2018

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.

DELICIOUS ‘SLEEPER’ BARBARESCO

Given our experience, we can tell you a thing or two about the big reds of Piedmont. First, most folks are content to get into the game when a highly regarded vintage comes along. Relative to that, as we are on the downside of the heralded 2016 vintage, you might want to take a last glance at the remaining 2016 Barolos and Barbarescos. This was a special vintage even among the high success rate in Piedmont over the last decade or so.

We’d also point out that the producers make wine every year and not every harvest becomes a vintage of the century in the eyes of the market. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any worthwhile efforts, just that the ‘hit ratio’ might be a bit lower. One can find some pretty thrilling wines in most vintages provided they take the time to look. The Nada Barbaresco Casot 2018 is an excellent example of what we are talking about.

It’s easy to miss little gems like this. This is a small family estate is brought in by a small importer, and the 2018 vintage, while good, isn’t going to get the attention of, say, 2010, 2015, or 2016 from a ‘historic’ standpoint. Still, we did our due diligence and were quite pleased to find this elegant, delightful little spice-box of a single vineyard-Barbaresco at a rather attractive price ( it sells for less than the entry-level bottling from Produttori di Barbaresco by $8). As such, it deserves to get some of your attention.

Azienda Agricola Nada Giuseppe was started in 1900, with a vineyard in Casot purchased from a Gaja. In 1964 Giuseppe’s father, Antonio, made the risky decision to begin to estate bottle a part of his production, requiring him to invest in a small winery (he put it in the basement of that house on the Casot hillside). It was a prescient move as, in 1966, the DOC of Barbaresco, named after one of the three villages in the appellation, became established.

These days, Giuseppe and Nella stay fit maintaining the vineyards where they do practically all of the work, while their daughter Barbara manages the office and their son Enrico oversees the wine production down in the cellar. Enrico took the reins in 2008. The additions of SO2 have been greatly reduced and only a light filtration (no fining) is performed in the cellar. The farming has steadily moved to organic and most of the estate is certified organic now.

Packed with a high-toned, very Nebbiolo character, bursting with spicy red fruits and supported by fine but giving tannins, this Casot is an expressive and appealing example of the genre, exhibiting all of the best traits. As the Wine Advocate review alludes, the appeal was definitely immediate but also lasting. It can age, but it doesn’t necessarily need to. The 2018 vintage overall is a lovely, round, accessible vintage that maybe doesn’t have the gravitas or media attention of 2016, but still should not be ignored because of wines like this. At this price, the Casot is a true sleeper.

From Monica Larner of Wine Advocate, “The 2018 Barbaresco Casot is a fragrant and immediate wine that shows a good amount of ripeness and richness up front. This was a cool vintage overall, although the fruit ripened quickly toward the end of the growing season. There are sweet cherry aromas with spice and licorice. The wine drapes over the palate with silky and smooth intensity. The Casot vineyard is distinguished by layers of bluish tufo soil and layers of looser sand…93 points.”

FORCE MAJEURE: NORTHWEST SUPERSTAR

As lifetime entrepreneurs constantly on the lookout for opportunities to improve and innovate, Paul and Susan McBride were attracted to the Northwest for the promise of developing world-class vineyards and wines from the region. Their decision was to create vineyards. In their own words, “Drawing inspiration from the great vineyards of Bordeaux, the Northern and Southern Rhône valleys, as well as parts of Spain, and with a desire to challenge existing viticultural practices in Washington state, we embarked on an ambitious plan to pioneer the very first vineyard on the steep, rocky upper slopes of Red Mountain.”

It’s been more than a decade since we first ran across their wines. We kind of recall, like so many vintners we run across, these folks seemed pretty convinced they were going to be the next big thing. In fact, we can’t dispute that given the body of work we have seen from them. We’re actually a little surprised they aren’t better known given the consistent, super high quality we have seen. If you look at the reviews (which are generally quite spectacular) there were 32 different bottling titles with notes in Wine Advocate, many of which bore the title ‘Collaboration Series’. They seem to be honing in on a smaller lineup f ro the long haul now.

Jeb Dunnuck has been a fan from early on and says this about the winery, “Now focusing almost exclusively on their Red Mountain estate vineyards, Force Majeure is making some of the most compelling wines in Washington State, as well as in the United States. Winemaker Todd Alexander (previously at Bryant Family in Napa Valley) came on board in 2014 and today the wines show another level of purity and finesse, all while not sacrificing depth of fruit or texture… Trust me, these are gorgeous wines you need to try.”

