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 past week included a few of the latest releases from long-time sparkling wine producer Argyle Winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Their long history producing bubbly has allowed them to offer some special wines that have been aging for quite a long time in the bottle, the latest of which is their 2012 Extended Tirage Brut, which spent 10 years on the lees in the bottle. It’s my favorite of the three wines I tasted this week, with its salty, bready goodness.

La Folette Wines, a winery started by but no longer associated with its namesake, winemaker Greg La Folette, sent along a few of its latest wines for me to try: an entry-level Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (both excellent values at $25 a bottle) and one of their slightly more complex single vineyard Chardonnays. It’s quite odd and confusing to me that the winery continues to bear La Folette’s name, but maybe its owners are banking on that confusion.

Sticking with Sonoma Pinot Noir for the moment, I also received a bottle of the latest from Kathleen Inman, of Inman Family Wines, who has been making Russian River Pinot Noir for nearly two decades now in her Olivet Grange Vineyard. This latest effort is lush and bright.

I discovered another bottle from Terrazas de los Andes that I hadn’t managed to taste a couple of weeks ago, and lo-and-behold it was one of their flagship single site Malbecs from a high-elevation vineyard. All stony blueberry and earth, this is a worthy wine if you can find it, though my initial online searches didn’t turn up anywhere to buy it.

Finally, I tasted through a few of the latest releases from Linne Calodo, a stylish, boutique winery in Paso Robles. Of the three wines, all of which are brawny and rich, my favorite was the ‘SGM’ blend called The Problem Child, which had great acidity and carried its alcohol level very well.

Notes on all these below.

Tasting Notes

2018 Argyle “Brut” Champagne Blend, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Light gold in the glass with medium bubbles, this wine smells of apple and white flowers and just a whiff of toasted sourdough. In the mouth, a moderately coarse mousse delivers flavors of apple and pear flavors mix with a hint of berries that linger in the finish with a bit of citrus peel and a nice wet chalkboard minerality. A blend of 52% Chardonnay, 43% Pinot Noir, and 5% Pinot Meunier. 3 g/l dosage. 12.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $30. click to buy.

2019 Argyle “Blanc de Blancs” Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Palest gold in the glass with medium-fine bubbles, this wine smells of lemon pith and unripe apples. In the mouth, a soft mousse delivers bright lemon pith and lemon peel flavors, which have a stony, savory quality. Just a hint of salinity lingers with the orange peel, apple, and pomelo pith in the finish. 1.5 g/l dosage. 12.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $30. click to buy.

2012 Argyle “Extended Tirage Brut” Champagne Blend, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Pale gold in the glass with medium-fine bubbles, this wine smells of warm bread and lemon pith. In the mouth, salty, mouthwatering flavors of lemon pith and dashi are delivered on a soft mousse. There’s a wonderful saline lemon flavor that lingers for a long time in the finish with just the barest hint of acerola. A blend of 40% Pinot Noir and 60% Chardonnay. 2.5 g/l dosage. 12.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $85. click to buy.

2021 La Folette “Los Primeros” Chardonnay, Sonoma County, California
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of white flowers and lemon pith. In the mouth, nicely lean flavors of lemon and honeysuckle mix with a touch of golden apple and wet chalkboard. Excellent acidity. 13.5% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $25. click to buy.

2020 La Folette “Zephyr Farms” Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma, California
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of vanilla and lemon pith, lemon curd, and a hint of toasted oak. In the mouth, bright lemon curd flavors are scented with a touch of toasted oak, vanilla, and hazelnuts. Excellent acidity, and nice underlying minerality. 13.4% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $60.

2020 La Folette “Los Primeros” Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, California
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cherry and raspberry, with raspberry leaf and dried herbs. In the mouth, flavors of raspberry, raspberry leaf, and cranberry mix with a hint of toasted sesame. There’s a touch of woody, stemmy quality to the wine, though I believe it was 100% destemmed. 13.5% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $25. click to buy.

2019 Inman Family “OGV Estate” Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Medium garnet in color, this wine smells of cranberry and cherry compote. In the mouth, ripe cherry compote has a faint blueberry note to it, along with bright citrus peel acidity. Faint tannins. On the richer, riper side of Pinot, but tasty. 14.1% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $75. click to buy.

2018 Terrazas de los Andes “Parcel No. 1E – El Espinillo – Parcel Collection” Malbec, Gualtallary, Mendoza, Argentina
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of faintly smoky blueberry pie and earth. In the mouth, stony flavors of blueberry, struck match, and potting soil have a nice black cherry aroma that lingers through the finish along with hints of toasted oak. Very fine tannins sit gauzily on the edges of the palate, letting the stony fruit take center stage. Having said that, the oak somewhat upstages the fruit at a certain point in the finish. Grown at 5413 feet of elevation. 13.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $99.

2020 Linne Calodo “Problem Child” Red Blend, Willow Creek District, Paso Robles, Central Coast, California
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blackberry and licorice. In the mouth, rich blackberry, licorice, and black cherry flavors are wrapped in a muscular blanket of tannins that stiffens as the wine heads to the finish. Notes of black pepper linger in the finish, along with some distinctly alcoholic heat. Just a bit too ripe for my tastes, but the flavors are good. A blend of 79% Zinfandel, 14% Syrah, and 7% Carignan. 15.7% alcohol. Comes in an unnecessarily heavy bottle, weighing 1.59kg when full. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $105. click to buy.

2020 Linne Calodo “Sticks and Stones” Red Blend, Willow Creek District, Paso Robles, Central Coast, California
Medium garnet in color, this wine smells of strawberry jam and flowers. In the mouth, surprisingly muscular tannins wrap around a core of sweet strawberry jam, boysenberry, and floral scents. Big, brawny, and with some distinct heat in the finish. The flavors are nice but it just feels a bit too ripe for my taste. A blend of 77% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 3% Mourvedre. 15.7% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $105. click to buy.

2019 Linne Calodo “Overthinker” Red Blend, Willow Creek District, Paso Robles, Central Coast, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of rich blackberry and cherry aromas. In the mouth, muscular blackberry, cherry, and strawberry jam flavors are rich and ripe, and faintly sweet. Good acidity, though, and surprisingly little hint of the 15.4% alcohol. A blend of 51% Syrah, 39% Grenache, and 10% Mourvedre. Score: around 9. Cost: $150. click to buy.