June 2021

JAMET: NO ORDINARY COTES DU RHONE

First off, yes it’s that Jamet, one of the elite producers of Cote Rotie whose bottlings sell for $200 and up if you are lucky enough to come across it at all. It was a revered house favorite back at the old location but has become more scarce as time has passed. As to the Cotes du Rhone, we never got a sniff of this from the U.S. importer but consistently ran across it when we were traveling n France. We kept our eyes open for an opportunity and jumped when a small lot popped up on an offer sheet.

Since we hadn’t worked with this before, we suspect a lot of you haven’t seen it either. We thought a little explanation was in order because, even with an iconic name on the label, people might want to know why something labeled Cotes du Rhone would sell for $40. Our response is that this Cotes du Rhone tastes like a great Cote Rotie from the perspective of terroir.

Stick your nose in the glass and there are abundant elements of the classic Cote Rotie profile…blackberry, red plum, granite like minerality, sausage and uncooked meat. You get that same glorious matrix across the palate. The big difference? Size and price. In the glass, this is Cote Rotie in every way except the name.

Sure the ‘big dog’ is a denser, more layered mouthful. But it should be for five times the price! This is a beautiful demonstration of the appellation and the refined, elegant style of the house. It comes from schist filled soils around the town of Ampuis, specifically from the following plots: Lézardes, Cognet, Plomb, Champrond, and Tartaras. The 100% Syrah grapes are destemmed and given a long maceration then put in neutral barrels for 12 months.

Joe Czerwinski, the current and somewhat more conservative scoring editor for Wine Advocate for Rhones, had this to say, “Slightly bigger, richer and riper than the IGP Syrah, the 2017 Cotes du Rhone is medium to full-bodied, creamy and supple, with similar notes of crushed stone, a fumé-like character. But it also has blackberries, black olives and hints of espresso. It finishes silky and long. Jean-Paul Jamet points out that it comes from schist soils identical to Côte Rôtie but from younger vines. Like the IGP, it’s destemmed and aged in old barrels…For folks looking for lower prices and more immediate gratification, don’t overlook Jamet’s…Côte du Rhône offering, which offer a taste of Côte Rôtie without the same outlay of time or money…91 points.”

2019: CHIANTIS TO LOVE

This is less about any individual Chiantis as much as to give our impressions of the latest vintage of Chiantis starting to hit the market. Please note that we have offered up a couple of early arrivals that we think prove our point below. Also, not long after we proclaimed 2016 one of the best vintages ever in Tuscany, here we are touting a vintage again. So, for the record, we are not redacting what we said about 2016. It is still the best vintage we have tasted. But as we move forward, 2019 is going to make a LOT of friends just based on their sheer sexiness.

The 2016s still stand alone for their power, grace, balance and typicite. But the 2019s are not that far behind in terms of performance and are some of the lustiest, creamiest examples of the genre we can recall. These take people- pleasing to a new level with their overt roundness, silky texture, and fruit-driven mid-palate. Kinder, gentler Chianti? It works. Here are a couple of examples from two meticulous producers.

The Monteraponi Chianti Classico 2019 is a relatively new favorite from Radda in Chianti from a high altitude (from 400-500 meters above sea level). The wines are carefully made in a very natural way, which is to say no added yeast, nutrients, or malolactic bacteria are used, and fermentation takes place in cement tanks, followed by long macerations (even the Chianti Classico is kept on the skins for at least 25 days). The wines are aged in large oak only, and they are not fined or filtered. This Classico, a blend of 95% Sangiovese and 5% Canaiolo, expresses the outgoing spice and minerality we have come to expect from this respected source, but the urgent cherry fruit component is a much less tightly wound and more relaxed and engaging. This producer is a consistent star but this friendlier version will reach a broader audience.

We have been fans of Castellare for decades and the Castellare Di Castellina Chianti Classico 2019 is a beauty. Their Chiantis are always clean, precise and delicious, but this one has a wealth of forward dark red leaning towards black fruit and something of a slippery direction. It doesn’t happen often but this Chianti, while it will play its usual role as an augment to food, can be consumed with gusto all by itself thanks to its gentle palate, plush fruit, and well tucked in acidity.

