2016

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.

OUTSTANDING HIGH-COUNTRY RIBERA DEL DUERO

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.

SIGNIFICANT NEW CHIANTI DISCOVERY:

It’s hard for us to believe that there is a Chianti out there that we haven’t seen before, but the Bucciarelli Chianti Classico 2016 is just that. Apparently the property dates back a long ways, having been acquired by one Michelangelo Buonarroti (yes, that Michelangelo) on June 18, 1549. It stayed in the family until 1863. The Buciarelli family, former sharecroppers on the property, acquired it in 1982 and sold their first wine in 1986. The wine is 100% Sangiovese produced certified organic and spontaneously fermented aged in a combination of cement and cask.

We aren’t going to play the Michelanglo thing too hard because the wine really deserves its own spotlight. Located in Castellina in Chianti, it hails from southeast facing vineyards situated 1350 to 1600 feet above sea level with mostly galestro soils with some clay and alberese in the mix. There are elements to this wine that are rather unique and thoroughly captivating. The nose shows a ton of ripe, sweet mulberry fruit along with some forest floor, leather, and some rose notes that one might associate more with Nebbiolo. Plush and very expressive, the mulberry is joined by black cherry in the mouth with a spice and a stony minerality cutting in at the finish. It’s fruit and profile are very different from your typical Chianti but absolutely delicious.

Since we have no prior experience with this label, we can’t compare it to past efforts. We have to presume that coming from one of the greatest vintages in Tuscany (2016) in our lifetime probably didn’t hurt. As to press, we found nothing except a few very old reviews from Wine Spectator prior to 2005. They only produce 1000-1500 cases per year so we don’t think you’ll see it at your local grocery store, either. You’ll have to trust us on this one, but this is quite a find!

STRIKING, LATE BREAKING 2016 CHIANTI RISERVA

We haven’t had the occasion to talk a lot about Tuscan 2016s very much of late. Sadly, the bulk of them have pretty much passed through the market. But we aren’t so far along that the possibility of something popping up has totally passed. That said, a brief reminder that we think 2016 in Tuscany is one of, if not the best vintage we have experienced in our four decades of doing this.

The Bindi Sergardi Chianti Classico Riserva I Colli 2016 isn’t a label we are intimately familiar with though we have carried a few examples over the years. But we don’t remember anything quite like this one. This is definitely the ‘home run’ version, a Chianti with driving, ample, outgoing fruit, and an array of gorgeous notes of sour cherry, earth, wild herbs, chocolate, and spice. This is a Chianti that is big on flavor but still poised to support food with a measured underpinning of acidity that pushes the wine across the palate.

This shows everything that gets us ranting about 2016, great fruit, superb balance, great presence on the palate, and the unmistakable impression that there are a couple of gears the wine has yet to reveal. It’s all here and, in truth, this was one of the easier calls because there was plenty going on right up front.

While they may not be among the best known names in Chianti in the American market, they have certainly put in their time. Located just outside Siena, the family claims the “I Colli estate represents the history and soul of 23 generations of the Bindi Sergardi family, which built this hamlet at the end of the 1400s.”

They certainly got dealt a winning hand in 2016, and they have the critical acclaim to prove it. From WIne Spectator, “This is bright and linear in profile, displaying cherry, strawberry, bitter almond, earth, iron and tobacco flavors. Balanced and taut, lingering with a mix of fruit, mineral and savory elements. Best from 2022 through 2043…93 points.”

This wine impressed us right out of the gate and we are probably more on the level of enthusiasm of James Suckling, who wrote, “Aromas of raspberries, sour cherries, dates, chocolate, dried herbs and five spice. Medium- to full-bodied with fine tannins and a creamy, velvety texture. Layered and balanced with a caressing feel. Long, spicy and savory finish. Drink now or hold…95 points.“

An exceptional effort in a traditional style from a historic harvest, an exciting find this late in the game.

AMAZING RED FOR UNDER $20? ESPAÑA, POR SUPESTO

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RIOJA RESERVA STEAL LOST IN PLAIN SIGHT?

