December 2020

FRIENDLY FOILS FROM SILVIO GRASSO

This is devoted to a more casual, comfortable wine moment. We are keenly aware that we, and other merchants, spend the majority of promotion energy on ‘superlative’ wines. Yes the industry has become very much about ‘highest scores’, ‘greatest ever’ kind of rhetoric. It’s amazing how elevated the jargon has become. Well, this piece is about ‘comfortable’ wines you don’t have to think about but serve their purpose with style.

What do we mean? Well, while we know it is risky not overstate our case because people might think we aren’t enthusiastic enough, we aren’t going to sling about grandiose terms to try and convince you that these wines will change your life. Most wines aren’t the ‘greatest ever’ and what the definition of that would even be is in the eye, or palate, of the beholder. But we are going to tell you that wines like this are absolutely necessary.

The vintners don’t drink Barolo every day. They like to have tasty, serviceable wines for the table. For those mid-week burgers, a take-out pizza, or a quick pasta dish, wines like this that are easy-drinking, tasty, unpretentious and well priced are invaluable companions.

This pair comes from a house we have worked with for a long time, and also sells big time Barolos. But they have also been a great place to procure ‘comfortable’ wines. Silvio Grasso isn’t exactly a household name and these little wines aren’t going to make the winery famous because they aren’t going to get the reviews that will cause people to pay attention. But if you want a glass of something to go along with everyday fare and be interesting enough to keep your attention, these are worthy candidates.

The Silvio Grasso Nebbiolo2018 is a fine representation of the varietal with the high toned minerality, rosehips, and sweet earth with a central theme of supple red fruits. The grapes here are 95% Nebbiolo and the remaining 5% a combination of Merlot and Barbera from vines planted between 1980 and 2000. This vintage has created a kinder, gentler, suppler, more user-friendly version of Nebbiolo without the edgy tannins that can sometimes make a stern impression and a sweet middle of cherry fruit. Perfectly quaffable, authentic (it’s from La Morra) Nebbiolo that you can fire up with a modest midweek meal and it will elevate the experience without denting the wallet much ($14.98)

The Silvio Grasso Barbera d’Alba 2017 represents the same kind of delicious pop-and-serve choice. Barbera can sometimes have a pretty stern lick of acidity but this rendition is supple, round, gentle and fruit-driven. It is 100% Barbera harvested from 35-year-old vines and is done entirely in stainless steel. As we have noted in other pieces, some of the 2017s from Piedmont have been particularly plush and engaging, almost New World in their suppleness and this one definitely has that profile. Again, at only $14.98, the price angst is greatly reduced.

We could try to ratchet up the prose because that is what people expect to hear these days. But we’d rather represent these for what they are…delicious, engaging, low-cost options when you just want a surprisingly good glass of wine and don’t necessarily need a lot of drama to go along with it. We all have those days and these are an answer.

BRITTAN-QUIETLY AMONG OREGON’S ELITE

This project has been afforded great respect pretty much since ‘Day One’. True, Robert Brittan came from California with a resume of being the winemaker and estate manager at Stags’ Leap Winery for 16 years. His wife Ellen was highly involved with a variety of marketing aspects with respect to rolling out the Rudd Winery program. These Napa veterans came to the Willamette Valley with reputations and great expectations.

They were afforded great credibility right of the bat. Examine this excerpt from one of the longest footnotes on a producer we’ve seen in the Wine Advocate as the reviewer talked about their very first releases, “…A personal encounter with these singular wines should be high on the to-do list of any wine lover – not just Pinotphile – who hasn’t yet had the experience. Over and beyond his Pinot Noirs (soon to be sourced in part from old California vine selections), Brittan’s estate essays in Chardonnay and Syrah have been nothing less than revelatory…”

In this article great attention was paid to the Brittan’s ‘scientific’ process and caring a lot about what many would consider minutia. Noting the different consistencies of the basalt soils in various parts of the vineyard, studying the interfaces between rock, root, soil, and plant metabolism, studying and encouraging diversity of flora and fauna across his property to enhance the microorganisms that populate his grapes’ skins, this is attention to detail at a rare level and it shows in the wine.

