The wines of Calabretta have been a part of our program for a long time. There are a couple of good reasons. One is because the wines are quite good and well represent their Mount Etna origins. But his program also offers a unique perspective in that he holds the wine back until he thinks they are ready to drink. Hence this Calabretta Nerello Mascalese Vigne Vecchie 2014 is the current release.
If you aren’t familiar with Etna, or Calabretto, here’s a brief history. Calabretta’s vineyards are located nearly a half mile above sea level in the black volcanic soils of Etna’s north slope, between Randazzo and Castiglione di Sicilia. There, Calabretta farms roughly seven hectares of mostly 70- to 80-year-old vines—many of them ungrafted—on stepped terraces supported by stone walls.
Since the winery’s founding in 1900, the Calabretta family has farmed and produced wines from Etna’s ancient indigenous varieties—including Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio—in the mountain’s unique noble vineyards layered with a patchwork volcanic soils from various eruptions over the eons. Because of the distinct changes in soils across Etna’s slopes, comparisons are often made to Burgundy.
In fact, Calabretta’s most distinguishing feature is its dedication to long aging, which has stayed the same throughout the family’s history as winegrowers. The Etna Rosso ages much like Barolo and Brunello were aged decades ago, in massive (50- 70-hectoliter) neutral Slavonian oak botti for 6 to 7 years. The vineyard practices sound modern but are in fact rooted in the past. They avoid using chemical pesticides or herbicides, and they harvest by hand, starting around the second week of October. Fermentations are carried out exclusively with wild yeasts.
Here you have a unique combination of this distinctive soils of Etna presented when they are ready to consume, giving you the most complete experience with the genre. The Calabretta Nerello Mascalese Vigne Vecchie 2014 is definitely a stylistic nod to the past and Nerello, with its surprisingly elegant red fruits infused with the minerality and earth notes that are the essence of these ancient volcanic soils as well as spice and floral notes. The wine is full flavored but never heavy, and makes for a compelling accompaniment to hearty Italian fare, grilled meats, or roasted fowl. It’s also important to know that while 2014 wasn’t particularly notable in the northern wine regions (though there were some fans of the Barbarescos), it was an exceptional vintage in Sicily.
Any time one brings up Pinot Grigio, there is bound to be some eye-rolling. A lot of wine types consider the varietal the epitome of pedestrian wine. In truth, there are a lot of over-cropped, banal, commercial examples out there that contribute to the varietal’s poor reputation. But all Pinot Grigios are not created equal. There are a number of sensational, indeed world class renditions from a number of sources in Alto Adige, Collio, and the surrounding high country of northeastern Italy. People like Schiopetto, Cantina Terlano, Venica, and Vie de Romains, to name a few, have been doing sensational work for a long time.
If there is an issue, it’s that most of the best examples can reach into the high $20s or $30s price wise. As you slide down the price ladder, the quality starts to erode as well. That’s not too surprising, but we are constantly on the lookout for sources that can deliver quality like the bigger fish but don’t cost as much. It can be a frustrating journey, but it isn’t a pipe dream. There are some interesting examples our there if you are willing to look.
One we have dabbled with in the past, and that turned in an excellent performance in 2021, is Cantina Adriano. TheCantina Adriano Pinot Grigio 2021 performs a lot like one of the big boys, with a captivating nose of fresh grain, white stone fruits, and stony minerality and a surprisingly unctuous, palate coating mouthfeel. Thin and insipid? Not this one! In this particular case, it’s an example of the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Cantina Adriano is produced by Cantina Terlano, arguably one of the highest performers in the region.
It is a vineyard unto itself. The description in Wine Advocate is “Cantina Andriano (Kellerei Andrian) enjoys a unique position at the point where the Val d’Adige (or the main river valley of Alto Adige) opens toward the south. The area is protected from harsher weather from the north by the rocky Mendola Ridge. Apple orchards blanket the valley floor, and grapevines hug the hillsides at the higher elevations.” But the winemaking under the auspices of Terlano is a key ingredient, we suspect, in this wine’s performance.
The purity of the aromatics and the substance to palate are prime components of all things Terlano and, while this wine doesn’t have quite the power and drive of the Terlano version, it is a delicious example of Pinot Grigio that costs less and outperforms anything we have tasted in its price range. It is a super star in its price range ($16.98). Nice notes from the press as well.
From James Suckling, “This has so much youthful energy, Alpine freshness and lovely juiciness that all make it stand out in the pinot grigio crowd! Very good depth and a really focused, long finish complete the very satisfying picture. Drink now…92 points.
From Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner, “In a bottle with a bright yellow capsule, the 2021 Alto Adige Pinot Grigio is fragrant and fresh with pretty fruit, white peach and summer daisy. The wine is very pleasurable to drink and silky to the palate with tart citrusy notes. Production is an abundant 70,000 bottles, and you get great value…91 points.”
Sarah’s Winery has a long history at Winex dating back to our earliest days when it was a quirky but well respected boutique source. The ownership changed a few years ago, and along with it maybe some of the flair (original owner Marilyn Otteman had a distinctive personal style that got the winery media attention). Since the winery was purchased in 2001 by ‘mad scientist’ Tim Slater, former DJ, musician, and inventor, it has it has remained a valuable source for what the market needs but what consumers themselves don’t necessarily realize that they need, solid, tasty, honest, well-priced wines.
The problem with the new incarnation of Sarah’s is not the wine side, but the image side. They make really good, honest wines, however they typically don’t get the breakout media attention that tends to elevate the label in the minds of the public, nor make them easy fodder for your typical ‘cut and paste’ merchant. Granted we’ve seen plenty of ‘just okay’ wines (including many that we passed on) creatively verbalized by merchants to sound like they are the next big thing. That is part of the problem as well. With all of the internet merchants out there shamelessly testing the limits of hyperbole, the honest story about a wine like this gets lost in all of the noise.
So what is the honest story? This is a delicious, character-filled, tender and engaging bottle of Pinot Noir. Tim’s way of putting it is ‘capturing the music of the vineyard’. That is the story here. ‘Dwarf oak’ refers to certain blocks on this Santa Clara estate (along with a small amount of purchased fruit from neighboring vineyards). The fruit came from mainly familiar clones along with one entitled “Samsonite Chambertin” suggesting a ‘suitcase cutting’ from Burgundy. The juice saw 11 months in neutral oak.
The wine is a pure reflection of the terroir here, a basketful of red fruits (cherry, red currant, pomegranate, strawberry) laced with a little clove, sage, savory spice, and dried flowers. It has up front fruit, supple texture, and perfectly tempered acidity. It’s round and juicy yet retains a slightly cooler edge. Simply put, it’s an engaging and delicious bottle of Pinot Noir at a great price given the fare reduction from the purveyor. It would have been a great ‘deal’ a decade ago. You can imagine where it sits on the value scale now.
In short, it excels at exactly what it is supposed to be, a fine drink and something that can be enjoyed with gusto at your table. There aren’t crazy scores from some obscure source or overblown hyperbolic descriptors on our part (we try and ‘keep it real’ around here). It’s just a really good Pinot at a great price for what it delivers. That should be exciting enough.
In virtually every offer we have made on the 2020 red Burgundies, we have included our monologue about how special a moment it is for Burgundy fans. It’s something of a harmonic convergence of a number of factors that have created what we see as one of the most opportune buying windows we have ever scene for this difficult-to-play category. We’ll synopsize as best we can.
First, global warming has raised the bar for a lot of so-called lesser Burgundy appellations from a historic perspective. Prices in the region have been established over decades (centuries?) based on the consistent performances of certain villages. Conversely, those villages that haven’t been able to be as dependable because their climate is more marginal have an upper limit on what they can charge for their wines. Global warming has added a couple degrees of ripeness to those marginal Burgundy regions (Marsannay, Mercurey, Givry, for example) and created far more consistent, engaging and successful harvests while the prices have been slow to adjust upward.
The 2020 vintage was a flashpoint as a warm, ripe harvest combined with an abnormally short crop (also thanks to the quirky weather patterns brought on by global warming, but that’s a much more complicated explanation) has created a crop of rich, deeply colored, well endowed red Burgundies the likes of which we can’t recall. The 2019 vintage was also extremely successful and there are a few bits of that vintage still around.
Even though the crop loads have been lighter, most producers have thus far mainly kept prices relatively reasonable. The situation has also been aided (to an extent) by an extremely attractive, historically low exchange rate with the eruo vis-à-vis the U.S. Dollar. To summarize, you’ve got one of the best vintages we have ever seen on the market at a time when the prices are based on the most opportune exchange rate.
Looking forward, the 2021 vintage was an even shorter crop and, according to most accounts, not particularly special. Given the extreme shortages, to put it bluntly, prices will rise even without additional help from a declining exchange rate or a highly collectable vintage. Any additional negative ‘money’ moves will only augment the problem. So you will effectively be asked to pay more for lesser wines with the 2021s. Thus far 2022, the vintage, looks positive, but also vulnerable to yet another round of price increases.
Right now, Burgundy lovers, you are in the perfect window…a broad selection of viable wines from a historic vintage at some of the best prices relatively. To be sure, things are starting to change. Some of those ‘lesser’ appellations are edging up pricewise in this extremely successful vintage. But the prices for what’s in the bottle in most cases are still at a relatively good value point for the category. In other words, you may never have the opportunity to get Burgundy this good for this kind of money in the foreseeable future.