Let’s say you are in one of the strongest Spanish wine portfolios in all the land, yet some of your stablemates are among the most iconic labels (Muga, Sierra Cantabria, and Senorio de San Vincente). What does that mean for your bodega? Well, the way we see it, you are definitely in a group that will be appreciated by fans of Spanish wines, but you will likely not be the first name on everyone’s request list. The press for the most part won’t be paying as much attention to you either. Our question here is, if you are Ramirez de la Piscina and you have been consistently upping your game, have people noticed?

We have known about this winery and consistently carried their wines for a couple of decades. We have noted over the last few releases that these very traditional Riojas have shown seemingly more flash and fruit than we recall. When we had a bottle, it definitely satisfied. That said, we’ve definitely noticed a step up in quality and flair from a winery that had always delivered. This 2016 Ramirez de la Piscina Rioja Reserva is the best effort we have had from them yet. Very traditional yet with layers of outgoing fruit rolling down the midpalate, there’s simply more of everything here.

There is no lack of history with this estate. In early 1945, Julio Ramírez de la Piscina, followed the tradition inherited from his parents in Ábalos, and continued cultivating the family vineyards in San Vicente de la Sonsierra and began producing traditional Rioja wines. In 1973, Bodegas Ramírez was officially founded and began to sell bottled wine under this name. In 1980, the fourth generation of the Ramírez de la Piscina family took over management of the winery, and in 1987, the name was changed to Bodegas Ramírez de la Piscina. The name change honors the family’s historic surname, which is an ancient aristocratic Medieval Riojan name, originating from a 12th Century Romanesque church nearby the vineyards called Santa María de la Piscina.

All of the vineyards are estate owned and the vast majority of the plantings are Tempranillo on high-density trellis. The oldest Tempranillo vineyards are head-trained, and the family owns a few small plants of Garnacha, Viura, and Malvasia, that are used for the Rosado and Blanco. Ramirez de la Piscina champions the tradition of aging classified, traditional styled Rioja, but as time has passed they seem to be packing more fruit into their wines. This 2016 Ramirez de la Piscina Reserva is very traditional in its spice, leather and mineral nuance to the dark red and black fruit core. The difference here is it seems they came along and laid an extra layer of fruit across the top.

Others seem to agree. James Suckling said, “This shows tightness and balance with energy. Black fruit with mushroom and earth. Some cocoa, too. It’s medium-bodied with firm tannins and a fresh, linear finish. Drink or hold…92 points.”

Josh Raynolds of Vinous was also enthused, “Bright violet. Mineral-tinged red and blue fruit preserve and floral scents are complemented by hints of vanilla, tobacco and licorice. Sappy, expansive black raspberry and blueberry flavors smoothly blend weight and energy and pick up an allspice nuance on the back half. Closes long and appealingly sweet, with round, even tannins and an echo of sappy blue fruit…92 points.”

We feel like these folks have upped their game and want to make sure people notice. It’s tough when your distribution scenario, while one of the best and most dedicated for Spanish wines, includes some of the top names in the category. This 2016 is fruit-driven, delicious, one of my current ‘take-home’ favs and very well priced ($19.98) for a classy reserva (that outperforms a lot of gran reservas) from a great vintage.

NEW FACE ON AN OLD STANDARD

This isn’t a story we have told very often. There are a lot of variables. First, this estate in Cigales is owned by Rioja luminary Baron de Ley. Second, what’s Cigales? Cigales is a small DO in the western part of the broader Castillo y Leon region in western Spain. The grape varieties are mainly Tempranillo and Grenache for reds though international varieties like Syrah, Cabernet and Merlot are permitted. As to Finca Museum itself, it seems their goal is to raise the level of the appellation. You may have seen the label as we have sold it on occasion over the years. It was a unique etched metal on a tall bottle.

We aren’t going to tell you the history is necessarily compelling. The Reserve bottling, which we are offering here, is often on the rustic side, which is a recurring theme in the region probably more as a function of the producers there than the area itself. So these wines are hit and miss from a qualitative standpoint, and Museum typically sells in the mid-$30s as well, which means we seldom have cause to make a case for them. We have sold their wines on only a few occasions over the years, and this is the first time at this location. But that’s why we taste everything. This wine, in this vintage, at this price, made a heck of a lot of sense.

