BRILLIANT WHITE BURGS FROM VIRTUOSO FABIEN DUPERRAY

As most of you who have been with us for a while know, we have been standard bearers for Beaujolais.  We have brought you amazing values like some of the single-vineyard bottlings from Dubouef, promoted the classics like Thevanet, Lapierre, and Burgaud and chronicled the Cote d’Or invasion from the likes Girardin and Liger-Belair.  For us, Beaujolais has always been important.  In doing our research for the wines we were going to promote, we kept running across the name Jules Desjourneys.  Not only were they some of the highest scoring Beaujolais we had ever seen, they were some of the most expensive by a fair bit.

When we finally had the opportunity to taste some of Desjourneys red Beaujolais, given their other worldly reputation, we were frankly disappointed.  Yes the wines were unique and deeply colored, but they were also dense, impenetrable, and not really representative of the appellation.  Yeah, we understand that being different will get you noticed, but we were certainly not as impressed as the pundits were.  What did shock the heck out of us were how good the whites were, something that was not widely published. 

That was the last time we saw anything from Desjourneys who, we were told by the importer at the time, wasn’t easy to deal with.  Near as we can tell, he doesn’t have a national importer (only two stores have it on winesearcher).  So when we saw some of these wines offered in Europe, remembering those stunning efforts from the 2015 vintage, we were all over them.

Now there is some buzz about the whites thanks to Wine Advocate’s Europe based reviewer William Kelly. His overview, “As I’ve written before, the irrepressible Fabien Duperray displays just as virtuosic talents in the vinification and élevage of his Mâconnais whites as he does with his Beaujolais reds, drawing on lessons learned in the company of the likes of Jean-François Coche, Arnaud Ente and Pierre Morey, producers he has represented in the French market for decades. In merely a handful of years, this project—a collaboration with Fuissé’s Domaine Thibert—has begun to consistently realize wines of genius that rank among the region’s élite…Whether this is the highest form of expression in wine, and whether a strong personal fingerprint is incompatible with or complementary to the articulation of nuances of site is a question for everyone to ponder; but Duperray appears to have arrived at his own answer.”

As a former sales arm of some of Burgundy’s elite estates, Duperray learned from the best.  All of these are surprisingly expressive with driving underlying acidity.  They knocked us out initially and this batch only served to prove our first impressions those years ago were not off base.  We have modest quantities of these wines below, providing the reviews as well.  But know that we could easily add a point or two just for the experience.  Yes they are more expensive that typical Macons, but these are not ‘typical’ in any way.

Of the Jules Desjourneys Macon Fuissé Bois de la Croix 2018, Kelly wrote, “From a southeasterly exposed parcel characterized by schist soils, the 2018 Mâcon-Fuissé Bois de la Croix offers up notes of pear, orange oil and buttery pastry. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and muscular, it’s impressively structured and built to age for the vintage, with racy acids and chalky extract, concluding with a long finish. This already punches above its weight, and it will be even better with a bit of bottle age…92+ points.”

About the Jules Desjourneys Macon Verzé 2018, Kelly waxed, “From holdings at the top of the slope, exposed to the west, the 2018 Mâcon-Verzé unwinds in the glass with notes of pear, confit lemon, white flowers, warm bread and clear honey. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, it’s fleshy and elegant, with a seamlessly layered mid-palate, bright acids and a saline finish…92 Points.”

On the Jules Desjourneys Macon Prissé en Chailloux 2018, we found no reference to the lieu dit En Chailloux anywhere in reviews.  There were multiple reviews on something merely called Macon Prissé that certainly describes this wine, “The 2018 Mâcon-Prissé offers up aromas of clear honey, fresh pear, blanched almonds and citrus zest. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it’s bright and precise, its lively spine of acidity cloaked in crisp but fleshy fruit…91 points.”

These are thrilling and distinctive wines that every white Burgundy lover should explore and their driving style should provide a structure for aging should that be your choice.  But these are special wines that we don’t have access to on a regular basis, and they expand the expectations of what can be done in Macon. 

