Hello and welcome to my (usually) 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 set of wines from a project called Geographic Wines, which was started by Nuno Morais Vaz and Daniela Matias and, unlike most Portuguese wine companies, it is designed from the start to make wines from a number of different wine regions in Portugal. They make their wines with ambient yeasts, and deliberately pick early to preserve freshness. Vaz and Matias say that they think of themselves as cartographers as much as winemakers, perhaps hence the name. Unfortunately, the project’s website is non-functional so I don’t know the state of the business, but it is clear that these wines are mostly available in Europe at the moment. They are all, both red whites, well made, and most quite good. Keep an eye out for them.
Sticking with Portugal for a moment longer, I also received a sample of a white blend from the Douro made by Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo. That’s a mouthful of a name for a winery (which is why most people just say Quina Nova), and the wine is a tasty mouthful of indigenous white grape varieties grown on the slate soils of the Douro.
Closer to home, Chateau Montelena sent along a bottle of their Riesling from Potter Valley in Mendocino, which does the things you want a Riesling to do in the mouth, though I would love a little bit more acidity than the 2025 vintage yielded.
Las Jaras Wines sent through their “chillable red” wine they call Glou Glou, which is a Carignan- and Zinfandel-driven blend designed to be easy, crunchy, fun, and tasty, and, well, it manages to be all those things.
Finally, we’ll end this week with a couple of venerable old-vine Zinfandels. Aldo’s Vineyard, planted in 1937 is one of the last old-vine vineyards within the city limits of Napa itself, and is surrounded (threatened, actually) on all sides by suburban development. Robert Biale Vineyards has been making wine from the vineyard for a long time, and does a great job of capturing the bright juiciness of the site which contains Abouriou, Valdiguié, Peloursin, St. Peters, Refosco, Mondeuse, and a touch of Pinot Gris in addition to Zinfandel.
The Hayne Vineyard, planted in 1902 near St. Helena in Napa, has been owned by the same family since the 19th Century, and consistently yields fantastic Zinfandel (and a bit of Petite Sirah) fruit for Turley Wine Cellars, who have been bottling it as a single vineyard since at least 1993. It’s dark in complexion but still bright with excellent juiciness.
That’s all for this week. Notes on all these wines below.
Tasting Notes
2021 Geographic Wines “La Volée – Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature” Vinho Espumante Branco, Bairrada, Portugal
Pale gold in the glass with medium-fine bubbles, this wine smells of apple sauce and freshly chopped apples. In the mouth, a faint mousse delivers bright flavors of lemon peel, apples, and a touch of seawater. Dried herbs and a touch of roasted nuts linger in the finish. Excellent acidity and nice clean crispness. 12.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $??
2025 Geographic Wines “Landcraft” Alvarinho, Vinho Verde, Portugal
Palest straw-colored in the glass, this wine smells of white flowers, green apple, star fruit, and struck match. In the mouth, salty flavors of green apple, crabapple, lime zest, and wet pavement have a lovely zippy brightness thanks to excellent acidity. 12% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $18. click to buy.
2025 Geographic Wines “Landcraft” Loureiro, Vinho Verde, Portugal
Palest gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon peel and grapefruit pith with a hint of white flowers. In the mouth, lemon and pink grapefruit flavors are electric with bright acidity and linger for a…
Source : https://www.vinography.com/2026/09/vinography-unboxed-week-of-8-30-26
