May 2022

THE STORY OF MEE: RISING BEAUJOLAIS SUPERSTAR

Since there isn’t a huge amount of wine, we aren’t going to get to far into excruciating detail. But the story of Mee Godard is one worth touching on because she has already proven to be one of the most inspiring new faces in Beaujolais and the juice in the bottle harkens memories of something from the ‘Gang of Four’s’ greatest hits.

The tale is unique for the world of wine. Mee Godard was born in Asia and adopted, growing up near Lyon in France where she studied biology and biochemistry. Somewhere during her formative years she had the opportunity and interest in tasting wines, the complexity and variation of which captured her interest.

She decided to make wine a career and studied in both Oregon and Montpellier before taking a job as a Burgundy sales rep. She knew early on that that was not her calling and her end goal was to reach as high a level of achievement in wine as possible. She felt to do that she needed to create wine from the ground up and scraped together enough to purchase some old-vine plots from a vigneron that had no heirs and was about to retire.

She has dived heart and soul into the project, with an eye to natural winemaking but the skills and the sense to keep things clean. With little more than 6 hectares in Morgon and Moulin-A-Vent her domain is fairly samll. She is meticulous in the winery. There are very few sulphites added, and her red wines are made using traditional Burgundian methods. The vinification process begins with harvesting by hand in little cases that prevent the grapes from being crushed and goes from there.

The resulting wines have depth, density, and remarkable intensity of fruit. We have had a few different selections of her wines but hadn’t pulled the trigger because her pricing was among the elite of the region. In fact, the wines deserve to be there from a price perspective and the Mee Godard Morgon Corcelette 2020 (from her original vineyard acquisition) was simply too good to pass on.

Deep, saturated color, nose showing a depth of ripe extracted fruit, and plenty of power and substance, this wine can stand with any on Beaujolais. Very impressive and, based on what we have tasted thus far, exactly what she does on a regular basis.

She got a rather lengthy note (for him) from James Suckling who wrote, “What a strikingly original wine for this region! The smoked-bacon note in the nose would have made me think of the Northern Rhone in a totally blind tasting. On the palate there’s impressive creamy richness that makes me think of bacon fat sinking into good white bread. So much drive and energy at the finish, thanks to the very healthy, dry tannins. Drink or hold…94 points.”

Mee has come a long way since her start in 2013 and we expect she is only going to gain stature as time passes. Brilliant Beaujolais in the classic old school style but without any of the funk, this is a impressive effort and a estate to watch.

MORE THAN JUST TXAKOLI

Not many folks around these parts even knew what Txakoli, the crisp white from the Basque country of Spain, even was a quarter century ago. But it has become something serious wine stores now need to have on hand. Most Txakolis are pretty utilitarian, crisp, lively, often a little fizzy foils for a wide variety of lighter finger foods or dishes that call for a white with some verve. Most of the time it is about the genre itself, rather than the ‘brand’.

While it isn’t quite ‘any Txakoli will do’, the stylistic range is fairly narrow. While we occasionally find one that stands out in a crowd (like the Hiruzta 2020 we sold a while back), usually its more about function in this arena. In that vein, the Txomin Etxaniz Blanco Txakolí de Getaria has been a staple for a couple of decades. Exemplary of the region, consistent year in and year out, we have always considered them a best of breed kind of choice to build around.

The other day a supplier rolled through here with a variety of samples from his Spanish book, and the Txomin Etxaniz Blanco Txakolí de Getaria 2020 was among the things in the bag. We already had the wine on the shelf and recall liking it a lot the first time around. But it had been some time since we had tried it. Honestly, we had forgotten just how good this was! It’s a wine that possesses plenty of the characteristics that one expects of a Txakoli. But it also has palate volume and fruit, something that is pretty rare in anything but the very best examples of the breed.

Txakolis these days do get some attention from the media because Spanish whites have become more topical, and usually the polite 89 or 90 point score. But this version of Txomin Etxaniz got dueling 92s from Decanter Magazine and Vinous. The Decanter review from nearly a year ago will give you a feel, “Made in the classic style, this blend of the two main Txakoli grapes – 85% Hondarrabi Zuri, 15% Hondarrabi Beltza – is fresh and lean with a spiky acidity punctuated by green apples, lime and a fizz of sherbet lemons. There’s a delightful tingle of petillance which sets it off nicely and introduces a slight mineral note on the finish. It cries out for oysters…92 points.”

