Steve Zanotti – Page 11

SURPRISE CAB DEAL FROM A FAMILIAR ‘FACE’

Corporate types never seem to tire of creating new SKUs. Beringer already has a few different Cabernet bottlings. We went to their website and started counting, quitting when we got to 30. So why not one more? We had not seen the Cabernet Sauvignon Distinction Series before this 2016, nor could we find a review on a vintage before this (though there was a 2014 on the Beringer site). So we’ll say this is not the first, just the first for us. It is packaged in a black label that is a different design than their Knight’s Valley.

So what is it? Good question. From the winery, “Beringer’s Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is an enticing expression of this varietal and the depth and complexity of flavor it can exhibit when grown in the right place. Select vineyards and blocks from AVAs up and down the valley are used to craft a wine that is the quintessential expression of Napa Valley terroir.” That doesn’t really tell us a lot but it wasn’t the marketing that caused us get interested in this, it was the juice itself. Whatever they called it, they clearly had bigger intensions for this one, as evidenced by the $65 price on the website.

Deep, saturated color leaning toward black, a big nose of cocoa, vanilla and toasty oak along with cassis and dark cherry, it prepares you for what’s coming. With air, insistent spice notes started to emerge and the well ‘seasoned’ fruit making a big impression across the palate. This is big, dark, expressive Cab from a vaunted vintage. Yes this winery makes a lot of wine, but they have wherewithal to make some rocking Cab when they have a mind, too. To be clear, no one is going to confuse this with something European. This is unabashedly Californian and we were taken with its power and balance and thought we’d pass the message along.

It got some love from Wine Advocate’s Lisa Perotti-Brown who wrote, “The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Distinctions is blended of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petite Sirah, aged in 35% new French oak for 20 months. Deep garnet-purple colored, it bursts from the glass with crème de cassis, blueberry pie and preserved plums over nuances of Chinese five spice, hoisin, chocolate box and dusty soil. Full-bodied, rich and decadent, it has loads of spicy layers and a firm, grainy backbone, finishing on an earthy note… 93 points.”

Even though the name doesn’t really tell you much of a story, at just a notch over $40 ($41.98) the Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Distinction Series 2016 qualifies as a notable value in Napa Cabernet,

MORE AFFORDABLE, DELICIOUS RED BURGUNDY

This is a period to turn every stone in Burgundy and see as much as one possibly can. Since 2015, there haven’t been any ‘dog vintages’, with every vintage having its share of generally plush, tender, engaging wines. We have found a number of reds that are gushing with ripe, supple, lusty red fruit that have repeatedly proven to be imminently likeable. Also, thanks to the vintages success, likely with an ‘assist’ from global warming, the juicy demeanor has ‘trickled down’ to every quality level, including typically modest ‘village’ bottlings.

To that end, we are pleased to present this Chorey Les Beaune Le Grand Saucy 2019 from Robert Gibourg, another shining example of a well-priced, remarkably engaging nature red Burgundy from the latter half of this decade. Robert Gibourg, born in 1942, inherited about 1 hectare of very old vines from his parents in the Cote de Nuits and from his grandfather in the Cote de Beaune.

In 1975, Robert Gibourg married Marie Therese, whose family was a winemaking family in Ladoix and, a year later, Marie Therese’s uncle retired and Robert Gibourg has been farming his parcels under metayage ever since, including parcels in Ladoix, Aloxe Corton including a small amount of Grand Cru Corton. Robert continued to expand the domaine to its current size of about six hectare (approximately 14.5 acres) including this parcel of Chorey Les Beaune Les Grande Saucy purchased in 1999.

These days the estate is run son-in-law Sebastien Bidault. Yields are kept low, and all grapes are hand-harvested. No chemical fertilizers are used and the soil is turned to promote diversity and health. All wines are vinified at the domaine in Morey-Saint-Denis. Grapes are de-stemmed in most years. The must is cold-soaked for 3-5 days to extract color and aroma from the skins. Fermentation is 100% natural, and the wine sees 16-18 months in barrels (30% new) and then is bottled unfiltered and unfined.