Based on purity, quality and likability, we’d normally predict great reviews for these. But there is concern that a reviewer who is very strict in their reference points might be taken aback by these wines’ more New World demeanor. Do they fit the mold by comparison to all Chiantis that have come before? Maybe not because they are juicier and more outgoing than most examples we can think of. But that is by no means a problem. Are they delcious? Absolutely, and that is the point.

TOUGH NAME, STUNNING RIOJA

We’ll get the name, which will be a stumbling block for some, out of the way first. The property is called Castillo de Cuzcurrita (Cuzcurrita Castle), and the wine itself, the premium bottling from this estate, is Senorio de Cuzcurrita. Located half an hour west of Haro, Rioja’s ‘holy city’, is a castle with a history dating back to the 14th Century. We love getting into historical stuff but there isn’t space this time around (the owner is completely renovating the property to preserve the unique architecture). The castle has seen many owners over its life time but the current owner, whose name was never mentioned anywhere that we read, purchased the property in 1999.

Within the courtyard of this castle is an enclosed vineyard containing vines up to 80-years-of-age which was the inspiration for this wine. Winemaker Ana Martin, who has a reputation in Spain but has few wines in this market, was hired to make magic here. The owner underwrote a modern gravity flow winery for the property, no small task given the terrain, and the first vintage was a 1999. The proprietor was so pleased with it he decided to sell it commercially the following year.

There’s a lot of info to digest but we’ll try and keep it tight. Located in the hamlet of Cuzcurrita del Rio Tiron, at 600 meters above sea level, in Rioja Alta, this is the coolest and highest microclimate within the DO. The walled vineyard is the heart of this cuvee and the rest of the grapes come from long term contracts from bush pruned vines averaging 30 years of age, the farming is predominantly organic, and the grapes (100% Tempranillo) are harvested by hand into small crates to protect the grapes from bruising or breaking.

The wines are fermented in stainless steel with malolactic occurring in barrel then the juice sees 12 months in new, second and third year, French-oak
Bordeaux-style casks with a fine wood grain and medium toast followed by 5
months in 20,000-litre concrete vats for blending the wine before bottling. This wine, from the extraordinary 2016 vintage, was bottled in April, 2018 with no stabilization or filtration. Minimal intervention to be sure, and what a result.

As one piece we read about Ana Martin offered, “This is not a powerhouse wine, but a refined Tempranillo, with breeding and style that suit its castle upbringing.” Lovely black-cherry color, with an intense, complex nose with
aromas of dark fruits like ripe black plums, blueberries and blackcurrants, with some spice, balsamic nuances, cedar wood and anise coming through. Smooth, juicy mouth-feel with soft, enveloping tannins. Complex, well-balanced and elegant with a long, gentle finish and haunting aromatics.

We don’t know a lot about Ana, but this is one whale of a wine…silky, layered, tender, sleek, oozing with class. The traditional trappings of Reserva and Gran Reserva have no relevance here as this is a wine with more of an eye to a great Margaux for its inspiration. We had nothing quite like this, nor have we tasted anything quite as polished and engaging from this part of the world.

PINK II: ROSE REPORT

Truth be told, I wasn’t enthusiastic about 2020 as a rose vintage early on. Somehow they didn’t seem to possess the meat or the moxie of the better vintages. As time has passed, however, they have come together and gained depth beyond expectations.

The tariffs caused things to got off to a late start on imported rosés, and the subsequent shipping backlog has delayed arrivals even further not only to us, but to the reviewers as well. So there aren’t a lot of notes out there right now on pink wines, but we suspect they’ll be along. But we found plenty of tasty things to present so enjoy…

Chateau de Pampelonne Cotes de Provence 2020-We’ve had the Cotes de Provence in the lineup several times over the last couple of decades. It is the exemplary version of Provence rose, bright, fresh, versatile and well priced (that last one is particularly relevant). This vineyard, with a view of the Mediterranean, was first planted after World War I and the estate dates back to the mid-1800s. The blend here is 40% Grenache, 30% Cinsualt, 20% Syrah and 10% the unique, historic grape Tibouren.

