Author: Steve Zanotti

A ‘PAPE’ STAR IS BORN: TASTY WHITE ‘RHONE’ BUY

As we consistently remind suppliers, the door is always open. Show us what you’ve got. Most of it you won’t hear about because it isn’t good enough, costs too much, or doesn’t fit in our program. The other day someone brought in a ‘moleculer wine’ that was ‘constructed’ from a base of medical grade grain alcohol. Intellectually fascinating but not our jam. Still, we taste.

A while ago someone brought us in a five-year-old Rhone white blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, and Marsanne from Kunin Winery in Santa Barbara with the tongue-in-cheek title “Pape Star Blonde” , a play on white Chateauneuf. Our thoughts going in were it’s a “five year old Cali white from a winery we know but have rarely carried.” Again, that’s why you taste. This was a shocker! Still surprisingly fresh, with an enticing interplay of pear, grain, buttered apple and spice, broad palate for a white but with the required brightness to the flavors, it makes for a delightful quaff.

We pressed on to find really good notes from a couple of serious critics. Antonio Galloni of Vinous wrote, “The 2015 Pape Star Blonde is Seth Kunin’s Rhône-style blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Marsanne. Creamy, open-knit and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2015 is absolutely delicious. The Roussanne adds lovely mid-palate oiliness in this impeccably balanced white…91 points.”

Wine Advocate’s William Kelley offered, “A blend of 67% Grenache Blanc, 22% Roussanne and 11% Marsanne, the 2015 Pape Star Blonde wafts from the glass with a youthful bouquet of crisp melon, orchard fruit, citrus rind and an exotic top note of petrol. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, creamy and textural while remaining juicy and refreshing. Its purity and balance are impressive now, but I would expect this to display even more texture and complexity after a year or two in bottle…92 points.”

On top of it all, the purveyor was offering us less than half price on this delightful, roughly $28 white. We bought all of the Kunin Pape Star Blonde 2015 they had with the intent to send out an email. As it turned out, as it was waiting in the queue, a number of people picked it off and now there isn’t enough to support a full blown offer. But we still want people to see this very cool little white, especially at the $11.98 price we are selling it for.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN A SAUVIGNON BLANC

This might get a little confusing. But these days in the wine world people are broadening their traditional horizons in order to achieve distinctive quality. That can sometimes be an international effort, as it is here. This is a Sauvignon Blanc from Chile, made by a French guy, with a French name on the label, fermented with specific Japanese sake yeasts. Of course there’s a story.

Viña Marty is named for owner/winemaker Pascal Marty. Pascal’s road to Chile went through a number of interesting and high profile stops along the way. After graduating from the Bordeaux Institute of Oenology in 1982, Pascal served as winemaker for Baron Philippe de Rothschild in Bordeaux, was later moved to California to work at Opus One, then was sent to Chile to work at the budding project between Baron Rothschild and Concha y Toro, Almaviva. That in itself is quite a resume. Vina Marty was born in 2008.

The story of this wine stems from a unique fermentation idea of using a specific Japanese yeast typically part of sake fermentation. This particular yeast strain allows fermentation to happen at lower temperatures than traditional yeasts used in winemaking, whuch further preserves the fruit character of the juice and somehow lends itself to a particular, unique clarity of flavor. According to the winery, only members of the Japanese sake guild are allowed access to this yeast, and they are permitted as the only non-Japanese member.

So what does that mean? Well, it isn’t necessarily a blatant difference you would notice if you didn’t know the story, but the results are intriguing. The aromatics are somehow brighter and cleaner, and there is a certainly an elevated aspect to the flavor profile. Super fresh, with an almost grain aspect along with more traditional citrus and dry tropical fruit notes. Also note that this yeast strain doesn’t get along with sulfur, that additions are minimal, which may serve to give this wine its very clean lines.

Bright and engaging, there’s no ‘green’ here either, just inviting fruit and a lifted feel on the palate. It got James Suckling’s attention as well. He wrote, “Fermented with a sake yeast selection, this has a fresh, lime and mango-pastry nose with a fluid, gently creamy palate. Fresh and balanced. Drink now…91 Points.”