The 2019 Chorey Les Beaune Le Grande Saucy comes from a single vineyard (lieux dit) that, as the crow flies, is closer to the village of Aloxe Corton than the village of Chorey. The nose shows plenty of inviting dark cherry fruit with subtle but intriguing notes of violet and spice. Packed with red fruits with a supporting snip of acidity, this is a riper version of classic Burgundy with plenty of fruit to the midpalate but a little more old school chew to the edge. Another great go-to from a generous vintage, these are definitely good times for Burgundy drinkers because you can find delightful wines that won’t break the bank. We also have a little bit left of the delightful, plush, energetic 2018 Chorey Les Beaune Le Grande Saucy . Both sell for the modest fare of $34.98.

ANOTHER GREAT UNDER-THE -RADAR CHAMPAGNE

We’re always open to new faces in Champagne, and this one caught our fancy. Jean-Paul Lancelot gives the appearance of being just a simple vigneron, a man of the earth, a French grower harkening back a couple of generations. That part is true. He is, however the proud owner of 4 hectares of the some of the greatest vines in Champagne. All four of his hectares are in Grand Cru villages Cramant, Avize, Oger and Chouilly.

All of his vines are old, and the Lancelot-Curtois Cuvée Traditionelle is comprised of his two oldest sites. One parcel in Oger, named “Les Monts Chenevaux,” was planted in 1953. The other in Grand Cru Chouilly, named “Les Monts Aigous,” was planted in 1957 and adjoins one of Moet’s principal parcels for Dom Perignon.

Thus this 100% Chardonnay cuvee comes from 60+ year old vines, rather a unique situation in this part of the wine world. This cuvée carried the reference “Vieilles Vignes.” Besides having some very serious dirt, Jean-Paul’s yields are very, very low for Champagne. Given the low yields and important vineyard sources, this Champagne is very attractively priced ($49.98). It costs as much as the mass marketed ‘bruts’ of a number of big name Champagne houses, but clearly the pedigree is much more impressive.

Stylistically this is a crowd pleaser. There’s a big nose of baked apples, brioche, and baking spices. Creamy and polished in the mouth, with a fine bead, this has a round, open texture and plenty of apple, pear, spice, and toast on the palate, delivering lots of forward fruit without an overt amount of sugar. Simply put, this is a round, juicy, imminently likeable Champagne pleases by flashing plenty of aristocratic, classy yet clearly very friendly fruit. A special and very tasty find.

ARTADI: A BLUE CHIP VALUE AS ALWAYS

This is a simple acknowledgment of a new rendition of one of our old standards in the Spanish section, Artadi’s Vina de Gain 2018. First of all, just to get it out of the way, this is technically a Rioja. Artadi has chosen not to use the name with regard to their wines because they feel the term is too generic. You won’t see the word ‘Rioja’ on their labels. They, like many other wine regions, are on about more specificity regarding where the wines come from. The term Rioja covers a broad area that includes three subsets (Rioja Baja, Rioja Alta, and Rioja Alavesa). Just saying Rioja says it comes from anywhere in the region. Artadi would rather make reference to the more delineated village of Laguardia (within Rioja Alavesa) where their parcels are located.

An excerpt from Wine Spectator stated, “Over the years, the bodega (Artadi) has focused more on origin (bottling a number of single-vineyard wines, including its flagship El Pison) than on the Rioja designations of Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva, which set minimum aging requirements. As a consequence of its decision, Artadi will no longer display the Rioja appellation on its labels.” The winery stated, “We would like to highlight that there is no change in our project…. We will keep betting on the land and the vineyard as the main sources of value for our wines.”

These folks aren’t rebels, just purists. This is 100% Tempranillo grown in several plots around Laguardia and fermented in open-top wooden vats, finishing with 12 months in standard small oak barrels. Packed with dark red fruits, spice and earthy underpinnings, the texture is supple but there is plenty of verve and freshness to the overall impression. What’s in a name, anyway? It certainly doesn’t affect the soulful, classy juice in the bottle and the ‘entry level’ Artadi Vinas de Gain 2018 is another value winner.

Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez even gives it a nod over the striking 2016, “The young red 2018 Viñas de Gaín follows the same philosophy as the white, grapes from a variety of vineyards in Laguardia and Elvillar ferment in oak and stainless steel vats followed by malolactic in barrel and an élevage in oak of nine months. It showcases the serious and fresh style of the best wines from the year. It has cold fruit and a very fine thread in the palate, fine tannins, long and balanced, very fresh. It has depth and complexity. A very good wine, it transcends its price point, like an upgraded version of the 2016…93 points.”

