BRIEFS: Quick Highlights from Italy and California

  • Pandemics aren’t much good to anyone but the current situation has indirectly or directly caused a few interesting things to come our way and a few old friends to reappear. We haven’t had any of the David Sterza wines in the shop since the 2012 Ripasso even though we started buying the stuff nearly a decade earlier. We are thrilled to have them back and the 2017 Valpolicella Ripasso and 2015 Amarone are outstanding efforts for this small but very conscientious producer.
  • Just a heads up, the 2016 Felsina Rancia Chianti was something of a legend from an outstanding vintage carrying among other scores a 96+ from Antoinio Galloni. It is long gone. We tasted the 2017 Rancia the other day, alongside its elite stablemate Fontalloro, and it was no contest. The 2017 Felsina Chianti Classico Rancia is another home run, perhaps more filigreed and refined than the powerhouse 2016, but with plenty of punch and authoritative fruit. As it slides across the palate, it almost feels like it is kicking into another gear as it rolls to an impressive finish. No scores yet, but this should get plenty of love. Get an early look because you’re going to want some.
  • It’s party time in the Italian section as bottlings from the highly anticipated 2015 (Brunello, Barolo) and 2016 (Barbaresco) are beginnng to show up. What we have tasted (quite a few actually) more than justifies the fuss. We are doing emails on a few things but not everything came in big quantities. Use the links to check out these important categories for yourself. These are vintages you want to have (a few are still pre-arrivals): 2015 Brunello di Montalcino, 2015 Barolo and 2016 Barbaresco.
  • For long time followers of Winex, we just recently got reacquainted with the Rutz label. You might recall we sold a lot of their juice back in the day (the Rutz Chardonnay Monterey 1997 was our front page wine in February, 2000) but then they were off our radar for well over a decade. Given the quality and the current prices we were offered, it looks like happy days are here again with this label. Coming soon, stay tuned.

Y MAS FROM A VEGA ALUM

As long as we touched on the exciting new stuff from Vega Sicilia, it seemed appropriate to mention something else new and very exciting that came across the table with a Vega connection.  We’ll defer to a piece from Luis Gutierrez that succinctly  serves as a good opening statement. “One of the most anticipated projects in Ribera del Duero is the one from the García family of Mauro fame. Of course, Mariano is a partner in Aalto, so he has produced a few wines from Ribera del Duero before, not to mention his 30 years at Vega Sicilia from 1968 to 1998. Garmón is the contraction of the surnames of Mariano’s sons, Alberto and Eduardo, García Montaña.”

This is Mariano’s first project of his own within the actual boundaries of the Ribera (Mauro is labeled with the broader appellation Tierra de Castillo y Leon).  He apparently opened this project with the 2014 vintage bust this  Garmon Ribera del Duero 2016 is the first we have tasted of the series and it impressed on first sip and really showed its stuff as another bottled was ‘researched’ over the course of an evening.  Like the Mauro wines, this has remarkably polished texture and is seamless from front to back with a glossy palate feel and tight but ripe and refined tannins.  Since this is our first go-round, we aren’t sure how much to attribute to the vintage itself, but it is a pretty sensational effort.

Classic Ribera flavors of dark cherry, plum, cocoa and earth, with a little balsamic, this is a modern style that can hold its own with top flight Bordeaux.  Apparently with this vintage they dialed back the new oak to 50% and the vintage itself has the same lift, poise, and freshness that has been a recurring comment for a variety of examples of the vintage from France and Italy as well.  Luis’ notes below are making comparisons.  It is from 100% Tinto Fino (the local clone of Tempranillo) from a variety  of parcels in Valladolid and vines ranging from 30 to 100 years of age from vineyards at nearly 3000 feet elevation.

The Wine Advocate notes,“Cropped from a cooler year, the 2016 Garmón is fresher, cooler and juicier, with elegant and polished tannins (compared to the 2015 tasted the same day). The process is similar every year, and the differences are mostly due to vintage variations, but in this vintage, they used a higher percentage of used barriques for the élevage (50/50 new and used). 2016 is fresher, more elegant and a little lighter. It has a medium to full body and some grainy tannins. Give it a little more time before you pull the cork…93 points.”

The tasting note was from August, 2018.  A ‘little more time’ has passed and a lot can happen in a year and a half. It wouldn’t surprise us if this wine was a little more closed back then only two months after bottling.  We had no trouble ‘pulling the cork’ presently, though it did expand in the glass a bit and will age a long time should one choose.  In the here and now, we’d be a point or two higher than Luis if we did that sort of scoring thing ourselves.  This is serious juice.