Maybe it was just a good day, but this one struck us as one of the more engaging efforts from this historic chateau. The traditional red berry fruit is the central theme but floral notes, orange, and a little salinity all make their presence felt in the bright, appealing blend. A crowd-pleasing choice for under $20.

La Remise de Morderee Vin de France 2020 – We’ve got our Mordoree two ways this time around. The La Remise de Mordoree Rose 2020 has that classic Mordoree style but a different profile because of the unusual combination of grapes here, 40% Grenache, 30% Marselan (Marselan is a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache), and 30% Merlot. That is also why it is labelled ‘vin de France’ as some of the grapes aren’t ‘recognized’ for the appellation. In any case, it is a perfectly delightful pink wine, the unique varietals giving the wine a bit more drive to play against some lighter meat dishes (though it’s perfectly fine as an aperitif), and the $15 fare giving you a rather modest entry fee into the highly respected wines of Mordoree.

It’s from 20-year-old vines planted in sand with some clay and, for the record, hand-harvested, destemmed, direct pressed and estate-bottled. Red berries, maybe a little blood orange, some peppery notes, and a lifted, citrusy finish make for an interesting ‘value’ entrant from a top house.

Domaine de la Morderee Cotes-du-Rhone Rose La Dame Rousse 2020-Always a favorite around here, we select different offerings from among their roses every year but there is always Mordoree on the shelf. The Dame Rousse Cotes du Rhone is the traditional ‘workhorse’ of their rose lineup (they make five) and not far behind their Tavel qualitatively and in under $20 as well (the Tavels are $35-45 these days). Grenache leads the blend at 40% with the rest 35% Syrah, 15% Cinsault, 5% Carignan, and 5% Mourvedre farmed organically and harvested from a variety of terroirs.

A little more weight and density here, with strawberry and red melon the main thrust of the flavors with blood orange, floral aromas, savory herbs and some mineral notes. While this is a great producer on several levels, their pinks are definitely ‘blue chips’ of the category.

Bonny Doon Vineyard Vin Gris de Cigare 2020– We have tasted and sold many vintages of this over the years, but this one struck us as a cut above many of the recent renditions. The blend, from five different Central Coast AVAs, seems scattered but the wine is anything but. The mix is 71% Grenache, 11% Cinsault, 5% Clairette, 5% Grenache Blanc, 4% Mourvedre, and 4% Vermentino and the interplay of this wide varietal range presents juxtaposing impressions of berries, white stone fruit, and citrus with accents of savory spice. This is California rose with a definite French accent that comes together in an appealing way, with an engaging juicy core and snappy highlights. A high point in this series, it shows Randall Grahm still takes the project seriously.

Unlike a lot of Euro pinks that were, until recently, stuck on boats, this one has a nice review from Josh Reynolds at Vinous, “Light, shimmering orange. Fresh red berry and citrus fruit aromas are complemented by suggestions of candied rose and pungent herbs. Silky and open-knit, showing good depth to the raspberry, cherry and bitter orange pith flavors. Tightens up slowly on a long, spice-inflected finish that leaves a gently sweet red fruit note behind…90 points.”

Domaine La Roncalier Tavel Rose 2020– Typically one of the better values among the now trendy Tavels, the 2020 La Rocaliere is a great representation of the concentrated, punchy style that caused people to take notice of it in the first place. The estate, which dates back to 1995 owns 20 ha in both Tavel and Lirac. The Tavel holdings traverse three different terroirs, those differences adding complexity to the blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, and 10% Syrah.

One of the deeper colored ‘pinks’ on the shelf (leaning towards ruby), the visual gives you notice that this will be a more substantial rose in the glass. Weighty and fresh at the same time, there’s abundant cherry and strawberry fruit laced with a stony minerality and violet notes.

Los Arrotos del Pendon Leon 2020– Yeah, we know we have complained that it seems everybody is trying to get into the action with rose. But when someone as accomplished as Raul Perez does it, you have to pay attention. Of course, it is a rose born of Raul’s singular vision. It’s from 100% Prieto Picudo from very old vines in stony clay at high-altitude (over 2500 ft above seal level). Macerated for two days on the skins before bleeding off, fermented with only indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, raised on the fine lees for four months in tank, then bottled without fining or filtration, it’s the kind of outside-the-box creation one expects from Perez.

