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 nice bottles of Chardonnay. Let’s start with two from Gary Farrell winery, both of which have the bright acidity that I think is necessary to balance the ripeness that Chardonnay can feature in California. Both the Russian River Selection and the Westside Farms wines do the trick, with the latter being perhaps a bit more refined and with a more subtle use of wood.

I continue to be impressed with the wines of Eden Rift, the project that has been rehabilitating the Pietra Santa property in Cienega Valley. Their latest two Chardonnays, the estate and the Terraces are both excellent, but the Terraces bottling has some really spectacular aromatics going on that are quite intriguing. They sent their 2021 bottlings which I think are just about to hit the market this fall, so keep an eye out for those.

Patagonia is one of the more interesting frontiers of winegrowing around the world right now, which is why I was excited to try the Chardonnay from Otronia, one of the wineries in the portfolio of properties owned by Alejandro Bulgheroni. It’s bright and clean and distinctive. Otronia also sent along their Pinot Noir, which will appeal to those who like Pinot Noir on the lean side, with plenty of savory notes along with the fruit.

I also opened two Pinots from a small producer that is new to me from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Eila Wines is also new to the world, as these are owner Peter Sturn’s inaugural releases. Peter made his money in finance and after living in Europe for quite a while, returned to Oregon with the goal of making wine. I’m not clear whether he’s making the wine himself, or has a consulting winemaker, but these are competently done, and worth seeking out if you’re in the market for pricier Oregon Pinots.

Also new to me this week were the wines of Lopai Cellars, a father-and-son project in Paso Robles where Paul and Brian Lopez can trace their family’s roots back to at least 1826. Brian went away to college and began a career in software engineering, but has recently collaborated with his dad to launch the Lopai brand. The wines are made in a typical Paso Robles style: broad-shouldered and ripe with a healthy dose of new oak. Of the two wines I’m featuring this week I think I liked the Cabernet-dominated Heliotrope for the slightly higher natural acidity that the Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvèdre had over the Syrah.

Last but not least, I tasted through some wines from storied Valpolicella producer Brigaldara, which has been, in some incarnation or another, making wine and olive oil on the same hill in the region since the year 1100. The most current incarnation of Brigaldara the wine family began in 1928, when Renzo Cesari purchased the Brigaldara estate and began establishing its fame as a producer of Valpolicella wines, and Amarone in particular. Beginning in 2000, Renzo’s grandson Stefano Cesari, along with his two sons began a significant overhaul of the estate’s 116 acres of vineyards with an eye towards the next generation of production. The three wines I’m highlighting today include two of the estate’s Amarones and their Case Vecie Valpolicella, which I prefer for its lightly lower-octane interpretation of the Corvina and Corvinone grapes.

Notes on all these below.

Tasting Notes

2022 Gary Farrell Winery “Russian River Selection” Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Light yellow-gold in color, this wine smells of lemon curd, pomelo pith, and a hint of toasted oak. In the mouth, juicy flavors of lemon curd, sweet oak, pink grapefruit, and pomelo pith have a nice brightness thanks to excellent acidity. The oak is present but well integrated, leaving a toasted, nutty note in the finish along with grapefruit. 13.7% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9.. Cost: $38. click to buy.

2020 Gary Farrell Winery “Westside Farms” Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Pale gold in the glass with some greenish highlights, this wine smells of lemon pith and new oak. In the mouth, silky flavors of lemon curd and lemon pith mix with the vanilla and toast of oak. Very good acidity, but I wouldn’t mind a little more. 13.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9.. Cost: $65. click to buy.

2021 Eden Rift “Estate” Chardonnay, Cienega Valley, Central Coast, California
Pale yellow-gold in color, this wine smells of lemon pith and lemon oil with a hint of aromatic herbs. In the mouth, bright flavors of lemon oil, lemon pith, and pink grapefruit have a juicy, zingy brightness thanks to excellent acidity. Lean and bright with very well-integrated (that is mostly imperceptible) oak. Long and juicy. 13.9% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $42. click to buy.

2021 Eden Rift “Terraces” Chardonnay, Cienega Valley, Central Coast, California
Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of intense verbena, citrus oil, and chopped herbs. In the mouth, resinous flavors of lemon pith and oil mix with a striking verbena and camphor note that if I had to guess is coming from oak, but I’m not 100% certain of that. Distinctive and compelling. Very good acidity. 13.9% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $64. click to buy.