We keep to the message not because we’re like those nagging ‘aunts’ on that TV insurance commercial (“expired…expired”), but because it’s the truth. Sure, there will be people that will ‘opt out’ if Burgundy gets too crazy. The recent spate of good vintages and relative affordability, however, have reminded us how much we love Burgundy. Maybe you’ve felt that, too.
There have been long stretches over the years with Burgundy where either the vintage or the price (or both) have not been particularly accommodating. The last couple of years have been really fun. But as we know with Mother Nature, nothing lasts forever. This is a rare, special moment where Burgundy aficionados have an advantage. It’s our job to point that out (even if it might sound a little naggy). But this too will pass and these times will become the ‘good old days of yore’. Stock lists below, good hunting!
One of the reasons we do this part of the website is to afford ourselves the opportunity to talk about very exciting things that wouldn’t necessarily play well in our quick hit or email formats, the latter being limited by the number of days in a year. Still, distinctive wines like this deserve a forum.
In truth, we offered one of Yotuel’s bottlings, the 2009 Seleccion, some years ago at the old location. We loved the wine with its deep, polished, chocolate tinged blackberry fruit. Why didn’t it sell? Well there are lots of possible reasons it may not have jumped on the shelf, not the least of which are a difficult name (Gallego Zapatero Yotuel Ribera del Duero) for people to remember or pronounce, and a label that looked kind of like a Rorschach drawing (it is actually supposed to be a stylized grapevine). Anyway, some of it was lost in the shuffle during the move and turned up later in the inventory with a decade of bottle age. It was gorgeous drinking.
Coincidentally, not long after the last delicious bottle of that 2009, the purveyor (the same one we bought it from before) showed up with this top of the line effort from that same Gallego Zapatero Yotuel Finca Valdepalacios from the brilliant 2016 vintage. Needless to say, an equally difficult (maybe more) name from a still relatively unknown source at an upper $40 price didn’t promise the commercial success of MAGA hats. But the juice was stunning, layered and distinctive so we were ‘all in’.
The story of Gallego Zapatero is relatively straightforward and similar to many stories in this part of the world. The vineyards were planted by the grandparents of the current proprietors, brothers Bienvenido and Nacho. The nine plots owned by this family are located in the town of Anguix, in the foothills of Manvirgo Mountain. At 2500 height, these vineyards face temperature shifts of 50 degrees between day and night during the growing season, creating some of the most muscular wines in Ribera del Duero. Grapes are grown organically (certification pending), and the wines are fermented with only ambient yeasts.
The Gallego Zapatero Yotuel Finca Valdepalacios 2016 is 100% Tinto del Pais (the true Ribera clone of Tempranillo) harvested from a single, 1-acre plot of 79-year-old bush vines. The grapes were fermented in 100% new French oak where the juice remained for 14 months. The production was a whopping 1073 bottles and 50 magnums. It is a tribute to this boots-on-the-ground importer that something this special with such tiny production made it here at all.
A wine of great purity boasting layers of spicy blackberry, dark cherry, and cassis, with highlights of spice, chocolate and vanilla highlights from the sojourn in oak, and a seductive, velvety layer of fruit nicely overlaying ripe tannins. Given our experience with the Seleccion from years ago, we’re pretty confident this will be a star in the cellar. But it’s a seriously compelling mouthful already.
As merchants it is our job to look ahead. Knowing what is just beyond the horizon is important in planning our commitments and where we put our greater efforts with respect to acquisitions. The harvests are in, we have a pattern of what to expect when based on history, and the information is already out there. It’s a simple matter of paying attention.
So what does 2023 have in store? We’ve read the economic forecasts which are quite varied but that really isn’t our niche. One publication was pretty certain that prices weren’t going to increase drastically this year. To that we’d say a couple of things. Given our experience over some four decades our only comment to that is that it is folly to try and predict what wineries will do. Also, prices already have risen substantially over the last few years in some categories and have been at levels that would seem unsustainable except under the most utopian of economic scenarios. In closing, one article suggested that this year the consumer needed to be ‘smart’. Isn’t that always the case?
Here at home in California and, to an extent, Oregon, the key issue is still the fallout from the 2020 vintage and all of the smoke taint. A lot of wineries chose not to make a 2020 Cabernet. But we doubt all that juice got thrown away. It’s out there somewhere being tweaked and filtered to make it salable. We are being beyond careful in tasting things from 2020 on the lookout for signs of fire. As we told everyone repeatedly, there are still some 2018 and 2019 Cabernets out there that should be snapped up so one doesn’t have to be concerned with 2020. Also, there are wineries that did release 2020s. Were they unique cases where was no taint or were those wineries less concerned about that aspect? Hard to say. Like the guy said, the consumer has to be smart. The few 2021s we have tasted so far from California and Oregon have been quite promising.
