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 past week included a number of sparkling wines from here and there. Let’s start with a couple of Cap Classique wines from South Africa. For those unfamiliar with Cap Classique, it is a regulated sparkling wine designation from South Africa, requiring wines to be made in the traditional method, a la Champagne, with the secondary sparkling fermentation taking place in the bottle. The wines must be aged at least 12 months in the bottle before disgorging, and can be made from other grapes (most commonly Chenin Blanc) in addition to the traditional Champagne grapes of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier. The wines are classified according to residual sugar levels just as in Champagne (Brut, Extra Brut, Brut Nature, etc).
The two Cap Classique wines I’m recommending this week are excellent examples of the form. The first, a classic Champagne Blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Van Hunks would fit easily in any lineup of extended-tirage Champagnes. Likewise, the 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs from Genevieve Wines, which only makes sparkling wines, is quite classy and seductive. Both of these wines punch far above their weight in terms of value for money.
Closer to home, I can recommend a nice sparkling blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Hammerling Wines in Berkeley. The fruit comes from the expansive Escolle Vineyard is the estate vineyard of one of California’s best sparkling wine producers, Caraccioli Cellars, and an increasingly impressive source for great fruit destined to become sparkling wine.
I’m reviewing two wines from Haliotide Wines this week, a tiny labor-of-love sparkling wine outfit on the Central Coast started by Nicole Bertotti Pope (formerly of Domaine Carneros) and her husband Lucas Pope. Their Blanc de Blancs has a wonderfully piquant citrus quality, while their rosé has a really lovely balance between citrus and berry qualities that I found extremely appealing.
Lastly, I can recommend a very pretty sparkling Riesling from pioneering producer Dr. Konstantin Frank in New York’s Finger Lakes region. Made in the traditional method just like the rest of the sparkling wines this week, it is a very pleasing expression of lees-aged Riesling, and a steal at $25 or less per bottle.
Moving on from bubbles, let’s dally a little in South Africa, from whence I have three very interesting and exciting wines to recommend.
Let’s start with the “Herbarium” white wine from Maanschijn winery in South Africa’s Walker Bay region. Maanschijn means “moonshine” in Afrikaans, and this self declared low-intervention producer makes some outstanding wines, my favorite of which is this blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Semillon, and Chardonnay. It’s just an utterly compelling and complete wine oozing with deliciousness.
Next up, let’s walk a little more on the wild side, with a deep amber, skin-contact Grenache Blanc from Bosman Family Vineyards in Wellington, South Africa. It’s a perfectly delicious and very competent “orange wine” made from what I think is one of the better grapes for skin contact whites. Like the best such wines, it will prove incredibly versatile at the table.
Lastly, I can recommend a very nice South African Pinotage that has been treated more like Pinot Noir than the “old school” Pinotages (Pinotagi?) of South Africa, which are often picked extremely ripe and then aged in heavy doses of dark toasted new oak. Clocking in at a mere 12.5% alcohol and featuring 30% whole-cluster fermentation, this is Pinotage in its bright, crunchy phase, and all the better for it. Scions of Sinai in Stellenbosch does an excellent job with this wine which might just change your mind…
Source : https://www.vinography.com/2025/02/vinography-unboxed-week-of-1-26-25