It also boasts a 94 point score affixed to the bottle from a publication called ‘Descorchados’, essentially South America’s version of ‘Wine Spectator’. In the end, it’s a different approach that works, and has produced a delightful and well-priced version of this varietal that should find a appreciative audience.

OFF THE BEATEN PATH CALIFORNIA GEMS

The California wine industry is full of passionate artists who want to create something unique and exciting. There are lots of folks out there experimenting with varietals grown in places that are nothing like where the grapes originated. We could cite examples ad nauseum but why? Most miss the mark. But, it’s really fun when something comes along that beats the odds and presents a sensational and distinctive alternative to what is out there. It doesn’t happen all that often, but it does happen. If you asked us if we’d get excited about a California Picpoul and a skin contact Trousseau Gris, we’d likely have said no, yet here we are.

That whole ad campaign a few years back about “think different”…the folks at Two Shepherds definitely do. We’ll start with the Two Shepherds Picpoul Vineyard Windmill Vineyard 2019. Typically Picpoul is grown near the Mediterannean or as the base grape for spirits in more northerly climes. Conveniently coming from southern France, not far from traditional areas for farming oyster, these wines are crisp, sleek, and a little salty.

The Two Shepherds version has the snap and salinity, but a much richer middle that gives this version a whole new feel. The Windmill Vineyard, in the Dunnigan Hill east of Napa, is a long way from the ocean. Yet it has the whiff of the sea and snappy edge of some of the Euro versions, uniquely combined with a rounder midpalate.

Farmed organically, this 6 barrel lot was fermented and aged in 50% stainless steel, and 50% neutral puncheon (double-sized barrel)) for 8 months. Mouthwatering acidity, weight and aromatics, fire this up with grilled fish or seafood.  While rare on this side of the Atlantic, this was a surprising effort.

Equally ecclectic, the Two Shepherds Trousseau Gris Skin-Fermented Fanucchi Vineyard 2019 is perhaps a little more difficult to explain. We sold versions of Peter Fanucchi’s Trousseau Griz many years ago, so we have had experience with the grape and the site. But the Two Shepherds version is a completely different animal.

First off, Trousseau Gris has a pinkish-grey skin, so the extended skin contact gives the wine a pinkish hue as well as a certain tactile impression. Fannuchi’s is the only planting in the state, from a 40-year-old vineyard in the Russian River Valley. It was fermented with native yeast on the skins for five days to extract color, flavor and texture, then aged in neutral barrels for 6 months. This vintage was destemmed which allowed the fruit to really shine through.

The flavors run from mineral to cranberry and dried strawberry, with an intriguing textural feel. Think of it as a really distinctive rose or a somewhat brighter, richer version of something from a grape like Tibouren (yeah, that probably doesn’t help a lot of you). In any case, we thought this pair was really distinct and interesting and they both should absolutely blow up with food. Definite wine geek alert here.

SLEEK, STYLISH SPARKLERS FROM ITALY

When you sit where we sit, you see all kinds of things that are somewhat off the beaten path for most folks, and you have to occasionally be political because the wines that some people present you are their passion or life’s work. That comes up often with some things, notably the Italian higher-end sparkling wine area known as Franciacorta. Italians love sparkling wine and are very proud of the wines from this region.

Frankly, they are a cut above typical Italian bubbles like Prosecco. But, as a quick generalization, they mainly perform at a compulsory level and typically don’t offer the nuances of terroir aspects of ‘real’ Champagne, but are mostly priced to compete at the same level. When someone pulls a Franciacorta out of their bag, we kind of silently think to ourselves “another OK sparkler that is priced beyond performance.” We don’t usually buy into the Franciacorta is like Champagne rhetoric. We are telling you that because, to our surprise, this time it was different.

The Monte Rossa wines are the complete package. Both of these have the classic fine bead one expects in a premier bubbly, and exceptional balance. But they don’t stop there. There are exciting, fun drinks that show personality and that we can honestly recommend as something to consider as an alternative to real Champagne, something we have rare occasion to do.

The Monte Rossa Franciacorta Brut Blanc de Blancs P.R. NV is produced from 100% Chardonnay, 35% of which is reserve wine, from manually harvested grapes. The grapes are gently pressed and then partially raised in controlled stainless steel, the rest in barrels, after which they see a minimum of 2 years in bottle. Small, energetic bead, insistent apple/pear fruit on the palate with some underlying minerality from the soils, this was a surprise.

