2019 – Page 2

ANOTHER VALUE CAB FIND (LIKE UNDER $20!)

It’s always good to find a well-performing California Cabernet Sauvignon at a great price. It has been a prime directive of ours almost since ‘day one’. But it should be stressed that, over the next couple of years as the market deals with the aftermath of the 2020 wildfires, this particular crusade is only going to get harder. Finding an ample, tasty Cab for under $25 is a greater achievement than it has ever been. For that reason, we are digging harder than ever, our task even more difficult because of our own unwavering standards.

That said, there are still things in the broad market from the very good 2018 and 2019 vintages out there at present that one should consider stockpiling to get through the ‘dark times’. Our latest find is Valravn Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County 2109, the California wine project that has been building over the last decade as an adjunct for an importing company. Over that time they have developed sourcing relationships that are clearly paying off if this wine is any indication.

This is an ample, ripe Cabernet is composed of 92% Cab and the remaining 8% a mix of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. The grapes hail from a variety of Sonoma County vineyards including the sub-appellations of Dry Creek Valley, Moon Mountain, Sonoma Valley, and the cooler Knights Valley.
Combining elevations, aspects, climates, and soil types allowed the producers to blend the components for a seamless composition.

In the cellar, it is handled like an expensive wine. Hand-sorted grapes undergo an extended cold-soak followed by primary fermentation in stainless steel. The wine is then racked to French oak barrels (new, second use, and neutral) for 18 months of aging. After aging, the wine was gravity settled and bottled unfined and unfiltered.

There are a few stumbling blocks on the marketing end. For example, as you’ll note, the juice came from Sonoma. They do grow some fine Cabernet there however. Just think back to the delicious Sinegal Details bottling we offered a while back. But Napa has done a better job of promotion.

Also, the name looks like someone forgot to buy a vowel. But the name is in fact a reference to Danish folklore where ‘regular’ ravens who ate the hearts of kings felled in battle became supernatural. Sounds more like an episode of ‘Vikings’ than a name for a wine but we aren’t ‘judging’. Besides, the value here supersedes all of that.

The happy outcome of all of this is a big, juicy, fruit driven display of black fruits laced with flecks of clove, spice, espresso and dark chocolate. Deep color, honest fruit, sleek texture, this delivers far beyond its remarkably modest price point ($19.98).

BEAUTIFUL ‘OLD SCHOOL’ RED BURGUNDY

The first paragraph of the importer’s reference to this domaine read like this, ” One of the best-kept secrets in the historic Burgundy village of Vosne-Romanée is the husband and wife team of Fabrice and Christine Vigot. Their humble demeanor and low profile belie their outsized talent and influence on some of Vosne’s most famous Pinot Noir wines – and it is past time that their wines received the attention they’ve for so long deserved.”

His appraisel is spot in. We couldn’t find anything is the old familiar places except a couple reviews that were a decade old. It’s almost like these folks were in witness protection even though they the family has been a backbone in a rather famous domaine. Most Burgundy collectors should know the name Mugneret-Gibourg. In the 1960s, Dr. Georges Mugneret hired Fabrice Vigot’s father to tend a number of his prized vineyards in a crop-sharing agreement, including grand cru Echezeaux and plots in Nuits-Saint-Georges and Vosne-Romanée. The contract was passed down to Fabrice, who with his wife, Christine, continued his father’s exacting work.

Burgundy wine begins in the vineyard. Everyone will tell you that . That Mugneret-Gibourg Burgundy wines are legend is news to no one who is into Burgundy. But that the foundation upon which that legend stands was actually supported by a modest grower couple down the road. That gives us a good foundation for introducing this label that is in the U.S. of A. forthe first time.

Fabrice and Christine started their own domaine in 1990, combining some of Fabrice’s family’s land in Vosne and Nuits-Saint-Georges with vineyards that Christine inherited from her family in Gevrey-Chambertin, along with the addition of the metayage land from the Mugnerets.