Though more succinct, James Suckling was also on board, “Very pure fruit to this with blackberries and blueberries and some dried flowers. Medium-bodied with very fine tannins and a linear, refined finish. From organically grown grapes…94 points.” Spain does it again, but that should be no surprise by now.

‘LITTLE’ CAB FROM A TOP GUN, CALIFORNIA STYLE

Long time followers of Napa Cabernet will recognize the Chateau Le Grande Roche as the working, quite competent value bottling/second wine of Napa icon Ric Forman. What brings up the conversation this time around is that this particular bottling hits heights we don’t recall experiencing with past efforts. Yeah, they have been quite good on a consistent basis, but not this good. The label was created way back in 1984 as a second wine and, as is common in the Napa Valley, is not acknowledged on the Forman website so there is no visible association with the ‘premier’ label.

That being said, since Ric has been making wine, and this wine for a long time, we have to attribute this wine’s plush, outgoing, layered personality to 2018. The supple cassis and black cherry fruit that rolls across the palate like a wave, leaving flecks of toast and minerality as a calling card. Such a profile has been a recurrent theme with the 2018 and 2019 Cabs we have tasted thus far from Napa. Delicous, well-infused acidity, melty tannins, the Chateau Grande Roche Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 definitely made us pay attention. This isn’t a wine that is on everybody’s mind and it isn’t aggressively marketed. That said, our message is simple…don’t miss it. This is a sleeper hiding in plain sight.

From Antonio Galloni, “The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Chateau La Grande Roche is such a delicious wine. A burst of sweet red cherry, red plum, mocha, spice, licorice and leather race out of the glass. Exuberant and juicy, yet very much medium in body, the 2018 is a wine of pure and total pleasure. All the elements come together in a mid-weight Cabernet Sauvignon that hits all the right notes. The Grand Roche is the second selection from the Forman Cabernet, and a great value to boot…93 Points.”

MORE JUICY BURGUNDY FROM LESS FAMOUS SITES

The Burgundy boats are finally coming in. It has been a tough year for ‘logistics’. As we have been preaching, no matter how you feel about global warming, it has raised the bar substantially in certain, formerly ‘lesser ‘regions in Burgundy. Those terroirs don’t have the historic reputation because they were ‘marginal’ sites that didn’t ripen consistently. Give them a little more heat and the whole equation changes. Areas like Givry, Monthelie, Mercurey, and Marsannay have enjoyed unparalleled success over the last few vintages.

On the northern end of the Cote de Nuits, Marsannay was a region prized mostly for pink wine and is unique in Burgundy for having AOC status for red, white, and pink wines. The producer of this pair of Marsannays, Jean Fournier, dates back to the reign of Louis XIII and the 17^th Century. Now at the helm of the domaine is the dynamic young Louis Fournier. He converted his vineyards to organic farming and has been Ecocert certified since 2008. Harvest is completed manually and grapes are hand-sorted to guarantee that the wine is made from only the highest quality fruit. His winemaking is determinedly non-interventionist and honest, and the combination has surely contributed to these intense, expressive wines that are absolutely bursting with bright cherry fruit.

The Jean Fournier Marsannay Clos du Roy 2018 is a showpiece for a vintage that was generally quite good for reds yielding wines of bright, ripe fruits and great harmony. The juice was done in temperature-controlled stainless with native yeasts then aged for one year in 50% 600L and 50% 225L (25% new) oak, then 5-7 months in old 600L barrels. The review from Neal Martin in Vinous tells the story pretty well, “The 2018 Marsannay Clos du Roy has a perfumed bouquet of blackberry and raspberry fruit infused with blood orange and tangerine, playful and quite forward in style. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. Fresh from the start, with good grip and detail on the finish. Good potential here…90-92 points.”

Jean Fournier Marsannay Les Longueroies 2018 comes from a one hectare plot averaging 40 years of age and has a 2% dollop of old Pinot Beurout (Pinot Blanc) that is permitted to be co-fermented in’ very old Burgundy vineyards’. This one was fermented the same way and then saw 12 months in oak, 50% new. Neal Martin’s notes here were even a touch more enthusiastic, “The 2018 Marsannay Les Longeroies has darker fruit on the nose compared to the Clos du Roy, offering blackberry, hints of tar and a touch of menthol that emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity, and pure in style as it fans out toward the fresh and energetic finish. This is a lovely Marsannay that will give heaps of pleasure…91-93 points.”

