided the kind of delectable fruit to play nicely into the program. Sourced from Bourgogne parcels in Volnay (climats Long Bois, Mon Poulain), Gevrey-Chambertin and the Côte Chalonnaise (Moroges), all of which have clay-limestone soils, the Camille Giroud Bourgogne 2017 delivers a punchy, bright mouthful of strawberry and cherry fruit laced with spice and lighter framed minerality. It sports deceptively power as Pinots go, and represents a classic expression of Burgundy for a surprisingly modest fare. A must for any Pinot Noir lover, it drinks nicely now with a little bit of air (something of a theme with the better 2017s).

AND THEY KIWI, TOO

First Oregon, and now the world. As we said in a piece not long ago about l’Envoye’s exciting new bottlings from Beaujolais, the folks at Maison L’Envoyé started with a lot of promise and only seem to be broadening their impact and their sphere of influence. Given the players involved, that really wasn’t a big surprise. Their name, Maison L’Envoye, loosely translated means ‘House of the Messenger’. Their mission is a bit wordy, “Minimalist Burgundian winemaking fostered in the Côte d’Or crossing the Pacific to meet generational farming on the diverse and unique soils of Oregon’s Willamette Valley.” Catchy, huh? The ‘message’ itself seems to be much simpler…well conceived, well-made, well priced wines wherever they go.

The ‘dream team’ continues to spread its wings to a number of far flung spots. Mark Tarlov, who created Evening Land, raised a few eyebrows in the northwest when he purchased the vaunted Seven Springs Vineyard, left that enterprise in 2012 to create this project. He partnered with none other than Louis-Michel Liger-Belair, Burgundy winemaker extraordinaire, producer of extremely rare bottlings from the Cote d’Or. Rounding out the group is Max Marriott, certainly the least ‘famous’ of the group, but an Aussie with quite a resume including Louis-Michel in Burgundy as well as top producers in New Zealand, Tasmania, Germany and at Cristom (one of our personal favorites from Oregon).

With this kind of winemaking pedigree, one might expect that the thrust would be yet another high end project, yet the wines are pretty consistently value priced. Apparently with all that time to burn during winter in the Northern Hemisphere, they decided to explore a couple locations far to the south. In both Tasmania and Central Otago, they work with a single vineyard, each family owned and farmed, that are outstanding examples of ‘purely expressed’, coole- climate Pinot Noir. In areas where the wines can sometimes be overtly nervy, their efforts have a pleasing tender edge to the expressive ripe fruit.

Our focus today is the Kiwi version from what we believe is the best spot for Pinot in New Zealand, Central Otago. A little further inland, and a little bit warmer, here Pinot Noir expresses the distinctive character of New Zealand, but with a layer of ripe, glossy fruit up front to give it immediate appeal. Yes the classic notes of tea, laurel, and savory spice are all part of the equation, but the insistent cherry fruit core pulls it all together and the tender edge to the mid-palate gives it a user-friendly feel that makes it a finer, if cooler-edged choice for current consumption.

It walks the line nicely at 13.9% alcohol level, clearly showing there is plenty of ripeness, but still coming in under that 14% ‘hard cap’ that is a point of contention for some wine drinkers. Tasty, bright and light on its feet, this is a deft glassful of Pinot Noir. While we are certainly happy to support our words with a 91 point score from Wine Advocate, we don’t necessarily agree with some of the specific statements in the review.

From erobertparker.com writer Joe Czerwinski, who is also the Rhone reviewer, “The 2017 Central Otago Pinot Noir comes out of the chute a bit green and stemmy (it’s 50% whole cluster). It clearly needs a year or two to settle down and integrate that element with the bold cherry fruit, but I have little doubt that those components will come together in time, resulting in a wine that’s substantially more attractive than it is currently. It’s medium to full-bodied, with ample ripeness, silky tannins and solid length on the finish, all of which augur well for the future. It’s made at Giant Steps in the Yarra Valley (Australia).”

We contend that whatever transformation Czerwinski expected to happen over time, must have happened already (even though the review is only from July, 2019). We experienced none of the ‘kiwi green’ notes described in the first sentence, and found this wine fresh, engaging and pretty darn likeable out of the gate, or we wouldn’t be writing this piece. At $24.98, it is a well performing, food friendly Pinot that should find a receptive audience in general and be particularly appealing to fans of the distinctive New Zealand genre.

Nicely done.

THE MAGIC OF ALSACE

If you saw the Beck-Hartweg Pinot Gris Cuvee de l’Ours 2007 just sitting on the shelf, you would likely pay it no mind. To be honest, looking at the vintage, it wouldn’t be our first grab either. Too old? Tired? We would have been wrong. One of the sad things we have noticed is that folks don’t care about Alsace as much as they used to. We sold remarkable amounts back in the 90s, and the area achieved stature thanks to a significant run of great juice from the likes of Olivier Humbrecht and the ladies at Domaine Weinbach. But, sadly, Alsace as a subject doesn’t get much attention in the wine press any more. It is particularly unfortunate at a time when the varied Asian and Asian influenced cuisines are widely appreciated on the food scene as these wines pair superbly (….getting hungry).

In any case, Beck-Hartweg is a fine producer who farms organically. We have been working with this domaine for a while and the presentation that day included several ‘older’ bottles that all showed surprisingly well. Do Alsace wines typically age well? The good ones certainly can and this one did!

It will be a little difficult to paint the picture since very few folks have the opportunity to experience a wine like this, thus making for no point of reference. But we’re going to give it our best shot secure in the knowledge, if it doesn’t work, there are lot of good Thai and Vietnamese places around here where we could do some expanded research ourselves. We won’t mind but, really, this is one of those rare opportunities.