From the importer, “What’s important to note is that this hard-working, generations-deep Burgundian family – particularly among the rarified air of Vosne-Romanée – are hands-in-the-soil growers, first and foremost. Caring for their few acres according to organic principles (with a more recent focus on biodynamics), Fabrice and Christine craft Burgundy wines that are earthy and soulful and utterly transparent to their underlying terroir. Crucially, each of their older-vine plots – all villages-level vineyards – perform far above their station…”

They no longer work for the Mugnerets because the whims of Nature (a frost in 2016) made it difficult for them to continue. Today the family farms only their own vineyards, some six acres across Vosne, Nuits-Saint-Georges and Gevrey-Chambertin. The Fabrice Vigot Gevrey Chambertin Le Etelois 2019 is from a beautifully situated lieu dit, ‘low profile’ parcel that touches both Grand Cru Chappelle Chambertin and Premier Cru Petite Chappelle. The oldest vines date back to the 1960s.

The Vigot Gevrey Le Etelois 2019 shows the classic ‘old school’ Burgundy nose of persistent cherry with overtones of forest floor, spice, and wild herbs. One the palate there is a broad, layered center of red and black cherry with elements of spice, clove, earth, and smokey oak adding to the tapestry of flavors. You’ve got it all…substance, focus, terroir, sweet fruit, elegance, and balance. There’s a pleasing hint of rusticity and little more restraint than a lot of the overtly giving, ‘hey sailor’ 2019 red Burgundies.

You might call this a beautiful anachronism, something of a throwback, terroir driven style in the sense of overall personality but with modern cleanliness, and purity of fruit. This won’t jump out of a tasting of 2019s because it is a more restrained style. But it is deceptively loaded and built to please real Burgundy aficionados. We’re confident it could hang with most Premier Crus at twice the price.

THERE’S A NEW KID IN TOWN: WITH RAVISHING BEAUJOLAIS

We’ve been crusaders for Beaujolais for a long time as most of you know. Thew region has been seeing quite a revival recently as some new faces are starting to appear. While we have been long acquainted with Bernard Burgaud, one of the blue chip names in Beaujolais, this Burgaud is new to us but definitely got our attention.

Alexandre Burgaud is, relatively speaking, new to the wine scene in Beaujolais, having purchased vines in 2013. A rising star, his property comprises 12 hectares which were purchased from among plots that the family had worked for generations. Alexandre has it in mind to purchase additional parcels, some of which he currently rents.

The style here is very traditional. A semi-carbonic vinification in concrete vats, using all the stems, creates wines that are fruit forward and, in this case, gushing with character. It is finished in older barrels.

This particular wine is from a section of Beaujolais called Lantignié, where Alexandre’s best parcels are located. The vines exceed 50 years-of-age and are situated in rocky, blue granite soils that bear a resemblance to those of the Cote de Py, one of Beaujolais’ most renowned vineyards.

Some suggest this particular small vineyard could receive Cru status some day, which of course goes beyond winemaking into politics. But given our limited experience with this source, we’ll suggest Alexandre can make a pretty good case.

This wine had the kind of layered, sweet, dark fruits that would win friends easily. As an example from the appealing 2019 vintage, it also carried that plush texture that brings one back for more. It was too easy to drink and, clearly, one didn’t have to be any kind of wine genius to ‘get’ this Beaujolais.

William Kelley of WIne Advocate had good things to say about the domaine, “I identified this 12-hectare domaine, founded in 2013, as one to watch in my last Beaujolais report, and this more extensive tasting confirmed Alexandre Burgaud’s talents…Fleshy and flavorful, with the substance to age but plenty of near-term appeal, these are nicely made wines which come recommended.”

Kelley’s notes on this Alexandre Burgaud Beaujolais Villages Lantignié 2019 definitely coincide with our impressions, especially the use of the term ‘bursting’, “Bursting with aromas of cherries, berries and spices, the 2019 Beaujolais-Villages Lantignié is medium to full-bodied, round and succulent, with lively acids, melting tannins and a generous core of fruit. Slightly more dynamic and lively than the rounder, more gourmand 2018, this has turned out very well…92 points.”

