Author: Steve Zanotti

THE SUPER DELUXE CHATEAUNEUF SHOPPER, OH MY!

Another day, another lagging boat showed up bearing treasures acquired at what now seems like long ago.  Supply chain issues are real.  This particular bateau (ship) bore a number of absolute jewels from the southern Rhone which prompted us to look over our current stocks of Chateauneuf du Pape from the gorgeous 2019 vintage.  We realized we had accumulated quite the selection.

It was altogether too massive to present in its entirety. So we settled on presentation only elite, top-of-the-heap bottlings that had scored 96 points and above.  Even at that, our cup almost ranneth over.  Even with our long history presenting Chateauneufs in virtually every conceivable way over the years, this collection has to be some sort of high water mark. 

Yes, it has been a grand period for the southern Rhone since 1998.  But 2019 is a top-notch harvest within that lofty string of hit vintages.   As we have presented in past offerings, while 2019 is not quite as fool proof from top to bottom as, say, 2016, the best of the 2019s are on par with top efforts in any vintage.  This group represents those high achievers.  What we have put together here is a ‘Super Deluxe Chateauneuf Shopper’.  In this lineup, every wine scored a minimum of 96 points or more.  Ne Plus Ultra, Crème de la Crème, call it what you want, this is an embarrassment of riches or the definition of “too much good stuff.”

These would all qualify as the ‘cherries on top’ of whatever you may have acquired thus far from this exceptional vintage. If you haven’t done much yet, you could put together a broad and enviable collection of top fight Chateauneufs in one fell swoop.  We sent these as an email, took a pretty good hit, reshuffled and are presenting it again. We can honestly say that the numbers and the reviews here speak for themselves.  It’s a lot to digest, but we’re confident you folks can handle it. That’s why we put it in a format you can revisit any time you want. Good hunting to all…

VIEILLE JULIENNE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE LES HAUTS LIEUX 2019– from Jeb Dunnuck, “The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Hauts-Lieux includes slightly more Mourvèdre and comes from a cooler parcel in the northern part of the appellation. It has another level of purity and precision compared to the Trois Sources and has extraordinary notes of blueberries, cassis, black licorice, violets, and crushed stone-like minerality. Incredibly concentrated, massive, and yet perfectly balanced, it has no hard edges and is just an incredible tasting experience. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 20-25 years….98+ points.”

VIEILLE JULIENNE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE LES TROIS SOURCES 2019-from Jeb Dunnuck, “More cassis, morello cherry, Asian spice, and a beautiful sense of minerality and loamy earth emerge from the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Trois Sources, a full-bodied, concentrated blend of 60% Grenache, 15% each of Cinsault and Syrah, and the balance Mourvèdre. Coming all from the estate’s sandy soils in the northern part of the appellation, this incredibly concentrated, textured wine has perfect balance, building tannins, and a great finish. Give this beauty another 4-5 years in the cellar and drink it over the following two decades or more…96+ points.” 

LA BASTIDE SAINT DOMINIQUE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE LES HESPERIDES 2019– from Jeb Dunnuck , “An even split of Grenache and Mourvèdre brought up mostly in tank (20% in demi-muids), the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Hesperides is a dense, meaty, powerful wine offering a monster bouquet of black cherry and blackberry fruits as well as roasted meats, chocolate, bouquet garni, and spice. Beautifully textured on the palate, it’s full-bodied and powerful yet stays light and graceful, with building tannins and a great finish. It’s another head-turning good wine from this estate…97 points.”

 CRISTIA CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE VIEILLES VIGNES 2019-from Jeb Dunnuck, “The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes (100% Grenache) brings more opulence and sexiness, with a more unevolved vibe in its ripe black fruits, violets, toasted spice, and Provençal garrigue-like aromas and flavors. Brought up in equal parts used barrels, new French oak, and demi-muids, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a seamless, incredibly elegant texture, ripe tannins, and one hell of a great finish. This is a Grenache lover’s dream, and it should continue drinking brilliantly for another 10-15 years…97 points.” (Also Wine Spectator 96)

CLOS SAINT-JEAN CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE LA COMBE DES FOUS 2019-From Jeb Dunnuck, “Sensationally pure cassis and blackberry fruits as well as complex notes of lavender, Provençal garrigue, ground pepper, and flowers all define this full-bodied 2019, which displays the vintage’s ripe, perfumed style while bringing more finesse, elegant, and purity than just about every other wine out there. It’s the finest vintage of this cuvée I’ve tasted and has another 15-20 years of prime drinking ahead of it…100 Points.”

