February 2022

BRIEFS

-You have another brief opportunity to pick up some of the stylish 2019 Cristom Pinot Noir Cuvee Jefferson, a delicious Pinot from one of our favorite sources in that part of the world. The wholesaler got in a last shipment and we grabbed some more. Their 2019 lineup as a group got exceptional reviews with this particular effort getting 97 points from James Suckling and the following notes, “This is very seductive on the nose with ripe strawberry, spice, flowers and hints of cloves. Full-bodied, but very reserved and tight with chewy, polished tannins and a long, long finish. Racy and structured. Try after 2024.”

Add to that a 95 point nod from Wine Advocate, and a sub-$40 price, and you’ve got a pretty sweet buy on an exceptional Pinot. Limited this time around.

-The exceptional efforts from one of Argentina’s superstars, Matias Riccitelli, continues. We just received a limited shipment of his 2018 Riccitelli & Father blend of 70% Malbec and 30% Cabernet Franc. Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez tells the story, “Matías Riccitelli keeps turning out some of the most exciting wines from Argentina, this time with the addition of some “natural” wines. He also keeps exploring the zone of La Carrera, a high-altitude zone of Mendoza where he started with some Sauvignon Blanc but has since planted four more hectares, looking for diversity of soils and altitudes, and hopes to reach 20 hectares in total. They are planting from 1,600 meters in altitude and hope to reach as high as 2,000 meters. Exciting!”

His take on the Matias Riccitelli Riccitelli and Father Mendoza 2018, “The most impressive 2018 Riccitelli & Father is a collaboration between Matías Riccitelli and his father, Jorge, for many years winemaker at Norton (among other things). The wine combines classical and modern characteristics, quite clean and fruit-driven but with a core of deep and ripe fruit and high-quality oak. It’s ripe without excess (14.5% alcohol) and reveals fine-grained and abundant tannins that give it structure and clout. This wine is always serious and concentrated but with very good balance. It should be long lived…95 points.”

We also, amazingly, still have some stock of his “lights out” Matias Riccitelli Malbec Viñas Viejas En Pie Franco 2018 (JS 95, VM 95) and Matias Riccitelli Cabernet Franc Viñedos de Montaña 2018 (JS 94, VM 94, WA 94). These are benchmark efforts and some of the most compelling and interesting efforts we have tasted from Argentina in quite a while.

BOLGHERI FOR THE PEOPLE

Bolgheri, near the Tuscan Coast, is the source of some of Italy’s most compelling wines. It is also a unique area in which Bordeaux varietals thrive and create polished, stylish reds that are a category unto themselves. Solaia, Orenallaia, and Sassicaia are some often first names that come to mind. Later to the game was Antinori’s Guado Al Tasso. While we are as much of a fan of the ‘big dogs’ as anyone, they don’t come cheap. That’s why when they rolled out the Antinori Il Brucato, good Bolgheri on a budget, we were excited.

It gets the royal treatment. Upon arrival in the cellar, the selected clusters for Il Bruciato were destemmed and gently crushed. Fermentation and maceration on the skins took place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. A portion of the Merlot and Syrah musts were kept at lower temperatures during fermentation to better preserve each grape variety’s distinctive aromas. Part of malolactic fermentation took place in barriques and part in stainless steel tanks and was completed by the end of the year for all grape varieties. Subsequently, Cabernet Sauvignon was blended with Merlot, Syrah, and a small percentage of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot then put back into barriques where it was left to age before bottling.

Curiously, the first vintage of this ‘junior Guado’ was made in 2002, one of the worst vintages in Tuscany in the last few decades. We’ve sold it since its initial release here and have carried most vintages since. Always a solid performer, we must admit we haven’t been as thrilled with the wine as we were in the early days relative to other choices, probably in part because we see much more really cutting edge Italian wine on the market now. The press seems to indicate that the recent versions were definitely on an upward trend from the early offering. That said, the 2020 Antinori Guado Al Tasso Il Bruciato is the most interesting version we have tasted in a long time.