In spite of the date, we just bought this. The 2007 vintage was very good in Alsace (one of the best since the turn of the century). The nose is an inviting melange of well meshed floral, white stone fruit, and quince nuances. All of that comes through on the palate accented with some yellow stone fruit and a delicate touch of minerality. The texture was remarkable, almost fat and unctuous but with everything sitting atop perfectly proportioned gentle acidity that did its job without getting in the way. The richness on the palate gave the impression of sweetness but the wine wasn’t actually sweet.

All in all, this was a captivating, soulful, and even a little bit cerebral effort. Only something from Alsace could have been exactly like this, the bottle age, those unique terroirs and deceptive viscosity making for a one-of-a-kind wine experience. An exciting wine and proof that Alsace should still be a ‘thing’.

HESS CABERNET: TASTE THIS ‘LION’ THIS WINTER

We have been selling Hess wines for a long time. There have been many incarnations, ups and downs, and an import company that brings in wine from the southern Hemishpere (including Hess’ own Argentine label from the ‘high country’ of Salta). There has probably been a little confusion along the way, too, as the name Hess is on a lot of different bottles…Hess Select, Hess Collection, Lion, Lion Tamer, Lioness (their ‘crest’ is a lion). There are ‘small batch bottlings’ of all sorts of things from Albarino to Gruner Veltliner to Orange Muscat. There are many different Cabernets (what is an ‘Allomi’, anyway) and an art collection.

There’s a lot to sort through, though most of it came later. They started out being known for their Cabernet and Chardonnay, and sometimes those classics get lost in the very busy picture. We aren’t going to try to explain all the permutations and combinations of the ‘Hess’ experience. We are simply going to mention that the 2016 Hess Collection Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder is the best effort we have had from them in a long time.

Yes, it is rich and polished, bestowed with well infused notes of high quality oak, and has plenty of stuffing, though that sounds like a lot of Napa Cabernets. A couple of things make this one stand out in the crowd. First is the wine’s layered complexity and elegance. As soon as one says elegance, though, a lot of ‘Cabernet types’ read that ‘light’. Not at all. The wine has power in its cassis, plum and dark berry fruit component, but it also has perceptible layers from that ‘Veedery’ savory/spice component and chocolate notes that speak more of a ‘chocolatier‘ than a common chocolate bar. They got all of this one and it commanded our attention in a way few have.

Even better, at a time when the winery put forth their best Cabernet effort in some time, they also decided to dial back their pricing (via a special offer) to reach a broader audience. How refreshing and totally un-Napa that is.

Apparently Wine Advocate’s Lisa Perotti-Brown is of a like mind, ‘
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Mount Veeder aged for 22 months in 75% new French oak. No 2017 vintage of this wine will be made. Deep garnet-purple colored, it delivers a very serious nose of baked plums, crème de cassis, dried mulberries and dark chocolate with nuances of tapenade, chargrill, licorice and menthol with a waft of tree bark. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is built like a brick house with a solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and oodles of freshness supporting the taut, muscular black fruit, finishing on a provocative mineral note. ..95 points.”

She only has it a point or two above prior recent efforts but we think the ‘style points’ here merit a greater separation. In any case, this Cabernet, at this price, is a treat!

LE ‘HOUSE BLANC’?

A good ‘all-purpose’ white is handy for most folks. Something that is fruit-driven, bright, clean and food-friendly covers most of the applications for this kind of white and value pricing is also part of the equation. Frankly, we have had the most success in that field with White Burgundy but so often wines with the simple Bourgogne label simply don’t deliver.

We usually are able to find a least a couple of wines that will check all the boxes, but this time around the 2017 Faiveley Bourgogne Blanc 2017 convincingly displaced one of our long-running players in that role.It simply had more going on, more verve, and made an impression in the glass. Overall we have been pleased with the 2017 whites from Burgundy, but this multi-appellation blend came off as particularly well built.

Floral aad wild herb notes in the nose, a surprisingly authoritative palate presence of pear and citrus, palate-coating body and a rather long finish, while it didn’t speak of a particular terroir it had loads of personality and performed nicely in the glass. About 30% sees a combination of new and used oak, but its personality is closer to a broader shouldered Chablis than a sappier domestic Chardonnay. It will hold in the bottle for 2-3 seasons for sure if need be.

Certainly, the underlying minerality from the marl, clay and limestone soils defined the wine’s origins and this lively white does not lack for character. Most Bourgognes don’t have this kind of presence and Faiveley winemaker Jerome Flous got all of this one, especially for under $20.

KILLER CAB BUY ‘HECHO EN MEXICO’

There’s a lot to digest here, starting with the fact that this is America’s oldest winery, founded in 1597! The land was granted by King Felipe II for the planting of grapes in that year, establishing Bodegas San Lorenzo, now Casa Madero, as a wine-producing estate. There has been a buzz about the emerging wine culture in the Guadalupe Valley in Baja California, but these folks have a few centuries on them.

Located in the Parras Valley, in north-central Mexico, in the state of Coahuila, the vineyards lie above 4500 feet with sunny days and cool nights during the season. The Casa Madero Cabernet Sauvignon Valle de Parras 2017 was a real surprise to us, not only from a historical perspective but because it was an excellent option for that difficult ‘good Cabernet under $20′ niche.

The grapes were hand-harvested and then sorted. This 100% Cabernet saw 24 months in new French oak and then was bottled unfiltered. Plenty of stuffing here with the alcohols still registering under 14%, both red and black fruits are part of the mix with notes of earth, toast, and a whiff of mint. Closer to the weight of a red Bordeaux than a California Cab, with plenty of ripe character, this got our attention and we suspect it will surprise a lot of you simply on the basis of being a tasty, well-made Cab for a good price. The history is a bonus.