Subsequent to that initial review, Brittan wines only failed to crack the 90 point (and usually higher) level twice over 35 wines dating back to that original 2007 vintage in Wine Advocate, a testament to the quality that everyone seemed to expect out of this Oregon project from the beginning. The Pinots have always shown tremendous detail and filigree, purity of fruit and distinctive style and complexity. We have been quiet fans of Brittan’s wines for a long time.

The fruit in the Brittan Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Willamette Valley 2017 shines expressing vibrant blue and dark red fruits, notes of lifted spice, and subtle but insistent streaks of white stone minerality. The fruit all comes from the original estate vineyard planted in 2001, though only eight of the original 18 acres planted in this rugged terrain in ultra-thin topsoils survived. Clearly the remaining plants are happy enough to produce some distinctive fruit.

To be honest, the style of the house isn’t necessarily ‘pop-and-serve’. This wine has a lot of layers to unravel. Note the comments from Wine Advocate reviewer Erin Brooks, “Drinking these wines on my own for pleasure, I notice that the Pinot Noirs, especially, take several hours to open and show their stuff once the cork is pulled. Consider giving these wines more time than usual in bottle—or at least a long decant—before enjoying.” There’s a lot to love here but giving the wine a little time to stretch out gives you a more complete experience.

As we have pointed out on occasion, reviewers are people, too. This piece from Josh Reynolds sums up the bullet points rather succinctly, “Shimmering red. Spice-accented raspberry, cherry and floral aromas are complemented by hints of cola, succulent herbs and smoky minerals. Sweet and pliant on the palate, the Estate offers nicely concentrated red and dark berry preserve and rose pastille flavors. A spicy nuance builds steadily on the back half. Supple, fruit-driven and accessible, this wine delivers solid finishing thrust, well-knit tannins and strong, floral-tinged persistence. Aged in 15% new oak…92 points.”

Nice review, and certainly a respectable score. But our point here is that this is one of those wines that isn’t necessarily fully explained with just a number. There’s a lot of cool nuance here that cannot be ‘digitally’ expressed. In other words, we think, all in all, this is an even better wine than the score indicates. There is a certain ‘touch’ that Brittan Pinots show that we don’t see all that often and some ‘bonus’ complexity you might miss if you aren’t paying full attention. They are quietly on another level. Only 517 cases produced. (*There is a special price at checkout).

DISTINCTIVE 2006 DUO FROM DANIEL-ETIENNE DEFAIX

We have spoken of our penchant for Chablis many times, and how Chablis, the region, is in a better place than it has ever been. There is a great range of activity there these days, classic producers as well as passionate newcomers that are expanding the style range of the region within the context of the classic chalky terroir. Even within the broad context of today, Daniel-Etienne Defaix is no ordinary Chablis producer. This guy is in the ‘aged Chablis’ business and we have had numerous great experiences with his wines dating back more than two decades. That makes him ‘the exception’ over a period of time where premature oxidation has changed people’s expectations about aging white Burgundy. And he does it for you!

His whole approach is not only different, it would be virtually impossible to imitate starting from scratch. For Defaix, aged Chablis is his raison d’etre. He has extensive holdings in Chablis and sells most of his harvest “en vrac” (in bulk). This affords him the capital to underwrite long aging of cuvees from selected lots of wine. First, only a small percentage of his produce actually finds its way into his bottlings in the first place. He retains the very best juice for his own label.

At that point, as we understand it, the wine ages for at least two years in vertical tanks with the lees in constant suspension. Each month or two the lees are pumped up-and-over the wine via an external tube with no exposure to air. Those lees circulate and descend through the vat over the next days and weeks in a state of suspension thus enriching the wine as they pass through.