BEST VERSION OF AN UNDER THE RADAR HOUSE FAVORITE

Yes , we do talk a lot and sell a lot of wine. But there are things we talk about more sparingly simply because they are delicious comfort wines for and we would stock them anyway even thought they are very much under the radar and rarely get attention from the wine media since they don’t make a habit of submitting samples. Still the wines from Bodegas Ramón Ayala Lete e Hijos Viña Santurnia have had a consistent home here at many levels (particularly reserva and gran reserva levels) because they check all of the boxes and do so and extremely attractive prices. They are the kind of wines that wine merchants drink because they are pure, honest, traditional and very well priced.

Located right in the border between Rioja Alta and Alavesa, the Ayala’s family property is in prime real estate. Standing in their property you can see the Barrio de la Estación in Haro, the Tondonia vineyard by the river, and the walls of the Sierra Cantabria in your back. The Ayalas have been involved in the Rioja business for generations. They have two brands: “Viña Santurnia”, for the traditional Rioja aging levels, and “Deóbriga” for wines made with a more modern approach at spectacular prices. 

The impetus for this particular piece is the arrival of the Bodegas Ramón Ayala Lete e Hijos Viña Santurnia Rioja Reserva 2016, a classic, traditional Rioja from one of the best vintages in Rioja in recent memory. The grapes come from family vineyards at the foot of the Sierra Cantabria Mountains or Sonsierra. The grapes are harvested manually between the first and third week of October so they are optimally ripe. They are destemmed and moved by gravity into steel tanks for fermentation. The blend, 90% Tempranillo, 5% Manzuelo, and 5% Graciano, are placed in oak barrels, 80% American and 20% French, for the traditional period of 24 months.

This Rioja has a healthy garnet color and the inviting and complex nose of mulberry, cherry, plum, spice, cocoa, a hint of vanilla and a whiff of smoked meat that only bottle age can bring about. In the mouth the wine has the tenderness of time in the bottle and the richness and balance that is the hallmark 2016 Riojas. On other words very engaging, supple, beautifully done ‘old school’ Rioja.

If you need scores and highlights, like we said, we couldn’t find anything recent from the press on Santurnia wines. The best recommendation we can give you is that these wines find their way into our glasses pretty regularly, and this 2016 Reserva is one of the best examples we have had from them. Salud.

A PLAYFUL VALUE NAPA CAB FROM A MULTI-100 PT. WINEMAKER

Our intent here is to talk about an excellent value with respect to Napa Cabernet.  Bear in mind that, given the typical price of Napa Cab, you can make a pretty good case for the $60-70 range as a legitimate value given that most Cabernets of this quality start above $90 and go up from there.  The Teeter Totter label has behind it winemaker/owner Benoit Touquette who worked alongside Andy Erickson on iconic labels like Arietta, Favia, Hartwell, Ovid, and Screaming Eagle, as well as Chateau La Louviere and Chateau Couhins-Lurton in his native Bordeaux, and is currently the winemaker for Napa super-boutique Realm.  The guy knows what good wine is supposed to taste like (he has made, thus far, 28 wines that have received 100 point scores) and that is an important perspective with any project.  His name gives Teeter Totter gravitas and credibility, even though the label is quite playful.

Teeter-Totter is Benoit’s affordable Cabernet (again, by Napa standards…most of what Benoit makes has three-digit prices) but clearly the grape sourcing and winemaking speak of a higher plane.  The blend for the Teeter Totter Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2021 is a little quirky, in this case 85% Cabernet Sauvignon blended with 5% Zinfandel, 5% Charbono and 5% Petite Sirah.  You get the power and elegance of classic Napa Cab but with a somewhat boisterous fruit note courtesy of the ‘other’ varietals in this blend. 

Suave, chocolaty, with abundant creamy cassis and plum fruit with notes of tobacco and cedar, this has been a 92-and-up consistently itself (94 for the 2019) through the 2019 vintage from Jeb Dunnuck,  The 2021 (like many Napa producers, they didn’t make a 2020 version) reflects another excellent vintage in Napa that is more elegant but still with abundant sleek fruit.  Put this in your ‘white tablecloth’ scenario and no one would guess you paid a mere $64.98.

NEWS FLASH: WINEX RECOMMENDS AN OREGON PINOT BLANC

A little perspective should precede what we have to say about this Oregon Pinot Blanc. For the most part, Oregon Pinot Blanc has only been slightly more successful than Chardonnay from a historical perspective. We have seen a tremendous improvement in Oregon Chards over the last few years. It has been attributed to more knowledgeable viticulture, arguably new practitioners with better ideas, and a number of votes for finding better clones for that environment.