“MURDERERS’ ROW” FROM VEGA SICILIA

A lot of folks think a busy day for a typical wine merchant is a gala luncheon, an afternoon tasting of rare, high-end wines, and some sort of producer-centric dinner.  For some that may be true.  We tend to be a lot more clinical about it.  While we are certainly going to take a hard look at every such offer we get, there is concern as to what sort of good the event will do for our experience, our knowledge, and the business as a whole.  Spending 2-3 hours to taste five or six wines, though potentially enjoyable, isn’t necessarily the most efficient use of our time. 

As we think back over the years, there are only a couple of reoccurring events that we have said yes to without hesitation. One of them is Vega Sicilia.  We have been huge fans for a long time and have championed their Alion Ribera del Duero (founded 1991) and Pintia Toro (founded 2001) virtually since inception.  The wines have steadily improved over the years as the Alvarez family (who bought Vega Sicilia in 1982) has upped their game both by becoming more tuned in with their individual terroirs and how to get the most out of them. 

Each property has its own timetable for release, and this year’s lineup was arguably the best ever, in part because each of the wines came from benchmark vintages (2015, 2016, and 2010) and were highpoint efforts within each of their ongoing series.  If money was no object, these would definitely qualify as desert island/self-quarantine wines.   This was as impressive a ‘rollout’ as we can recall, hence the ‘Murderers Row’/’27 Yankees reference.

Not surprisingly the Benjamin de Rothschild Vega Sicilia Rioja Macan Clasico 2016 , a joint effort between Vega Sicilia and Rothschild, has the greatest resemblance to a Bordeaux than its siblings, yet retains its ‘Spanish accent’.  Made completely from Tempranillo, apparently in a brand new gravity flow winery, this is the ‘junior’ if the two bottlings here but we found it more complete front to back than it’s more expensive stablemate.  There is more insistent oak influence here than the other bottlings we will talk about, but the vanilla and toast notes are all beautifully integrated with the cassis and earth aspects the the vineyard itself imparts. 

Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez notes, “In 2016, they fermented the wine in stainless steel and reduced the number of new barrels to 50%, while 5% of the barrels were produced with American oak at the Vega Sicilia cooperage. The new winery was 100% ready and now has much better facilities. The élevage lasted 12 months, and this has contained ripeness and integrated oak. The year had freshness and balance and helped to produce lighter  and more expressive wines, like this one. This has to be one of the finest vintages for this cuvée…93+ points.” 

If there was a ‘best performer’ that day relative to its station, it was the Vega Sicilia Pintia Toro 2015.  The vintage surely contributed to the wine’s relative tenderness and evident opulence, and the expansive, super fleshy fruit that defines the region was in full array.  Lots of care in the vineyard here with hand harvesting into small crates and double sorting followed by 100% malolactic in a combination of 70% French and 30% American oak then a 12-month sojourn in barrel.  Pintia is usually ‘big medicine’, but this classically full-throttle effort is also more user friendly out of the gate.  Dangerously so as, in this warm vintage, the wine clocks 15% alcohol though they did a fabulous job of keeping the wine’s freshness. 

Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez handed this one a 94 with comments, “…even if the wine is powerful and tannic, it has good balance and the tannins are fine-grained. This has reached a good balance between power and elegance.”  James Sucklings note gets right to the point, “A very structured and intense Pintia with lots of blackberry, chocolate and cedar character. Full body. Yet, it’s more refined than in past vintages. One of the more balanced bottlings from this winery. Delicious already…95 points.”  Amen to that.

The fined tuned winemaking practiced at Pintia is, not surprisingly, also employed at Alion.  The difference is the clone (locals are insistent that Tinto del Toro and Tinto Fino are markedly different clones…we agree).  Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez gives the technical version, “The highly anticipated Vega Sicilia Alion Ribera Del Duero 2016 spent 12 months in oak barrels, 80% of them new and built mainly with French oak but with some 5% American oak, and some 10% of the volume matured in 15,000-liter concrete vats. It hits the scale at 15% alcohol and has moderate acidity, showing ripe black fruit and a creamy texture. 2016 has to be one of the freshest and most elegant vintages of Alión, a year with depth, freshness and terrific balance. Same as they do in Pintia, they are finding ways to lower the impact of the oak in the wine…95 points.”