If there is a sweeping statement to be made, this is one of the most promising period for French red Burgundies we can recall. The 2019s that remain are tender and delightful and the 2020s that will make up the bulk of arrivals over the next few months are in a class by themselves. There are abundant sexy choices that will age beautifully as well. While the general price range of these wines isn’t exactly cheap, it’s certainly no worse that high profile California Pinot. The thing is that with 2019 and 2020, the quality of the vintage trickles down to almost every price range. If you can swing it, load up on Burgundies. You won’t regret it.
Bordeaux is on a strong roll with a series of winning vintages. The 2018s are here, the 2019s have started arriving and 2020s next in line. We can’t recall any time where there were three such sensational vintages in a row in Bordeaux. So as far as the juice goes, it’s epically good. The question is more political/economic. With 2021 not being particularly noteworthy and early rumors of 2022 being quite enthusiastic, what happens to the prices of the yet unsold 2020s? On the one hand you’ve got less than dynamic economics worldwide and other factors affecting modern megamarkets in Russia and China, versus the Bordelaise’s historic tendency to see what the market will bear. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out but there is plenty of good juice to be had. To the point, what is currently offered is already priced so buying the ‘bird in the hand’ is a good strategy.
Italy will provide plenty of excitement. The whites from the northeast (Alto Adige, Friuli, etc.) continue to set a high standard with ’20 and ’21 yielding one riveting, zesty white after another. As to Chianti, 2019 was very good and 2020 good enough, but the real story is that the whole region seems to be upping its game and a number of lesser known, newly energized estates will add to the fun with surprisingly expressive efforts. It will be an important year for Barolo lovers as the 2019s are due to hit this year.
As for the rest, we don’t expect any shocking changes. Argentina and Chile are continuing to excel as winemaking takes advantage of more in-depth knowledge of how to express the unique terroirs. They are stars on the rise and will continue to be a source of distinctive, exciting juice. The ‘other’ Southern Hemisphere (South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia) will continue to generate hits but, thus far, people haven’t really embraced the categories. Aussie winemakers have said the 2021 is special so we’ll see if that moves the needle here in the U.S.. We still remember the ‘glory days’ and we’re still believers that the good guys are making worthy wines.
Spain will continue to be a major source of high quality and value at virtually all price levels, and there are key producers hitting special vintages like 2010, 2016, and 2019 that will definitely create some ‘must buy’ scenarios.
Middle Europe (Germany, Austria, Alsace) is definitely taking care of business but still under appreciated in the broad marketplace, particularly given the expanded range of Asian and Pacific Rim cuisines that they play beautifully with.
We can almost guarantee that you will see things you haven’t seen before. As an overlay to everything, global warming will cause changes in outcomes in familiar regions and even create scenarios where varietals that generally exist as blending grapes will get a shot at a leading role thanks to the new dynamic.
As usual, we’ll be digging for the best values and best efforts. We’ll find them because we’re willing to do the work. Just like last year, and the year before that, this year we’ll see more wines than virtually anyone in the industry because we learned a long time ago that if you don’t ‘look’, you don’t ‘find’. Whatever it takes. Our suppliers appreciate the opportunity but tell us we are not easy to please. That’s true. But we tell them that we answer to higher authority. You folks.
As we told the story last time (with the 2016s), we were going through some open market offers in Europe and ran across one for a Winex favorite from years past, Domaine de la Soumade in Rasteau. We recalled they used to make some pretty impressive juice, Rasteau that played at a much higher level than the appellation. At the time we researched to find only four people in the country were offering this wine. Naturally we were all over that. This time around when we ‘wine-searchered’ the 2019 vintage from this house we found only one store offering it for sale…us. We can’t imagine why this talented, established producer hasn’t yet found a U.S. importer. But we aren’t losing any sleep over it as long as we can get it.
Domaine la Soumade was established by André Roméro in 1979. Since 1990 the whole production has been bottled at the domain. In 1996, when his son Frédéric Roméro had earned his BEPA Diploma in viticulture and oenology, he returned to the domain to join his father. These days André is dialing it back, essentially semi-retired, and the reins are now firmly in Frédéric’s capable hands.
The domain covers 27 hectares, one of which is in Gigondas and the rest is situated in Rasteau. They make nine different wines including four selections of Rasteau. The trend here is to use more large foudres (really big barrels) with the idea of keeping the star of the show, the super ripe Grenache, as fresh and bright as possible. They farm lutte raisonée, in effect organic unless there is a problem that can only be solved by commercial applications. They also have a somewhat unique situation in having Bordeaux superstar winemaker Stephane Derenencourt as a consultant. As we said, this domaine has always played above their appellation, and the 2019s are once again highlight performances.
