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 I tried two more of the current releases from Raventos i Blanc, the venerable Spanish sparkling wine producer who makes some of the most compelling sparkling wines in the Penedes region of Spain. Their dedication to single-site production and indigenous grape varieties in the region has caused them to withdraw from all of the DO organizations they might ordinarily belong to in their region, so the wines are just labeled as Spanish sparkling wines, but don’t let that fool you. These are serious bubbles. In particular, I loved the latest vintage of their De la Finca blend.
I’ve also been working my way through a bunch of Virginia wines and have several to recommend, starting with a tasty Vermentino from Barboursville Vineyards. Vermentino isn’t a grape I associate with Virginia, but this one was quite competently made. Petit Manseng, on the other hand, is one of the most successful white grapes in the region, and a taste of the bottle from The Winery at La Grange will give you an understanding of why. Nicely balanced, aromatic, and wonderfully bright, it’s a pleasure to drink.
Virginia is also known for its Bordeaux blends, and the three reds I’m recommending this week bear out that reputation. The CrossKeys Vineyards Cabernet Franc has a wonderful freshness to it and a classic profile. The Pollack Vineyards Reserve Merlot has a nice dark complexion but also some savory notes to complement the rich fruit. And the Glen Manor “Vin Rouge” offers a nice melange of herbal and blue fruit flavors along with toasted oak.
Finally, I am pleased to recommend some current and upcoming releases from Inglenook, Francis Ford Coppola’s historic estate in Napa. I reviewed their white wines last week, and this week I’m featuring their estate Cabernet Sauvignon and the top bottling they call Rubicon. The 2023 versions of both wines are fantastic, showing all the elegance that the very cool vintage had to offer. The 2024s reflect the slightly warmer year and are excellent as well, though perhaps not reaching the heights of the 2023s, at least not yet. If you enjoy the more elegant, lower-alcohol side of Napa wines, these wines will delight you.
Notes on all these follow below.
Tasting Notes
2023 Raventos i Blanc “De La Finca” White Blend, Spain
Yellow gold in the glass, with medium-fine bubbles, this wine smells of lemon and ripe apples with a hint of herbs. In the mouth, a voluminous mousse delivers bright floral lemon and pastry cream flavors across the palate while excellent acidity and a stony wet-pavement minerality make for an elegant, refined quality. Very pretty. A blend of 60% Xarel·lo, 30% Macabeu, and 10% Parellada fermented in stainless steel and concrete. Malolactic conversion inhibited. Secondary fermentation in the bottle, where the wine ages on the lees for 30 months. Certified organic. 12% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $39. click to buy.
2022 Raventos i Blanc “Textures de Pedra” White Blend, Spain
Bronze-gold in the glass with medium-fine bubbles, this wine smells of berries, herbs, and baked apples. In the mouth, a muscular mousse delivers flavors of baked apples, dried orange peel, dried herbs, and wet chalkboard as excellent acidity and a hint of salinity round out this savory experience on the palate. There’s a faint aromatic sweetness that lingers in the finish. Certified organic. A blend of Xarel·lo Vermell and Sumoll fermented and aged for 9 months in concrete. Malolactic conversion inhibited. Secondary fermentation in bottle. Aged on the lees in the bottle for 42 months. 12.5% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $50. click to buy.
2024 Barboursville “Reserve” Vermentino,…
Source : https://www.vinography.com/2026/07/vinography-unboxed-week-of-7-19-26