The Finca Museum Reserve Cigales 2016 is made with the kind of attention to detail that producers with high expectations have. The grapes, 100% Tempranillo in this case, are harvested by hand into small crates, fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel, and the juice spend 22 months in new French oak with frequent rackings. Then there is an additional 15 months in bottle before being labeled and released.

As we have said on many occasions, the 2016 vintage is special in many parts of Spain. Here it made the difference between a wine that had some overt rusticity in the past and one that has the stuffing to go along with its underlying muscle. There’s plenty of dark red fruit going on here, and the fruit weight to polish over the ripe tannins. There’s some notes of mineral, earth, and dark chocolate to add interest along the way, and the kind of continuity across the palate that this wine rarely has.

We also think this kinder, gentler version has enough size to appeal to New World palates as well as Old World. Take all of that, and factor in a nearly half-price buy-in (we’re selling it for $19.98), and the whole proposition changes. This ‘new look’ Museum is worthy of attention and delivers great value as well.

SURPRISE CAB DEAL FROM A FAMILIAR ‘FACE’

Corporate types never seem to tire of creating new SKUs. Beringer already has a few different Cabernet bottlings. We went to their website and started counting, quitting when we got to 30. So why not one more? We had not seen the Cabernet Sauvignon Distinction Series before this 2016, nor could we find a review on a vintage before this (though there was a 2014 on the Beringer site). So we’ll say this is not the first, just the first for us. It is packaged in a black label that is a different design than their Knight’s Valley.

So what is it? Good question. From the winery, “Beringer’s Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is an enticing expression of this varietal and the depth and complexity of flavor it can exhibit when grown in the right place. Select vineyards and blocks from AVAs up and down the valley are used to craft a wine that is the quintessential expression of Napa Valley terroir.” That doesn’t really tell us a lot but it wasn’t the marketing that caused us get interested in this, it was the juice itself. Whatever they called it, they clearly had bigger intensions for this one, as evidenced by the $65 price on the website.

Deep, saturated color leaning toward black, a big nose of cocoa, vanilla and toasty oak along with cassis and dark cherry, it prepares you for what’s coming. With air, insistent spice notes started to emerge and the well ‘seasoned’ fruit making a big impression across the palate. This is big, dark, expressive Cab from a vaunted vintage. Yes this winery makes a lot of wine, but they have wherewithal to make some rocking Cab when they have a mind, too. To be clear, no one is going to confuse this with something European. This is unabashedly Californian and we were taken with its power and balance and thought we’d pass the message along.

It got some love from Wine Advocate’s Lisa Perotti-Brown who wrote, “The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Distinctions is blended of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petite Sirah, aged in 35% new French oak for 20 months. Deep garnet-purple colored, it bursts from the glass with crème de cassis, blueberry pie and preserved plums over nuances of Chinese five spice, hoisin, chocolate box and dusty soil. Full-bodied, rich and decadent, it has loads of spicy layers and a firm, grainy backbone, finishing on an earthy note… 93 points.”

Even though the name doesn’t really tell you much of a story, at just a notch over $40 ($41.98) the Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Distinction Series 2016 qualifies as a notable value in Napa Cabernet,

TOUGH NAME, STUNNING RIOJA

We’ll get the name, which will be a stumbling block for some, out of the way first. The property is called Castillo de Cuzcurrita (Cuzcurrita Castle), and the wine itself, the premium bottling from this estate, is Senorio de Cuzcurrita. Located half an hour west of Haro, Rioja’s ‘holy city’, is a castle with a history dating back to the 14th Century. We love getting into historical stuff but there isn’t space this time around (the owner is completely renovating the property to preserve the unique architecture). The castle has seen many owners over its life time but the current owner, whose name was never mentioned anywhere that we read, purchased the property in 1999.

Within the courtyard of this castle is an enclosed vineyard containing vines up to 80-years-of-age which was the inspiration for this wine. Winemaker Ana Martin, who has a reputation in Spain but has few wines in this market, was hired to make magic here. The owner underwrote a modern gravity flow winery for the property, no small task given the terrain, and the first vintage was a 1999. The proprietor was so pleased with it he decided to sell it commercially the following year.