DOMAINE PIERRE USSEGLIO ET FILS CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE RESERVE DES DEUX FRERES 2019–From Jeb Dunnuck,  “While the 2020 will include a splash of Syrah, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Réserve Des Deux Frères is its normal 100% Grenache and is a selection made in the cellar. In 2019, it ended up being roughly 30% new oak, and I think there were some stems included as well. It’s another magical wine from this estate, boasting a dense purple hue as well as a perfume of black raspberries, cassis, blueberry liqueur, spring flowers, toasted bread, and lavender. Full-bodied on the palate, with an incredible mouthfeel, riveting purity, and ultra-fine tannins, it’s unquestionably one of the all-time greats of this cuvée. Give bottles 3-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades or more…100 points.” Also  Wine Advocate 98)

ROGER SABON CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE CUVEE PRESTIGE 2019-From Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com, “One of the top vintages for this cuvée, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Prestige features intense aromas of black cherries and purple raspberries, without the dark chocolate nuances that appear in the other 2019s at this address. It’s full-bodied, dense and concentrated, big but also silky and fine, with a long, elegant finish. It’s a Grenache-led assemblage of lots from the lieux-dits of les Brusquières and Cabrières…97 points.” (Also Jeb Dunnuck 96, Decanter 95, Wine Advocate 96)

LE CLOS DU CAILLOU “LES QUARTZ” CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2019– From Jeb Dunnuck, “Moving to the tiny production 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Quartz, which is mostly Grenache with around 25% or so of Syrah, it has a rich, full-bodied, dense, and almost backward style to go with powerful black fruits, ground pepper, and violet aromas and flavors. I love its purity of fruit, and it builds nicely with time in the glass, showing more mid-palate depth as well as ripe tannins. It’s a stunning bottle of wine, but patience will be required. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades…97+ points.” (Also Decanter 96)

SAINT PREFERT CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE COLLECTION CHARLES GIRAUD 2019– From Jeb Dunnuck, “The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Collection Charles Giraud includes a big chunk of Mourvèdre and is 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvèdre that was partially destemmed and brought up in demi-muids. If offers a deep ruby/plum color as well as a rich, savory, complex bouquet of black raspberries, cassis, toasted spice, cured meats, and graphite. The Mourvèdre really shows in this beauty, and it’s full-bodied, concentrated, and structured, yet never loses its seamless, flawlessly balanced profile. It’s going to need 4-5 years of bottle age but will have 20-25 years of ultimate longevity. It’s another thrilling wine from this estate…99 points.” (Also Wine Advocate 96)

DOMAINE DE LA CHARBONNIERE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE LES HAUTES BRUSQUIERES 2019–From Jeb Dunnuck, “The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Les Hautes Brusquières (60/40 Grenache and Syrah) comes from a cooler terroir near the Mount Redon plateau and was brought up in oak tronconique tanks and demi-muids. Its dense purple, almost opaque hue is followed by a brilliant perfume of mulled red and black fruits, peppery herbs, crushed stone, violets, and licorice. With full-bodied richness, a layered, multi-dimensional texture, and just about perfect tannins, it’s another superstar wine from this estate that’s up with the finest vintages to date…97 points.” (Also Wine Advocate 95)

CHARVIN CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE 2019 – From Jeb Dunnuck, “The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape from Laurent is the usual blend of 82% Grenache and the rest nearly equal parts Syrah, Mourvèdre, Vaccarèse, and Counoise that was brought up all in concrete tank. It shows the sunny, spicy, Provençal style of the vintage beautifully while still having incredible freshness in its red and black fruits as well as garrigue, ground pepper, spring flowers, and incense aromas and flavors. Gorgeous on the palate as well, this medium to full-bodied Châteauneuf du Pape is balanced and has terrific tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. Rhône lovers need to have this beauty in their cellar, and it’s going to offer pleasure for a solid two decades…96 points.”

SERIOUSLY GOOD CABERNET

We taste a lot of Cabernets always with the intent of finding the best and the brightest as well as striking values when the opportunity presents itself. It is rare for us to get ‘wowed’. But in the case of The Setting Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 2019, we were impressed in a way that rarely happens around here.