Pinot Blanc seemed to do better out of the gate, but we haven’t seen the kind of improvement for the genre we have for Chardonnay. While we taste a number of examples on a regular basis, it is rare for any to exceed our typical view of ‘functional and forgettable’. They are largely crisp, clean, and without much character. While we usually keep a couple on hand for the sake of selection, we are much more likely to reach for something from Alsace or Alto Adige, or perhaps German producer Rebholz, when the mood strikes.

That’s why this Iris Vineyards Pinot Blanc 2022 was a surprise. In their own words, “At Iris Vineyards we look to showcase the potential of Pinot Gris when planted in the proper place and crafted by the hands of our dedicated growers and cellar staff.”

We knew nothing about the vineyard until we tasted with the winemaker Aaron Lieberberg. We went through a few different things but came back to the Pinot Blanc that admirably filled a niche that has been typically just a hole we kept filled for the sake of selection.

Hey, we are as picky about Oregon Pinot Blanc as we are about everything else. Yes, it is crisp, bright, and fresh, as they are expected to be. The surprise here was that there was fruit (apple, pear, citrus), texture, and some character as well. It is a small thing that makes a huge difference within the category. It’s typically not a genre that moves us. Suffice it to say it’s a big deal for us to actually talk about it. Can’t remember the last time that happened. As a bonus, it’s also priced as an everyday go-to ($16.98).

CHATEAUNEUF INSIDERS’ PICK

It’s pretty easy to get lost in the crowd. Back when we started seriously working with Chateauneuf in the early 90s, there weren’t near as many selections available in this market as there are now and the series of vintages up to 1998, a breakout year and the beginning of an unprecedented run of vintages in the southern Rhone that has continued through 2020. There are a lot of domaines and a lot of scores out there, and our job is to highlight as many things that we think are viable. But there are some really delicious wines that represent sensational value for the genre that don’t necessarily get the broad attention they deserve. That is one of the things we can do in this space.

Jean Royer, who also makes another house favorite Chateauneuf-look alike steal called Le Petit Roy from grapes outside the appellation and sometimes declassified Chateauneuf, is one that we think falls into that category. His cuvee ‘Tradition’ is exactly that…a classic, sappy Grenache-based effort that is plush, tender, and engaging. The domaine was one of the late Philippe Cambie’s first clients when Cambie started back in 1998, and they have learned well.

It gets good reviews, this one garnering a 93 from Wine Advocate and 92s from Jeb Dunnuck and Wine Enthusiast. For whatever reason, Vinous hasn’t said anything about this wine since 2009. They also make a couple of upper cuvees which of course limits this wine’s ‘upward mobility’ in the numbers game. On the hedonist scale, however, it scores high.

We are fans and, even though we have plenty of wines representing the region, we couldn’t leave the Jean Royer Chateauneuf Tradition 2019 off the team. A blend of 85% Grenache and 5% each Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault, it is an ample, layered, sexy bottle of Chateauneuf and it sells for under $40!

The reviews tell the same story. Joe Czerwinski of Wine Advocate say, “…the palate is full-bodied, creamy and lush. Supple but concentrated, this strong, almost entirely tank-aged effort finishes long, with ample intensity.” And from Jeb Dunnuck, “…a big, ripe, incredibly sexy classic cuvée that has full-bodied richness and no hard edges. It’s for the Grenache lovers out there.” You get the picture.

DID SOMEBODY SAY MERLOT?

Yeah we know that, largely thanks to the scathing ridicule of the varietal in the movie Sideways, the great sea of Merlot that was the trend previously has dried up. Nobody talks about Merlot any more and, while we have seen all manner of trends going south (see also Australian wine), we know its easier to follow the crowd for most folks. Some of us can still remember back to a time when bottling a varietal Merlot was pretty avant garde and wineries like Keenan and Duckhorn created a whole new awareness in the marketplace. For all you naysayers out there, we also like to mention that some of the world’s most sought after wines (Chateau Petrus, Chateau Trotanoy for example) are made from the stuff.