The one thing about not having broad (or much of any) distribution in the U.S. is that your wares don’t get in front of the media as much, or in as timely a manner. While there are reviews out on a broad array of the 2019 southern Rhones as a category, very few pundits who have gotten to the 2019 Soumade wines. We did find one source that was as enthusiastic as we are although, truth be told, we were in on these wines regardless. They are quite easy to like and their track record is impressive. These two represent the best efforts.
TheDomaine le Soumade Rasteau Cuvee Prestige 2019 slowly emits deep aromas of cranberry, dark berry, cured cherry, anise, and floral notes. There’s plenty of juicy, darker fruits in the mid-palate, some pretty spice and fresh herb notes around the edges and a surprising touch of pastry crust. Bright and lively, very expressive, this one definitely shows breeding beyond its sub-$20 price point.
Wine Enthusiast gave us the blend as well as some ‘encouraging words’, “Sun-kissed but zesty blackberry and boysenberry flavors are etched by veins of salt, crushed granite and peppercorn in this full-bodied blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre. Matured in equal parts stainless steel and large-format barrels, it’s pristine in black-fruit flavors and briskly balanced in acidity. Edged by very fine, peppery tannins, it’s vibrantly youthful now but should improve through 2029…93 points.”
The Domaine le Soumade Rasteau Cuvee Confiance 2019 is a similar blend from top parcels of older vines. Even though the scores are only a point apart from this reviewer, this one works at a level comparable to a very good Chateauneuf. There are more layers to the nose, with darker fruit and inviting spice and red licorice notes combining with a well tucked in florality. More stuffing, more intensity here along with sweeter, denser, even more compelling fruit, and this wine is tender yet vibrant and the balance is impeccable. Very classy juice.
Wine Enthusiast’s view was appropriately complimentary, “Domaine La Soumade devotes its oldest vines from 50-100 years old to this blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre. Vinified entirely in large-format wood vessels, its black plum and cherry flavors are lusciously concentrated but maintain a zestiness and mineral edge that are thrilling. Full bodied and opulent, it’s a velveteen, solidly structured red that should drink beautifully now–2030…94 points.”
We expect even bigger numbers down the road for the 2019s from other reviewers based on the reviews of the 2016s (2019 is another excellent vintage), but there haven’t been any more reviews of 2019 as yet. So you are still ahead of the game.
One interesting note. If we were unscrupulous merchants, we could point out we were substantially below the stated retail prices in the Enthusiast pieces ($60 and $70 respectively). We’ve never seen them offered anywhere near those prices. Suffice it to say, however, at $19.98 and $29.98 respectively, they deliver superb value. Limited.
Talk about forgotten labels, we had a session with Pedroncelli the other day. Founded in 1927, it’s one of those historic labels that doesn’t come into the conversation much in a world that seems to prize the new and different. Of particular interest was a fine effort that recalled days of yore and California’s history with this varietal. The Pedroncelli Mother Clone Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley 2020 is produced from vines that are all developed from the original old-vine clone (massal). Classic berries and spice, a touch of pepper, this is delicious Zin that shows the best elements of traditional Sonoma ‘0ld school’ that is still relevant today and it’s still at a throwback price ($16.98).
We were a little surprised to find out there was still more of the Pertimali di Lorenzo Sassetti Montecucco Rosso La Querciolina 2016available, arguably one of the best value Italians we presented this year. Their 2016 Brunello was a 100-point selection but this delicious, well priced effort from the lesser known appellation of Montecucco from this elite Tuscan house is something special that is in everyone’s wheelhouse pricewise. Super juicy, a Vinous 93, and only $17.98, grab it while you can!
Years ago (like the 80s and 90s), there was a publication called Connoisseurs’ Guide had significant influence on people’s tastes. Besides being a pretty good source for finding obscure California gems, they also wrote some of the best pans when they didn’t like something. More to the point, every so often they would do a tasting of California sparklers and one particular quirk of theirs was that incumbent in those reviews they would have notes on the same bubbly in regular bottles and also in magnums. The magnums consistently scored higher. After much of our own ‘research’, we came to accept their axiom. While it is difficult to verbalize why exactly (and you know we’re not usually ‘lost for words’), somehow magnums seemed to present more layers of flavor and more refinement. We can’t explain the science of it, but we are believers.
