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.

I know that last week I said that the Sauvignon Blanc that I tasted from Cantina Kurtatsch in Italy’s Alto Adige region was pitch perfect, but this week I really mean it, as I tasted that wines “big brother,” the cooperative’s top-of-the-line single-vineyard rendition from the vineyard known as “Kofl” or “the knoll.” It’s really everything I want in a Sauvignon Blanc, with electric acidity, minerality, and a purity of flavor that makes you want to gulp it.

Sticking with the Italian vibe for a moment, I can recommend the Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo from Masciarelli that, like most wines of this type, hangs somewhere between rosé and red wine in character. It’s fruity and fresh but doesn’t lack in structure or weight.

Back in California, but perhaps along the same stylistic lines, I’ve got two lighter red wines to recomend to you from my friends at Two Shepherds Wine. Their Pinot Meunier has a wonderful tonge-tingly brightness to it, while their old-vine Carignan leans earthy and savory even as its bright fruit reminds me of purple SweetTart candies.

Likewise, both the Pinot Noir and Syrah from Darling Wines this week (the second such pair I am recommending) are stony and crunchy, though I prefer the Syrah again this week. The Mariah Vineyard Pinot Noir is just a touch too herbal for me. It will appeal to those looking for distinctly savory Pinot Noir, but I wish it had fewer stems in the mix.

Of the various wines that Ranch Brand Wine and Spirits, a large portfolio of invented wine and spirits brans, has sent me, I think I like this Sirin Cabernet Sauvignon the best, as it comes across as quite fresh and bright, with well-integrated wood and excellent acidity.

Lastly, I’ve got a Petit Verdot from Muse Vineyards to recommend from Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, which has a wonderful briskness to it. With reasonably well-restrained tannins and not too much extraction, this wine also has enough acidity that I think it will likely blossom in the coming years for those patient enough to age it.

Notes on all these below.

Tasting Notes

2020 Cantina Kurtatsch “KOFL” Sauvignon Blanc, Südtirol Alto Adige, Italy
Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of sweet passionfruit and green apple. In the mouth, passionfruit and kiwi flavors mix with gooseberry and lemon oil as electrically bright acidity dazzles the palate. Intense and mouthwatering with just the faintest hint of salinity. Fantastic, and archetypally aligned with what I think of as ideal when it comes to Sauvignon Blanc. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 9.5. Cost: $38. click to buy.

2022 Masciarelli “Villa Gemma” Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Superiore, Abruzzo, Italy
Pale to light ruby in color, this wine smells of strawberries and sour cherry with a hint of pink bubblegum. In the mouth, bright sour cherry and ripe strawberry flavors have a lightly tannic grip and bright, juicy acidity that leaves a tingly feeling on the front of the tongue. 14% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $18. click to buy.

2021 Two Shepherds “Hopkins Ranch” Pinot Meunier, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Light garnet in the glass, this wine smells of red berries, flowers, and chopped green herbs. In the mouth, sour cherry and raspberry flavors have a wonderful juicy brightness that lingers with flavors of orange peel and kumquat in the finish. Fantastic acidity leaves the tongue tingling a bit along with a faint chalky texture. Organically farmed grapes fermented with native yeasts. Spends 8 months in a neutral barrel, bottled unfined and unfiltered. 12% alcohol. 100 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $36. click to buy.

2020 Two Shepherds “Trimble Vineyard – Old Vine” Carignan, Mendocino County, California
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of boysenberries, chopped green herbs, and purple SweetTarts. In the mouth, that purple SweetTart character continues with hints of herbs, manure, and a brambly berry character that lingers with the texture of chalky tannins in the finish. On the savory side, with an interesting personality. 75+-year-old vines organically dry farmed. Fermented with native yeast in neutral barrels with 100% whole cluster. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 11.8% alcohol. 300 cases made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $24. click to buy.

2022 Darling Wines “Mariah Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Mendocino Ridge, Mendocino, California
Light ruby in color with some garnet highlights, this wine smells of nutty earth and green herbs with a hint of red fruit underneath. In the mouth, herbal flavors mix with a touch of earth and manure as raspberry and raspberry leaf flavors emerge on the mid-palate. Bright, crackling acidity combines with the green herb and woody stem notes to make for a very lean package. Perhaps a bit too lean for me. 12.2% alcohol. 100 cases made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $55. click to buy.

2022 Darling Wines “Zayante Vineyard” Syrah, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of wet slate, blueberries, and cracked pepper. In the mouth, blueberry and blackberry flavors are wrapped in a powdery, fleecy blanket of tannins that coat the mouth. Wonderfully juicy acidity brings in notes of plum skin and citrus peel to the long peppery finish. Tasty. 12.4% alcohol. 75 cases made. Score: around 9. Cost: $??

2021 Sirin “Quarryhill Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma, California
Dark garnet in the glass with purple highlights, this wine smells of bright cherry and black cherry fruit. In the mouth, muscular fleecy tannins wrap around a core of blackcurrant, black cherry, and sour cherry fruit that is incredibly juicy thanks to excellent acidity. Stony, tight, and just faintly oaky, this wine has a really admirable, mouthwatering quality. Organically farmed grapes. 14% alcohol. 150 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $ . click to buy.

2020 Muse Vineyard Petit Verdot, Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blueberry and snuffed candle. In the mouth, fleecy tannins wrap around a core of blueberry and earth bright with juicy acidity. The wine has a stony quality, which is mirrored by the texture of the tannins as they stiffen across the palate. There’s a hint of citrus peel that lingers in the finish. This wine could do with a few years of aging I think to show its full potential. 13.5% alcohol. Packaged in a nasty, heavy bottle weighing 1.62 kg when full, meaning the bottle weighs more than the wine inside. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $34.