Hello and welcome to my weekly 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 past week included a few nice bottles of Chardonnay. Let’s start with two from Gary Farrell winery, both of which have the bright acidity that I think is necessary to balance the ripeness that Chardonnay can feature in California. Both the Russian River Selection and the Westside Farms wines do the trick, with the latter being perhaps a bit more refined and with a more subtle use of wood.
I continue to be impressed with the wines of Eden Rift, the project that has been rehabilitating the Pietra Santa property in Cienega Valley. Their latest two Chardonnays, the estate and the Terraces are both excellent, but the Terraces bottling has some really spectacular aromatics going on that are quite intriguing. They sent their 2021 bottlings which I think are just about to hit the market this fall, so keep an eye out for those.
Patagonia is one of the more interesting frontiers of winegrowing around the world right now, which is why I was excited to try the Chardonnay from Otronia, one of the wineries in the portfolio of properties owned by Alejandro Bulgheroni. It’s bright and clean and distinctive. Otronia also sent along their Pinot Noir, which will appeal to those who like Pinot Noir on the lean side, with plenty of savory notes along with the fruit.
I also opened two Pinots from a small producer that is new to me from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Eila Wines is also new to the world, as these are owner Peter Sturn’s inaugural releases. Peter made his money in finance and after living in Europe for quite a while, returned to Oregon with the goal of making wine. I’m not clear whether he’s making the wine himself, or has a consulting winemaker, but these are competently done, and worth seeking out if you’re in the market for pricier Oregon Pinots.
Also new to me this week were the wines of Lopai Cellars, a father-and-son project in Paso Robles where Paul and Brian Lopez can trace their family’s roots back to at least 1826. Brian went away to college and began a career in software engineering, but has recently collaborated with his dad to launch the Lopai brand. The wines are made in a typical Paso Robles style: broad-shouldered and ripe with a healthy dose of new oak. Of the two wines I’m featuring this week I think I liked the Cabernet-dominated Heliotrope for the slightly higher natural acidity that the Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvèdre had over the Syrah.
Last but not least, I tasted through some wines from storied Valpolicella producer Brigaldara, which has been, in some incarnation or another, making wine and olive oil on the same hill in the region since the year 1100. The most current incarnation of Brigaldara the wine family began in 1928, when Renzo Cesari purchased the Brigaldara estate and began establishing its fame as a producer of Valpolicella wines, and Amarone in particular. Beginning in 2000, Renzo’s grandson Stefano Cesari, along with his two sons began a significant overhaul of the estate’s 116 acres of vineyards with an eye towards the next generation of production. The three wines I’m highlighting today include two of the estate’s Amarones and their Case Vecie Valpolicella, which I prefer for its lightly lower-octane interpretation of the Corvina and Corvinone grapes.
Notes on all these below.
Tasting Notes
2022 Gary Farrell Winery “Russian River Selection” Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Light yellow-gold in color, this wine smells of lemon curd, pomelo pith, and a hint of toasted oak. In the mouth, juicy flavors of lemon curd, sweet oak, pink grapefruit, and pomelo pith have a nice brightness thanks to excellent acidity. The oak is present but well integrated,…
Source : https://www.vinography.com/2024/07/vinography-unboxed-week-of-6-30-24