‘Turned out very well’ seems a bit of an understatement, but suffice it so say this is a versatile, hedonistic, and well priced ($18.98) beverage that everyone should check out. The ‘new kid’ has got chops.

CAB ALERT AND REDUB OF THREAD FEATHER ‘STAG’S’

We’ve mentioned this in passing in a number of articles and emails but felt we should take a moment to make the point specifically here as well. There are shortages on the horizon of some of your favorite beverages. Thanks to the wildfires in northern California in 2020, which occurred rather late in the growing season, a number of vineyards containing later harvested varietals like Cabernet were affected by smoke taint.

There are those that will tell you that smoke taint in grapes can be ‘handled’ in the cellar. That is a subject for debate and we definitely don’t agree. Neither do most producers and most of the quality Napa vintners will not be bottling Cabernets from the 2020 vintage.

Bottom line? There will be less Cabernet to go around, obviously, if you eliminate the majority of an entire vintage. Some vintners will choose to the conserve and stretch the ’18 and ’19 vintages to cover the gap. Others will simply clamp down and protect the wines for restaurants (so you can pay more for them) or raise prices. Other simply won’t have anything to sell. In short, there will be much less to choose from for what we estimate to be a period of 18 to 24 months.

So what does one do? Simply, by a little more now and put it aside. The 2018 and 2019 vintages are quite good and still fairly available, so the old adage of a ‘bird in the hand’ is very appropriate right now. We are doing to do our best to build our own back stocks of reds to ride the storm, but there is only so much we can do.

While we’re on that subject, we went back an bought out the rest of the delightful Thread Feather Cabernet Napa Valley Stag’s Leap 2019 which we offered via email late last year. A high-quality $69-list Napa Cabernet for under $40 is a good place to start your Cabernet ‘survival kit’. Thread Feather Winemaker Niel Koch has trained at elite places, with Philip Melka at Seavey Vineyards, Bryant Family and Vineyard 29, as well as a stint as Assistant Winemaker at Lewis Cellars. He knows what great wine is supposed to taste like.

This particular bottling is important for a lot of reasons, though a Cabernet this good for this kind of price is always relevant. This, and the 2018 Howell Mountain, were the elite efforts of a serious run of excellent Cabernets from Thread Feather. The blend is 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc grown on an eastern facing slope on the west side of the Silverado Trail.

The Thread Feather Cabernet Sauvignon Stag’s Leap is bright and opulent with dark fruit notes of dark cherry and blueberry compote and hints of baking spice, cedar, violet, crushed stone and a slight whiff of mint. It is rich with beautiful structure, superb balance, polished tannins, and luscious layers of fruit that represent the nuances of Stag’s Leap, the appellation, to a tee. Simply put, this wine blew us away, and you know we don’t say that kind of thing all that often.

We’ve seen plenty of top-end, ‘reserve’ bottlings from Stag’s Leap wineries at three to five times the price that don’t deliver this much character and joy. A gorgeous, hedonistic Cabernet even in its impetuous youth, at $39.98, you’ll feel like you got away with something that was mismarked.

ANOTHER GREAT ‘UNDER-THE-RADAR” NAPA CAB

We’re always looking for another sneaky good Napa Cabernet at a great price no matter what. The upcoming shortage of Napa Cabernet (and a few other things) thanks to the 2020 wildfires has made the search even more urgent. A lot of folks haven’t really taken our message that seriously but, as an example of what we are talking about, our supplier just informed us that there will be no Cakebread Chardonnay available for retail until September! Armagedden? Maybe not quite, but certainly worth noting.

This one is a bit unique in a “French connection” sort of way. Winemaker Christine Barbe was born and raised in Bordeaux France. She studied biochemistry and received her doctorate degree in Enology and Viticulture from the Bordeaux Institute of Enology. Her knowledge of Sauvignon Blanc is extensive as she made wine at Chateau Carbonnieux and La Louviere in Pessac-Leognan as well as the renowned Denis Dubourdieu.