Defaix decides when to bottle and then ages the wines in bottle until he deems them ready for prime time. He is in no particular hurry and ‘go time’ might not come for more than a decade. But when the wine then hits the shelves, it is in a state of near-perfect readiness. No one else conducts business in this manner. Not sure anyone could. As a number of you found out from the two rounds of offers we did with Defaix’s 2005s, the results are magic.

Today we are pleased to roll out an intriguing pair of 2006s we just tasted. We’ll tell you right up front that Defaix does not go out of his way to court the press and these wines have not been reviewed as yet. But 2006 is a better vintage and this pair is better respectively than those delightful, reviewed 2005s we sold before. Also, they couldn’t be more different from each other which is a pretty sensational demonstration of what terroir is all about.

The Daniel-Etienne Defaix Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 2006 panders in a way that only aged Chablis can. The vines (average age 45 years) are planted on a 28-degree slope in the original parcel of “Vaillon” with a southeast exposure. The soil here is particularly influenced by iron deposits which yields a wine of fruit and spice and great density. The Vaillons is influenced by notes of forest floor and subtle, more iron-like minerality, and is often the most generous wine of the domaine. That generality definitely applies here. The Vaillon has classic apple and citrus fruit up front laced with typical salinity and mineral notes. As it rolls across the palate, it flashes some lifted but surprisingly butter-like notes as well, sort of Chablis meets Cote de Beaune. Delightful, elegant and very civilized, this will appeal to a broad audience with its show of refinement, creamier palate and tender-but-insistent finish.

The Daniel-Etienne Defaix Chablis 1er Cru Cote de Lechet 2006 is more about power and exhibits what Defaix’s careful, purposeful process can deliver. If you are more of a ‘hard-core’ lover of Chablis, this one will ring your bell. It is truly spectacular in a different way. Defaix’s holdings in the Cote de Lechet are on a 38 degree slope facing southeast. Most of the grapes come from a single parcel called ‘Clos des Moines’. The vines are on average 45 years of age, and naturally have smaller yields, thus more concentrated fruit. This specific vineyard section has the reputation of being “the most emphatic and pure expression of the minerality.” That’s the story here, surprising size, stoniness, power, texture and energy, particularly for a 14-year-old white. Amazing.

Once again you have classic, perfectly proportioned Chablis at its optimum and showing a distinct display of the terroir. That is the Defaix way. Considering the effort and time to produce these wines, at these prices they are simply some of the better deals on premium Chablis we’ve encountered.

PICARO RIBERA DEL DUERO VINES VIEJAS 2018

One thinks typically of the Ribera del Duero as a more ‘serious’, what with the neighborhood harboring such heavyweights as Vega Sicilia, Hacienda del Monasterio, Pingus, and Pesquera. The term ‘Picaro’, the brainchild of Dominio di Aguila, refers to someone who is a rascal, or a rogue. The question posed by Picaro is, can a Ribera be, well, fun? While they are clearly deadly serious about their winemaking, they seem to be able to be a lot more light-hearted with their winery persona.

Picaro definitely operates ‘outside the box’ for an area like the Ribera. Sure you’ve got your Tempranillo here, the backbone grape of the region, and the specific clone that the region hangs it hat on. But here it is co-fermented with an unusual mixture of Garnacha, Bobal (a grape we associate with climes further south), and Albillo (the rare, indigenous white of the Ribera). So what do you get? Well, let’s call it a rogue within the typical confines of the region, but more accurately it is Ribera with its ‘party hat’ on yet with the complexity and dimension to be taken seriously alongside the icons of the region.

There’s plenty of richness here, but there is also a lift to the flavors that is unlike anything else we have tasted from the Ribera, as well as a certain ‘old school’ demeanor that speaks more of Rioja than the Ribera. Gushing berry and cassis flavors steal the show, but there are also streaks that are like a marinated black cherry, some (Rioja-like) dusty spice, and refined tannins to let you know that this is no ordinary Ribera.

