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 week included a bunch of California wines, including a number of white wines from Anderson Valley, the little winegrowing paradise tucked over the hills in Mendocino County.
I always enjoy the wines of Foursight Wines in Anderson Valley, so I was happy to taste their 2022 Sauvignon Blanc this week, which offers A bright lemon and golden apple profile backed by a nice minerality.
Winemaker Ross Cobb is better-known for his extraordinary Pinot Noirs, but he’s been making Riesling for a number of years, including from the Vonarburg vineyard in Anderson Valley. The 2021 vintage, with a couple of years of bottle age is showing a touch of the mature aromas you get from an aged riesling, but otherwise has a lovely freshness.
Navarro Vineyards is one of California’s old-school producers who have been making honest, high-quality wines the same for decades without regard for changing fashions. They are also one of the pioneers of the white Alsatian grape varieties that have come to call Anderson Valley home over the years. I tasted three of their wines this week, including their Riesling, their dry Gewürztraminer, and their Edelzwicker, a white blend that is my favorite of the three. All are excellent values.
The Breggo Cellars brand went away for a while, after it sold its winery to FEL 2009, but the brand recently was purchased back by its original owner, so you’re going to start seeing Breggo wines on the market again. Their 2022 Gewürztraminer is aromatic and rich.
That same owner runs Lichen Estate, which makes an excellent white Pinot Noir, harvested slightly early and then pressed directly to tank. It’s got that wonderful tension between berry and citrus flavors that make still white Pinot Noir such an alluring wine.
Speaking of white Pinot, I’ve always enjoyed the PinoTrio wine from Pennyroyal Farm, which is a blend of the three Pinots (Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris). The combination ends up being more than the sum of its parts, and it’s a cracking deal for 30 bucks a bottle.
Lastly, let’s medidate for a moment over the steely, lean, energetic Chardonnay from LIOCO Wines who pick the Skycrest vineyard early to make their zippy, mineral-driven bottling that will likely age beautifully if you’re willing to wait for it.
Moving on to red wines, I’ve got three excellent bottles from young winemaker Jesse Katz, of Aperture Cellars this week. While I’m not a fan of the weight of his bottles, I’m definitely a fan of his winemaking, which walks a line between power and grace that proves dangerously compelling. His winery was built next to an old vineyard planted in 1912. After a few years of selling the grapes, Katz decided to bottle it as a field blend, and it has proved quite tasty. The 2021 version is nuanced and juicy with a shimmering mix of flavors.
Katz is well-known for his work with Cabernet Sauvignon, and his “Soil Specific” Cabernet from Sonoma County is a great example of why. Rich fruit is backed by fantastically bright acidity and incredibly supple tannins.
If Katz is well-known for his work with Cabernet, he’s all but revered for his work with Malbec under his Devil Proof Vineyards label, where he crafts the most highly-regarded Malbecs in California. This week I’m sharing my notes on his 2021 rendition from Rockpile Ridge, which has a toned, athletic power that is extremely compelling, managing that elusive trick of being rich without heaviness. It’s a blockbuster of a wine, from a stellar vintage.
Tasting Notes
2022 Foursight “Charles Vineyard” Sauvignon Blanc, Anderson Valley, Mendocino, California
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon and unripe apples….
Source : https://www.vinography.com/2024/09/vinography-unboxed-week-of-9-21-24