Nice notes from Vinous’ Ian D’Igata, “Bright straw. Refined aromas of peach, quince and savory herbs. Then rich, dense and multilayered, offering precise flavors of fresh citrus and orchard fruit. Finishes long and creamy, but bright, and with above-average complexity. Well done…92 Points.” 

The Blnc de Blanc really got our attention but, truth be told, it was the rose that got sealed the deal for us. The Monte Rossa Franciacorta Rosé Flamingo NV is a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir with all of the other components being handled the same. Lots of joyous ripe strawberry here both in the nose and flavor, fine bubbles and a rather gregarious personality. They refer to it as Flamingo and the ‘rose that never sleeps’ as there is a story where the proprietors of the winery spent time in Las Vegas with Frank Sinatra.

That’s the end of our ‘People Magazine’ edge to the story. For us it’s always about the juice, which is pleasing stuff. From Ian d’Igata of Vinous, “Luminous salmon-pink. Strawberry and violet on the enticing nose. Enters saline and fleshy, offering small red berry and cherry flavors that turn slightly austere on the long finish, which features repeating violet and raspberry nuances. Very pretty wine complicated by a lingering mineral element...92 points.”

As the opening paragraph might indicate, it is pretty unusual for us to recommend Franciacortas because the price/performance interplays are typically not quite what we are looking for. These, however, are really fun beverages, with kind of ‘party in a bottle’ personalities, and really deliver vis-a-vis other sparkling wine alternative at these prices.

A LOOK DOWN THE RHONE ROAD: ST. COSME CDR 2019

We’ll try an keep it simple. We could launch a rather extensive rant on our long history with Domaine Saint Cosme. We have been selling it for going on three decades and have watched passionate owner Louis Barruol go through ups and downs, style changes, and the expansion of his program to other projects. He is one of the dependable labels we always look forward to checking up on, and have made some sensational finds over the years among his value offerings in particular.

Our purpose here is twofold. First, we want to talk about his beautifully textured, pure, ample, imminently tasty Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone 2019. Now his Cotes du Rhone, as we have mentioned the many other times we have featured it, is a little bit of a different bird. Unlike the majority of wines that bear this appellation, which are mostly Grenache, Louis’ Cotes du Rhone is all or nearly all old vine Syrah (Barruol states the average age of the vines on the property are 60 years old).

The 2019 is gorgeous and already an attractive drink. Lots of layered, plush fruit, spice and pepper, and, as Louis himself describes, “Blackberry, smoked bacon, charcoal, blueberry, rose.” We expected a lot given what we had heard about 2019, but the wine exceeded our expectations.

Besides the example this wine itself sets for expectations of 2019 from the southern Rhone, there are the outgoing Barruol’s own words. Of the vintage, within the context of his notes on the 2019 Cotes du Rhone, he said, “Be warned – this is a stellar vintage, the greatest since the extraordinary 2010. Of course, 2016 is great too, and even 2015, which in Saint Cosme was memorable. But there is a freshness, an intensity, an evanescence, something undefinable that is charming and vibrant in the 2019s.

“…The 2019 Côtes du Rhône Saint Cosme is the best since 2010. A wine with a substantial structure, it is also brimming with fruit and shows great concentra-tion, counterbalanced by the finest freshness. In a dry vintage, concentration affects all the component parts of the fruit: not just the sugars, but the acids, water (which does not concentrate but disappears…), tannins, color, aromas… etc… This natural phenomenon produces something we all love: intensity.

“Character and identity are subsequently multiplied tenfold. The fact that nature should be able to offer us these gifts is an absolute joy. These wines are suitable for either drinking or keeping. They will bring us joy and surprises. They will become advocates for what I would call ‘the red wine cause’. We live in an era of white wines, rosés and sometimes even unripe grapes – which is an aberration… 2019 is a gentle reminder from nature and a timely opportunity to set the record straight.”

This Cotes du Rhone, at $14.98, is a delicious wine and an exciting value. And in the bigger picture, it looks like there are more good times down the road in the southern Rhone in 2019. While we didn’t find any scores on this wine, but it’s early in the game for the 2019s. The gigantic barrel scores on their single-vineyard Gigondas bottlings affirms that 2019 should be on people’s radar.