We’ll give you the winery spiel first, “Known for his ability to extract the deepest expression of each vineyard into his wines, Jesse uses extended barrel time in new and neutral oak, as well as minimal intervention to produce unfined, unfiltered wines that delicately balance purity of fruit with the distinct characters of each site.”

While that sounds like a pretty lofty profile for winemaker/partner Jesse Katz, son of famous photographer Andy Katz, in our experience nothing is overstated. Having spent time a Petrus, Screaming Eagle, Robert Foley, and Vina Cobos, he had the opportunity to work with top of the heap talent and clearly learned his craft well. He was the founding winemaker at Lancaster, and has been getting accolades for his current work at Aperture, and this project is his own. The expectations were high and they have been met if not exceeded.

The 2018 version of this wine were pretty spectacular and collected a number of impressive scores including a 97 from Wine Advocate. There have been no reviews we have seen on this wine yet, but we suspect it will get its due. What is interesting here is that the review on the 2018 from Jeb Dunnuck is pretty much interchangeable with our impressions of The Setting Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 2019:

“The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley is stunning stuff, offering up a dense purple color as well as both black and blue fruits, notes of lead pencil, crushed stone, graphite, and tobacco, full-bodied richness, ripe, velvety tannins, and a great finish. This powerful, sexy, seamless Cabernet will keep for two decades or more. “

Like the winery press release says, this wine really does deeply express the dark red fruits and spice, layered with chocolate and coffee tones, that is the Alexander Valley at its best. The depth of fruit, power, poise and balance are at a level that few producers achieve at any price. It is one of the most impressive Cabs we have tasted in a very long time and actually represents a value at a price under $100. As you know, we don’t spend a lot of time trying to sell California wines in this kind of price range. But this one is well worth the experience.

SIMPLY A GREAT, GO-TO, VALUE RED

We’ve been pretty open about how we go about things here and, most relevant to this discussion, my friends, are things that concern us in the big picture. One of them is ‘noise’. We were among the first in the wine biz to do extensive e-marketing, but these days there are lots of establishments trying their hand at it. Our concern is that, with everyone feeling they need to say whatever they are offering is the greatest ever, perspective goes out the window.

On top of that, the ‘score inflation’ we alluded to years ago has only gotten worse. As more critics are coming online and dishing out ever higher scores so they can be noticed and, more importantly, quoted, the solid, perfectly respectable low-90s reviews on value wines seem to have considerably less impact than they did a few years ago. It seems at times even $10 wines are expected to generate mid-90s reviews or the consumer is unmoved. That is the result of score inflation.

We’ve have always tried to temper our rhetoric to fit the situation. Eventually, we feel, if you say everything is the greatest of all time, you will eventually lose your credibility. So forgive us if we are going to simply say that this is a delicious, imminently quaffable, well constructed red that is versatile with a wide array of foods but can be enjoyed by itself for its charming, fruit driven demeanor and it’s a particularly palatable value as well.

The wine we are talking about in this case is the Petra IGT Toscana Zingari 2018. We did a larger scaled offering on the on the Zingari 2017 replete with email and dueling 93 point scores from Wine Spectator and James Suckling. Truth be told, the 2018 might be a little juicier and certainly fills the role of well-priced, go-to red quite nicely.

Petra has their whole range of high-end gear as well, anchored by their flagship $90 bottling.  But what has captured the fancy of the wine-buying public is this exceptional value from their estate vineyards, what was once an experiment has turned into something altogether different.

Petra is considered one of the more progressive wineries in Tuscany.  It was founded in 1997 in Suvereto’s Val di Cornia (Maremma) by Vittorio Moretti and his daughter Francesca, encompassing a 700+ acre estate, a third of which is planted with vineyards. The winery sits hundreds of feet underground with a tunnel-like wine cellar. 

What started as an experiment has turned into one of the better red wine values you will find. Zingari was originally proposed as a fun, experimental wine to see how Syrah, Merlot, Sangiovese and Petit Verdot all worked together in their younger estate vineyards (now 16 years old). The results were promising and the wine was officially commercialized. The rest is history. The 2015 garnered a 92 from Wine Spectator and the 2017 was the double-93 ‘coming out party’.

But as we know, scores can come and go, as can reviewers. On any given day, the same wine can get a different score from the same source based on a broad array of unrelated factors. But the folks at Petra are still doing outstanding work in the value arena and with think this 2018 is at least as good as last year’s version, maybe better.