So where’s Leon? Everywhere, it seems. It’s a huge area that stretches across northwestern Spain from Rioja to the Portuguese border and most of the way from Madrid to the north and includes Ribera del Duero and Toro. So it’s anybody’s guess where Raul found this vineyard of old Prieto Picudo. Preito Picudo is indigenous to the region and relatively rare and yields darkly colored reds.

This wine itself is reminiscent of a wine we sold years ago from Australia from Charles Melton. It is unapologetically dark rose, probably better described as ‘light red’ rather than ‘pink’. It has a rich center and weighty feel for a rosé but there is sneaky, well-embedded acidity to give it the necessary lift. This wants to be red wine and the flavors are more vinous than most in the category, yet the texture is smooth and slippery. Dark melon, mulberry, restrained minerality and a hint of wild herb, this is a substantial and delicious addition to the lineup this year. Of course we have come to expect that sort of thing from Raul.

OLD VINES, GLOBAL WARMING, BURG VALUE

We’ve spent a bit of print explaining the whole theory about how global warming has elevated quality in a number of climats in places like Burgundy. That plays right into our hands of finding delicious Burgundy ‘on the cheap’. But to recap briefly, because temperatures are a little higher than they were before, places that didn’t quite ripen before now hit that sweet spot. The whole determination of prices in Burgundy is based on historic performance. The warmer weather pushes the ripeness level in place that, previously, didn’t always hit the mark. For the time being you have riper, juicier wines but market mechanics have not yet let the prices catch up.

Bottom line, there is more delicious ‘little’ Burgundy around these days ay sensational prices. The 2019 vintage was particularly successful in a number of regions throughout France, not the least of which is Burgundy. We have presented some very engaging efforts from the ripe, round 2018 vintage. But as we start working through offerings from the 2019 vintage in Burgundy, we might even be a notch or two better. This lusty, fruit driven effort from Danjean Berthoux is a beautiful example of the vintage as well as a spectacular Burgundy value.

Danjean Berthoux has been on our radar for a long time, probably before global warming was the topic it has become. Located in Givry in the Cote Chalonnaise, Berthoux was something of the poster child for wines in less esteemed appellations that delivered far above their station. But 2019 has provided a richer, sweeter, juicier effort than we can recall previously. For the record, Pascal Danjean, who took over the family estate some 20 years ago, never fines or filters and eschews the use of new wood almost entirely, resulting in soft, supple wines that allow the terroir to shine.

The Danjean Berthoux Bourgogne Chaume Ronde 2019 comes from outside the demarcation line for Givry. There are 2 parcels that are located in the lower slopes of the hills in the commune of Jambles, below the Premier Crus. Being lower on the hillside means there is more topsoil sitting on top of clay and some limestone. One of the parcels, called the Chaume Ronde, was planted in 1948 (the other parcel a mere 50 years old). This wine comes from that 1 hectare older block.

Curiously we had tasted and enjoyed the 2018 version of this wine only a week before but the purveyor showed up with the 2019 in hand and it trumped the delightful 2018 by virtue of more flesh and richness in the mid-palate. Timing is everything. The Bourgogne is done entirely in stainless steel. As Burgundy goes, this has a fleshy palate of cherry and some darker berries, streaks of minerality, and spice notes. As always there’s a firm backbone of acidity underpinning the forward fruit but it stays in a supporting role.

As for reviews, it’s a 2019, so it just got here. Even so, we don’t expect a lot of ink on wines like this. As we have often discussed, Burgundy reviews are a hierarchal exercise performed by critics bent on reviewing the elite wines that don’t really require reviews. The last time Burghound reviewed this Givry-based domaine was 2003. There were some dismissive reviews from Vinous’ Neal Martin in 2016, probably penned after a Romanee Conti vertical, and that vintage alone. The point is wines like this don’t get the attention of the media, which is why you can get something this satisfying for this kind of price in an expensive place like Burgundy. The 2019s look to be a lot of fun and you can bet we’ll be drinking a lot of this delicious, angst-free, old vine Bourgogne ourselves.