We’d update that to say that the fizz factor is less these days, but the fruit component in gentler, more ample, and delicious. We picked up a little quince and maybe a tinge of ginger in the mix. We don’t have a Txakoli vintage chart handy but we have now had two epic, very memorable examples from the 2020 vintage. It’s not only exceptional Txakoli, it’s good enough to be considered outside its category just as a delicious, versatile white wine. As for the ‘oysters’ part, that’s still true.

ANOTHER EXCEPTIONAL NAPA CAB VALUE FROM KRUTZ

Not to sound like a broken record but we are starting to see at our end of the distribution spectrum the beginning of what we shall call ‘the great nothing’. We’re referring to the anticipated shortage of Cabernet Sauvignon over the next couple of years. If you’ll recall, late wildfires in the fall of 2020, besides destroying a lot of property, created smoke taint on many of the grapes that were still hanging in the vineyards which, at that time of fall, was mainly Cabernet.

A lot of premium wineries are not producing 2020 vintage Cabs. We’ll leave the rest of it to your imagination except for saying that Cab drinkers need to prepare for ‘the gap’. For our part, we are going double-time through Cabernet options, and still finding some pretty cool stuff from the 2018 and 2019 vintages. But as you can imagine, the number of options are shrinking while our standards are unchanged.

In light of that, let us introduce a label that is new to us. Krutz is a family winery that started in 2003 in Monterey with a 60 case production and eventually migrated to Sonoma. Actually first they migrated to California from Mississippi where the brothers Krutz were born. The bottle bears a magnolia on the label (the state flower of Mississippi) to represent their southern roots.

Thought they are located in Sonoma, they make wine from all over the place. For example there is a Pinot Noir from Soberanes Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands, and under their value Magnolia label a Sonoma Cabernet. But it was this Krutz Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2019 that presented us something that was really timely. The fact we could sell this dark, ample, tasty Cabernet for under $40 that made it an even more important find.

The Krutz Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2019 is 100% Cabernet from multiple vineyard sites in the Valley. For the geeks out there, the notes say the soils are ‘mountain rock’ and the vines were Clone 4 and Clone 7. Of more specific interest to us is that the wine saw 22 months in French oak, 50% new. Only 300 cases were produced.

This has classic deep Cabernet color and aromas of chocolate, cassis, and cedar. It has the size and volume in the mouth to please Cabernet fans, a plush palate feel and fine balance. The finish brings back the chocolate plus tobacco and the telltale signs of premium oak in support of the fruit.

With only 300 cases, not a lot of pundits have run across it. But Jeb Dunnuck’s take echoes our own, “The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is outstanding. All varietal aged in 50% new oak, it has some pure cassis fruit as well as textbook herbal and tobacco notes. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it’s elegant and has supple tannins, wonderful balance, and a great finish. It could be two to three times the price and still be a good value…93 Points.”

Forty bucks for good Napa Cabernet is a sensational deal in today’s market, particularly given the Cabernet outlook for the next couple of years. But it is also part of our Blue Chip Wine Club, so members can save even more!

STRIKING, LATE BREAKING 2016 CHIANTI RISERVA

We haven’t had the occasion to talk a lot about Tuscan 2016s very much of late. Sadly, the bulk of them have pretty much passed through the market. But we aren’t so far along that the possibility of something popping up has totally passed. That said, a brief reminder that we think 2016 in Tuscany is one of, if not the best vintage we have experienced in our four decades of doing this.

The Bindi Sergardi Chianti Classico Riserva I Colli 2016 isn’t a label we are intimately familiar with though we have carried a few examples over the years. But we don’t remember anything quite like this one. This is definitely the ‘home run’ version, a Chianti with driving, ample, outgoing fruit, and an array of gorgeous notes of sour cherry, earth, wild herbs, chocolate, and spice. This is a Chianti that is big on flavor but still poised to support food with a measured underpinning of acidity that pushes the wine across the palate.

This shows everything that gets us ranting about 2016, great fruit, superb balance, great presence on the palate, and the unmistakable impression that there are a couple of gears the wine has yet to reveal. It’s all here and, in truth, this was one of the easier calls because there was plenty going on right up front.

While they may not be among the best known names in Chianti in the American market, they have certainly put in their time. Located just outside Siena, the family claims the “I Colli estate represents the history and soul of 23 generations of the Bindi Sergardi family, which built this hamlet at the end of the 1400s.”

They certainly got dealt a winning hand in 2016, and they have the critical acclaim to prove it. From WIne Spectator, “This is bright and linear in profile, displaying cherry, strawberry, bitter almond, earth, iron and tobacco flavors. Balanced and taut, lingering with a mix of fruit, mineral and savory elements. Best from 2022 through 2043…93 points.”