DASHWOOD SAUV. BLANC RIDES AGAIN: WS 90, $10.98

There are wines for all reasons. But that is perhaps one of the hardest things to manage. There are a lot of wines out there that are designed to merely function at a ‘price point’. There’s a not a lot of style or dimension. We aren’t really interested in those. But we are perfectly aware that people don’t necessarily all drink ‘top of the category’ stuff every single day. There is a great need for dependable ‘go-to’ wines for most of the days of the week. The problem is, in these days of ‘sensationalist media’, people don’t necessarily react to things that aren’t referred to as ‘best ever’.

Still, we like to keep everything in perspective. We aren’t going to tell you that this Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is the ‘greatest ever’. But we are going to tell you that this is one of the great, dependable, ‘staple’ Sauvignons on the market… sometimes. We have had great runs with Dashwood over the years. They don’t make the ‘cut’ every year, but when they hit it they are one of the best values around. This is one of those times.

The 2019 Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc checks all the boxes for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. You’ve got bright flavors and zing, but also some richness and texture that a lot of examples lack. There’s a citrus backbeat here but also tropical and stone fruit tones that make the first impression. There is a great variation in the personalities of Kiwi Sauvignons on the market, but this one has broad appeal in that it is pretty easy going and doesn’t touch any of the flavor extremes that the genre can have. A lot of credit perhaps belongs to the 2019 vintage, which one of the other Kiwi pieces we researched called a special vintage. But the juice is ample and friendly in a category where some examples can make your eyes water.

It isn’t just us either. Even the ‘tough guy’ Wine Spectator gave this one a 90 point score, no small thing for a low priced Sauvignon Blanc, with comments “Aromatic and distinctive, with a thread of honeysuckle and litsea oil mingling with Meyer lemon, peach and apricot flavors that are generous and intense through the finish, showing a touch of savory sea salt. Drink now.” At $10.98, it will fit into most budgets nicely.

ANOTHER WINNER FROM THIVIN

This respected house was one of our first experiences with the 2019s from Beaujolais and, based on this ‘early return’, it looks to be a sensational harvest for this part of the world.  Thivin is one of the iconic estates in Cotes de Brouilly and one with considerable history.  It is the oldest estate on Mount Brouilly, circa the 15th Century, and has been in the hands of the Geoffrey family since 1877.  The vines are an average of 50-years-old and this crazy steep vineyard (an average 48% slope) is farmed organically. 

As we have stressed in the past, there are front-loaded carbonic Beaujolais and there are estate producers that produce with the utmost care and work more like great Burgundy.  Thivin is a poster child of that second group.  The wines are always good, and occasionally brilliant examples.  They can also be a bit inward on release.  That is what was striking here.  We don’t recall a deeper, richer, friendlier version of this wine out of the gate.  Saturated color, ripe berry and plum on the nose and an expansive, broad, polished feel on the palate, this has fruit and character to burn.  They have been on quite a roll, averaging 93 points from Wine Advocate for the last six, very different vintages. 

Wine Advocate Burgundy guy William Kelly was on the same page, “Bottled a mere week before I tasted it, Thivin’s 2019 Côte de Brouilly unwinds in the glass with inviting aromas of plums, red berries, warm spices and peonies. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and enveloping, it’s bright and precise, with fine depth at the core and real energy, concluding with a long, gently tannic finish. A touch finer-boned and more dynamic than the gourmand, demonstrative 2018, this is showing very well…93+.” 

It is showing well, indeed, yet history tells us that this wil age and develop for a decade at least, maybe longer, if you can keep your hands off it.  At $26.98, it delivers well above its class and reaffirms our point that Beaujolais is still the source for some of the best value reds on the planet.  It’s hard to say this is their best ever because they have had an impressive string of sensational efforts.  But this Thivin Cote de Brouilly 2019 is definitely the sexiest.