Some wineries never gave up the ghost and, frankly, Merlot can be a rather delicious alternative in the right hands. Getting back to history, the Merlot craze was so strong that producers were growing it in places that it shouldn’t have been grown and slapping together very ordinary bottlings that barely qualified varietally so they could capitalize on the trend. The same thing is happening today with pink wine. The point is that a lot of wines were made that sullied the grape’s reputation, but shame on the industry for that.

In any case, one of the wineries that was in early in the game and still doing very good work is Saint Francis. We hadn’t seen the wines in some time but a rep trotted in with a series of new releases from this old guard Sonoma producer, including reserve bottlings, and the most impressive, as well as the most remarkable value was the Saint Francis Merlot Sonoma County 2019.

Yes we are recommending a Merlot because it was an ample, plush, very solid red at a really good price. Deep color, inviting nose of blackberry, black cherry, spice, briar, and a little vanilla, the fruit appears unmanipulated and it’s pretty juicy. The juice comes from two sustainably farmed vineyards in the Sonoma Valley, Behler and Wild Oak, and saw 16 months in French oak, 25% new. The winery notes said it got a 91 point score from someone but didn’t say who. Not really the point though.

Our whole trip is that one shouldn’t be ashamed to drink Merlot when it’s this tasty and only $15.98. This is the kind of solid citizen that helped make the varietal popular in the first place. Just sayin…

PORTUGAL TODAY

Portugal has a curious history in the U.S..  In the early 70’s, Portuguese roses were all the rage.  There have been brief periods where certain labels achieved a finite standing in the marketplace, but the category for whatever reason hasn’t really kept any kind of momentum.  Often tasty and well-priced, if at times rough and tumble, we rarely (never?) have anyone come in and ask where our Portuguese wine section is.  Sure we have done things extensive things with dry Duoro reds and have a fairly consistent audiences for good vinho verdes.  But typically, like we said, the category only gets occasional attention.

As in all of the significant wine growing areas in Europe, however, fresh ideas are emerging that may give Portuguese wines an identity in the broader market.  Mateus Nicolau de Almeida might be the one to light the torch for the category. First of all, they go out of their way to be authentic, emph.asizing indigenous varietals grown organically (certified) in specific subregions.  The intent is to create wines that reflect the character of their specific subregions.  To make a generalization, they all have in common a great purity of fruit, little in the way of the hand of the ‘winemaker’ to distract from the expression of the fruit, and a common denominator of a bright, fruit-driven, juicy demeanor and drinkability.

Mateus and wife Teresa come from technical backgrounds but have dove into country life with a passion.  They raise their own crops and livestock, make full-flavored vinegars in one shed on the property, make olive oil and gin-like distillates.  They also speak four languages.  Their stated concept for their wines is that they want them to express the unique characteristics of the area from which they are sourced “even if your are drinking them on Venice Beach.”

Mateus’ father and grandfather were winemaking legends in their own right and they are connected by blood to the family that own Porto house Ramos Pinto.  Clearly, the wine life was a calling and he was ambitious in learning the arts from experience in several wine producing regions and, more specifically at places like Domaine Trevallon in the south of France and Josmeyer in Alsace.   Mateus met Teresa, whose father had worked at La Rioja Alta, at Chateau Cantenac Brown.  This project is Duoro-specific, highlighting sub-regions within the appellation. 

They chose to call the wines MNA (for Mateus Nicolau de Almeida) Trans-Duoro-Express Baixo Corgo Tinto 2021 and MNA Trans-Duoro-Express Duoro Superior 2021, put them in distinctive bottles that would be more associated with Alsace or Germany, with a very official looking seal/stamp over the cork and a fish on the label. All the wines are made the same way, destemmed, fermented and held in 4000L concrete vats for eight months with low sulphite levels.  While the climate of the three subzones (we bought two of the three) is distinctly different, the soils share a commonality of shist bedrock with varying degrees of clay and sand in the loam topsoils. 

The grapes are primarily from estate and rented vineyards with a small portion purchased.  The main grape varieties are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesca, Tinta Barroca, and Tinto Roriz, though many of the vineyards will contain a number of other varietals mixed into the field blend.  There are typically ten different varietals in the blend.