The vine age here is somewhere north of 50-years-old, and the property is farmed organically/biodynamically, with grapes trodden by foot before being put in French oak for malo-lactic fermentation and a sojourn of 12-20 months in wood. The vineyards here are north-facing, which give the wine a little cooler profile to begin with. It all sounds formal enough yet the wine’s wild fruit notes, more lifted personality, and outgoing spiciness can only be described as…fun. Sure there are structural things that you can point to with wine aficionados that will present the appropriate level of gravitas. But you could just haul off and drink this with reckless abandon (responsibly of course) in a way that would seem inappropriate with most, admittedly more ‘modern’ Riberas.

Jorge Monzon and Elizabeth Rodero founded the winery only in 2010 after Jorge spent years selling his produce to ‘several high profile neighbors’. The winemaking is pretty serious here as well and they have definitely separated themselves from the pack in a very good way. We can only marvel at their successful new approach and how Aguila takes such a stylistic diversion and makes you wonder why more people haven’t done it in this way.

We aren’t the only fans either. Their stock has gone up with Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez who wrote, “I tasted two vintages of the entry-level red, of which the young 2018 Pícaro del Águila Tinto had just been bottled and should be released soon. This is their most approachable red, and it has the depth, concentration and nuance of the best wines from many wineries. It’s produced in a more jovial style, but the wine comes from old vines that always have a field blend with small percentages of whatever grapes that are all fermented together, and these vines always produce a serious and deep wine. In 2018, it matured in French oak barrels for 11 months. This is very young and tender, expressive and aromatic, very much in line with the 2016. It has lots of energy and power, more than you might think, and it’s serious. It’s drinkable now, but it should get even better with some time in bottle….94 points.”

‘Aguila’ is Spanish for ‘eagle’, and this eagle is flying high, if maybe a little bit outside the typical stylistic boundaries of typical Riberas. But this is a bold, exciting twist and a welcome addition to the genre as Jorge Monzon is a breed apart from ‘typical’. A rogue? Yeah, maybe. Delicious? Absolutely.

THE LATEST STYLISH CAB FROM THREAD FEATHER

Thread Feather continues to a people’s choice. Clearly this label resulted from the rivers of unsold juice at some of the elite addresses in the Napa. Throw in a pandemic and things would have gone on for a long time, but the fires in Napa in 2020 will definitely have an effect moving forward. Clearly, we have learned that ‘the bird is the word’. We have made the point long ago that California vintners, particularly in Napa, have continued to raise prices and pretend that everything is just rosy. If that were the case, a label like this wouldn’t exist. For us it has been a fantastic source of intriguing, very polished Cabernets that taste like they had much higher price aspirations.

Given the current state of affairs, owner/winemaker Niel Koch has dialed himself in to get some remarkable juice. His company called Flight Wine Company has developed an impressive program of ‘one-offs’. He specializes in small lots of 100-500 cases of what he calls ‘sub AVA’ wines. Everything we have seen thus far has been a ‘district’ bottling, as is today’s menu item, the Thread Feather Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder 2018. Koch clearly knows what great wine is supposed to taste like. He learned from the best having trained under Philip Melka at Seavey Vineyards, Bryant Family and Vineyard 29, as well as a stint as Assistant Winemaker at Lewis Cellars.

The Thread Feather Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder 2017 comes from a single vineyard (they can’t tell us which one) situated at 1000 feet above sea level on the eastern slopes of Mount Veeder on the western side of the Napa Valley just south of Oakville. The grapes, 91% Cabernet and 9% Merlot, were handpicked, sorted and then optically sorted. After a 3-day cold soak, and 14 day fermentation with extended skin contact the wine was moved into 100% French oak, 30% new. As has been the practice, production is limited and the original retail in this case stood at $65.

As with the other Thread Feather wines we have offered, this Cabernet speaks of its origins. The flavors start with urgent cassis and plum fruit laced with Veeder’s telltale insistent baking spice character. There are ticks of graphite, tobacco, and earth, but the spice wins the day as it so often does in this part of the Valley.

