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 nice pair of West Coast Rieslings. The first, from Erni Loosen’s Oregon-based Appassionata Vineyards, has a faint sweetness to counterpoint its stony, citrus underbelly. Loosen only makes wines in the best vintages, and only releases wines when he feels like they are truly ready to drink, as in the case of this 2018 vintage wine.
The second Riesling comes from Smith-Madrone high up on the side of Napa’s Spring Mountain. Brothers Charlie and Stu Smith have been making this bottling of Riesling for decades, and it is the most reliable expression of this particular grape variety produced in Napa. Fully dry, and brimming with citrus and asian pear flavors, it’s delicious, and ages very well.
The folks at Chateau Montelena sent through a couple of their new releases this week. Of the two, I preferred their Chardonnay, which is rendered in a lean, bright modern style, with nary a buttery, oaky note in sight. Their Cabernet Sauvignon comes across as slightly more predictable and oak-driven, but does show admirable restraint in the ripeness department.
I’m a sucker for skin-contact Pinot Gris, and was consequently happy to taste the latest rendition of their Limited Addition‘s Old Vine Pinot Gris from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Looking very much like a rosé, this wine has wonderful aromatics and the tannic structure that makes skin-contact wines such food-friendly wines.
Mendocino-focused boutique label Minus Tide sent along a couple of their newest releases as well. Their Anderson Valley Pinot Noir is currently showing much more oak influence than I’m used to, which distracts from the wine’s pretty cool-climate fruit. Their Yorkville Highlands Cabernet Sauvignon, on the other hand, is a dead ringer for 1970s-style California Cabernet, with lovely herbal notes in counterpoint to its blackcurrant, cherry, and plum brightness. It also shows a bit of oak, but if you leave it alone for a few years, I think the wood will integrate beautifully.
Markus Niggli is a Lodi-based winemaker with something of a specialty in the region’s old-vine vineyards. This week I’m tasting two of his wines. The first is an old-vine field blend from a vineyard planted in 1938, brimming with bright red and black fruits, though with perhaps more new oak than I think it should have. The second wine, an old-vine Shiraz, holds its wood a bit better, with dark iodine and blackberry notes.
Last but not least, I’ve got two more releases from Unti Vineyards in Dry Creek Valley this week: their Segromigno blend of Sangiovese and Montepulciano, and their Barbera. I liked both of these wines, with the Segromigno bright with cherry fruit and the Barbera offering its usual black cherry and citrus peel snap. I think both will age nicely.
Notes on all these wines below.
Tasting Notes
2018 Appassionata Vineyards “GG” Riesling, Chehalem Mountains, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of honeysuckle, aromatic herbs, and citrus. In the mouth, faintly sweet flavors of mandarin orange and tangerine mix with white flowers and a hint of dried herbs. There’s a light chalky texture in the finish, and a nice stony underbelly to the wine. Excellent acidity. 14% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $50. click to buy.
2021 Smith-Madrone Riesling, Spring Mountain District, Napa County, California
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of honeysuckle, beeswax, and mandarin orange peel. In the mouth, Asian pear, mandarin zest, and pomelo pith flavors have a stony, wet chalkboard quality as excellent acidity puckers the cheeks and makes the saliva flow. Perfectly dry, with just a hint of paraffin and herbs. 13.2% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $40. click to buy.
2023 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, Napa Valley, Napa County, California
Pale greenish gold in color, this wine smells of lemon curd and white flowers. In the mouth, lemon pith, lemon oil, orange peel, and pink grapefruit flavors are zingy and bright with just a hint of toasted nuts and oak. Very bright, mouthwatering acidity. 13.9% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $75. click to buy.
2022 Limited Addition “Old Vine – Skin Fermented” Pinot Gris, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Pale blood red with orange highlights, this wine smells of orange peel, dried flowers, and strawberries. In the mouth, citrus peel, strawberry, wet leaves, and a hint of linalool have a faint, gauzy tannic texture and very good acidity. 12.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $42. click to buy.
2023 Minus Tide “Hacienda Sequoia Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, Mendocino County, California
Medium garnet in color, this wine smells of cranberries, dried herbs, earth, and a hint of sweet oak. In the mouth, sweet oak flavors mix with raspberry and cranberry as forest floor flavors linger with the oak in the finish. Fluffy, fleecy tannins stay supple throughout. I’m tasting too much wood at this point in the wine’s evolution. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $60. click to buy.
2022 Markus Wine Co. “The Church – Ancient Blocks” Red Blend, Mokelumne River, Lodi, California
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cherries, blackberries, mulberries, and a hint of sweet oak. In the mouth, black and blue fruits mix with sweet oak and a faint, gauzy tannic texture. Very good acidity here, but a touch too much wood flavor for my taste. A field blend planted in 1938. 14.1% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $41. click to buy.
2023 Markus Wine Co. “Old Vine Shiraz” Syrah, Mokelumne River, Lodi, California
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of iodine, blackberries, and earth, with a hint of spice. In the mouth, fleecy tannins coat the mouth and wrap around a faintly saline core of blackberry and black cherry fruit that has a hint of sweet oak that lingers in the finish. I wish I tasted less of the oak. Very good acidity. Contains 3% Carignan, 1% Alicante Bouschet, and 1% Petite Sirah. 14.7% alcohol. 100 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $41.
2022 Unti Vineyards “Segromigno” Red Blend, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California
Medium to dark garnet in the glass with ruby highlights, this wine smells of cherries, strawberries, and sandalwood. In the mouth, aromatically sweet cherry and strawberry notes mix with dried herbs and a touch of sweet oak. Supple, fine-grained tannins coat the mouth, as excellent acidity and a touch of minty herbs keep things fresh on the palate. The wood shows a bit in the finish, along with a touch of alcoholic heat. A blend of 66% Sangiovese and 24% Montepulciano. 14.6% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $38. click to buy.
2023 Unti Vineyards Barbera, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California
Inky dark purple in color, this wine smells of blackberries, sour cherries, and flowers. In the mouth, blackberry, black cherry, and sour cherry flavors are shot through with orange peel and a hint of herbs. Fleecy mouth-coating tannins stiffen slightly over time. Excellent acidity and a hint of sweet oak in the finish. 14.8% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $36. click to buy.
2022 Minus Tide “Vine View Ranch” Cabernet Sauvignon, Yorkville Highlands, Mendocino County, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blackcurrant, cherry, chopped green herbs, and plums. In the mouth, bright plum skin, blackcurrant, cherry, and chopped green herbs have a hint of mint and a hint of sweet oak. Supple mouth-coating tannins have a very fine grain and stiffen slightly over time, but overall this wine feels like a throwback to classic 1970s California Cabernet. Impressive. 14.2% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $60. click to buy.
2021 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon, Calistoga, Napa County, California
Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry, blueberries, and toasted oak. In the mouth, fleecy tannins coat the mouth and dry it slightly as a core of black cherry, cola, blackcurrant, and sweet oak coats the palate. Decent acidity, but just too much wood influence here for me. Give it 5 years for best results. 14.1% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $85. click to buy.
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