We can’t disagree. These folks seem to be able to create wines of great intensity but also remarkable plushness, that latter element something that isn’t apparently that easy to accomplish in Washington. There aren’t many (any?) names that come to mind that work at this level in terms of polish, saturated palate feel and seamless presentation of fruit. The Force Majeure Epinette 2018 is, to their definition, their “Right Bank” effort. We know there will be a few folks out there that will balk at a wine that is Merlot dominated. So is Petrus, by the way, and this wine has the depth and lavish layers of flavor to overcome notions that Merlot is a ‘lighter’ fare.

From Jeb Dunnuck, his highest mark for the Epinette series (the lowest was a ‘94’) since he first reviewed the 2014 with Wine Advocate, “The 2018 Epinette is the Merlot-dominated release from this team, and it’s 79% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot, all from the estate vineyard on Red Mountain. Lots of smoky black cherry and darker currant fruits as well as notes of chocolate, graphite, lead pencil, and chalky minerality emerge from the glass, and this full-bodied beauty is beautifully textured, with a stacked mid-palate, velvety tannins, and a blockbuster finish. It’s up with the finest Merlots in the New World and will drink brilliantly for at least a decade, if not longer…97 points.”

Everything seems to be working here and this is impressive juice. We’ve been pioneering Washington wines since the late 80s (like the Leonetti Merlot 1987) and can tell you this is a rare effort. It’s not inexpensive, but something this good from Napa would cost two or three times as much.

ARTADI: A BLUE CHIP VALUE AS ALWAYS

This is a simple acknowledgment of a new rendition of one of our old standards in the Spanish section, Artadi’s Vina de Gain 2018. First of all, just to get it out of the way, this is technically a Rioja. Artadi has chosen not to use the name with regard to their wines because they feel the term is too generic. You won’t see the word ‘Rioja’ on their labels. They, like many other wine regions, are on about more specificity regarding where the wines come from. The term Rioja covers a broad area that includes three subsets (Rioja Baja, Rioja Alta, and Rioja Alavesa). Just saying Rioja says it comes from anywhere in the region. Artadi would rather make reference to the more delineated village of Laguardia (within Rioja Alavesa) where their parcels are located.

An excerpt from Wine Spectator stated, “Over the years, the bodega (Artadi) has focused more on origin (bottling a number of single-vineyard wines, including its flagship El Pison) than on the Rioja designations of Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva, which set minimum aging requirements. As a consequence of its decision, Artadi will no longer display the Rioja appellation on its labels.” The winery stated, “We would like to highlight that there is no change in our project…. We will keep betting on the land and the vineyard as the main sources of value for our wines.”

These folks aren’t rebels, just purists. This is 100% Tempranillo grown in several plots around Laguardia and fermented in open-top wooden vats, finishing with 12 months in standard small oak barrels. Packed with dark red fruits, spice and earthy underpinnings, the texture is supple but there is plenty of verve and freshness to the overall impression. What’s in a name, anyway? It certainly doesn’t affect the soulful, classy juice in the bottle and the ‘entry level’ Artadi Vinas de Gain 2018 is another value winner.

Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez even gives it a nod over the striking 2016, “The young red 2018 Viñas de Gaín follows the same philosophy as the white, grapes from a variety of vineyards in Laguardia and Elvillar ferment in oak and stainless steel vats followed by malolactic in barrel and an élevage in oak of nine months. It showcases the serious and fresh style of the best wines from the year. It has cold fruit and a very fine thread in the palate, fine tannins, long and balanced, very fresh. It has depth and complexity. A very good wine, it transcends its price point, like an upgraded version of the 2016…93 points.”

Though more succinct, James Suckling was also on board, “Very pure fruit to this with blackberries and blueberries and some dried flowers. Medium-bodied with very fine tannins and a linear, refined finish. From organically grown grapes…94 points.” Spain does it again, but that should be no surprise by now.

‘LITTLE’ CAB FROM A TOP GUN, CALIFORNIA STYLE

Long time followers of Napa Cabernet will recognize the Chateau Le Grande Roche as the working, quite competent value bottling/second wine of Napa icon Ric Forman. What brings up the conversation this time around is that this particular bottling hits heights we don’t recall experiencing with past efforts. Yeah, they have been quite good on a consistent basis, but not this good. The label was created way back in 1984 as a second wine and, as is common in the Napa Valley, is not acknowledged on the Forman website so there is no visible association with the ‘premier’ label.