The MNA Trans-Duoro-Express Baixo Corgo Tinto 2021 is from the coolest, furthest west of the three subzones.  What the winery does is take the best aspect of Portuguese reds, a juicy, expressive, but light on its feet, and elevate the experience with clean winemaking and purity of fruit.  The terroir shines through.  The Baixo is a crisper red with an inviting nose of mulberry and red currant and a tonic like minerality.  The red fruit profile comes through on the palate with fleck of the aforementioned minerality and spice notes kicking in on the finish.  Medium weight and imminently quaffable, it can play casual but has the nuance reward more focused contemplation. The alcohol is a modest 12%.  Only 7000 bottles produced.

The MNA Trans-Duoro-Express Duoro Superior 2021 comes from the furthest east of the subzones abutting Spain.  The difference in rainfall alone is significant, with the Douro Superior getting less than one-third of the rain of Baixo.  It’s a little warmer here and this one comes across a little bit weightier and more open-knit, with the fruit component a bit darker and more fleshy than the Baixo and the mineral component a bit more ‘scorched earth’ than rock.  It has that same bright, quaffable demeanor that is the style of the house, and the same modest alcohols (12%).

These are kind of ‘party reds’, fresh, fruit driven, vibrant and easy to drink.  They can play solo but have the versatility to play with a wide range of dishes from poultry to fish to finger foods, but with enough backbone to stand up to grilled meats, a classic plate of cured meats or linguisa.  You can throw a little chill on them when the weather gets a little warmer.  Like we said, this takes that juicy demeanor that we associate with Portuguese reds and elevates the experience through cleaner, more precise and terroir focused winemaking.  They didn’t reinvent the wheel, they just a great job of taking the definitive Portugal ‘style’ to a higher level by “being what they are…better.”  

AN EARLY LOOK AT 2021 BURGUNDY WITH GERARD RAPHET

This wine represents a couple of things. It is the newest release from Gerard Raphet, highly respected vigneron based in Morey-Saint-Denis who produces from a variety of parcels in the Cotes de Nuits (Morey, Gevrey, and Vougeot). It is also a good indication of what expect from 2021. Somebody like Raphet is a good touchstone for the vintage. He has been a consistent source of engaging Burgundy for a long time and his style is supple, gentle and quite user friendly. If there is something to work with, it will show.

The 2021 vintage in Burgundy was not easy. You had to know your business. There were weather patterns early on that made this something of a vintage of perils from heat that caused the vines to sprout early and then a late frost that undid everything. Yields were greatly curtailed but what remained was good enough for those that knew how to farm and when to harvest. There’s the rub. If you want a blanket statement about the vintage, there isn’t one that is going to be accurate because there were so many bumps in the road and not everyone has the same skills.

We have access to reports describing the whole season, but in the end it’s all about what ends up in the glass. The constants are consistent quirks in the weather and dismal yields because of the early season freeze. As Frederic Mugnier is quoted as saying, “I like it when it’s difficult. It’s like the good old days…”  The crazy weather tested the talents of the vintners. But there were many successes from proven performers, the difference being they were the firmer, more delicate profiles of the ‘days of old’ than the opulent examples post global warming. If you have been into Burgundy for a long time, this will be nostalgic and you’ll be right at home.

The Gerard Raphet Bourgogne Grands Champs 2021 comes from a lieu-dit that abuts villages Gevrey vineyards on three sides. It looks on a map like there was some gerrymandering around the vineyard. The vines here are 40+ years old and the soils are red clay and silt. The grapes were hand harvested and fermented via indigenous yeasts. They spent 18 months in older barrels and were bottled unfiltered and unfined.

The nose is an expressive mix of high-toned red fruits accented with some dusty minerality and emerging spice tones. There is weight and ripeness in the mouth in the form of expressive red fruits and deceptive nuance. It is decidedly and delightfully Old World with its lift and delineation and, while it isn’t necessarily going to last decades, it is a classy, elegant, more complex choice for a Pinot Noir in this price range.