From the hedonists perspective, James Suckling  puts it this way, “A very savory and succulent Alion with so much complexity of flavor with berries, chocolate and dried meat. Some cedar, too. Full body. Vertical and very long. Purity of fruit and tannins to this wine. Needs two or three years to soften. Release in 2020. Better after 2022…96 points.”  It showed more ‘bones’, especially alongside the Pintia.  But there’s a lot to like and it will perform nicely with a little air and last a decade or two in the cellar.  An exceptional Alion overall, one of the best.

For reference, the Valbuena is essentially a ‘second’ wine of Vega Sicilia , though Senor Alvarez was clearly not down with calling it that.  It is always released on its fifth birthday.  We have had several vintages of Valbuena but this is by far the most open and engaging, relatively speaking.  Often this wine is so structured it is hard to grasp early on.  For that reason Vega Sicilia Ribera del Duero Valbuena 5o 2015 kind of took us by surprise.  Don’t get us wrong.  This is no little quaffer by any stretch.  But the fact that there is more flesh on the evident structure is a pleasant departure.  According to notes we read, there has been an effort to make Valbuena a bit more compelling.  Mission accomplished.

Valbuena didn’t usually play that well with the critics by and large either.  But over the last seven vintages it has held its own with some of the world’s great ‘first’ wines.  From Wine Advocate, “The 2015 Valbuena, a red blend of mostly Tempranillo with some 5% Merlot, is released in the fifth year after the harvest. It’s explosive and showy, with a complex nose that shows a mixture of flowers and wild herbs, balsamic touches and great nuance…96 points.”

Once again Suckling speaks from the heart, “The aromas to this are so complex and enticing with nutmeg, dark berries, chocolate and white pepper. Full body. Dense and layered with so much wonderful, complex and succulent character. It just makes you want to drink it. Drink or hold…97 points.”  Both scores were high water marks for this bottling.

In all honesty, you probably don’t need us to tell you about the Vega Sicilia Unico 2010.  Seriously, this is from one of the world’s greatest wineries in one of Spain’s greatest vintages.  In our minds it’s like telling you to buy Lafite or Romanee Conti, or it should be.  Suffice it to say this is ‘one for the ages’ that will last as long as you want it too.  A 97 from Wine Advocate and a 99 from James Suckling, this is rarified air.  Gutierrez had an intriguing observation, “…It feels quite ripe and somehow old style, dominated by ripe black fruit, with a rustic and earthy touch. It has an ample palate, concentrated and powerful, with some earthy tannins.” 

In other words classic Vega Sicilia with this effort having a certain timelessness that connects with its past yet offers its own story.  Suckling cheerleads again, “This is still very tight and closed with so much depth and beauty. The linear line to this is very vertical and draws you down. It shows intense blackberry, dark-chocolate, hazelnut and walnut character. Full body. Chewy yet extremely polished. Precise. Shows decadence. So drinkable already, but better in 2022.”  A must for serious collectors to say the least.

CUILLERON: VIOGNIER AND FRIENDS

We are huge fans of Viognier, and consider Condrieu (and Ch. Grillet, the small monopole, of course) to be the unrivaled source for great examples of the varietal.  We have also told the story many times about how difficult this grape can be.  There is a narrow band of success where all of the components work in harmony.  Harvest too early and the wines are lean and lack varietal definition, the aromatics that are an important part of the Viognier experience aren’t there, and neither is the required midpalate.  Harvest too late and the acids fall back and the wine is dull and flabby.  Harvest at the perfect time and you’ll be dealing with voracious birds and hornets that also have a deep love of this enticing, aromatic varietal.

So if it’s that hard, if the margin of error is so slim, why does anyone bother?  Because when it hits the mark Condrieu is a singular experience.  Of course for most of us it can be cost prohibitive too, which merely piles on to an already difficult success rate.  Yet, with few exceptions, there’s no place like Condrieu.  What is a lover of Viognier to do?  Our solution has been to pay close attention to the ‘smaller’ efforts from some of the top vignerons in the region.  One of our favorite sources over the years has been Yves Cuilleron. 

He makes great Condrieus on a consistent basis (no small feat) and excellent examples from other villages in the northern Rhone with Marsanne and Roussane.  But what has been a repeat performer in our minds is his Viognier Vin de Pays Collines Rhodannienes Les Vignes d’a Coté 2018.   Yeah, tough name for the non-French but we’ll boil the words down so you get a feel.  By Vin de Pays, the bottle is telling you that some or all of the juice comes from vines not in official designated appellations.  In the upper reaches of the hills in the northern Rhone they give it those ‘outside the boundary’ efforts the catchy name Collines Rhodannienes (there are both white and red versions from various ‘no man’s land’ parcel all about the north). 