WHile the winery seems to be best known for Sauvignon Blanc, which has a style that mimics a white Bordeaux, clearly she picked up a few nuggets on Cabernet while she was at it. The style of the Terroir Coquerel Cabernet Sauvignon Walnut Wash 2019 definitely shows a Bordeaux sensibility and elegance, but still has the richness and body of something New World.

Plush and tender for its age and definitely in that value price range for Napa Cabernet, there’s a seamless presentation of blue fruits with notes of of savory spice, cocoa, and toast that delivers a nicely proportioned mouthful that will deliver substance alongside grilled red meats while not being s0 ‘big’ that it will overpower food. Nicely defined, lovely Cabernet, there aren’t any current reviews on this bottling but, in the upcoming Cabernet crisis, this is a fantastic option to have on hand from both a performance and price perspective.

MORE AFFORDABLE, DELICIOUS RED BURGUNDY

This is a period to turn every stone in Burgundy and see as much as one possibly can. Since 2015, there haven’t been any ‘dog vintages’, with every vintage having its share of generally plush, tender, engaging wines. We have found a number of reds that are gushing with ripe, supple, lusty red fruit that have repeatedly proven to be imminently likeable. Also, thanks to the vintages success, likely with an ‘assist’ from global warming, the juicy demeanor has ‘trickled down’ to every quality level, including typically modest ‘village’ bottlings.

To that end, we are pleased to present this Chorey Les Beaune Le Grand Saucy 2019 from Robert Gibourg, another shining example of a well-priced, remarkably engaging nature red Burgundy from the latter half of this decade. Robert Gibourg, born in 1942, inherited about 1 hectare of very old vines from his parents in the Cote de Nuits and from his grandfather in the Cote de Beaune.

In 1975, Robert Gibourg married Marie Therese, whose family was a winemaking family in Ladoix and, a year later, Marie Therese’s uncle retired and Robert Gibourg has been farming his parcels under metayage ever since, including parcels in Ladoix, Aloxe Corton including a small amount of Grand Cru Corton. Robert continued to expand the domaine to its current size of about six hectare (approximately 14.5 acres) including this parcel of Chorey Les Beaune Les Grande Saucy purchased in 1999.

These days the estate is run son-in-law Sebastien Bidault. Yields are kept low, and all grapes are hand-harvested. No chemical fertilizers are used and the soil is turned to promote diversity and health. All wines are vinified at the domaine in Morey-Saint-Denis. Grapes are de-stemmed in most years. The must is cold-soaked for 3-5 days to extract color and aroma from the skins. Fermentation is 100% natural, and the wine sees 16-18 months in barrels (30% new) and then is bottled unfiltered and unfined.

The 2019 Chorey Les Beaune Le Grande Saucy comes from a single vineyard (lieux dit) that, as the crow flies, is closer to the village of Aloxe Corton than the village of Chorey. The nose shows plenty of inviting dark cherry fruit with subtle but intriguing notes of violet and spice. Packed with red fruits with a supporting snip of acidity, this is a riper version of classic Burgundy with plenty of fruit to the midpalate but a little more old school chew to the edge. Another great go-to from a generous vintage, these are definitely good times for Burgundy drinkers because you can find delightful wines that won’t break the bank. We also have a little bit left of the delightful, plush, energetic 2018 Chorey Les Beaune Le Grande Saucy . Both sell for the modest fare of $34.98.

SERIOUSLY GOOD, SEXY 2019 COTE DU RHONE

It has been a great run for the southern Rhone again over the last five vintages (2015-2019). But on a hedonistic level, the 2019 vintage is perhaps the most striking. The wines have opulent, tender, round, engaging fruit and a sleek, supple palate feel right out of the gate. This surprising effort from Domaine de la Solitude is a pretty accurate poster child for what we are talking about.