These are barrel notes but clearly, from what we’ve tasted, these wines got into the bottle just fine. Even during a period where we are finding a lot to like in Burgundy, these are thrilling examples where everything is ripe, round, bright, and vivid. They demand to be noticed and, thanks to global warming if you will, these ‘little’ appellations are offering up big surprises.

‘EOV’ BARGAIN ON A BOURGOGNE BLANC

We’re always on the hunt for high-performance, well-priced Burgundy in all of the colors. This one kind of fell into our laps but we’re happy to take it. There are probably a few things to explain. First is the fact that this Bouchard isn’t the more familiar one. Bouchard is a negociant family that originally came to Burgundy in the mid-1700s to continue their fabric trade. They rather quickly added being a wine merchant to their list of activities. Around 1828, Theodore-Joseph Bouchard set up his own firm as Bouchard Aine, separate from Bouchard Pere though, apparently, both originated from the same family of Michel Bouchard. Both operated continuously and Bouchard Aine was purchased by Jean Claude Boisset in 1993.

It’s always a little nebulous when you try and establish what is in something labeled ‘Bourgogne’. In this case, the grapes come from a few different locals. In Bouchard’s words, the grapes were harvested on selected terroirs in the south of Burgundy, the Maconnais and Côte Chalonnaise with a small part coming from Côte de Beaune vineyards. It has been difficult to profile the 2018 whites as it seems the proposition varies from producer to producer, but this effort had both the fruit and the verve to present itself well.

The Bouchard Aine & Fils Bourgogne Chardonnay 2018 effort hits all the right notes. There is the expected bright acidity that some 2018s lacked, and notes of fresh apple, pear, and floral notes. The palate has weight and expressive fruit, a pleasing core of fruit and lift to the finish. In short a very correct, delightful, engaging bottle of Chardonnay. It got our attention immediately and would have had a bigger play except that, inventory-wise, it was the end of the vintage. The EOV (‘insider’ acronym for ‘end of vintage) price we got did merit mention of this rather attractive Bourgogne as a value. Quantities are modest.

DELICIOUSLY ‘TYPICAL’ VOSNE ROMANEE

There are a lot of reasons to talk about a particular wine. In this case we are mentioning it because it is simply an outstanding example of why people love Burgundy. The Olivier Gard Vosne Romanee Damaudes 2018 hits all of a Burgundy lover’s buttons. At first sip, our seasoned veteran wine buying panel simply stopped for a moment to appreciate this little gem.

As is usually the case in Burgundy, it starts with the dirt. Les Damaudes is a lieu dit (a named vineyard considered elite among ‘villages’ plots) at the top of one of the wine world’s most special hills. It abuts Premier Cru Malconsorts and Dessus de Malconsorts, not far (about 300 feet) from some of the ‘grandest’ of Grand Crus, La Tache, Gaudichots de La Tache, and Le Grande Rue. Talk about a good neighborhood.

The age of the vines for the grapes Gard harvested were an average of 60-years-old. Gard practices sustainable agriculture, uses organic fertilizer and ploughs the rows. The grapes are harvested by hand and sorted on a conveyor. Half of the grapes are whole cluster and half destemmed, macerated at cool temperatures and fermented wit natural yeasts. The juice remains in contact wit the fine lees in light toast Vosges and Allier oak casks, 50% new and 50% year-old, for 18 months

From our point of view, everything clearly went right for Gard in the ripe, generous 2018 vintage. This is a textbook Vosne Romanee with that insistent red and dark cherry fruit lased with effusive spice notes and just a touch of earth. This showcases this village completely. Yes, at $85, it isn’t cheap. But wines from this hill are expensive, with a few of them fetching four or five-digit prices. Relatively speaking this is a bargain for a true, pure Vosne Romanee experience.

Reviews? Not a lot. Gard isn’t that widely distributed or even seen. We’ve got this from Wine Enthusiast, “This wine’s shy nose gives away only a tantalizing notion of black cherry. Alive with both freshness and ripeness, the palate expands into a shimmering canvas of red and dark cherry, densely woven with an edge of conifer perfume. This wine is firm, fresh, elegant and delicious…94 points.”