The Viognier for this cuvée is sourced from vineyards planted in granite-infused soil in the village of Chavanay.  The grapes are fermented with their natural yeasts and done in stainless steel to protect the wine’s freshness.  It then sees 6 months in a combination of steel and neutral oak barrels to round out.  The result is usually pretty engaging, but in 2018 they absolutely nailed it.  Perfectly proportioned, this 14% alcohol white sits comfortably atop the right touch of uplifting acidity.  Everything is fresh and expressive, with the subtly meshed peach, honeysuckle and mineral nose a perfect invitation to the peach, pear, spice and faintly honeyed palate.

Rich, yet at the same time light on its feet, it achieves just the right balance.  This one could probably pass for Condrieu in most circles yet it can be had for a touch over $20, well under the usual $50-80 that most Condrieus, both great and small, command.  How does it compare to the domestic versions one sees for this kind of price?  It’s not even close.  The harmony and expressiveness puts is in a league of its own.  If you like Condrieu, buy this.  If you like Viognier, buy this. If you want to know what Viognier is supposed to taste like, this will show you.  A supremely pleasing effort.

It seems Yves had a fine season in 2018 overall, for the whites anyway.  Everything we were presented showed uniformly tender up front, with bright, lifted fruit and freshness.  While the Viognier is our go-to, his Collines Rhodannienes (‘outside the lines’) efforts with Marsanne and Roussanne were extremely successful as well. 

So often, Roussanne can be kind of clumsy and oxidative.  But the Cuilleron Roussanne Vin de Pays Collines Rhodannienes Les Vignes d’a Coté 2018 is none of that.  To be honest, it was such a fresh, tender effort, we didn’t necessarily think Roussanne at first.  What a pleasing effort this was, a mélange of citrus, pear and stone fruit with a wisp of earth and mineral to speak of its origins.

Their delightful Cuilleron Marsanne Vin de Pays Collines Rhodannienes Les Vignes d’a Coté 2018 presents yellow melon, pear, and yellow apple flavors punctuated with a bit of dusty minerality that plays only as a nuance to the fruit component.  It’s rare to find Marsanne with this much personality and lift

If you want to step up to a ‘real’ Condrieu, Cuilleron’s Condrieu La Petite Cote 2018 is an ‘A-game’ performance for a rather modest buy-in for the genre, and demonstrates the expressive floral and honey notes admirably.  Saint-Peray is an insiders’ appellation and not widely known but Cuilleron has a deft touch and his Les Potier 2018 is a blend of Marsanne and Roussanne that flashes layered pear fruit with a lot of nuance underneath.  A charmer.

White northern Rhones aren’t necessarily the first whites people think of.  But this lineup is so expressive it could do a lot to change all of that.

‘COACHED’ BY A LEGEND

From the outset, we have said that we believe 2016 was the best vintage of Chateauneuf we have ever tasted.  We will not stray from that until another such vintage comes along.  That could be in a couple of years, or never, given the wacky weather patterns of this century.  Who knows?  At least with us, unlike politicians, we say what we mean.  You might also recall that we said of 2017 that, in any other decade, it would have people dancing in the streets.  It is an outstanding vintage that followed a ‘vintage for the ages’.  Incumbent with that, we also said that given the overall high quality of 2017, there would be exceptional individual efforts.  This is one of those.

Clos des Brusquieres Chateauneuf du Pape 2017 is classically old school.   They only make small quantities of one wine, a Chateauneuf.  No luxury cuvée, no specialty blend, no Cotes du Rhone, just one really tasty, pure Chateauneuf.  The estate itself is only eight hectares in size, and the wine is composed of 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre from old vines that average 60 years of age.  There’s a long history here with the great grandfather of owner Claude Courtil having bottled a wine under the label ‘Clos Courtil’  way back around 1900, a rarity in those days.  For the most part, however, the produce was sold to negociants until 1996. 

There are a couple of things very unique abut this property.  First, as we said, they only make one single wine.  The other is a bit less obvious.  Owner Claude Courtil is the godson of none other than Henri Bonneau, one of the most legendary and revered producers in the region.  Claude learned everything he knows about winemaking from his godfather. Bonneau and Claude share a deeply held commitment to natural winemaking, manual vineyard work, traditional aging in large foudres, and bottling without fining and filtration.  Claude’s two sons, David and Jêrome were coached by their father, who was coached by a legend, to take charge of the domain which they did in 2015.  Pretty sweet vintages to start with (2015-17) wouldn’t you say?