The description from Advocate’s Monica Larner make the point, “I tasted the Guado al Tasso 2020 Bolgheri Rosso Il Bruciato from barrel, but the wine will hit the market in September of this year. Compared to the previous vintage, this edition is richer and slightly denser with nicely concentrated fruit. That extra textural support is a characteristic of this fortunate vintage. This accessible blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah offers tight mineral notes, toasted spice, almond and lots of dark, luscious fruit. To the palate, the wine exhibits softly caressing tannins…93 points.”

Also from James Suckling, ” Aromas of sage and currants with blackberries follow through to a full body with intense, round tannins that are nicely crafted. Fresh, flavorful finish. Some dried herbs at the end with a slightly grilled-meat undertone. Drinkable now, but better in two or three years…93 points.”

The $26.98 fare is certainly quite reasonable for something from this prized terroir.

SOMETHING TASTY AND NEW IN VALUE PINOT NOIR

It seems like only yesterday that we couldn’t turn around without another higher-end Pinot Noir producer hitting us with some crazy deal on a seriously good bottling at a greatly reduced price. Actually, it wasn’t that long ago that the COVID-19 pandemic closed restaurants and gave producers a sense of urgency in finding homes for their wares. The market is slowly returning to some sense of normalcy now and, in fact, is starting to swing the other way thanks to the California and Oregon wildfires that are beginning to cause serious gaps in the supply chain moving forward. For that reason, labels like this have much greater relevance for those looking for authentic, value-priced Pinot Noir.

As we have made the point on many occasions, Pinot Noir is a fussy grape that doesn’t respond well to the kind of increased crop loads it takes to produce at lower price points. To that end, producers and ‘negociants’ often beef up the ‘value’ Pinots with other varietals (Syrah, for example) to give the wines deeper color and more punch. The downside is that it often results in the wine losing a bit (or a lot) of its varietal identity. Maybe we’re purists, but when we’re looking for value Pinot, one of the main requirements is that they taste like Pinot. Something like that is harder to find than one might think so when we find something that fits the bill, we’re pretty pleased.

Mignanelli Pinot Noir 50/50 Grand Appellation 2019 is our latest discovery in this limited category. Their ‘program’ highlights ‘all the right stuff. Dry-farming single vineyards, hand harvesting, sustainable farming, native yeasts, whole cluster fermentation and minimal additions are all part of their stated mantra. This is certainly our first experience with this value bottling, with the ‘50/50’ speaking to the blend of two distinct and respected Pinot Noir appellations, Santa Lucia Highlands and Santa Cruz Mountains.

The ‘marriage’ seems to work well here with the classic macerated strawberry fruit of Santa Cruz playing nicely with the intense cranberry/cherry fruit and chunky demeanor of the Santa Lucia Highlands. There’s intense Pinot character here and surprising freshness and purity, particularly given the very modest price ($11.98). We hadn’t seen the winery before and, frankly, wonder how they are going to continue this kind of quality/price performance at this kind of fare given the wildfire-affected market over the next two years. But we are on board for as long as it lasts. Delicious, honest Pinot, super value.

‘OBLIGATORY’ VALENTINE ROSE CHAMPAGNE’

It’s always interesting to us how the industry not only pushes Champagne during the winter holidays but for Valentine’s Day and June (wedding season, as if there are a lot of people that are going to pour $50-60 French Champagne at a reception). So we’re going tell you upfront that, yeah, it may be a little late to hear about a potential Valentine selection but we are just taking the opportunity to talk about a Champagne we happen to like and is a little something different.

Domaine Jean Vesselle was established in the 1800s and has been cultivating Pinot Noir (mostly) and Chardonnay in the premier area for Pinot in Champagne, Bouzy. They craft “grower” Champagne here, a récoltant-manipulant house that grows its own grapes and makes its own wine all on site. This qualitative difference is crucial for those seeking the ultimate in Champagne flavor and character.

The family’s vineyards are planted to 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay, a fidelity to Pinot Noir that’s much greater than other houses in the region. Vines are cared for according to lutte raisonée principles, concentrating mostly on organic practices and avoiding chemical treatments. Vineyard rows are plowed to avoid the use of herbicides. The estate too uses solar energy and recycles rainwater to reduce its energy footprint.

To be up front, the Jean Vesselle Brut Rosé de Saignée NV is not your typical pink sparkler. It is not like the gushingly fruit-forward style of something like Laurent Perrier. It is rather a rose for a more experienced Champagne aficionado and has a wider range of food applications. The difference is the process.