That being said, since Ric has been making wine, and this wine for a long time, we have to attribute this wine’s plush, outgoing, layered personality to 2018. The supple cassis and black cherry fruit that rolls across the palate like a wave, leaving flecks of toast and minerality as a calling card. Such a profile has been a recurrent theme with the 2018 and 2019 Cabs we have tasted thus far from Napa. Delicous, well-infused acidity, melty tannins, the Chateau Grande Roche Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 definitely made us pay attention. This isn’t a wine that is on everybody’s mind and it isn’t aggressively marketed. That said, our message is simple…don’t miss it. This is a sleeper hiding in plain sight.

From Antonio Galloni, “The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Chateau La Grande Roche is such a delicious wine. A burst of sweet red cherry, red plum, mocha, spice, licorice and leather race out of the glass. Exuberant and juicy, yet very much medium in body, the 2018 is a wine of pure and total pleasure. All the elements come together in a mid-weight Cabernet Sauvignon that hits all the right notes. The Grand Roche is the second selection from the Forman Cabernet, and a great value to boot…93 Points.”

MORE JUICY BURGUNDY FROM LESS FAMOUS SITES

The Burgundy boats are finally coming in. It has been a tough year for ‘logistics’. As we have been preaching, no matter how you feel about global warming, it has raised the bar substantially in certain, formerly ‘lesser ‘regions in Burgundy. Those terroirs don’t have the historic reputation because they were ‘marginal’ sites that didn’t ripen consistently. Give them a little more heat and the whole equation changes. Areas like Givry, Monthelie, Mercurey, and Marsannay have enjoyed unparalleled success over the last few vintages.

On the northern end of the Cote de Nuits, Marsannay was a region prized mostly for pink wine and is unique in Burgundy for having AOC status for red, white, and pink wines. The producer of this pair of Marsannays, Jean Fournier, dates back to the reign of Louis XIII and the 17^th Century. Now at the helm of the domaine is the dynamic young Louis Fournier. He converted his vineyards to organic farming and has been Ecocert certified since 2008. Harvest is completed manually and grapes are hand-sorted to guarantee that the wine is made from only the highest quality fruit. His winemaking is determinedly non-interventionist and honest, and the combination has surely contributed to these intense, expressive wines that are absolutely bursting with bright cherry fruit.

The Jean Fournier Marsannay Clos du Roy 2018 is a showpiece for a vintage that was generally quite good for reds yielding wines of bright, ripe fruits and great harmony. The juice was done in temperature-controlled stainless with native yeasts then aged for one year in 50% 600L and 50% 225L (25% new) oak, then 5-7 months in old 600L barrels. The review from Neal Martin in Vinous tells the story pretty well, “The 2018 Marsannay Clos du Roy has a perfumed bouquet of blackberry and raspberry fruit infused with blood orange and tangerine, playful and quite forward in style. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. Fresh from the start, with good grip and detail on the finish. Good potential here…90-92 points.”

Jean Fournier Marsannay Les Longueroies 2018 comes from a one hectare plot averaging 40 years of age and has a 2% dollop of old Pinot Beurout (Pinot Blanc) that is permitted to be co-fermented in’ very old Burgundy vineyards’. This one was fermented the same way and then saw 12 months in oak, 50% new. Neal Martin’s notes here were even a touch more enthusiastic, “The 2018 Marsannay Les Longeroies has darker fruit on the nose compared to the Clos du Roy, offering blackberry, hints of tar and a touch of menthol that emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity, and pure in style as it fans out toward the fresh and energetic finish. This is a lovely Marsannay that will give heaps of pleasure…91-93 points.”

These are barrel notes but clearly, from what we’ve tasted, these wines got into the bottle just fine. Even during a period where we are finding a lot to like in Burgundy, these are thrilling examples where everything is ripe, round, bright, and vivid. They demand to be noticed and, thanks to global warming if you will, these ‘little’ appellations are offering up big surprises.

DELICIOUSLY ‘TYPICAL’ VOSNE ROMANEE

There are a lot of reasons to talk about a particular wine. In this case we are mentioning it because it is simply an outstanding example of why people love Burgundy. The Olivier Gard Vosne Romanee Damaudes 2018 hits all of a Burgundy lover’s buttons. At first sip, our seasoned veteran wine buying panel simply stopped for a moment to appreciate this little gem.

As is usually the case in Burgundy, it starts with the dirt. Les Damaudes is a lieu dit (a named vineyard considered elite among ‘villages’ plots) at the top of one of the wine world’s most special hills. It abuts Premier Cru Malconsorts and Dessus de Malconsorts, not far (about 300 feet) from some of the ‘grandest’ of Grand Crus, La Tache, Gaudichots de La Tache, and Le Grande Rue. Talk about a good neighborhood.