A PRINCELY NAPA CAB DEAL

Sometimes it’s good to mix things up a little bit. But we want to tell you up front and make it perfectly clear that this is a Jeb Dunnuck review for the last vintage of this wine, the 2018:

“The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon comes all from Napa Valley and is 100% Cabernet aged 20 months in 60% new French oak. It tastes as though it costs three times the price and has a rocking nose of blackcurrants, chocolate, tobacco leaf, and cedar pencil, with a touch of rocky minerality and graphite showing with time in the glass. Not your simple, value-priced fruit bomb, it has considerable depth of fruit, building tannins, and a great finish…. Hats off to winemaker Maayan Koschitzky for over-delivering on all these wines from Royal Prince…93 points.”

Now we never tasted that wine nor, for a variety of reasons, previously ever heard of Royal Prince wines. We can’t spring a review on the 2019 because it just came on the market. We looked up the label on Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, James Suckling, and Vinous in search of any past reviews and, apparently, they hadn’t seen it either. That’s fine. It is clearly one of the better kept secrets in California Cabernet, and that can be an advantage. We can tell you that 2019 is considered an exceptional vintage in Napa and time will tell if it may be even a little better than 2018, which is great.

The ‘mind behind’ the project is one David Green, someone we have crossed paths with before with a marketing resume that includes some familiar names like Cliff Lede, Dana Estates and Joel Gott. He’s been around a while (over three decades) and has lots of contacts in the wine trade. We’re a little curious about the context of the name but most important is that this is meant to be a high-performance ‘value brand’. If you interpret that to mean a $45 Napa Cabernet that can be on the table with $80-90 Napa Cabs, you’ve got the picture.

Of course, while sourcing fruit is a significant task, someone needs to make magic in the cellar. That’s where Mayaan Koschitzky comes in. A former paratrooper and judo black belt, Mayaan made wines in Israel for a half decade before coming to America. He couldn’t have started with more impressive gigs than with Screaming Eagle and Dalle Valle in 2011, and then was tapped to work as an assistant with Philippe Melka in his consulting firm in 2014 and, two years later became director of winemaking. One piece we read said he is now Melka’s Partner. Clearly the guy has serious chops and more than a good idea of what great wine is supposed to taste like.

That brings us to Royal Prince Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2019, or what we might refer to as the ‘NDA cuvee’. The list of iconic vineyards in this blend is (which we can’t publish) pretty eye-opening, but what Mayaan did with it is the real news. To use their words, “A plush, opulent, densely textured, full-bodied wine that shows loads of black raspberry fruits, violets, shaved cocoa with polished, sweet tannins. The 2019 Royal Prince Cab is dark and almost opaque in color. It shows aromas of truffle, black cherry, and licorice. The 2019 takes over where its predecessor left off – a massive over-achiever. The NDA on the sources for this wine is long and littered with iconic names. At once powerful and richly textured, it also shows flashy acidity and great persistence in the finish.” It is all of that in fact.

But the feeling we got from the wine was almost haunting. It wasn’t ‘big’ per se by Napa standards. There was a broad swath of very engaging, spiced, cocoa-laced blueberry fruit that effortlessly rolled down the middle of the palate, nicely rounded edges, and a feeling of polished glycerin that screamed pure Cabernet fruit. More unsettling was its resemblance to an elite Bordeaux texturally, rich yet elegant and never ponderous, silky from beginning to end. Some of the flavor profiles gave us hints of very specific, elite Bordeaux like Ducru Beaucaillou and Palmer. Somehow this was Napa Cab with a higher calling and very distinct from the rest of a very good lineup of Napa juice that was on the table that day.

There are bigger Cabs out there, but this one has sufficient size and a charisma all its own. All that and its only $45? That’s a ‘wow’. Like Jeb said about the 2018, “Hats off to winemaker Maayan Koschitzky for over-delivering (again) on all these wines from Royal Prince.” For us this is a ‘ground floor’ kind of opportunity on a yet-to-be discovered gem.