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 wines that didn’t make the final cut for inclusion in my roundup of the best sparkling wines in California that I wrote for Jancis Robinson last month. Which isn’t to say these wines aren’t so good. On the contrary, they’re excellent, but my column has room for only so many tasting notes.
Let’s start with Paula Kornell’s latest effort, which I think is her best Blanc de Noirs yet, fully of apples and citrus and round sweetness that will make it appealing to a wide range of drinkers.
Then there’s the beautifully aged (and yes, slightly hard to find as a result) 2005 Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs from Domaine Carneros. At 18 years old this wine proves quite definitively the longevity of this top bottling from Domaine Carneros, and will delight those who enjoy the flavors of older bubbly.
As I noted in my piece for Jancis, California is in the midst of a sparkling wine revolution, and the next two bottles I have to recommend demonstrate some of the more exciting participants in that revolution. Under the Wire is a sparkling wine project started by Chris Cottrell and Morgan Twain-Peterson which makes some really compelling and unique traditional-method sparkling wine, including some select bottlings from Twain-Peterson’s Bedrock Vineyard, which is a treasure trove of old vines in Sonoma County. What is essentially a sparkling White Zinfandel made from ancient vines will destroy most preconceived notions of that vilified genre.
The other sparkling rosé this week comes from Alma Fria, whom I’ve praised extensively in previous writings. Carroll Kemp’s latest sparkling rosé gets a short tirage in the bottle and is topped with a crown cap, letting you know that it’s not a long-aging wine to cellar, but merely one to pop anytime you want a brisk berry and floral party that requires no corkscrew to enjoy.
Leaving the bubbles behind, I’ve got the latest picnic wine from Troon Vineyard to recommend. Formerly known as Druid’s Fluid, but now known as Druid’s Red, this unspecified blend of southern Rhône varieties comes from younger vines on the property, which means they get the same Demeter-certified, Gold Regenerative Organic Certified farming as the rest of the estate. This is an earthy quaffer of a wine, that you might be tempted to drink with a slight chill given its crunchy acidity and low alchohol. I gave into that temptation but found I vastly preferred it at a normal red wine temperature, and that it also benefitted from decanting (not something you’d think much about doing with a $25 wine, but there you go).
Speaking of crunchy reds, I really enjoyed the latest Syrah from Kendric Vineyards, which has a lovely cool-climate quality and a lot of savory character to love, including one of my favorite things to find in Syrah, which is a little salinity.
Markus Niggli is a Swiss-born emigré to Lodi where he worked at Borra Vineyards before launching his own label Markus Wine Co. in 2014. He makes a number of different bottlings, but this week I’m highlighting one from his “Ancient Blocks” series, which is a field blend from 1930’s-era Church Block vineyard, which is planted with Carignan, Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet, and Zinfandel.
Sticking with the old vines theme I’ve got two wines from Puccioni Vineyards in Dry Creek Valley, an old vine (119+ years) Zinfandel and a Petite Sirah, both of which will satisfy a craving for richer, darker red wines should the winter weather push you towards the genre.
Notes on all these below.
Tasting Notes
2020 Paula Kornell “Blanc de Noirs” Pinot Noir, Napa Valley, California
Pale gold in the glass with medium bubbles, this wine smells of Fuji apples and lemon pith. In the mouth, apple, white flowers, and a faint honeyed sweetness are borne on a silky mousse. Lovely lemon and honey notes in the finish. Good acidity. Sweeter and round, but definitely a crowd pleaser. 12.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $50. click to buy.
2005 Domaine Carneros “Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs” Sparkling Wine, California
Light to medium gold in the glass with fine and fading bubbles, this wine smells of Marzipan, butterscotch, and a hint of mushroom and sea air. In the mouth marzipan, candied orange peel, orange juice and seawater have a faint chalky texture as a faint mousse moves across the palate. Excellent acidity. Contains 2% Pinot Blanc, the balance is Chardonnay. On the older side, but if you like that sort of thing, it’s delicious. 1.1 g/l dosage. 12.5% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $125. click to buy.
2019 Under the Wire “Bedrock Vineyard” Sparkling Rosé of Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma, California
Light bronze-gold in the glass with fine bubbles, this wine smells of blackcurrants and orange peel. In the mouth, berry and orange peel flavors have a faint fennel seed spice to them and a nice citrus pith brightness. Soft mousse. Briefly soaked on the skins before a gentle pressing. Malolactic inhibited. Unfined and unfiltered. Ages on lees in bottle for between 32 and 42 months. 2 g/l dosage. 12.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $60. click to buy.
2022 Alma Fria “Sparkling” Rosé of Pinot Noir, Mendocino Ridge, Mendocino, California
Palest coppery gold in the glass with medium-fine bubbles, this wine smells of hibiscus and rosehips with a hint of orange oil. In the mouth, salty berry and orange peel flavors have a wonderful zingy quality, and a soft silky mousse. Orange peel and floral notes mix with a faint berry sweetness. Very tasty. Ages on the lees for 6 weeks before disgorgement. Zero dosage. 12% alcohol. Closed with a crown cap. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $38. click to buy.
2022 Troon Vineyards “Druids Red” Red Blend, Applegate Valley, Southern Oregon
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of wet earth, boysenberries, and a hint of barnyard and dried herbs. In the mouth, juicy flavors of boysenberry and cherry have a faint tannic grip to them as well as very good acidity. Hints of potting soil and licorice root linger in the finish. Powdery tannins have a light touch. Demeter biodynamic certified, Gold Regenerative Organic Certified. 13.9% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $25. click to buy.
2020 Kendric Vineyards Syrah, Petaluma Gap, Marin, California
Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blackberry and a hint of struck match. In the mouth, vaguely salty flavors of blackberry and white pepper mix with black cherry and a hint of dried herbs and licorice. Faint, wispy tannins and excellent acidity. 43% whole-cluster, co-fermented with pressed viognier skins and aged in 14% new French oak for 20 months before being bottled unfiltered. 13.6% alcohol. 170 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $28. click to buy.
2020 Markus Wine Co. “The Church – 1938 Ancient Blocks” Red Blend, Mokelumne River, Lodi, California
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blackberry and licorice with hints of blueberry. In the mouth, blueberry and blackberry flavors mix with salty licorice and dried herbs. Lightly grippy tannins linger through the finish with a hint of bitterness. A field blend of grapes planted in 1938. 14.6% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $41.
2021 Puccioni Vineyards “Old Vine” Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, California
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of boysenberry and blueberry and a hint of toasted oak. In the mouth, flavors of toasted oak mix with blueberry, blackberry, and black cherry with lightly muscular tannins gripping the edges of the palate. Slightly more oak influence than I would like. Good acidity. 14.9% alcohol. 150 cases made Score: around 8.5. Cost: $40. click to buy.
2021 Puccioni Vineyards “Puccioni Ranch” Petite Sirah, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, California
Very dark purple in color, this wine smells of dark blueberry and blackcurrant fruit. In the mouth, blueberry, blackberry, and licorice flavors have a dark, ripe richness to them, backed by powdery, voluminous tannins that coat the mouth and gradually stiffen over time. Good acidity, but very dark and very rich. 14.4% alcohol. 90 cases made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $40. click to buy.