There’s a lot of history here as the family are direct descendants of the Berberini family of Rome circa the 12^th Century, and have a Pope (Urban VIII) and a couple of Cardinals in their family tree. That probably doesn’t make a lot of difference with respect to what is in the glass. The estate was formed in the 17^th Century and has been in the hands of the Lancon family ever since. It was brothers Michel and Jean that took control of the estate in the 80s and raised the bar and now the estate is under the control of Michel’s son, Florent, who has maintained the traditional styling of the house but kicked up the farming aspects to improve the fruit. The 2019 vintage played nicely into Florent’s hands.

The Domiane de Solitude Cotes du Rhone 2019 is comprised of a selection portion of the traditional varietals of the southern Rhone. It is made up of 50% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre, 10% Cinsault, and the last 5% of Counoise, Terret, Muscardin, and Vaccarèse, all from sustainably farmed grapes. The varietals and vineyard parcels are fermented separately and then blended after an eight-month stay in vats.

The nose is an inviting mélanges of ripe red cherries and berries, with earthy spice and subtle garrigue woven throughout. In the mouth, the wine has a wave of plush, layered, shamelessly outgoing red cherry fruits with flecks of spice, cocoa, and a hint of anise. Tender yet lifted, lush and smooth from front to back, it’s hard to imagine something more likable. It’s a versatile and pretty darned handy choice for a variety of scenarios, particularly at under $14.

BEYOND VINHO VERDE

Most people that are familiar with Portuguese Vinho Verde see it as a delightful but typically simple quaff to accompany appropriate seafood preparations. But not all Vinho Verdes are created equal. Some producers take the wine a bit more seriously. Soalheiro has been a favorite of ours for a long time because, well, there’s just more to it as a rule. They make more than one expression of the genre, but our usual favorite is the one made from straight Alvarinho (the Portuguese name for Albarino). Yeah, it costs a little more than your typical ‘$10 or less’ versions, but there’s much more going on in the glass.

What we had never seen before is this version, Soalheiro Alvarinho Vinho Verde Primeiras Vinhas 2019. The story is that Soalheiro was a pioneer in the creation of Alvarinho wine in Melgaço. In the nineteen seventies (1974 to be exact), a passion for winemaking led João António Cerdeira, with the support of his father, António Esteves Ferreira, to plant the first Alvarinho vines and to create the first brand of Alvarinho in Melgaço in 1982, and one of the first Alvarinho brands in the sub-region of Monção and Melgaço. This area is located in northern Portugal, not terribly far south of Spain’s Raixas Bias region where Albarino thrives.

This particular bottling, which is grown organically and harvested by hand, comes from those original Alvarinho vines planted some 40 years ago (‘primeras vinhas’ means ‘first vines’). It also got a significant and rather exapnsive review from Decanter Magazine, “With two wines in our top 50 ‘Best In Show’of a great grape variety, though, resembles that of a great actor: the ability to subsume its own personality inside that of the place (or the character) it is representing or portraying. Compare this (our first ever Best In Show Vinho Verde) with its Galician peer, and you will see a clear difference. This Portuguese wine is much quieter aromatically — but haunting and tenacious, with hints of linden blossom and wet stone. It’s concentrated, cool, sheer, tongue-freshening … yet tenacious once again, with the presence and force of character which typifies its Moncao e Melgaco origins. That impression of a cool, wet granite landscape somehow conveyed by the wine lingers all the way through the long finish. .. 97 Points.”

You can bet this wine would have been an email for us given the wine’s remarkable expression in the glass, review and price ($26.98). Simply put, there wasn’t enough juice for that. Limited, grab this striking white while you can.

ANOTHER JUICY MAREMMA FROM A PROVEN SOURCE

Elisabetta Geppetti has been on quite the roll of late. She has been a favorite around here for a long time and her Saffreddi bottling is among the Tuscan elite. Her 2016 Fattoria Le Pupille Morellino di Scansano Riserva was a major feature for us as well as one of the stars of the show in our minds at the 2019 Tre Bicchiere tasting. She represents the best of Maremma at every level.