There’s a lot of info to digest but we’ll try and keep it tight. Located in the hamlet of Cuzcurrita del Rio Tiron, at 600 meters above sea level, in Rioja Alta, this is the coolest and highest microclimate within the DO. The walled vineyard is the heart of this cuvee and the rest of the grapes come from long term contracts from bush pruned vines averaging 30 years of age, the farming is predominantly organic, and the grapes (100% Tempranillo) are harvested by hand into small crates to protect the grapes from bruising or breaking.

The wines are fermented in stainless steel with malolactic occurring in barrel then the juice sees 12 months in new, second and third year, French-oak
Bordeaux-style casks with a fine wood grain and medium toast followed by 5
months in 20,000-litre concrete vats for blending the wine before bottling. This wine, from the extraordinary 2016 vintage, was bottled in April, 2018 with no stabilization or filtration. Minimal intervention to be sure, and what a result.

As one piece we read about Ana Martin offered, “This is not a powerhouse wine, but a refined Tempranillo, with breeding and style that suit its castle upbringing.” Lovely black-cherry color, with an intense, complex nose with
aromas of dark fruits like ripe black plums, blueberries and blackcurrants, with some spice, balsamic nuances, cedar wood and anise coming through. Smooth, juicy mouth-feel with soft, enveloping tannins. Complex, well-balanced and elegant with a long, gentle finish and haunting aromatics.

We don’t know a lot about Ana, but this is one whale of a wine…silky, layered, tender, sleek, oozing with class. The traditional trappings of Reserva and Gran Reserva have no relevance here as this is a wine with more of an eye to a great Margaux for its inspiration. We had nothing quite like this, nor have we tasted anything quite as polished and engaging from this part of the world.

A LATE ARRIVING 2016: LE FONTI CHIANTI CLASSICO

We have often said that we are going to pursue the 2016 Tuscans until we can’t find them any more. Le Fonti is a brand new face for us…on this side of the ocean. We had a positive impression of the house based on tasting the wine at Consorzio tastings at Vinitaly, probably one of the more difficult places to precisely assess as wine. Why is it tough to get a bead on a wine at a wine show? Simply, it’s the volume. You taste so many wines so quickly to make the best of your limited time there that it’s not always easy to recall the nuances and minutia.

In any case, we liked the Le Fonti Chianti Classico 2016 (the first time we have seen it here) one on one on this side of the ocean as well. Located between Siena and Florence, the winery sits in the heart of Chianti country in Panzano. At this site, nearly 1500 feet above sea level, this 15 hectare estate consists of 9 hectares of vineyards and the rest olive trees. The current owners, the Schimtt-Vitali family, took over the estate in 1994 and have replanted the vineyards since that time with the appropriate clones and rootstock. The vineyard and olive grove are all certified organic and they take meticulous care of their holdings.

The vines are planted to 85% Sangiovese and the rest more international varietals, Cabernet and Merlot. Manuel harvest is the practice here and bleed off 10-15% of the juice to make a rose, concentrating the remaining must. The final wine, predominantly Sangiovese with a small percentage of Cabernet and Merlot are put into French oak for 12 months and another 6 months in bottle before release

This version definitely shows a more modern bent stylistically, with a nice pop of dark cherry fruit right up from and som authority to the midpalate. Plenty of fresh fruit here with the more classic notes of earth and spice, but a rounder, fresher disposition in the glass and an outgoing immediacy to the style. It has all of the ‘pop’ of the 2016s, the lifted fruit and well infused, ripe tannins, but a distinct juicy, some might say ‘modern component that will appeal to a broader audience.

Enthusiastic comments from Vinous’ Antonio Galloni tell a similarstory, “Le Fonti’s 2016 Chianti Classico is fresh, aromatically expressive and a plain delight to taste. This is an especially mid-weight, gracious style that is typical of this sector of Panzano. Spice, licorice, leather, dried herb and menthol add shades of nuance to a Chianti Classico that speaks to finesse, nuance and the natural freshness of Sangiovese in this vintage more than anything else…92 points.”

Another exciting arrival from a very special vintage, enjoy and accumulate them while you can.