FALL, FIRE, and IMPRESSSIVE 2018 NICKEL & NICKEL

Tis the season for Cabernet. As an overview, we have to look at the current plight of the Napa Valley.  We haven’t hidden our distaste for the high-handed marketing and undermining of the retail trade for the last three decades or so.  But the current ‘rock and a hard place’ that the region in general is facing is historically significant.  You have the pandemic that wiped out most of the restaurant business as current ‘on-sale’ customers have been operating at diminished capacity or have been closed.  Then you have the current wildfires, right during harvest, that threaten to greatly diminish, and in many cases wipe out the 2020 harvest.  Who knows what kind of ‘marketing’ decisions Napa vintners will be made regarding the ‘current birds in hand,’ the generally very good 2017, 2018, and 2019 vintages moving forward.

The 2017s have been solid, though not on par with 2014 and 2016.  There have been a few cases where edgy tannins have gotten in the way.  Thus far the 2018s reflect well on the vintage as the wines have been plush, engaging and packed with fruit.  The quantities for the 2018 harvest were also good.  We’re hearing great things about 2019 as well.  With the general business climate less than ideal, and great, fairly abundant vintages in the pipeline, it promised to be wild times for both consumers and us.  But the fires may, and likely will change the dynamic.  We’ll see.

Meanwhile, let’s look at that crowd-pleasing, well endowed 2018 Cabernets.   Anybody who got a hold of the luscious Thread Feather Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2018 knows exactly what we mean, and the coming Chappellet Cabernet Signature 2018 was one of the most compelling examples we have had in that series.  Today we’re going to give you a little heads up on the best lineup we can recall tasting from Nickel & Nickel. 

Some of the vineyards in this current single-vineyard focused lineup may be unfamiliar as there have been changes in sourcing through the years.  But as a group, they were pretty flashy.  As usual we pick a few favorites out of the gate, but we reserve the right to expand our offerings and work up an email down the road.  In the meantime, these were our favorites in a really good lineup…

Nickel & Nickel Cabernet Sauvignon John C. Sullenger Vineyard Oakville 2018 ($89.98)-The home vineyard of Nickel & Nickel, Sullenger Vineyard is situated behind the winery in the heart of Oakville and is named for John C. Sullenger, who settled the farmstead in the 1880’s. The vineyard’s 30 acres of clay loam soil are planted exclusively to Cabernet Sauvignon, with 2 rootstocks and a few different clones which each add a unique element to the resulting wine. This is one of the bottlings that has made the selection virtually every vintage.  Bigger middle than most, with the classic black fruit of Oakville and cool earth and spice notes, this isn’t necessarily the ‘biggest’ Sullinger we have had, but it is one of the prettiest out of the gate we can recall.  The fact that it didn’t dominate the tasting this time is more of a statement about the lineup than suggestive of any shortfalls in this bottling.

Nickel & Nickel Cabernet Sauvignon State Ranch Vineyard Yountville 2018 ($89.98)– State Ranch is located northeast of the town of Yountville. The 23-acre vineyard is divided into two parcels by State Lane Road and consists of both older and younger vines. Many excellent wines are produced from this area, in part due to the rocky, loam soil which has excellent drainage throughout the year. The vines, as well as the clusters, are moderate in size and the vineyard gets full sun throughout the day. As the young vines mature, we will be harvesting many different clones to make the final wine. Nickel & Nickel selects fruit from 14.5 acres of the vineyard. Also known as State Lane Vineyard, this is the same site used by Kapcsandy and others for their compelling 100-point wines.

Nickel & Nickel Cabernet Sauvignon DeCarle Vineyard Rutherford 2018 ($89.98)–DeCarle Vineyard is a newcomer to the lineup and planted on the west side of Rutherford, in the dusty soils for which the area is known. This Cabernet Sauvignon offers a silky palate that complements the wine’s juicy berry and black cherry flavors and finishes with a subtle minerality.  This was earlier in the tasting lineup but impressed with its display of bright, slippery red fruits and light on its feet demeanor.  A very pretty Cab with a more Bordeaux demeanor by comparison to the others.