Maybe it was ‘beginner’s luck’, and maybe it was great coaching, but the lads got back to back 94s from Vinous’ Josh Raynolds in 2016 and 2017, not a reviewer who passes out big scores like chocolate Easter eggs.  We would actually give the nod to the 2017 in our minds as possibly the best Clos des Brusquieres ever.  Classic Chateauneuf.  Josh Raynolds notes, “Deep brilliant red. An assertively perfumed bouquet evokes red berry preserves, exotic spices and candied lavender, along with a chalky mineral quality that builds as the wine opens up. Sweet, seamless and energetic in style, offering lithe raspberry, cherry and spicecake flavors that show wonderful clarity and back-end cut. The mineral and floral components drive a very long, appealingly sweet finish shaped by smooth, harmonious tannins…94 points.”

It’s also well priced for the category, another bonus.

ANOTHER NORTHWEST CABERNET VALUE

It appears that more folks in the wine industry have gotten the message that more quality, value-priced reds are needed in the marketplace.  In truth, it seems we have seen an increase in offerings over the last year or so.  Not all of them are good, but there are certainly more exciting Cabs and blends to be had these days at lower fares.  There has been a pretty steady stream of ‘contestants’ out of Washington, and more interesting options at that from some of the newer, more boutique players. 

Washington has tremendous potential as a source of value Caberenets.  Chateau Ste. Michelle and Hedges, for example, have been consistent players in that arena for decades.  We taste a lot of others offerings that you don’t see because, while their intentions are good, the finished wines are kind of boring.  Sure they have great color and power, which will win you a lot of friends in some circles.  But they are often kind of drying on the finish and lack real definition in the midpalate.  If you are only going to have half a glass with dinner to get your daily dose of resveratrol, that’s fine.  But if you actually enjoy drinking wine like we do, you need a little something more.

Our never-ending search ran across Ryan Patrick Cabernet Sauvignon Rock Island 2016.  Founded as a family winery in 1996, Terry Flanagan named it for his two sons Ryan and Patrick.  They were one of the first to plant grapes in what is now the Ancient Lakes AVA more or less due north of the more recognized Wahluke Slope.  The winery was sold to Jerry and Butch Milbrandt in 2011, owners of Wahluke Wine Company.  Since 2012, according to one source, the winemaker has been Jerry Santo, Washington State grad (go, Cougs?) by way of Canoe Ridge.  Yet his name does not appear on the website under ‘meet our wine team’. 

Do you need to know all that?  Probably not, but it is important to understand that the winery’s philosophy is surely part of the reason this wine stands out among Cabernets of this price range.  From their own website, “Intuitive winemaking is the art of letting the fruit speak for itself. It’s minimalist intervention combined with consistency of style…artisanal winemaking where the grape is at the center. Many wineries use static recipes for their wines…Batch-tinkering approaches have resulted in (our) varietals and blends that have justifiably become famous for how they out-perform their price point.”

The Ryan Patrick Cabernet Sauvignon Rock Island 2016 is a blend of83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 2% Malbec that is aged 22 months, 50% in American oak barrels and 50% in stainless steel tanks. The grapes come from six different vineyards across three appellations, Wahluke Slope, Snipes Mountain, and Yakima Valley.  For those that care, the alcohol is listed at a somewhat modest 13.5%. 

If you haven’t thought about it, it is important to understand that the ripening process in Washington grape-growing is different than California.  The roughly two- hour-longer sunlight hours and lower average temperatures present a growing season that has more in common with Bordeaux than California, though ripeness here is clearly not a problem.

As expected, there is deep color and notes of bing and black cherry in the nose with flecks of vanilla and espresso. The palate leans a little darker fruit-wise with aspects of black currant, blackberry and black cherry in the relatively weighty entry.  A touch of dark chocolate, some graphite notes, baking spice and a touch of savory on the finish, the difference between this one and your typical ‘$20 Cab’ is in the detail.

A VIOGNIER TALE

We wanted this remarkable tale to be available to search and keep the wine available for as long as we can so we republished here in the Stock Report.

