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 I’ve got a couple more wines from the Edio Vineyards label by Delfino Farms, the El Dorado County family farm that has been making some of the better wines coming out of that high-elevation appellation. Their white blend of Viognier, Roussanne, and Picpoul has a nice pear-and-citrus complexion. Their neutral-oak-aged Grenache showcases the new profile of that grape that is proving so compelling: savory, crunchy, and delicious.
Speaking of crunchy, how about a wine from 2024? Nouveau isn’t confined to France. A few select producers in California have been making nouveau-style wines released shortly after harvest for a while. Ron Rubin’s label River Road Vineyards has done so off and on since 2012. I just received their 2024 effort, which is an ebullient and playful interpretation of Pinot Meunier that asks little of you for $17 and delivers bright fun fruit.
Many of the rest of this week’s wines are from Beauregard Vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains, another family-run operation with a long history of growing in the region, stretching back to just after prohibition in 1945. Winemaker Ryan Beauregard’s great-grandparents carved out some vineyards on the slopes of Ben Lomond Mountain and the family has been growing grapes ever since. Ryan makes a range of Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and an occasional Cabernet Sauvignon from his family ranch. This week I’m highlighting a number of those wines, my favorites of which include a nouveau-style wine that is a carbonically macerated Pinot Noir, as well as his concrete-egg-fermented Pinot that has a lovely purity to it. He’s also sent along a Chardonnay, his larger-production Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir, and a reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.
Lastly, I’ve got a single-vineyard Pinot Noir from The DONUM Estate to recommend, for those who like a richer style of Pinot Noir, their Year of the Tiger Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley.
Notes on all these below.
Tasting Notes
2023 Edio Vineyards “Robyn’s Blend” White Blend, El Dorado, Sierra Foothills, California
Palest gold in the glass, this wine smells of pears, lemon pith, and dried herbs. In the mouth, juicy pear and lemon peel flavors mix with a hint of salinity and a touch of melon. Pretty, with nice acidity and a hint of a tannic grip. A blend of 60% Viognier, 35% Roussanne, and 5% Picpoul grown between 1250 and 2850 feet of elevation. Barrel fermented and aged 5 months in 15% new French oak. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $34.
2022 Beauregard Vineyards “Bald Mountain Vineyard” Chardonnay, Ben Lomond Mountain, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon pith and hints of sappy new oak. In the mouth, silky textured flavors of lemon curd and lemon oil mix with grapefruit and the sweet scents of oak. I wish there was a bit more acidity here. 13.5% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $68. click to buy.
2024 River Road Family Vineyards and Winery “Nouveau” Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Light ruby in the glass, this wine smells of bright cherry fruit with dried herbs. In the mouth, bouncy and floral cherry and strawberry notes are uncomplicated and fresh, with good acidity, and barely perceptible tannins. Fun. Carbonically macerated Pinot Meunier, though the wine is labeled generically as ‘red wine.’ 12.5% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $17.
2023 Edio Vineyards Grenache, El Dorado, Sierra Foothills, California
Light garnet in color, this wine smells of strawberries, dried herbs, and a touch of dashi. In the mouth, faintly saline flavors of strawberry, flowers, and dried herbs have a nice…
Source : https://www.vinography.com/2024/11/vinography-unboxed-week-of-11-17-24
