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 week included a bunch of fun wines, starting with some lovely mountain wines from Cantina Kurtatsch in Italy’s Alto Adige region. One of the oldest cooperatives in the region (founded in 1900), Kurtatsch is a collective of 190 different growers across 190 hectares (470 acres) of vineyards in the region. Their Müller Thurgau and Schiava are both textbook examples of the form, and wonderfully fresh with balance and poise.

From a little farther south in Italy, I’ve also got the Masciarelli Trebbiano Riserva, which sees a lot of new oak, and likely needs some time to settle before it blossoms into its potential.

Winemaker Jesse Katz (of Aperture and Devil Proof fame) has signed on to make the wines for a new project in Oregon named “The Setting.” I’ve got their Chardonnay and their Pinot Noir to recommend this week. I prefer the Chardonnay to the Pinot Noir, but was a little mystified at both wines, neither of which has the word “Willamette” on the label anywhere, nor the official Chehalem Mountains AVA where they are grown.

Merry Edwards (now owned by Louis Roederer) sent along a few wines recently. This week I’ve reviewed their Sonoma coast Pinot Noir as well as their single-vineyard Richaven Pinot Noir, replete with a nasty-heavy bottle designed to convey luxury quality and pricing. Both wines are on the rich end of the Pinot Noir spectrum (no pun intended).

Last but not least, I got a chance to have my first taste of the Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! wines, which are the second act of winemaker Hardy Wallace, formerly of Dirty & Rowdy Wines. These wines are made in a natural wine ethos, but treated with enough care and sulfuring to avoid being funky. Instead, they’re simply honest, unvarnished, playful, and delicious, with a bias towards bright acidity and juicy fruit character. Both the old vine Grenache and Carignane were my favorites this week, but all four of the wines recommended below are excellent.

Notes on all these below.

Tasting Notes

2021 Cantina Kurtatsch Müller Thurgau, Südtirol Alto Adige, Italy
Pale greenish with hints of gold, this wine smells of white peaches, white flowers, and grapefruit. In the mouth, wonderfully crisp flavors of citrus pith, Asian pear, peach, and white flowers have a faint chalky minerality that is quite compelling. Clean and bright, with a hint of lightly bitter citrus pith lingering in the finish. 12.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $22. click to buy.

2022 Masciarelli “Marina Cvetic – Riserva” Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Italy
Light gold in the glass, this wine smells of poached pears, honey, and white flowers. In the mouth, pear flesh mixes with citrus peel as wet pavement minerality accompanies a faint chalky texture. Very good acidity. Comes across as slightly austere and a little compressed on the palate, thanks in part to spending 12 months in new French oak. My guess is that it will open up with time, but for now, it is a bit narrow. 14% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $60.

2021 The Setting “Chehalem Mountain Vineyard” Chardonnay, Chehalem Mountains, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon pith, a hint of struck flint, and lemon oil. In the mouth, faintly smoky lemon oil, grapefruit pith, and resinous flavors have a bright zippiness thanks to excellent acidity. There’s a faint chalky texture in the finish. Bright and lean. Very tasty. 13.1% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $65. click to buy.

2021 The Setting “Chehalem Mountain Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cherry and a hint of blackberry. In the mouth, dark black raspberry and cranberry flavors are juicy with bright acidity and wrapped in a microfleece blanket of tannins that coat the mouth. Hints of orange peel and dried herbs linger in the finish. Intense and a bit muscular, but with enough acidity to keep the wine fresh in the mouth. 13.8% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $85.

2021 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of rich cherry and black raspberry fruit. In the mouth, rich cherry and black cherry fruit have excellent acidity and freshness, plus a light gauzy tannic texture. Powerful for Pinot, and ripe but not overripe, and the brisk acidity keeps the wine from feeling too plush. 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $65. click to buy.

2021 Merry Edwards “Richaven” Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of sweet black cherry and cranberry fruit. In the mouth, black cherry and black raspberry fruit are ripe but juicy thanks to excellent acidity. Tight, muscular tannins wrap around the palate as hints of orange peel join the ripe fruit in the finish. A bit too dark and rich for my taste, at least when it comes to Pinot Noir. 14.5% alcohol. Packaged in an egregiously heavy bottle weighing 1.62 kg when full, meaning the glass weighs more than the wine inside. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $160. click to buy.

2021 Cantina Kurtatsch “Sonntaler Vernatsch Alte Reben” Schiava, Südtirol Alto Adige, Italy
Light ruby in the glass, this wine smells of strawberries, applesauce, orange peel, and a hint of dried flowers. In the mouth, juicy strawberry and herbal flavors are shot through with wet chalkboard minerality and a hint of orange pith. Excellent acidity and the faintest of tannins. Vineyards are between 60 and 90 years old. Fermented in steel and then aged in large format oak. 12.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $29. click to buy.

2022 Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! “Indie Bookstore Light Red” Red Blend, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, California
Light, cloudy ruby in the glass, this wine smells of berries and sweet flowers. In the mouth, tangy berries and citrus peel mix with a hint of dried herbs and flowers. Very good acidity. Ghost-like tannins. A blend of 90% Zinfandel from a 2.5-acre backyard vineyard in Dry Creek Valley, and 10% Old Vine Carignane in Ukiah. Organically farmed. 50% whole cluster fermented red wine mixed with 50% rosé from the same grapes. 12% alcohol. 99 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $42.

2022 Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! “Old Vine” Grenache, Mendocino County, California
Light hazy ruby in the glass with garnet highlights, this wine smells of strawberry jam and herbs, especially fennel. In the mouth, a silky textured strawberry and herb character has a nice brightness thanks to very good acidity. Lithe and wonderfully stony, with a hint of salinity in the finish. 92% Old Vine Grenache, 6% Old Vine Zinfandel, 2% Old Vine Carignane. 95-year-old vines, organically dry-farmed. 12.5% alcohol. 100 cases made. Score: around 9. Cost: $50. click to buy.

2022 Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! “Old Vine” Carignane, Mendocino County, California
Medium garnet in the glass with a distinct haze, this wine smells of cherries, flowers, and chopped green herbs. In the mouth, extremely juicy and tangy cherry, sour cherry, and boysenberry flavors are electric with acidity and wrapped in lightly fleecy tannins. Notes of citrus peel linger in the finish with a light salinity. Contains roughly 10% Zinfandel. 95-year-old vines, dry farmed, organic. 12.5% alcohol. 100 cases made. Score: around 9. Cost: $42.

2021 Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! “Family Band” Red Blend, California
Light to medium ruby in the glass, with a faint haze and highlights of garnet, this wine smells of herbs and flowers with bright tropical fruitiness on top, somewhat in the way that a Syrah cofermented with viognier will have. In the mouth, light sandpapery tannins wrap around a core of plum and sour cherry mixed with blackberry, and then this tropical fruit high note that is quite compelling. Excellent acidity. An unusual blend of 50% Dry Creek Zinfandel, 35% Old Vine Grenache in Ukiah, and 15% Chardonnay from Wild Horse Valley. 13.1% alcohol. 84 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $45.