We tell that story to tell this one. We have found a modest cache of magnum bottles from a long-time house favorite Jean Laurent. The estate is situated south of Epernay, in the outlying Côte des Bar region of Champagne. We’ve talked about the Bar recently as an emerging source for serious boutique producers but these guys were out in the market long before ‘the Bar’ had the cool kid vibe it has today.
Their vineyards are in the village of Celles‐sur‐Ource, with a few parcels in the neighboring village Landreville. They total 39 acres (30 of Pinot Noir, 6+ of Chardonnay, 3 of Pinot Blanc (a legal but not widespread grape in Champagne), and small plantings of Arbane (a historic grape in this Aube region but there is little remaining). The vines are planted in distinctive chalky soils, part of a band that stretches from Champagne to Chablis and all the way to the White Cliffs of Dover (where the Brits are making some sparklers of their own).
The vineyards average 25 to 30 years in age, with the oldest parcels at more than 60 years old. Jean Laurent was one of the earliest RMs we were exposed to (“Recoltant Manipulant” – the French term for Grower Producer) and we have since followed this genre of Champagne producers with great enthusiasm. Like the title says, Jean makes Champagnes exclusively from his own vineyards. You’ve heard us yammer on about the terroir aspect that grower Champagne has over the big houses and this is one of those special places where the juice comes from small, distinctive patches of vines farmed sustainably and is produced in a limited batch.
There are a number of other key points but the most important are that this is large format bottle from, according to the Wine Advocate vintage chart, the highest rated vintage in Champagne in the last quarter century. The Jean Laurent Brut Blanc de Blanc La Griffe de l’Ource 2008Magnum is 100% Chardonnay from this legendary vintage aged 30 months in tank prior to bottling (no oak) and then seeing 8 years on the lees sur latte (on their sides) and 2 years on the lees sur point (cork down) prior to disgorgement.
Given the vintage and what we have referred to in past pieces as the riper, richer character of ‘the Bar’, this is an ample Champagne with notes of citrus, yellow melon, cherry, brioche, and honeylike flecks in the nose and finish. The mousse is refined, no doubt in part due to the bottle age, and the palate is both lifted and creamy. This is a fine and expressive bottle of Champagne to plan something around and, yes, the extra nuance that the ‘big bottle’ provides appears to be in full effect.
The Magnum format itself ostensibly adds a point or two to the review here that was done by Wine Spectator on the 750 ml bottle in December, 2019, “Creamy and well-knit, with good focus to the baked white cherry, honeycomb and ginger biscuit flavors. A harmonious version, framed by sleek acidity and a chalky underpinning, this is long and mouthwatering on the lightly spiced finish. Disgorged July 2019. Drink now through 2028. 375 cases made…93 points.”
Large format, epic vintage, this is a very special holiday treat. Only 20 magnums available at this writing.
A roadmap to the wine world’s most common seasonal scenarios
Yes, it is that time of year. As you may have seen, we typically put out something of a guideline for wines for Thanksgiving, taking into account very general scenarios and offering suggestions as to what to serve. This time around, we thought it might be helpful to toss out a few suggestions based on the questions we seem to get every holiday season. Of course, it would be impossible to comment on every potential situation, probably even foolhardy. But we do encounter things based on our experience that might not cross your mind during the busy season until it happens. So, we’ll put it out there and hope it might give you some confidence in navigating your holiday milieu.
The Big Event
Everyone has their own take on the ‘big days’ and how they celebrate one day vs. another. Ours is not to comment on that, but rather look at a few ways that people celebrate. For the record, we know that there are many modern cultural takes on holiday food and holiday traditions. For the sake of this article we will be discussing more broad seasonal scenarios with traditional American holiday cuisine. With that said, three ways we can think of celebrating a big day might include a full sit-down dinner, something with more substantial hors d’oeuvres, or a more pass-through visitation like an open-house type with lighter nibbles. Each one calls for a little different lineup of beverages specific not only to the type of event but what kinds of foods you’re offering.
Sit Down Dinner A lot depends on the main course with the wine selections. We figure more popular choices might end up being ham, some sort of bird (turkey, goose, capon), or some sort of meat (beef, lamb) with an array of sides, though there are of course many other options. With ham, play against the saltiness with white wine that has crisp acidity and is light on its feet.
A little residual sugar adds to the match. Our first go-tos with ham would be Riesling or Chenin Blanc, or lighter whites like Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, or for the more adventurous, Italian whites from the northeast like Kerner or Friulano. You want something crisp, clean, and not oaky. For reds, think about Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Rioja or Dolcetto, lighter, brighter reds that aren’t tannic or too woody.
Our choices for some sort of bird would be pretty much the same for the same reason. Heavy reds and whites don’t really augment the food and can become tiresome over the course of the meal. If you want to serve some powerhouse red with the bird, that is of course your business, but it’s not what we’d choose.
