Hello and welcome to this week’s dig through the pile of wine samples that show up asking to be tasted. I’m pleased to bring you the latest installment of Vinography Unboxed, where I highlight some of the better bottles that have crossed my doorstep recently.
This week included a bunch of interesting wines, including a set from winemaker Margarida Serodio Borges, who runs Quinta do Fojo in Portugal’s Douro Valley. She also makes some wines in the neighboring Vinho Verde region as well, and we’ll start with those, made under the Casa da Bouça label. Loureiro is one of six white grapes traditionally grown in the Vinho Verde region, but it is less commonly found on its own. Casa da Bouças bottling of it is electric with acidity and tangy with sour lemon. That vibrant acidity also features in the “Blend” bottling, which combines several of the local white grapes into a savory herb and green apple package. Also in the nervy, mouthwatering category you’ll find their Rosé of Espadiero which features notes of sour rhubarb. I’ll talk more about their red wines in a moment.
I recently took a look at some of the better Italian grape varieties being produced in California for Jancis Robinson’s readers. I missed Gros Ventre‘s Fiano in that lineup, but I’m happy to recommend it highly here, as one of the best interpretations of that grape variety I’ve had from California. The winery also sent along their delicious Gamay and a really excellent Pinot Noir this week, all of which are worth seeking out.
Keeping with white wines for just a moment longer, I got two bottles from Trinafour Cellars recently, which was a surprise as I thought the winery had gone out of business (their website is inoperable and their Facebook page was last updated in 2021). But this little producer is apparently still alive and kicking, and making acid-driven wines from Mendocino county. Their Semillon and French Colombard are both racy and angular, ready to satisfy acid freaks like me.
I’ve long enjoyed the wines of Fort Ross Vineyard, perched high on the Sonoma Coast Range above the town of Fort Ross. They’ve recently introduced a less-expensive second label they call Sea Slopes, and they sent along their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from that label. I favor the Pinot slightly, but both are solid wines for their roughly $30 price point.
Returning for a moment to the Douro, the two Quinta do Fojo wines I’m recommending below represent the same terroir, but express it through grapes planted in 1986, and grapes plated around 1886. They’re an interesting comparison, with the older vines offering much more savory and earthy flavors, in part due to having been fermented with a good portion of whole clusters and traditional foot-treading in the granite tubs of the region known as lagars.
Lastly this week I have a couple more wines from Pride Mountain Vineyards, their 2021 Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon, and their 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon that includes grapes from their vineyards on both sides of the Sonoma/Napa county line. Both are excellent, but there’s a bright berry and mocha sweetness to the 2022 that charmed me.
Notes on all these below.
Tasting Notes
2020 Casa da Bouça Loureiro, Vinho Verde, Portugal
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of honey, baked apples, and crushed nuts. In the mouth, electric acidity makes flavors of lemon peel, lime, and unripe melon vibrate across the palate. Lovely stony notes are accompanied by a mouthwatering salinity. Very interesting. 100% Loureiro fermented in steel and aged on fine lees for 7 months. 10.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $22. click to buy.
2020 Casa da Bouça “Blend” White Blend, Vinho Verde, Portugal
Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of green apples, lime zest, and wet chalkboard. In the mouth, salty lime zest and green apple skin mix with a hint of bitter greens as fantastic acidity keeps things mouthwatering. That light vegetal bitterness lingers in the finish. A blend of Arinto, Trajadura, and Azal from 30-40-year-old vines. Fermented in steel, aged on fine lees for 7 months. 13% alcohol. 10,200 bottles made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $23. click to buy.
2023 Gros Ventre “Las Cimas Vineyard” Fiano, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma, California
Pale greenish gold in color, this wine smells of honey, ripe apples, and yellow herbs. In the mouth, bright and juicy flavors of lemon pith, unripe pears, green apple skin, and yellow herbs have excellent acidity and a nice silky texture. There’s a stony wet pavement note underneath it all. Very tasty. Whole-cluster pressed and fermented in steel. Ages 6 months in 75% Neutral oak & 25% Stainless.12.7% alcohol. 99 cases made. Score: around 9. Cost: $35. click to buy.
2023 Trinafour “Lolonis Vineyard” Sémillon, Mendocino County, California
Palest gold in color, this wine smells of lemon peel, white flowers, and bee pollen. In the mouth, tangy and sour lemon peel and lemon pith flavors are zippy and bright thanks to sharp acidity. There’s a wet chalkboard minerality under the wine, which leans towards the austere, with just a hint of vegetal bitterness in the finish. Whole-cluster pressed and settled before fermenting in old French oak with ambient yeasts. Malolactic blocked. Lees stirred bi-weekly for four months. 13.4% alcohol. 50 cases made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $23. click to buy.