The age of the vines for the grapes Gard harvested were an average of 60-years-old. Gard practices sustainable agriculture, uses organic fertilizer and ploughs the rows. The grapes are harvested by hand and sorted on a conveyor. Half of the grapes are whole cluster and half destemmed, macerated at cool temperatures and fermented wit natural yeasts. The juice remains in contact wit the fine lees in light toast Vosges and Allier oak casks, 50% new and 50% year-old, for 18 months

From our point of view, everything clearly went right for Gard in the ripe, generous 2018 vintage. This is a textbook Vosne Romanee with that insistent red and dark cherry fruit lased with effusive spice notes and just a touch of earth. This showcases this village completely. Yes, at $85, it isn’t cheap. But wines from this hill are expensive, with a few of them fetching four or five-digit prices. Relatively speaking this is a bargain for a true, pure Vosne Romanee experience.

Reviews? Not a lot. Gard isn’t that widely distributed or even seen. We’ve got this from Wine Enthusiast, “This wine’s shy nose gives away only a tantalizing notion of black cherry. Alive with both freshness and ripeness, the palate expands into a shimmering canvas of red and dark cherry, densely woven with an edge of conifer perfume. This wine is firm, fresh, elegant and delicious…94 points.”

But this wine isn’t about scores. It’s about authenticity. This is what really good Vosne Romanee is supposed to taste like, and it’s about the joy of consuming it now, or ten years from now.

DONNA LAURA CHIANTI RISERVA ALTEO 2018

We’ve done our part over the years to raise the image of Chianti from the straw fiasco bottles to a wine that should be taken seriously, and a number of high-performing producers have given us the vinous tools to make that point. But a number of scenarios call for a Chianti to simply be that tasty, honest bottle to grab to foil a plate of pasta, risotto, or any one of a number of red wine dishes. It’s important to know who the players are in an important wine area like Chianti. But it is equally important to find quality options for that go-to, guilt-free, ‘house pour’ category as well. It just isn’t as easy to find viable value options that live up to our standards. Donna Laura Chianti Riserva Alteo 2018 is one that does.

The back story here is that the current proprietress of Tolaini, Lia Tolaini Banville, was greatly inspired by her aunt, Laura. The story goes that Banville, on a summer holiday traveling from her birthplace in Canada to her ancestral home outside the city of Lucca at the age of six, Lia met her Aunt Laura for the first time who would become a driving force in her life.

So why are we talking about Lia Totaini-Banville, owner of Banville importing and quality oriented Tolaini estate that produces a number of wines including highly reviewed Legit Cabernet? Well the name Donna Laura is a tribute to her aunt, but this Chianti is produced by Lia. As they tell it, “In 2004 an opportunity arose to write a new chapter in the story, this time at Tolaini Winery in Castelnuovo Berardenga with the production of Lia’s own wine label Donna Laura. A loving tribute to the woman whose lessons of family, tradition and honor would share double billing with Lia’s own heritage…”

We had no idea about the connection at the time we tasted it, but that is a pretty significant demonstration of how the work of quality producers somehow shines through. The Sangiovese grapes for the Alteo (a mashup of the names of Lia’s sons Alessandro and Matteo) are selected in Donna Laura’s vineyards in Castelnuovo Berardenga, one of Chianti’s ‘sweet spots’. They are carefully destemmed in the winery and put immediately into steel vats without crushing. The must is kept in contact with the skins for about 20 days with pumping over every 10 hours and 1 delestage a week.

Chiantis in this price range often suffer from being acidic or undernourished. This is neither, with a lovely, cohesive roundness from front to back to the currant and classic cherry fruit laced with floral notes and a touch of earth. It is a perfect demonstration why you seek little wines made by very conscientious producers as opposed to someone putting together a ‘blend’ to hit a ‘price point’. It’s all about intent. We’ll take it easy on the adjectives but it fulfills its mission nicely, a pleasing, easy drinking, soulful, surprisingly successful ‘riserva’ offering of Chianti from top terroir at a very modest ($11.98) price. You don’t have to tell anyone it cost so little.

VALUE CABERNET FROM AN OLD AMIGO

One might question devoting time to a lengthy piece about a wine in this price range. But some of the story is very important by way of differentiation. There are a lot of wines in this kind of price range that are trying to get your attention, but many are concocted labels that, bluntly, aren’t very good. It matters that we have sold Benegas wines in the past, dating back 10-15 years, and we have a history with them.