This wine impressed us right out of the gate and we are probably more on the level of enthusiasm of James Suckling, who wrote, “Aromas of raspberries, sour cherries, dates, chocolate, dried herbs and five spice. Medium- to full-bodied with fine tannins and a creamy, velvety texture. Layered and balanced with a caressing feel. Long, spicy and savory finish. Drink now or hold…95 points.“

An exceptional effort in a traditional style from a historic harvest, an exciting find this late in the game.

ALL-STAR COTES-DU-RHONE FROM AN ICNOIC VINTNER

Yeah, we know. Sometimes we repeat ourselves. But when something is a core value of ours, and has been an important part of our successful, long term acquisition program, it’s worth repeating. We don’t even know how many times we have invoked the “buy little wines from great producers” mantra. We only know that it has worked remarkably well.

Today’s subject is the Cotes-du-Rhone from the delicious 2019 vintage, made by one of the greatest producers of Cote Rotie that you probably never heard of. The vintner is Stephan Ogier, producer of some of the most coveted Cote Roties on the planet. Part of the problem is that he doesn’t make a lot of wine and most folks never see it. We’ve had the good fortune to taste a couple of his master works a few years ago before his wines became virtually ungettable.

In any case, any time we come across something from this talented vintner, we’re interested, and the Stephane Ogier Cotes du Rhone Temps est Venu 2019 definitely got our attention. It is a blend of 60% Grenache, 35% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre, from Plan de Dieu and Visan, both in the Southern Rhône that is aged in concrete.

The grapes came from vines averaging 30-50 years of age planted in soils of blue clay covered with pebbles. The grapes are harvested by hand and sorted twice, in the vineyard and in the cellar. Then the grapes are whole cluster fermented with natural yeasts.

Joe Czerwinski of Wine Advocate commented, “…it offers attractive scents of garrigue, black cherries and dried spices on the nose, while in the mouth, it’s full-bodied, round and generous. Gently framed by supple tannins and a touch of alcoholic warmth, it hints at cherries jubilee on the finish…89 points.”

We didn’t worry a lot about the score. The man was in a cellarful of potential 100 point Cote Roties so a Cotes du Rhone had a little less of a chance to shine. But here in our chairs we were not so distracted and the texture was clearly more polished than your garden variety Cotes du Rhone, the fruits leaning a little bluer thanks to the higher dose of Syrah. At $18.98, it’s pretty classy juice and about as inexpensive as you’ll find anything from this address.

ANOTHER VALUE CAB FIND (LIKE UNDER $20!)

It’s always good to find a well-performing California Cabernet Sauvignon at a great price. It has been a prime directive of ours almost since ‘day one’. But it should be stressed that, over the next couple of years as the market deals with the aftermath of the 2020 wildfires, this particular crusade is only going to get harder. Finding an ample, tasty Cab for under $25 is a greater achievement than it has ever been. For that reason, we are digging harder than ever, our task even more difficult because of our own unwavering standards.

That said, there are still things in the broad market from the very good 2018 and 2019 vintages out there at present that one should consider stockpiling to get through the ‘dark times’. Our latest find is Valravn Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County 2109, the California wine project that has been building over the last decade as an adjunct for an importing company. Over that time they have developed sourcing relationships that are clearly paying off if this wine is any indication.

This is an ample, ripe Cabernet is composed of 92% Cab and the remaining 8% a mix of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. The grapes hail from a variety of Sonoma County vineyards including the sub-appellations of Dry Creek Valley, Moon Mountain, Sonoma Valley, and the cooler Knights Valley.
Combining elevations, aspects, climates, and soil types allowed the producers to blend the components for a seamless composition.

In the cellar, it is handled like an expensive wine. Hand-sorted grapes undergo an extended cold-soak followed by primary fermentation in stainless steel. The wine is then racked to French oak barrels (new, second use, and neutral) for 18 months of aging. After aging, the wine was gravity settled and bottled unfined and unfiltered.

There are a few stumbling blocks on the marketing end. For example, as you’ll note, the juice came from Sonoma. They do grow some fine Cabernet there however. Just think back to the delicious Sinegal Details bottling we offered a while back. But Napa has done a better job of promotion.

Also, the name looks like someone forgot to buy a vowel. But the name is in fact a reference to Danish folklore where ‘regular’ ravens who ate the hearts of kings felled in battle became supernatural. Sounds more like an episode of ‘Vikings’ than a name for a wine but we aren’t ‘judging’. Besides, the value here supersedes all of that.

The happy outcome of all of this is a big, juicy, fruit driven display of black fruits laced with flecks of clove, spice, espresso and dark chocolate. Deep color, honest fruit, sleek texture, this delivers far beyond its remarkably modest price point ($19.98).