2020 Otronia “III & VI” Chardonnay, Patagonia, Argentina
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon oil and chopped green herbs. In the mouth, flavors of lemon peel, lemon pith, and lime have a nice silky texture and a sneaky acidity that builds strength as the wine moves across the palate. Clean and bright. Made with organic grapes. Vegan. 13.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9.. Cost: $58. click to buy.

2020 Otronia “I” Pinot Noir, Patagonia, Argentina
Light to medium garnet in the glass with ruby highlights, this wine smells of chopped green herbs and cranberries. In the mouth, cranberry and raspberry leaf flavors are bright with excellent acidity as sour cherry notes linger with chopped green herbs in the finish. Lightly muscular tannins flex against the palate. Very lean, with a heavy savory component beneath the fruit. 13% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $79. click to buy.

2021 Eila “Violet” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Light to medium garnet in color, this wine smells of forest floor, raspberries, and a hint of something meatier. In the mouth, juicy cherry and raspberry flavors are wrapped in a barely perceptible, gauzy haze of tannins as citrus peel and raspberry brightness linger in the finish. Very pretty. 27% whole-cluster fermented, aged in 25% new oak for a little less than a year. 12.7% alcohol. 209 cases made. Score: around 9. Cost: $65.

2021 Eila “Indigo” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of wet earth, dark cherry, and herbal aromas. In the mouth, cherry and black cherry flavors are shot through with dried and fresh herbs as muscular, fine-grained tannins grip the palate and give it a decent squeeze. A darker incarnation of the grape, but with excellent acidity. Organically farmed. 38% whole-cluster fermented, aged in 40% new oak for a little less than a year. 13% alcohol. 126 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $65.

2020 Lopai Cellars “La Montañita” Syrah, SLO Coast, Central Coast, California
Very dark garnet in color, this wine smells of dried herbs, violets, and blackberry. In the mouth, blackberry fruit is wrapped in a muscular fist of tannins and shot through with citrus peel and sweet oak. Oak dominates the finish, along with blackberry and dried herbs. Brawny but with just enough acidity to keep it from feeling leaden on the palate. 14.9% alcohol. 47 cases made. Packaged in an unusually heavy bottle weighing 1.55 kg when full. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $80.

2019 Lopai Cellars “Heliotrope – Denner Vineyard” Red Blend, Willow Creek District, Paso Robles, Central Coast, California
Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of licorice and black cherries. In the mouth, dark cherry and blueberry fruit mixes with licorice and a bright orange peel quality that emerges in the finish. Very good acidity keeps things fresh despite the richness and power of the fruit. Muscular tannins gradually squeeze the palate, and the oak, which is mostly well-integrated, pokes out slightly in the finish. A blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Mourvèdre, and 3% Cabernet Franc. 15.2% alcohol. 70 cases made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $80.

2018 Brigaldara “Classico” Red Blend, Amarone della Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy
Light to medium ruby in color, this wine smells of aromatic herbs, violets, and candied blackcurrants. In the mouth, blackcurrants, lavender, and dried herbs are wrapped in thick fleecy tannins. Very good acidity. Dried herbs, road dust, and candied violets linger in the finish, with a hint of alcoholic heat. 16.5% alcohol. 3E Sustainable Certified. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $45. click to buy.

2019 Brigaldara “Cavolo” Red Blend, Amarone della Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy
Light to medium ruby with a blood-red rim, this wine smells of blackcurrant, raisins, and aromatic herbs. In the mouth, fleecy tannins wrap around a core of dried blackcurrants, raisins, cedar, and dried herbs. Decent acidity. The tannins stiffen with time, and the aromatic herbs and cedar linger for a long time in the finish with a hint of alcoholic heat. 16% alcohol. 3E Sustainable Certified. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $36. click to buy.

2021 Brigaldara “Case Vecie” Red Blend, Valpolicella Superiore, Veneto, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of dried lavender and other aromatic herbs layered over plums. In the mouth, plum, blueberry, and cherry flavors have a nice brightness thanks to excellent acidity and an athletic tannic texture. Dried herbs and citrus peel linger in the finish. 13% alcohol. 3E Sustainable Certified. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $43. click to buy.