Most pink Champagnes are made by taking still red wine and blending it back into the cuvee to add the color. A rose de saignee gets its color from skin contact. It doesn’t sound like a big deal but it makes a difference in that the finished Champagne has a somewhat more savory streak and more of a red wine aspect to the flavors. The difference is subtle but important, and in this case quite delicious.

The Jean Vesselle Rose de Saignee Brut is made from 100% Pinot Noir with the juice macerated from 24-48 hours on the skins after which the juice is ‘bled off’. It then sees a minimum of three years in the bottle. We’ll finish with a quote from Antonio Galloni on a prior vintage as we believe it tells the story nicely, “The NV Brut Rosé de Saignée is phenomenally beautiful. Crushed flowers, mint, lavender, red berries and cinnamon abound in a rich, vinous Champagne endowed with magnificent depth and intensity. The flavors are deep and resonant, but it is the wine’s bold fruit and supporting minerality that I find absolutely compelling.”

It isn’t rose for occasional sippers, but it is a serious effort that will really push some people’s buttons.

A UNIQUELY COMPELLING ORANGE WINE

We’ll be the first to admit that we aren’t always ‘hip’ to certain wine trends. Our focus is on wines that are appealing in some manner, and we have a pretty wide ‘band’ in that respect. There aren’t many categories where we can’t find something compelling. But there are a couple of places where we have a little trouble understanding why the category gained popularity in the first place. We have written a lot about ‘nautral wines’ and how fans of this genre seem perfectly willing to overlook serious flaws in some of the individual wines to participate in the trend.

Although we haven’t been nearly as vocal, we kind of feel the same way about ‘orange wines’. While we have a certain appreciation for the intent of the genre, and can respectfully point to producers like Gravner that pioneered and continue to champion this niche style, there are far too many examples out there where the wines are oxidized and dull.

Given that the world continues to support the genre, it is our task to find those special examples that not only showcase the nuances and style that represent the category, but are focused, fresh, and lifted in the glass as well. You may have noticed we don’t address the subject all that often, but the Caravaglio Malvasia Secca Isola de Salina Occhio Di Terra 2020 is definitely something special because it exhibits the style and nuance of the genre, but does so in an appealing, drinkable wine.

The wine is 100% Malvasia from Salina and Lipari, islands off the Sicilian Coast. On the volcanic island of Salina, organic vineyards sit from 600 to 1,200 feet above sea level in the Malfa district (the highest quality vinegrowing area) with a view of the Mediterranean. Soils are a mix of volcanic sand and rock. This wine is a special selection of the ripest Malvasia grapes from vines that 20 to 30 years of age. The grapes are hand harvested and sorted in the field. Gentle, temperature-controlled maceration occurs for 10 days before pressing. The juice is fermented on indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks where it remains for six months.

You have the best of both worlds in the glass. There’s the unique textural aspects and curiously appealing, grainy mouthfeel that is something of a standard in orange wines. But the wine then takes a turn that lifts the whole experience for us. There are aromas of preserved lemons, yellow peach, pineapple, and the unmistakable influence of the sea. The wine itself is dry and a little nutty, but then there is an underlying acidity that keeps everything lifted and fresh. We don’t go looking for orange wine, though we understand it is a category with a following and we’ll taste whatever we are presented. We reject a number of them, but we’d recommend this one as an example of what the category can be, and at a price ($22.98) that makes a lot of sense as well.

Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner conveys the message nicely, “Here’s an exciting discovery. The Caravaglio 2020 Malvasia Occhio di Terra is for sure one of the most interesting wines, from a tasting perspective and an intellectual one, that I discovered on the Aeolian Islands. This Malvasia sees prolonged skin contact in above-ground amphorae. No commercial yeasts are added, and the wine ages on the fine lees for six months, showing us that Malvasia has the fiber and the power to submit to this hands-off winemaking approach. It opens to a medium golden color with lots of ambient light. The aromas are fragrant and rich, covering a wide range, with tea leaf, saffron, apricot and rose. There is also something very Sicilian here that recalls the sweet fruits used in the island’s best desserts… 93 Points.”