YET ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE EFFORT FROM A THEVENET

The name Thevenet is pretty common in Burgundy, including the proprietors of a couple of our favorites from the Maconnais in Domaine de la Bongran and Emilian Gillet, and a Beaujolais producer of some repute (Jean-Paul Thevenet) as well as rising star Anthony. It’s hard to keep track of all the Thevenets without a program. Today’s subject is one we have sold only one other time (a sparkling wine) and, for whatever reason, gets little attention from the press (we did find a couple of WIne Advocate reviews…from the mid-90s. But the Thévenet & Fils Saint Véran Clos de l’Ermitage Saint Claude Vieilles Vignes 2021 was such an impressive effort at such an attractive fare, it merited adding yet another Thevenet to the mix.

Asto the estate, Jean-Claude Thevenet took the reins for this family domaine in 1971 from his father, Raymond. At the time, their holdings were a mere three 3 hectares. Jean Claude proceeded to build the domaine to its current size of 30 hectares with vineyards centered on their village of Pierreclos at the heart of the Maconnais. In addition to working their own vineyards, the Thévenet family, for three generations, has also conducted a successful nursery business producing fine quality grape vines for many family-owned domaines in Burgundy and also in the Champagne district. Now his three sons (Benjamin, Jonathan and Aurélien) are part of the team.

This prestige cuvée is produced from the oldest vines in a five-hectare parcel (Clos de l’Ermitage Saint Claude ) exploited entirely as a “monopole”by the Thevenet family. The average age of the south-facing Chardonnay vines located in Prissé are seventy years old, certainly validating the nomenclature vieilles vignes. The production of this cuvee is rather limited at roughly 1000 cases per year, and it sees no oak aging.

This is an unexpectedly broad-shouldered Chardonnay particularly given its origins. Sizeable, well packed, with a firm backbone of fine acidity and big fruit to match. Pear and citrus are the main themes with floral elements to the nose and a sleek underpinning of acidity. Impressive, particularly for the fare.

JUICY, ‘HOUSE RED’ COTES DU RHONE FROM DOMAINE MANARINE

An important part of being a wine merchant is to provide wines for any situation and budget.  It’s easy enough to cut and paste scores for hot items.  We do that kind of thing as well as anyone.  But finding that compelling, angst-free, tasty well priced go to is equally exciting to us.  We are always on the hunt for ‘the deal’ be that catching a price reduction or timing a purchase just right.  But there are also wines out there that simply overdeliver all the time.  Cotes du Rhone is one of those categories.  Find a good guy in a good vintage and you can get compelling wines for a song. 

This piece is about Domaine la Manarine, a delicious Cote du Rhone that presents of mouthful of delightful, spicy Grenache fruit for a song.  It’s been a while but that had more to do with timing with the wholesaler.  We’ve known the wine for a long time as a prior incarnation was a wine-of-the-month on the front page of one of our old printed newsletters back at the old location.

Domaine la Manarine was created by Gilles Gasq in April 2001. The winery and majority of his vineyards are located within the commune of Travaillan, on a splendid plateau northeast of Orange in the southern Rhone. Gilles is a talented vigneron who has honed his skills working as an assistant to Paul Jeune, the proprietor of the highly respected Domaine Monpertuis in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Expanding his holdings each year, Domaine La Manarine now encompasses 33 hectares of vineyards situated largely on what is known as the “Le Plan de Dieu”.

This area, covered in large, round stones called galets is a happy place for Grenache.  The standard bearer of the domaine is the Côtes du Rhône Rouge produced from the younger (but not young) vines (average 35 years old) of the estate. This wine is 100% Grenache and produces a classically spicy, full-bodied wine that speaks clearly of the “garrigue” of the region. The grapes are destemmed before the fermentation and the cuvaison is on the order of three weeks duration. The wine is bottled without filtration after twenty to twenty-four months of “élevage”.

The Manarine Côtes du Rhône 2020 is an essential wine in this category. The 2020 is a punchier, juicier version of this wine.  The Grenache follows the path of a lot of the 2020s with a big, spicy, slightly garrigue-y (scents of fresh wild herbs) mouthful of kirsch and red currant fruit.  Ample, bright, flavorful, this is a display of bright, unfettered, character-filled fruit that tastes of its origins.  It’s a steal at $13.98!

We don’t have any scores and highlights on Manarine simply because writers rarely talk about little wines like this.  But this wine’s boisterous fruit and versatility make it a great choice with a wide variety of dishes and everyone needs a delicious and economic choice to open without too much thinking. Here you go.