Finally, if we’re looking at roast beef, standing rib roast, rack of lamb or some such, bring on the big reds. Red Bordeaux, Cabernet, Chateauneuf du Pape, Syrah, Barolo, or authoritative Tuscan all play well, as do a variety of things from Spain. If you’re having budget concerns, there are excellent lower priced options in every category (like instead of Chateauneuf, sub in a solid Cotes du Rhone).
Heavy Hors D’Ouerves or Tapas A lot depends on your choice of dishes, of course. But again, we’d caution to stay away from heavier wines. Also, the standup or more social scenario kind of dials back the price need because folks are less likely to note extra complexity you would pay a lot extra for. Not to mention the party might stay a little livelier if you ditch the big ponderous wines.
Our whites list remains pretty much unchanged from the last section. For reds, again Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Chianti, Cotes du Rhone, a number of things from Spain, the goal is fruit-forward, outgoing, tasty, and not too tannic or heavy.
Open House with Lighter Fare The rules really don’t change a lot for reds and whites, but we see this as a great opportunity to sprinkle in some sparkling wines. Most folks like bubbles and there’s good fizz at virtually all price ranges, from Cavas like Poema ($9.98) and Conquilla ($10.98) to Prosecco to Crémant de Bourgogne to Champagne.
If you’ve got folks that don’t like dry, offer the Bottex Bugey-Cerdon, a sweeter, sparkling red from the Savoie that is a revelation for some (we’ve heard it inelegantly referred to as “adult Kool-aid” and we’re not necessarily disagreeing).
For some people the holidays are a time a time of festivities, but also impromptu drop-bys. We suspect most folks will have stocks of favorite go-to reds and whites on hand, which we’d recommend keeping in line with our general food suggestions… outgoing, fresher styles that are fairly versatile. Lighter, brighter reds and crisper, unencumbered whites are always appropriate. But a couple of other categories can serve specific scenarios.
Sparkling wines are widely popular and, in some folk’s minds create instant festivities. No matter where you might be comfortable price wise, there will be some bubbles to fill that need. We are as picky about our sparklers as we are everything else. No one at ‘corporate’ tells us what to sell because there is no ‘corporate’. We own it and are meticulous about our process at every level. As we mentioned in our open house piece, there are hand-picked (OK, mouth picked) choices at every level from about $11 on up. We have French Champagnes in the $20s. So there is something for everyone. But if it is on hand, all the better for the kind of spontaneity that can create memorable evenings.
If you have a lot of traffic at your place during the holidays, you might end up with a few open bottles that don’t have a definite schedule and, of course, oxygenation is a reasonable concern. You could serve via something like a Coravin wine preservation device, but the device itself and the argon gas cartridges are somewhat costly. While it might be off of some people’s ‘beaten path,’ things like Sherry and Madeira are wines where you can pour someone a polite glass put it back in the cabinet and open it again in a week or two without fear. The wine will be unchanged. For perspective we did Sherry/Madeira tasting years ago that, thanks to weather, wasn’t well attended. We did the same tasting a year later…with the same bottles.
Madeiras, the wine of our forefathers like Washington and Jefferson, are pretty much bullet-proof and the drier versions like Sercial and Verdelho are fine aperitifs while the more dessert styles Buals and Malmseys are great choice to break the chill after an evening of caroling or looking at Xmas lights. They are fortified but the alcohol isn’t any more than a typical mixed cocktail.
As for Sherries, Finos and Manzanilla are lighter and drier, but will be more affected by oxygen over time. Amontillados, Palo Cortados, and Olorosos will hold it together for quite a while since they are produced via oxidation. And no, it isn’t weird. They are much trendier today than they were a decade ago and many restaurants now have Sherry programs and you’ll frequently see the, as ingredients in the trendiest cocktails as well. All benefit from a slight chill when serving but it isn’t mandatory.
As to general guidelines, we’ll stick pretty much to our answers on prior subjects. Easy drinking, medium weight reds and crisp whites again work best, fruit forward, fairly supple, maybe a little lower in acid. We’re going to recommend imports from Spain (the land of tapas bars), France (where bistros were born), and Italy (trattoria country), because we have found their wines purer and less manipulated, and these are places with established food and wine cultures. You can simply get more compelling wines in lower price ranges. For our money you can get much more from many parts of Spain, the southern Rhone and Languedoc, Beaujolais, and northern Italy as more specific categories.
BTW we’re not anti-American by any means, but we find that usually domestic wines produced to sell at lower price points are manipulated to achieve some sort of ‘control group’ personality and lesser fruit is taken in to keep costs down. Of course, there are exceptions, but you are less likely to find them at some chain store that is more concerned with ‘national best sellers’.