Fattoria de Pupille Morellino de Scansano is their ‘entry-level’ bottling, this one a lovely and generous effort from the 2019 vintage, another pretty sharp harvest based on what we have tasted so far. As a vintage ‘19s are little less structured than the 2016s, but boast plenty of accessible fruit and a juicy demeanor, very important with value-priced, ‘workhorse’ entries.

The Fattoria de Pupille Morellino de Scansano 2019 is a blend of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Alicante, and 5% Ciliegiolo. It sees only 6 months in stainless steel. This one hit the streets ready for service and, qualitatively and given the price, it’s a candidate for anyone’s ‘house red’ rotation. Sure it’s good with pizza and pasta, but it can work nicely with all manner of grilled meats as well. Dark cherry and mulberry, some wild herbs and notes of spice, there is plenty of substance with bright underpinnings of acidity and fairly tender edges for a youthful red.

Antonio Galloni’s breezy description sets the right tone, “The 2019 Morellino di Scansano is bright, perfumed and very easy to like. Drink this lithe, easygoing Morellino over the next few years, while the flavors remain bright. Dark red cherry, dried herbs and spice linger nicely.”

Similar sentiments from James Suckling, “A red with plum and cherry character, as well as hints of terracotta and rust. It’s medium-bodied with firm, tangy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. This is always a good, go-to red. Drink now… 92 points.” Quaff on.

INSIDERS’ VALUE NAPA SAUVIGNON BLANC

The wine business has many stories, but it is the juice that makes the story relevant. Picayune is a label that was founded in 2011 by Claire Ducrocq Weinkauf, a French native that grew up in Auvergne, and the wine is produced as part of the program of a small wine shop/mercantile in Calistoga. That in and of itself isn’t particularly grabbing. There are lots of small, seemingly cottage projects in places like Napa. But when we tasted the wine, clearly there had to be more to the story.

There was a certain presence to this Sauvignon that indicated someone was behind this that was more than just some elevated hobbyist. The Sauvignon Blanc was a proper Napa Sauv with bright pear, melon with a supportive underpinning of citrus, a thread of minerality, and bright acidity. The flavors, while not overbearing, are beautifully proportioned, pure, and subtly honed. Clearly there was more to this well-priced little Sauv Blanc than met the eye.

Digging deeper, we found that Claire was a trained winemaker who studied in France and ended up working at Paul Hobbs Cobos operation in Argentina, eventually coming to California. Picayune is a self described negociant operation with Claire selecting various lots that appealed to her and putting together wines based on what she found. This one, as the label states, is 94% Napa with a 6% dollop of Sonoma fruit. It’s 100% Sauvignon Blanc that is done in 70% stainless steel and 30% neutral barrels. She apparently has a consulting business as well involving some fairly impressive clients.

Fresh and vibrant at every turn, the Picayune Sauvignon Blanc 94% Napa County/6% Sonoma County 2020 isn’t stylistically flamboyant but it’s an elevated example of exactly what a quality Sauvignon from around there should taste like. You could easily drink the whole bottle without necessarily paying attention to the craftsmanship and precision, but it’s there. The price is definitely another plus, particularly for something that says Napa on it. But we suspect given the ‘casual’ presentation of the business overall that attractive pricing is part of the formula.

The Picayune Sauvignon Blanc 94% Napa County/6% Sonoma County 2020 is a delightful, unpretentious, sneaky find that fills a need and that was our motivation in bringing it in. You don’t find wines in this price range this well executed all that often. At the end of Claire’s profile, it made the point that Claire lived in Calistoga with her two children and her husband Aron Weinkauf, who is apparently the winemaker at Spottswoode. Like we said, there was more to this label than we knew going in. Stuff like this rarely makes it out of Napa. Delightful Sauvignon, sneaky value.