We have been telling stories about wine for nearly four decades.  But few rival that of former T.V. writer, California native Samantha O’Keefe.  It all started when Sam and her then husband decided they wanted to get away.  No, not like those old airline commercials where they just leaves for a vacation.  This was moving out of California to ‘someplace else’ with the intent of going on a great life ad venture.  After a journey, the couple, with a baby, ended up in South Africa, just about as far away as one could get from Southern California. 

They ended up driving into the mountains in the area of Greton and falling in love with a visually spectacular site named Riversonderend, a 300-hectare property that was a dairy ranch.   It had never been a wine farm, nor had Sam ever made wine, but the connection subsequently became serendipitous.  This was literally the ‘middle of nowhere’, or as Sam put it in an interview we did here, ‘an hour past nowhere’.   From the farm, for example, it is more than an hour’s drive just to get groceries. But the couple decided this remote, untested area would be an excellent place to grow grapes. Turned out to be a good call.

The challenges were enormous, so much so that Sam’s husband made an early exit.  O’Keefe built a house and a winery, and the vineyards were planted in 2003.   The first commercial release was 2008.  The Overberg region is unique in South African viticulture as it is a particularly cool growing area, with grapes taking as much as 3 to 4 weeks longer to mature.    The combination of cool temperatures and altitude was a unique and emerging trend in South Africa.  This particular project just happened the furthest out.  As it turned out, Riversonderend was particularly suited for four of the five grapes Sam planted, particularly Viognier, and it was the Viognier that created immediate critical acclaim.

Besides the normal array of issues like weather and disease that can face any vintner, this distinct plot of land had a few additional challenges.  Because this was a remote, even somewhat ‘wild’ area, the threat from abundant numbers of voracious birds to the final crop added more uncertainty.  There was even another ‘wild card’ to this winery’s story that we can’t recall ever hearing in all of our years doing this…baboons.  Yes, baboons.  Apparently they show up in numbers when the crop is reaching optimum time to pick.  Samantha says they are good indicators of when it is time to harvest.

It seems a mighty task to make wine in such a place, but the quality and distinctiveness of the juice has fueled the passion to succeed.  Another local vintner visited Samantha and tasted the Viognier out of barrel, proclaiming it the best he had ever tasted from South Africa.  We are huge fans of Viognier, and consider Condrieu (and Ch. Grillete of course) to be the unrivaled source for great examples of the varietal.  We have also told the story many times about how difficult the grape can be.  There is a very narrow band of success where all of the components work in harmony.  But, like the man said, Lismore Viognier is very special.  The fruit shimmers, and the spice, honeysuckle, florality, and vanillan tones are all super expressive as well as remarkably well meshed and driven by just the right cut of acidity.

Enthusiastic notes from Vinous’ Neal Martin, who spends a lot of time tasting verticals of Latour and Romanee Conti and who could arguably be understandably jaded, speak volumes, “The 2017 (Lismore) Estate Reserve Viognier is matured for 15 months in barrel (20% new oak). It has a seductive and very well-defined bouquet, with dried honey, mirabelle and light apricot blossom scents developing with aeration. The well-balanced palate is clean and precise, displaying fine delineation and a captivating mineral-driven finish that is top-drawer. Quite brilliant… 96 Points.”

Quite brilliant, indeed.  For us to say something could hold its own with top flight Condrieu, while still maintaining it unique notion of terroir, is about as high a compliment as we could pay any effort with this varietal.  This one could.  While all of the Lismore wines were ‘top-drawer’, it was the Viognier that got our attention.  Both the story and the wine deserved time in the limelight, particularly given the fortuitous unfolding of events that brought this unique project together and the tenacity with which Sam, with her two children, has manned this unique vinous outpost.  It was always our intent to do a feature on her wine, but events conspired to move us to up the timetable and commitment .

As it happened, Sam’s amazing estate was mostly destroyed last December in a wildfire believed to have been set by two children.  Given that, our mission to spread the word has been amplified.  We want to sell as much of her Viognier as we can to support this tenacious pioneer in whatever she decides to do next.  Great story, exceptional wine, and now a cause, it’s one of the most compelling tales we have ever told.   

ANOTHER JUICY ‘LITTLE’ 2017 RED BURGUNDY

Right up front, we’ll say that, thus far, the 2017 red Burgundies show the potential to be an exciting source for juicy Pinot Noir. Here’s another one to add to the ‘playlist’ from a proven performer that has upped their game over the last several vintages, most notably since Francois’ son Erwan (the seventh generation to handle the property) took the reins in 2005.  We’d love to tell you there was abundant press on this wine given this winery’s relatively high profile. But, as we have alluded to on many occasions, by the time the reviewers got through every single rare and expensive Premier and Grand Cru in a place like Faiveley, they didn’t have the inclination or notepad space to cover ‘little’ wines like this.