Let’s say you are invited somewhere, and you don’t want to show up empty handed, and decide you’d like to bring something vinous. Of course, it’s OK to present your hosts with something you favor, or something you already know they like. But what if you have no idea what they like? Plus, if you show up with something red, are you expecting that they will open it while you are there? Our suggestion is to show up with some properly wrapped (a festive bag will do), un-chilled sparkling wine. That alleviates the question of whether they are expected to open it, and we have run across very few people who are averse to Champagne. Also, during the season, there are likely many scenarios where a bottle of fizz will come in handy for the recipient. Win-Win.
Every holiday season we get a number of people who are seeking to buy something for a co-worker, manager or employer. The whole process can be somewhat traumatic for people who don’t really know anything about wine, and it is unfortunate that those folks will likely not see our simple suggestions which might ease their process. Any good merchant is going to ask what you want to spend for the gift so have a real idea ahead of time what you are comfortable with budget-wise. Whatever that number is we’ll get as close as we can or explain why we can’t. We’re here to help you and the numbers are merely guidelines.
That said, there are a few scenarios. If you are pretty sure if the recipient is knowledgeable and you know specifics or even the genre, that helps. If you don’t, for an alleged knowledgeable recipient, the safe bets would be a classified Bordeaux or Napa/Sonoma Cabernet. The ‘prestige’ of the categories can drive prices up well into the three digits, particularly if you want something widely known like Harlan, Opus One, or even BV Georges Latour. There are high quality choices in lower price rungs that that will show beautifully in the glass but may not have the immediate label panache because they aren’t as widely distributed or been around as long. Knowledge and track record create fame but fame costs money, sometimes to the point of silliness (a bottle of Coche-Dury Corton Charlemagne costs over $6,000). Quality doesn’t have to.
If you want to present them a nice bottle but don’t really know anything about their tastes, we’re going to once again suggest Champagne. Sensing a trend there? There’s good reason though. It’s a pretty universal equalizer and there are many scenarios during the holidays when a nice bottle of Champs can come in handy, and the bubbly producers know that. That’s why there is a fight for placements in the industry. That’s a whole different story, but the point is that bubbly is a great solution for a wide range of situations.
As we have said repeatedly, we consider Champagne an excellent choice all the time, not just for festivities. But there is no denying that a little fizz can make a celebration better. Here again we’ll make the point that better known labels are better known because of history and, mainly, marketing. Marketing costs money. So you’ll pay more for label recognition and likely not get as good a Champagne on a value basis. That doesn’t mean that the big brands are ‘bad’. Our point is that, particularly with big Champagne houses, prices are being deliberately pushed upward for marketing reasons. They all want to be the wine versions of Louis Vuitton or Prada from an image standpoint. To us that means look elsewhere.
We’ve been on the bandwagon of small production grower Champagnes for decades because you typically get better and more intriguing juice (thanks to the terroir factor) for a better price (because the shipping channels are less encumbered with extraneous markups). It is impossible to replace the elements of terroir and small production as they manifest in the finished wine. To that end, here are a few recommendations in various categories.
At the top end of the spectrum, there are always those highly visible labels like Dom Perignon that are reenforced by a long history and appearances in movies and TV shows. The label will impress your friends but prices are much more than they used to be and they make a million bottles of the stuff. For less money we have top-flight boutique offerings from cool kid sources like the structured, precise, distinctive Egly-Ouriet Brut Tradition Grand Cru NV ($109.98) and Doyard Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2009 ($129.98 both done in an extra brut style from Grand Cru vineyards.
Drop down a few more dollars and there’s still plenty of good stuff Champagne-wise. The Champagne Charles Le Bel Brut Inspiration 1818 NV ($32.98) is pretty new to us but is the second wine of Champagne heavyweight Billecart Salmon and reflect the creamy house style as well as being a stellar value. Back in the saddle again is the Emile Paris, who reintroduced the brand after a 75 year layoff using their estate grapes that were being sold to Philipponat. Another striking value in real French Champagne.
If you’re looking for great sparkling wines and don’t care if they actually say Champagne on them, here are a couple of unique selections for the more adventurous. The Chateau de Brézé Crémant de Loire NV ($24.98) is a 70% Chenin Blanc/30% Chardonnay blend from a special estate in the Loire Valley that can hang with any Champagne but has a unique, fruit driven element thanks to that Chenin. Occasionally we’ll find something very cool from unexpected places. The Jean Vullien Crémant de Savoie Brut NV ($17.98) is a unique blend of 50% Jacquere, 30% Chardonnay, and 20% Altesse, this has a fine minerally texture and a very food friendly personality along with fine bubbles and creamy mousse of a classic sparkler.
