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 couple more wines from the Napa-goes-to-Finger-Lakes project called Trestle Thirty-One, by consulting winemaker Nova Cadamatre and her husband. The first is a classic expression of Finger Lakes Riesling, while the other is a perfectly competent Chardonnay. I wish both had a little more dynamism and complexity, but they’re both eminently drinkable.
I also received a bunch of new releases from Big Table Farm in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. These included two crystalline Chardonnays from different sub-appellations within the Willamette, both excellent and several regional and vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs, of which the Sunnyside Vineyard wine was my favorite for its balance of fruit and savory notes, along with its wonderfully refined texture.
Closer to home, I’m happy to recommend a few more stellar Pinot Noirs from Anderson Valley. The first, from Weatherborne Wine Company, features one of the best-named vineyards in California, the “Helluva Vineyard” and it’s a helluva wine, bursting with juicy raspberry and redcurrant fruit.
The Wentworth Vineyards bottling of Pinot from the Nash Mill vineyard is also compelling, with a bit more whole cluster grip and savoriness coming through, but equally bright fruit and refined tannins.
Lastly a really wonderful, slightly older vintage of Waits-Mast Family Cellars Pinot from the same vineyard showed exceptional finesse and the beginnings of some secondary aromas and flavors that proved very compelling. These bottles are probably hard to come by these days, but if you can find one, you won’t be disappointed.
Lastly, I’ve got two more wines to recommend from the Busch family’s Folded Hills project, with winemaking by the talented Angela Osborne of A Tribute to Grace. Their estate Grenache from 2017 is a knockout of red-fruited energy, while the Carbonic Syrah is a crunchy, tangy expression of black and blue fruits.
Notes on all these below.
Tasting Notes
2022 Trestle Thirty-One Riesling, Finger Lakes, New York
Pale greenish gold in color, this wine smells of pear and pastry cream. In the mouth, silky flavors of pear, citrus peel, and white flowers have a hint of tropicality but also not enough acidity to make the wine truly vibrant. There’s a faint minerality underneath the fruit that adds some complexity, but I find myself wishing for more zip. 12% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $32. click to buy.
2022 Trestle Thirty-One Chardonnay, Finger Lakes, New York
Near colorless in the glass with a hint of straw, this wine smells of vanilla and lemon pith. In the mouth, faintly salty lemon pith and vanilla notes mix with a hint of toasted, buttered sourdough. Lean and bright with very good acidity, but not a huge depth of flavor. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $38. click to buy.
2022 Big Table Farm Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Pale greenish gold in color, this wine smells of lemon pith, Meyer lemon zest, and pink grapefruit. In the mouth, wonderfully bright lemon pith and grapefruit juice flavors mix with a touch of toasted bread and a whiff of butterscotch, as very good acidity makes for a brisk experience. Notes of white flowers and orange peel linger in the finish. Excellent. 13.3% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $48. click to buy.
2022 Big Table Farm Chardonnay, Yamhill-Carlton District, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon pith and lemon curd. In the mouth, the wine has a wonderful crystalline quality, with lemon pith, lemon curd, and pink grapefruit flavors welded to a stony underbelly. Bright, very good acidity adds to the crisp, stony quality. A faint chalky quality lingers in…
Source : https://www.vinography.com/2024/10/vinography-unboxed-week-of-10-20-24