This is mountain fruit, so it sits a little firmer out of the gate. A little air time makes a big difference. But the tannins are ripe and supple. This is a 2017 as well, so there is more structure and a little more reserved personality. It’ll take a touch more coaxing but you will be rewarded. It impressed the buyers more on the second day as the air had really allowed this one to expand.

There’s a lot to like here, particularly for the price. We aren’t talking the previously mentioned fare either as we are offering this ‘reserve level’ effort for a modest $34.98. It’s another winner from Thread Feather as well as a great buy on serious Napa Cabernet.

UN CONTINO MUY ESPECIAL

As you surely know if you have been seeing our offers for any length of time, we have been fans of the talented folks at CVNE for a long time. But among their three separate, high performance wineries, Contino holds a special place for us. Back in the early 90s, before the coming of the ‘Spanish invasion’ lead by Jorge Ordonez and Eric Solomon, there were two wineries that kind of opened our eyes to the world of Spanish wines in general. One of them was Contino (the other was Mauro for reference sake). We have plying the varied wares from CVNE (Compañía Vinícola del Norte del España, aka Cune) under their Contino, Vina Real and Imperial labels, ever since.

That means there is almost always something exciting from them coming down the pipe under one of those three labels, all of which are run as separate wineries. Among them Contino has a somewhat unique position. The Cune people refer to Contino as the ‘first chateau in Rioja’, a reference to the comparison between this property and the typical profile of a Bordeaux chateau. The estate is formed by 62 hectares of vineyard in Rioja Alavesa, considered the best of the three regional designations in Rioja (Baja, Alta, and Alavesa). Contino, as it exists today was founded in 1973.

The history of the property itself dates from the 16th century, and that history is reflected in its name. The “contino” was the officer in charge of the guard corps of a hundred soldiers who protected the royal family “de contino” (continuously) from the times of the Catholic Monarchs onwards.

A single vineyard wine is still a pretty rare thing in Rioja, though that is changing somewhat with a surge of winemakers passionate about establishing more specific ‘village’ and ‘pago’ (vineyard) identities. We have done a number of offers on Contino over the years, our last missive on the Rioja Reserva 2014. When we wrote that piece, we closed with saying we got the deal on the 2014 “probably because the purveyor was itching to get their hands on the highly publicized 2015 and 2016 vintage.” Now we can see why. The 2015 is muy, muy bueno!

This Reserva is made up of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, and 5% a combination of Mazuelo y Garnacha. The wine is made in the traditional manner and placed in barrels already used oak (40% American and 60% French) where it remained for two years plus the additional minimum of two more years in bottle aging in the cellars until it is released to the market.

It has the same style points as the previous classics, but has more volume, richness, and outgoing fruit. The color is a deep, vibrant maroon, and the nose gives the immediate impression of ripe cassis and black cherry.

In the mouth there is simply ‘more’. The fruit is lush and vibrant, the acidity is refined and well tucked away, and its is loaded with engaging ripe flavors. Like a Bordeaux, this Contino Rioja Reserva 2015 exudes elegance, yet in this vintage there is an increased level of juiciness. It differs from other great vintages in that it is, flat out, flashier from start to finish.

Early ‘reports’ are impressive. From Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez, “…a blend…t hat wants to express the character of the Contino estate…It feels fresher than the 2014, and it also shows younger, with better integrated oak, subtle aromas and nice balance. It’s medium-bodied, with very fine tannins and good freshness, integrated and balanced. I look forward to tasting the 2016 of this wine, because this 2015 is going in a direction that I like…94 points.”

James Suckling was gushing in this review from 2018, “This shows so much intense dark berry such as blueberries and blackberries with hints of flowers. Lavender too. Full body, dense tannins with freshness and intensity. So tight and focused. A classic Rioja. Need five to six years of bottle age to come around. Try in 2024… 96 points.”

You can wait if you want to, but we have enjoyed a few bottles already with relish thanks to that outgoing fruit component. Either way, this is a real winner from a source with a great track record.