Vinography Unboxed: Week of 7/12/26

Hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up on my doorstep 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 arrived recently.

This past week included a couple of Napa’s best white wines in the form of the two made by Inglenook, the historic estate that has been painstakingly resurrected by the team working for owner Francis Ford Coppola. Their Sauvignon Blanc is positively stellar, certainly one of the best in the valley, and their more oak-inflected, Bordeaux-style white blend is also excellent. I highly recommend both, and (in the bizarro world of Napa pricing) they’re both quite affordable.

The folks from Tasca d’Almerita in Sicily sent through a couple of bottles last week, their Etna Bianco and Etna Rosso wines from the Tenuta Tascante brand. Both are fresh, stony, and aromatic as many such wines from the volcano are. They’re also nice values as they can both be found for under $30 apiece.

I’ve also got two more white wines from Gainey Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley to recommend this week: their Sauvignon Gris, which has a very nice tropical quality, as well as their Chardonnay, which had just a touch more wood than I would like. Their estate Syrah also has its modicum of wood, but offers nice black fruits and good acidity that many will find appealing.

I also got a couple of new releases from the irrepressible Randall Grahm and his magnum opus of a vineyard he planted from seed, called Popelouchum. One of them, which he simply calls “Popelouchum Blanc,” might well be the best white wine I’ve ever had from his hands. It’s a lovely blend of Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris, and wonderfully delicious with a slightly flinty reductive character that is very appealing. The other wine, his “Exuberance” Pinot Noir, will appeal to those who enjoy more savory, herbal-inflected Pinot Noirs.

Finally, I’ve got a few wines from Virginia to recommend this week. The first is a Meritage (a proprietary term for wines made in the Bordeaux tradition that must contain at least two grape varieties and no more than 90% of them). The one I tasted this past week was mostly Merlot and Petit Verdot from 7 Lady Vineyards, and the tannins certainly wouldn’t let you forget about the Petit Verdot. But there was some nice freshness there, too, though the nasty, heavy bottle was a big turn-off, environmentally speaking.

The Michael Shaps Cabernet Franc offered a nice balance of berry and herbal tones with a strong note of oak and a touch of reduction, while the Valley Road Vineyards reserve Cabernet Franc was wonderfully fresh and balanced, making it perhaps one of the best Virginia wines I’ve had in a long while.

Notes on all these below.

Tasting Notes

2024 Inglenook Sauvignon Blanc, Rutherford, Napa, California
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon peel, lemon juice, green apple, and wet chalkboard. In the mouth, sour green apple, kiwi fruit, and lime juice flavors have a fantastic mouthwatering acidity and faint salinity. There’s a light chalky texture. Wonderfully fresh and delicious. 13% alcohol. Score: around 9.5. Cost: $40. click to buy.

2024 Inglenook “Blancaneaux” White Blend, Rutherford, Napa, California
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of vanilla, pears, and white peaches. In the mouth, wonderfully bright pear and white peach flavors have a stony breadth and crispness. There’s a faint saline quality here, along with a chalky texture lingering in the finish. Lovely freshness. 13.8% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $57. click to buy.

2025 Tascante “Buonora” White Blend, Etna, Sicily, Italy
Palest gold in the glass, this wine smells of lime zest, white flowers, and sea air. In the mouth, saline flavors of lemon pith and lime pith mix with pomelo and a hint of jasmine, as bright acidity keeps things juicy…