Nickel and Nickel Cabernet Sauvignon Quarry Vineyard Rutherford 2018 ($89.98)–Quarry is one of the longer term team members.  The 25-acre Quarry Vineyard climbs the slopes above the Silverado Trail on the east side of Rutherford. The name comes from the old quarry that was the source of a white rock used in the ghost winery that still stands beside the vineyard. Three distinct hillside blocks, each experiencing its own unique soil and exposure, are harvested from this vineyard. The white, rocky loam soils are well drained, and the vines are of moderate vigor. Cluster and berry size varies from block to block, but all are small to moderate. This vineyard has full exposure to the afternoon sun.  Polished and pedigreed, expressive and integrated, this is a complete but, again, not necessarily ‘big’ Cab.

Nickel and Nickel Cabernet Sauvignon Bear Track Vineyard Napa Valley 2018 ($89.98)– The Bear Track Vineyard showed well on a couple of occasions, and is perhaps the most impressive of the newcomers in that it has the requisite size to please most Cabernet drinkers.  The vineyard is planted in three terraced blocks on the eastern hillsides of Napa Valley, just outside of the Howell Mountain AVA. The cool climate and iron-rich, volcanic ash soils result in small, tight clusters of concentrated fruit. Ample hang time before harvest yields a Cabernet Sauvignon with intense, dark fruit flavors and integrated tannins.  This one is a bit broader on the palate, and respectably ‘Howelly’ (showing subtle mineral/gravel notes) but not overly so.  Lots of black fruits make an impression here.

ULTIMATE ‘INSIDER’ RIOJA FROM LA RIOJA ALTA

We see ‘wine clubs’ operating in California all the time.  The direct-to-consumer programs are the life blood of a number of domestic producers.  But wine selling in Europe seems to generally work rather differently.  In most top chateaux in Bordeaux, for example, there are no gifts shops or trinkets, and you can’t even buy a bottle of wine.  So the idea of direct-to-consumer/wine club type programs doesn’t even cross our minds when we’re over the ‘pond’.  That’s why when Kyle saw a bunch of wines displayed at one of our favorite Spanish wineries, La Rioja Alta, that he had never seen before, he posed a question. 

“What are these?” he asked.  The Bodega answered that these wines, designated Reserva Club de Cosecheros (loosely translated ‘vintage reserve club’), were specially selected barrels for wine club members of the bodega that committed to about a half barrel per year (roughly twelve cases) and received a yearly allocation of the wines.  The wines were not available for sale in any other fashion, but the seed was planted.  If these were specially selected for ‘members only’ from one of our long-time favorite Spanish bodegas, what’s the downside?  Answer, there isn’t one.

That impression was pretty much burned into the memory banks and the search was on.  Recently, one of our purveyors, the one who has been the source of the lion’s share of the great old Riojas we have been proffering over the last six or seven years, presented us with a list that included several bottlings of Reserva Club de Cosecheros.  We bought every bottle they had of the six best vintages without hesitation. We opened a bottle of each literally right offf the truck. It was Kyle’s gift to himself for his 50th birthday and the tasting was fascinating for Rioja-heads like us. 

It was a memorable showing of classic Spanish Rioja, with the general style falling somewhere between Las Rioja Alta’s refined, lifted Vina Ardanza and the more fruit forward, though still unmistakably Rioja ‘904’ Gran Reserva.  Tasting them side-by-side, it was a fantastic demonstration of the differences between these outstanding vintages, with the youngest (the 2004) starting to really open up and the oldest (the 1989) showing some resolved tannins and more tender edges but still with, as Clive Coates used to say, ‘bags of life’ left at 30 years of age.  Sadly, the 1994 was a solo bottle but we’ve got reasonable quantities of the other (3 to 5 cases each).

Don’t bother looking for scores.  The press doesn’t see these, and what would be the point anyway since they are only for club members.  These likely came from restaurant ‘members’ or private collections in Spain.  In fact, almost no one sees these outside of the winery and their club.  We’re pretty confident in saying that these are probably the only bottles in the country.  If you are a Rioja lover, these are a must…classic old school elegance, bright fruit, ageless demeanors.  These are special, insider wines. 

We’re not the least bit pressed to sell them but feel obligated to give the folks who support our expansive Spanish program a chance at something you don’t see every day, or in this case ever.  We’d suggest nibbling on a variety of vintages instead of focusing on just one as we think that will provide the most fulfilling experience. In any case, give these a serious look soon.  Prices range from $69.98-79.98, certainly great prices for one-of-a-kind reservas with this kind of bottle age. Since we have never sold them before, we have no idea how long they might be around.  Then again, we might come to our senses and decide to keep them. Salud.

La Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva Club de Cosecheros 2004

La Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva Club de Cosecheros 2001

La Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva Club de Cosecheros 1995

La Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva Club de Cosecheros 1991

La Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva Club de Cosecheros 1989

NEW PARKER RELEASES DEFINITELY NOT ‘OLD HAT’

Some of us are old enough to remember back in the beginning, when the first editions of this new (at the time) project from actor/real estate tycoon Fess Parker hit the market.  Some of us even saw the original Disney versions of Davey Crockett and the Alamo on television.  Somehow, given Fess’s history, those early labels with the small ‘coonskin’ cap were both familiar and comforting, and the wines from this emerging Santa Barbara/Santa Maria area source were solid go-to wines.  The winery still uses Fess as the ‘front man’ on their website even though he has been gone since 2010.  That’s the kind of unique persona on which the brand was founded.

Like a number of wineries, Fess Parker had their ups and downs over the years.  They were always a viable choice, but perhaps never really emerged from the pack as far as reputation.  They had the occasional ‘hit’ (we had a nice little run with their ‘Prisoner’ look-alike Big Easy a while back), but in general they were a solid, dependable, but arguably yeoman choice.  Current winemaker Blair Fox has been in place since 2005 and the winery is still in family hands.  What seems to be different, at least according to a set of recent releases that we were presented, is that the winery clearly has higher aspirations. 

The pair of wines we are highlighting today, the Fess Parker Chardonnay Parker West 2018 and Fess Parker Pinot Fiddlestix 2018, are clearly a step up from anything we recall from this Foxen Canyon producer.  Both show the classic lines of where they come from, as do all of the Parker wines.  But there is more definition and delineation of flavor, more ‘pop’ if you will, that clearly make these more impressive, inspired bottlings that deserve another level of critical acclaim.  Yeah the whole idea of ‘Frontier Red’ may be good for the tourists, but this is the kind of juice that will get them talked about in serious wine circles.

The Fess Parker Chardonnay Parker West 2018 is sourced from two specific blocks in the Parker West vineyard located in the Santa Rita Hills.  The juice is entirely barrel fermented and sees nine months in French oak, 42% new.  Simple put, the wine has another gear.  There is a fresh, bright entry of slightly toasty apple, pear and citrus fruit that is vigorous and broad but sits high on the palate, and seems to have more left to push through to the finish. 

The Antoino Galloni review and score will turn a few heads, “The 2018 Chardonnay Parker West is laced with the essence of crushed rocks, lemon peel, white flowers and white pepper. This is an especially taut style, but there is also plenty of fruit depth to keep things in balance. This is such a gorgeous wine and also a terrific example of the style that comes so natural on the western edge of the Sta. Rita Hills…95 points.”

The Fiddlestix Vineyard has a reputation all its own thanks to other bottlings particularly from Kathy Joseph’s Fiddlehead Cellars.  This stylish Fess Parker Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard 2017 bottling hits all the high notes yet has a juicy, forward demeanor that makes for a fine hedonistic choice as well.  Like the Chardonnay, this comes from specific blocks of the vineyard and sees 17 months in 100% French oak (35% new), which it seems to absorb with no issues.

Again the Galloni notes and score will raise a few eyebrows for this winery, “The 2017 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard is a bold, powerful wine, with all of the raw energy that is so typical of this site. Bright red fruit, flowers, game and licorice are all pushed forward. The Fiddlestix is a big, brooding Pinot, but it is also very nicely balanced, with tons of sheer allure, something that young Fiddlestix Pinots don’t always offer….93 points.”  Our comment as we were tasting was that this was downright user-friendly for this part of ‘the Hills’ and the fruit had much more of a tender edge than we typically expect from here. 

Epiphany Grenache in four-pack cans notwithstanding (yes they make that, too), it is clear from these wines, and a new series of reds sourced from Napa called Addendum, that the folks at Fess Parker are making every effort to raise their game.  This Pinot and Chardonnay aren’t the first efforts in their respective series, but they both qualify as ‘best yet’ in their respective series and should cause folks to look in on what they’re doing more often.