They have a history as well. Tiburcio Benegas founded Trapiche winery in Mendoza in 1883 and it was sold to the Pulenta family in 1971. Frederico Benegas Lynch lived at the Trapiche winery until it was sold, then in 1999 bought the Fincas Libertad winery which was one of the family’s former properties and Benegas winery was founded.

The key point is that this is a producer with a long history, not some made up ‘brand’, and they make surprisingly soulful wines at a number of price levels. That’s what we recalled about them from our previous experiences at the old location, and that is still true today. Simply, we can’t do this in California for this kind of price because we don’t have the terroir, mature vineyards or appropriate economics to do so. We’ve made that point before so we’ll leave it at that. You can get surprising good Cab outside the U.S. for not a lot of coin if you take the time to look and are willing to ‘kiss a lot of frogs’. We do that for you.

The Benegas Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza Luna 2019 is 100% Cabernet from Finca Libertad situated at 2800 feet elevation and harvested at lass than four tones an acre, less than a lot of Napa producers who sell their wines for a lot more. This Cab sees four months in barrels to round it out. A great option for under $15, we’re glad to have Benegas back around as we hadn’t seen them in some time. Black fruit, round tannins, surprising substance and a unique chocolate/earth that is particular to a number if the Benegas reds, what’s not to like? There’s surprising character here for a mere $12.

It got nice notes from James Suckling as well, “Pretty, vivid Cabernet Sauvignon with dark currant, fresh tobacco and hints of cedar on both the nose and palate. Medium body, lightly fine tannins and a delicious finish. ..92 points.”

LAFAGE NARASSA 18: LAFAGE DELIVERS AGAIN

As many times as we have promoted wines from the portfolio of Jean-Marc Lafage, it would be hard to imagine that we haven’t covered every conceivable aspect of the winery’s background. To give you a short synopsis we will pull a few lines from the Wine Advocate, longtime cheerleader for Lafage through multiple writers over the years, and his remarkable value portfolio. From current Advocate Rhone editor Joe Czerwinski, “The dynamic Jean Marc Lafage has rapidly expanded his holdings and production in the past decade, since he began working with American importer Eric Solomon. There’s a huge, state-of-the-art winery and a seemingly endless number of cuvées to taste through… Even if I’m slightly less enthusiastic than the previous WA reviewer about some of the entry-level wines, there are still many screaming values in the lineup…”

Like the man said, there are seemingly endless bottlings to evaluate, but we always make it a point to check out anything from Jean Marc because his ‘hit rate’ over the last decade or so has been amazing, and the ‘value factor’ virtually unmatched. The hits just keep on coming. Today’s subject is one of the more recent additions to the extensive Lafage lineup, kicking off in 2014. We sold a good bit of that 2014 Domaine Lafage Narassa in a very short time back in November of 2016, no surprise, really, given the review (Wine Advocate 93) and the price ($15.98). We had another good run with the 2017 last year, a Jeb Dunnuck 94.

We tasted the newest edition, now called Famille Lafage Cotes Catalanes Narassa 2018, recently and felt that Jean Marc was ‘in the money’ once again. Since that 2014 opening salvo, every wine scored over 91 points and sold for under $20. Broad and ample in the mouth, the 2018 had plenty of round fruit, supple, laid-back tannins, well integrated acidity and a subtle streak of minerality courtesy of the black schist soils around the Roussillon town of Maury. The grapes are sourced from 60+-year-old vines, the old vines sitting in unique, aforementioned black schist soils in a fairly remote area in southern France. This distinct, somewhat ‘wild’ area is an important key to the special character of the wines from this region.

We aren’t surprised that Jeb Dunnuck was on board once again. How can you not cheer for a producer that is making wines that are both ample and nuanced for this kind of price! Jeb’s take on the 2018 Narassa, “ Almost all Grenache yet with 8% Syrah, the deep purple 2018 Narassa gives up a gorgeous bouquet of blueberries, kirsch liqueur, smoked game, violets, and lavender. It’s rich, medium to full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, and has a great finish…93 points.”

If a player is on a hot streak, you want to get the ball in their hands. Lafage definitely is in the ‘zone’ and has been for a while. We have sold a lot of Lafage over the years, and for good reason. But each of the bottlings we have offered, while generally uniform in the sense that they perform well above their stations and provide superb value, are each of distinctive personality as well.

These days many value wines are not ‘created in the vineyard’. The winemaking ‘formula’ overrides everything else. That is the beauty of Lafage. The wines not only deliver quality and value, but retain the character and purity of their region as well. One of importer Eric Solomon’s credos is ‘place over process’. None of his expansive legion of wineries is any better an example of that than Lafage. Once again, as always, it’s a lot of wine for the fare ($19.98).