The blend in 2018 is again Merlot, Sangiovese, Syrah and Petit Verdot aged in a combination of larger barrels and smaller French barriques prior to bottling.  The wine is joyful, exuberant, bright, and captures both the ripeness of the harvest as well as lift from the nighttime cooling coastal breezes.

We can provide a score and a nice review on the Petra IGT Toscano Zingari 2018 from James Suckling, “A fresh, vivid red with cherries, currants and hints of hazelnuts and chocolate. Medium body. Racy finish. Like the vivid acidity that runs through this. Drink or hold…92 Points.”

But at $14.98, value plays in somewhere and, in this case, on virtually ‘any given day’, this wine will deliver plenty of personality and play nicely alongside most anything you have in mind. Ultimately that is the point. At this kind of price there aren’t a lot of choices beyond soulless, mass marketed juice. This one has some flair and personality. Easy choice.

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).

AMAZING RED FOR UNDER $20? ESPAÑA, POR SUPESTO

We wrote a longer piece as an email a while ago, but for a variety of reasons we haven’t ‘pulled the trigger’ as yet. This is not to say that we won’t send an email in the future, but given the uncertain supply lines these days, we don’t want this to disappear before we’ve had a chance to mention it because, in its way, its special.

We know that, while we have been ambassadors for Spanish wines going way back, there are still folks that haven’t ridden the Spanish train yet.  For those folks, a little background.  La Rioja Alta has been around since 1890.  They have had a long time to figure things out.  There’s always a fear the old companies will lose their edge over time but, according to an article in the Wine Advocate, they invested some “nine million Euros in improving their vineyards and winery, including an optical sorting table” not long ago. Nobody is resting on their laurels at this address. 

The easiest part of the equation is the production itself.  Rioja is produced in a warm, sunny place with cool nights (ideal for wine grapes in preserving balancing acidity) and is released with bottle age at a fraction of what equivalent quality reds (without any bottle age) from elsewhere sell for.  As more and more folks figure that out, there will be continually less Rioja to go around. 

Here we have the La Rioja Alta Rioja Vina Alberdi 2016, a 5- year-old red from 40-year-old estate vines planted in chalk and clay soils.  By definition it is given two years of bottle age in American oak barrels that is coopered right there on the estate.  The price point is around $20.  Unbelievable?  In most places, yes.  In Spain, at La Rioja Alta, it is the way of things.

This 100% Tempranillo did not come as a surprise to us because we are quite familiar with their work.  These guys have been doing this for a long time.  We reported some four years ago that, even among an enormously successful run of wines here, their 2010 Alberdi did seem to have another gear and surpassed anything we’ve tasted prior.  We feel the same way about the 2016. 

We have stated our thoughts on 2016. It is a fantastic vintage is the southern Rhone, Piedmont, Tuscany, Bordeaux, and, yes, Spain. The balance of fruit, tannin and acidity is extraordinary, the wine appearing almost seamless front to back.  There is both power and finesse to the fruit cores of the 2016s from Rioja. 

The La Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva Vina Alberdi 2016 is rich, dark, sleek, and long.  This bottling, as we have said, has typically one of the most dependable in this price range from anywhere.  But, like the 2010, this particular effort is special, and in fact may be better by virtue of its fleshier mid-palate and concentrated fruit than that memorable 2010.  It is also remarkably versatile with food.

We’d point out that this wine is usually tasted in the context of its higher level siblings.  We first had this one at an event showcasing the entire La Rioja Alta portfolio including some flashy library bottlings.  Even in that disadvantageous environment, this wine made a big impression on our us.  That was reconfirmed at a more recent sampling.  Simply, this can be a core piece of anyone’s wine matrix. It has been a consistent part of mine over the last few months.

Apparently Vinous’ Josh Reynolds, who gave this one as high a mark as he has given any Vina Alberdi, is on board. He said this, “Glistening ruby-red. Spice-tinged red fruit and floral aromas pick up hints of coconut and succulent herbs with air. Silky and expressive on the palate, offering appealingly sweet cherry and raspberry flavors and a spicecake nuance that builds steadily in the glass. Closes long and smooth, with repeating florality and subtle tannins that come in late…92 points.”

The complex fruit, elegance, lift and refined tannins make for a marvelous drink.  The remarkable food versatility is a bonus.  We’ve often said amongst ourselves when tasting wines like this, given all of the other reasons we have mentioned…quality…price…bottle age, “Why doesn’t everyone drink Spanish wines?”  A no-brainer while it lasts.