We’d love to have a great detailed story for you too.  But the Faiveley tech sheets only give you the most general references, “Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne Rouge is is sourced from vineyards spread throughout the terroirs of the Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune and the Côte Chalonnaise…The Bourgogne Rouge is vinified in the cellars of Domaine Faiveley for 12 to 14 months in the same manner as their broad selection of reds from the Côte de Nuits.”

Riveting stuff, huh? 

In the end however, it’s the juice that matters and this amalgam of a variety of vineyard sources is a perfectly expressive Pinot Noir with bright, persistent, engaging red fruits, notes of spice, and a hit of earthy minerality.   Gregarious in the mouth, varietally pure, extra expressive, there are few Pinots in this price range from anywhere that work at this level.  Thanks to a warm 2017 vintage, this effort sports almost New World ripeness, which should make the ‘translation’ a lot easier for a lot of folks.

Hey, we love to tell a good story, but there isn’t anything really out of the ordinary to relay here except for the wine itself.  Given the sub-$20 price of the Faiveley Bourgogne Rouge Pinot Noir 2017, that should suffice.  It’s just a tasty Pinot from a user-friendly vintage made by folks who are operating at the top of their game right now.  A definite candidate for ‘house Pinot’ given the price and performance. Yes, good Burgundy can be expensive, but there are exceptions.

WHERE THERE’S A “WILL”…NEW FROM ANDREW WILL

We been following the Washington wine scene for a long time (we started selling Leonetti for example with the 1987 vintage) and have watched as a number of new labels (Quiceda Creek, Chaleur Estate, Cadence, L’Ecole #41, and the subject of today’s offering Andrew Will) were born and flourished.  It wasn’t always easy, and it took a while for much of the wine world outside of Washington to pay attention. 

Andrew Will has long been one of our favorites from the northwest and we have done a number of offers over the years, particularly with their Sorella bottling.  Owner Chris Camarda was one of the early pioneers at the premium end, opening up shop way back in 1989 and then moving to Vachon Island, the winery’s current location, in 1994.  They have always focused on terroir driven wines that expressed the vineyard (rather than a specific varietal) and have honed their craft over the decades.  Chris was also pretty bold bottling non-varietal, vineyard-designated wines from a relatively new wine region back then.  The whole ‘premium red wine’ thing, a la Opus, was still not widely accepted back then.

 A recent tasting with Will Camarda (the ‘Will’ in Andrew Will, Andrew is his cousin) showed these guys are at the top of their game.   In truth, however, as much as we have always loved what they do here, we probably haven’t been as active as we could have been because their outstanding vineyard bottlings were ‘priced accordingly’.  We can’t blame them because the wines typically are worthy of the fare, impeccably produced with native yeasts and minimal intervention, well reviewed, and muy delicioso.  But not everybody can swing at $50-80 wines which lead to more ‘measured’ opportunities from our marketing perspective.  That, however, is part of what makes this offering very exciting.

Will returned to the vineyard full time in 2013, and is now winemaker and Sales Director, as well as the guy who might deliver their wine to stores and restaurants in Washington.  It’s a family operation that produces about 5500 cases per year.  Our aforementioned meeting with Will, besides showing off the ‘usual suspects’, also entailed things we had never seen before from Andrew Will…varietal bottings in black labels with lower prices and a value blend call ‘Involuntary Commitment’.  Egads, what madness is this?!  Well, as Will explained, they wanted to create bottlings at better price points that might find their way into more people’s hands and create more fans.  Remarkably sensible.

To us, it is the perfect move.  It’s a classic play on our theme of ‘little wines from top players’ which works in other parts of the world.  Why not Washington?  Our philosophy is that serious, committed producers have higher standards, and it will show in everything they do.  That is definitely the case here.  These new wines had the same dark chocolate and savory underpinnings, polished lines and honest, no-nonsense fruit impressions as the ‘big dogs’.  The oak influence was understandably less, but it was clear the winery took them seriously. 

The first wine we tasted in the lineup was the Involuntary Commitment 2018, a blend of 53% Cabernet Franc, 29.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 17.5% Merlot that spent 11 months in neutral barrels and was bottled unfiltered and unfined. 