2023 Trinafour “Casa Verde Vineyard” French Colombard, Mendocino County, California
Palest gold in the glass, this wine smells of green apple skin, lemon pith, and lime zest. In the mouth, tangy, sourish lime and lemon peel flavors mix with grapefruit pith and grapefruit juice. Do you like Sour Patch Kids? This wine is for you. Excellent acidity. Very tasty. Whole-cluster pressed and settled before fermenting in old French oak with ambient yeasts. Malolactic blocked. Lees stirred bi-weekly for four months. 13.2% alcohol. 50 cases made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $23.
2023 Fort Ross Vineyard “Sea Slopes” Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, California
Bright yellow-gold in the glass, this wine smells of candied lemon peel and lemon curd. In the mouth, lemon pith and lemon peel flavors mix with grapefruit and lemon curd. The flavors are slightly angular. Very good acidity. Spends 10 months in neutral French oak. 13% alcohol. 440 cases made. Closed with a screwcap. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $30. click to buy.
2020 Casa da Bouça Rosé of Espadeiro, Vinho Verde, Portugal
Light coppery pink in color, this wine smells of redcurrant, rhubarb, and unripe strawberries. In the mouth, tangy, sour flavors of rhubarb, unripe strawberries, crabapples, and rosehips have an angular acidity and stony backdrop. Lean and bright but also slightly austere. 100% Espadeiro grape from 32-year-old vines. Whole-cluster pressed and fermented in stainless steel. 12.5% alcohol. 2700 bottles made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $25. click to buy.
2022 Gros Ventre “Campbell Ranch” Pinot Noir, West Sonoma Coast, Sonoma, California
Medium garnet in color, this wine smells of raspberry pastilles and cherries. In the mouth, juicy bright raspberry and cherry flavors have a hint of dried herbs and flowers as faint powdery tannins coat the mouth. Excellent acidity and lovely balance. Delicious. 13.8% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $69. click to buy.
2023 Gros Ventre “Less Traveled” Gamay, California
Light garnet in color, this wine smells of mulberries and blood oranges. In the mouth, blood orange, mulberry, and sour cherry flavors have a wonderful tangy brightness to them and a faint salinity. Excellent acidity and balance. Very tasty. 20% whole-cluster fermented. Spends 9 months in neutral French oak. 13.1% alcohol. 30 cases made. Score: around 9. Cost: $??
2022 Fort Ross Vineyard “Sea Slopes” Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California
Light to medium garnet in color, this wine smells of raspberries, cherries, and cranberries with a hint of green herbs. In the mouth, bright raspberry and cranberry fruit flavors mix with a touch of pomegranate as excellent acidity keeps things bright and fresh. Spends 11 months in 20% new French oak. 13% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $32. click to buy.
2017 Quinta do Fojo Red Blend, Cima Corgo, Douro, Portugal
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry, black tea, and a hint of bergamot. In the mouth, fleecy tannins wrap around a juicy core of black cherry, blackberry, unripe blackberry, and dried herbs. Excellent acidity keeps things fresh, and the tannins stiffen slightly over time. A field blend of Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Francesa, Touriga Nacional, and Alicante Bouschet all from vines planted in 1986. 14% alcohol. 15,600 bottles made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $54. click to buy.
2017 Quinta do Fojo “Vinha do Fojo” Red Blend, Cima Corgo, Douro, Portugal
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of black cherry, earth, bitter herbs, and baking spices. In the mouth, a thick, fleecy blanket of tannins wraps around the palate as flavors of earth and black cherry mix with dried herbs. This wine is quite savory, with a faintly bitter edge. Excellent acidity. A field blend of Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Francesa, Touriga Nacional, and Tinta Cão all from vines planted in the late 19th Century. Fermented 30-50% whole cluster and in granite lagars and then aged in 60% new French oak for 23 months. 14% alcohol. 12,000 bottles made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $100. click to buy.
2021 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County, California
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of black cherry, toasted oak, and black plum. In the mouth, juicy flavors of black cherry and black plum have fantastic acidity and muscular tannins that grasp the palate and squeeze. Notes of dried herbs and licorice root linger in the finish along with the scent of oak. 14.6% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $93. click to buy.
2022 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, California
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of black cherry, blackberry, and sweet oak. In the mouth, flavors of black cherry, plum, and sweet oak mix with a hint of mocha and cola. Excellent acidity and brightness, with an herbal note accompanying the toasted oak in the finish. Powdery tannins coat the mouth and stiffen over time. A blend of 64% Napa County and 26% Sonoma County fruit. 14.6% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $95. click to buy.