But this wine isn’t about scores. It’s about authenticity. This is what really good Vosne Romanee is supposed to taste like, and it’s about the joy of consuming it now, or ten years from now.

‘DRY SAUTERNES’ STILL HITS THE HIGH NOTES

More than a decade ago we made something of a discovery. Because of the production time and slowing demand for dessert wines, a couple of the top Sauternes producers decided to take things in a bit of a different direction by taking some of their production and making a modestly price dry white. The first one that crossed our path was a much earlier version of the G de Giraud. We loved it, it was a huge hit, and it has been a pretty consistent part of the program ever since. Floral nose laced with hints of honey, bright and lively in the mouth, with a fresh, lifted, tender finish, it didn’t exactly fill a niche. Rather, it created a whole new option.

The soils here are gravelly, with 80% over sand and 20% over clay. Guiraud is farmed organically and got their certification in 2011. They take the same care with this wine as they do with their Grand Cru dessert wines, hand harvesting into small crates to avoid bruising. The wine is made from 50% Semillon and 50% Sauvignon Blanc from ripe grapes that were not botrytised, and sees seven months is second use oak barrels that held Sauternes the year before.

The 2019 Giraud Sec is another exciting effort in this unique category, arguably one of the better efforts if memory serves. A plump, bright display of apple, peach, quince, apricot and a hint of the honeyed-floral profile one typically associates with Sauternes. Pretty, delicate, tasty and light on its feet, it is extremely versatile with food but can play well as an intriguing aperitif. A -unique, sneaky-good beverage that exists outside expectations, it was an exceptional wine to pioneer and it still surprises.

Typically the critics don’t pay a lot of attention to wines like this as it doesn’t fit nicely into the typical ‘boxes’. But James Suckling’s note is spot on, “This is a dense, waxy white with sliced dried-apple and lemon character, as well as stone and white peaches. It’s full-bodied, flavorful and rich. I like the spicy finish at the end from the Semillon. Really excellent. From organically grown grapes…93 points.”

TASTY, NEW ‘GRAND CRU’ BUBBLES

We haven’t changed our view of Champagne which is to seek out small, terroir-centric producers. Why? Well while blending Champagne like the big houses do creates a pleasing, and more consistent bubbly, the blending tends to negate the element of place. In our minds, if a Champagne can give you the desired personality and flash an element of terroir, we feel the entire experience is elevated.

Soutiran is a family producer located in Ambonnay. It began in the 1950s when Gerard Soutiran, after retiring from his military career, created this Champagne label based on lands of his wife, Solange. The third generation, in the form of Gerard’s granddaughter Valerie and her husband Patrick Renaux joined the company in 1999 and ultimately took the helm of the company. The family owns six hectares of vines primarily in the elite village of Ambonnay. The vines are cultivated sustainably and harvested by hand.

We’re always looking for distinctive bubbly and this property’s Soutiran Champagne Grand Cru Signature really caught our attention. It is interesting to note that only 17 of the 320 villages in Champagne are entitled to use the term Grand Cru, which makes them pretty rare by definition. Ambonnay is great terroir for Pinot Noir and, as designated, the grapes here all come from Grand Cru sites. The blend is 45% Pinot Noir and 55% Chardonnay, with 10% of the cuvee seeing time in barrel. This blend is 56% from the outstanding 2012 vintage and 44% is from prior reserve cuvees. It was bottled in 2015 and disgorged in 2020, giving it five years on the lees.

In their notes among the 10 cuvees they produce it states that this is their best seller. We can see why. The nose offers up plenty of generous apple and peach fruit highlighted with notes of toasted brioche. The palate is creamy and the bead is fine, the round, layered apple, pear, peach and toast across the palate is round and engaging while still maintaining the requisite brightness. There is a creaminess and opulence to the fruit that is driven by the Pinot Noir and, certainly to an extent, by the fruit-driven nature of the 2012 vintage.

Lovely, creamy, classy bubbles from a house we weren’t intimately familiar with, this will find many friends. With all the specificity with Champagne reviews (right down to the lot number), we couldn’t find anything on this specific bottling. Others have been well-reviewed, however, and a good bit of this cuvee came from an excellent vintage in 2012. Delish.