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 couple of nice wines from Uruguay. The first was a pretty and balanced Riesling from Bodega Los Cerros de San Juan in the Colonia region of the country. Nicely dry, but not austere, it offered a lot to like, though I think it might be hard to find here in the US. The Albariño by Familia Deicas should be slightly easier to find, and is very worth seeking out as it represents a classic varietal expression and is an excellent value to boot.
The folks up at Troon Vineyard in Oregon’s Applegate Valley offered their Druid’s White and the new Druid’s Pink wines for review this week. These are lower-priced, everyday drinking options from their certified biodynamic and regenerative organic vineyards. I preferred the white to the rosé but both wines are excellent values.
Dutton-Goldfield, now in their 25th vintage with snazzy new labels to prove it, continues to make excellent Pinot Noir from sites around California. Their Angel Camp Pinot from Anderson Valley showcases the beauty of that cool-climate region, while their Emerald Ridge Pinot from the Dutton Ranch is a bit richer in quality, but still nicely balanced.
There were a couple of Italian wines in the mix this week. The Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico was classic indeed with lovely earthy, herbal expressions of cherry and berries that deliver at a very high level for $25. Likewise the “Spelt” bottling of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from La Valentina also offers (a bit richer) flavors tuned for most any meal for which you’d want a robust red wine.
Closer to home, I’ve got two really excellent expressions of the 2021 vintage in Napa. The first is the 8th version of Cabernet Franc made by Steve Matthiasson at Ashes & Diamonds winery. This is not your usual plush, jammy Napa Cabernet Franc. This is instead a stony, crunchy, floral, and wonderfully smooth expression of fruit and earth that manages to be both fruity and savory. In a similar restrained vein, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon from Smith-Madrone Vineyards on Spring Mountain offers a wonderfully juicy expression of mountainside Cabernet in a stellar vintage for an almost ridiculously low price in this day and age of $300 Napa wines.
Last but not least I’ve got a bottle of everything to share with you. Everything that is, that grows on the Jonata estate in Santa Barbara’s Ballard Canyon appellation. Their Todos bottling contains a blend of all 10 grape varieties they grow on the estate, harkening back to the early days of California’s “mixed-blacks” field blends. In their case, that means a lot of Syrah, a bit of Cabernet and Merlot, and then a whole bunch of other grape varieties.
Notes on all these below.
Tasting Notes
2023 Los Cerros de San Juan “Familie Lahusen” Riesling, Colonia, Uruguay
Light gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon peel and orange peel. In the mouth, tangy tangerine and lemon peel flavors mix with a nice wet pavement minerality. Very good acidity and freshness. 1.6 g/l residual sugar makes for a totally dry expression, though not an austere one. Nicely done. 12.3% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $25.
2024 Familia Deicas “Atlantico Sur” Albariño, Uruguay
Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon pith and lime zest. In the mouth, bright and chalky flavors of lemon and lime mix with a hint of grapefruit and a touch of salinity. Excellent acidity. Very tasty. Alcohol percentage missing from the label. Closed with a screwcap. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $20.
2023 Troon Vineyard “Druid’s White” White Blend, Applegate Valley, Southern Oregon, Oregon
Palest straw in the glass with a hint of green, this wine smells of green apple, lemon pith, and a hint of star fruit. In the mouth, crisp and bright flavors of green apple and lemon mix with some lemongrass and melon. Chalky minerality and excellent acidity. A blend of 35% Grenache Blanc, 25% Marsanne, 25% Vermentino, and 5% Roussanne. Demeter-certified Biodynamic and Gold Regenerative Organic certified. 12% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $25. click to buy.
2023 Troon Vineyard “Druid’s Pink” Rosé Blend, Applegate Valley, Southern Oregon, Oregon
Light peachy-gold in the glass, this wine smells of bruised apples, crabapples, and a hint of yogurt. In the mouth, tangy flavors of berries, apples, and citrus peel have a stony freshness to them, with a faint herbal-savory note that lingers in the finish. Decent acidity. A blend of 62% Mourvedre, 18% Grenache, 8% Cinsault, 7% Carignane, and 5% Counoise. Demeter-certified Biodynamic and Gold Regenerative Organic certified. 12.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $25. click to buy.
2022 Dutton-Goldfield “Angel Camp” Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, Mendocino, California
Light to medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of dusty earth, raspberries, and dried herbs. In the mouth, raspberry and redcurrant flavors mix with dried herbs and citrus peel. There’s a lovely aromatic sweetness that lingers in the finish, with beautifully integrated wood. Excellent. 14.1% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $74. click to buy.
2022 Dutton-Goldfield “Dutton Ranch – Emerald Ridge Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Green Valley, Sonoma, California
Light to medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry and cranberry. In the mouth, cherry and cranberry flavors have some blueberry notes as sweet oak, fresh herbs, and sour cherry linger in the finish. Excellent acidity and balance. Will benefit from a couple years of bottle aging to better integrate the wood. 14.1% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $74. click to buy.
2021 Badia a Coltibuono Red Blend, Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy
Medium to dark ruby in the glass, this wine smells of cherry, cedar, dried herbs, and dried flowers. In the mouth, chalky, mouth-coating tannins surround a core of cherry and sawdust tinged with dried herbs. Juicy acidity keeps things fresh, as chopped green herbs emerge in the finish with a touch of wood. The tannins stiffen a bit with time. Made with organic grapes. 13.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $25. click to buy.
2021 Ashes and Diamonds “No. 8” Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley, Napa, California
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherries, violets, and crushed nuts. In the mouth, beautifully powdery tannins coat the mouth as floral black cherry and black plum flavors course juicily across the palate thanks to excellent acidity. Wonderfully aromatic and delicious. Aged 20 months in 23% new French oak. 12.3% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $80. click to buy.
2019 La Valentina “Spelt” Montepulciano, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva, Abruzzo, Italy
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry, black plum, and wet earth. In the mouth, plush powdery tannins coat the mouth and surround a core of black cherry and black plum fruit that is shot through with orange peel and dried flowers. Notes of dried herbs join the dried flowers in the finish. Rich and dark but not heavy, thanks to excellent acidity. 14% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $23. click to buy.
2021 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain District, Napa, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cherry, sweet oak, and green herbs. In the mouth, gorgeous black cherry and blackcurrant flavors mix with chopped green herbs, sweet toasted oak, and a hint of tobacco. Fine-grained tannins coat the mouth, and flex their muscles over time. Fantastic balance and excellent acidity. The oak is fairly well integrated at the moment, but in 3-4 years this wine will truly be singing. 14.3% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $65. click to buy.
2021 Jonata “Todos” Red Blend, Ballard Canyon, Santa Barbara, California
Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blueberries, blackberries, and black cherry. In the mouth, powdery, plush tannins surround a core of blackberry, black cherry, and blueberry fruit. The tannins coat the mouth and stiffen over time. Sweet flavors of oak emerge in the finish. Very good acidity. A mix of all ten varieties grown on the estate. 14.9% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $55. click to buy.