It made an immediate impression.  So many times these days when we taste a value bottling, we pick up residual sugar and/or ‘doctoring’ notes.  This tasted like…fine wine.  Imagine that!  Dark garnet color, elements in the nose of dark fruit, savory herbs, fresh tobacco (likely from the Cab Franc) and sweet earth, the fruit components spoke of cherry and red currant with evident notes of spice.  Kind of Bordeaux-like in feel, but better made and with more personality than you will usually find at this kind of price.

Perhaps as telling was, when we finished the lineup with the high scoring Sorella bottling, we went back to retaste the Involuntary Commitment.  It held its own.   In the ‘blurb’ on the winery tech sheet we were presented it said, “We believe that with such great fruit coming out of our vineyards it would be shame not to spread the wealth.”  Amen to that!  Here’s a well priced wine you can have on a Wednesday and serve in a decanter on Sunday and it will play both roles.  And at PRICE, you don’t have to take it seriously.  But you can.  A real surprise and striking value.

RANDOM ROSÉ RANT PLUS A KILLER PINK

The other night, a decision had to be made about what to serve with a couple disparate of dishes that could play well with both.   A white simply would get overwhelmed but a red was a little too heavy.  The answer, which worked beautifully, was a pink wine.  Rosé in the winter? Why not?  Granted winters here in Southern California aren’t necessarily all that severe.  This year, so far, it has been a particularly mild one.  But, consistent with our message, pink wines can play all year long as aperitifs or perfect solutions with a variety of dishes, even ones consumed indoors!

The industry itself has done a marginal job handling the explosion in popularity of rosé wines.  Far too many folks have gotten involved in rose production with no experience and have littered the landscape with pinks that are flabby, alcoholic, and not particularly distinctive.  The ‘good guys’, the proven performers responsible for initiating the craze in the first place, are still doing great work and it is those that we focus on. 

Cavalchina has been on our shelves in various colors over the years…red, white, and pink.  They are a quality producer in the Veneto that makes consistently exciting wines in a place that, by and large, is mainly seen as the source of mass marketed, innocuous efforts from wine ‘factories’ destined for red-checkered tablecloth eateries…Bardolino.  The Cavalchina folks are shining stars in a region that is largely uninspired.  The Chiaretto (key-ar-et-to)is what they call their rosé.  This is a winery that has been around since 1948 and Vinous Media’s Ian D’Agata calls them, “…a recognized master in the making of Chiarettos.”

A brief word about pinks in general.  The industry as a whole has created an image in the public’s mid that buying rosé is like buying fish.  You want it as fresh as possible. That is true to a point.  You won’t necessarily get the best experience out of a 5 or six year old pink.  But some rosés aren’t even released until they are a year old, and others (like Tavel, for example) don’t hit their full potential until year two and cruise into year three. 

In fact, a lot pinks hit the shelves these days too early, before they are really settled in.  We are keenly aware of that as we have been tasting 2019s since mid-January.  Our point is that this offering isn’t about ‘unloading’ one of the best rosé values on the floor like yesterday’s bread.  We simply had so much other stuff come our way over the last six moths that we never got around to doing this piece.  This little beauty has enough verve, texture, and subtle minerality to waltz through the next summer and beyond.  It’s a little less ‘fizzy’ than it was last spring, but we don’t see that as an issue.  All of the fresh citrus/melon flavors and mineral/saline augments are perfectly on point.

D’Agata’s narrative explains a lot about the technical aspects of the Cavalchina Bardolino Chiaretto 2018, besides providing a rather impressive score for a pink wine, “Straw-pink with a copper tinge. The very clean nose offers fresh pomegranate, apple, pear and herb aromas. Then also clean and fresh in the mouth, with some hints of residual sweetness enrobing the melon and pink grapefruit flavors. A lovely Rosé from a recognized master in the making of Chiarettos. Made with a blend of (native varietals) 55% Corvina, 35% Rondinella and 10% Molinara; the presence of the latter grape is absolutely key in explaining this wine’s freshness and saline bent (plus the fact that many of this estate’s vines are extremely old, planted back in 1911)…93 points.”

Our little meal last week reaffirmed the idea that it is great to have some pink wine around all the time.  For aperitif, and a great many food ‘applications,’ this outstanding pink makes a lot of sense year round.  It belongs in everyone’s working wine matrix.  The price ($14.98), given the performance, only enhances the proposition.    We apologize for getting to this one a little later than we wanted.  But, trust us, this is a value gem and a bright, stylish ‘winner’ who’s ‘expiration date’ is still quite a ways off.