Hello and welcome to this week’s 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 couple more sparkling wines from my local urban winery, Hammerling Wines. Josh Hammerling’s Sunflower Sutra and Sunset Debris Rosé are his yearly vintage-dated sparkling wines, and are consistently good, though I think these latest incarnations might be the best I’ve tasted yet.
I’ve got two Sauvignon Blancs to recommend this week, the first from a tiny project in South Africa called Klein Amoskuil by one of the giants of the South African wine industry. Charles Back used to make wines from this tiny farm under his Spice Route label, but the Amoskuil farm proved so singular, and in particular one old block of Sauvignon Blanc, he decided to make them their own brand. The Amos Block is the oldest existing planting of Sauvignon Blanc in all of South Africa, and was the proving ground for a young winemaker named Eben Sadie as he began his career in South Africa, later moving on to start the Swartland Revolution. The Amos Block Sauvignon Blanc is outstanding. I also tasted a GSM blend from the label that I’m recommending this week.
The second Sauvignon Blanc hardly needs any introduction. Cloudy Bay is the winery that put New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on the map, and changed it from an antipodean curiosity to a global cult phenomenon. Cloudy Bay now makes a wide variety of wines in addition to this, its basic Sauvignon Blanc, which continues to deliver the consistent flavor profile of green tropical fruits that made the genre so famous.
This week I also tasted a decent Chardonnay from Xanadu in Western Australia, and an Anjou Blanc from the Loire Valley called Passarelles, which is a small label created by Jackson Family Wines.
I guess pairs of whites are a theme this week, as I’ve also got a pair of Viogniers to recommend, one from California and one from Australia. I always enjoy Stewart Johnson’s interpretation of Viognier at Kendric Vineyards, as he makes sure the wine is refreshing and bright, and his 2023 vintage is just that. From down under, the Yalumba Virgilius Viognier is their flagship white wine, and despite being oak-aged and made in a slightly richer, style, it, too is bright and refreshing.
Last but not least, I’ve got a savory, stony Syrah to recommend from Craven Wines in South Africa, whose wines I adore. This syrah has an earthy, animal quality that will appeal to those looking for something other than fruit in the glass.
Notes on all these below.
Tasting Notes
2022 Hammerling Wines “Sunflower Sutra” Champagne Blend, California Light bronze-gold in the glass with fine bubbles, this wine smells of wet chalkboard, orange oil, and white flowers. In the mouth, a velvety mousse delivers flavors of citrus pith, berries, and white flowers as a stony wet chalkboard minerality whispers in the wings. Wonderfully smooth, with excellent acidity and balance. Very poised and elegant. A blend of 50% Chardonnay, 32% Pinot Noir, and 18% Pinot Meunier. 12.5% alcohol. 250 cases made. Score: around 9. Cost: $38. click to buy.
2022 Hammerling Wines “Sunset Debris – Fox Creek Vineyard” Rosé of Pinot Noir, Carmel Valley, Monterey, California Pale coppery pink in the glass with moderately fine bubbles, this wine smells of wet pavement, dried strawberries, and dried herbs. In the mouth, tart strawberry and sour cherry flavors mix with a touch of wet felt, earth, and bruised plum. There’s a nice citrus peel brightness that accompanies excellent acidity, and the mousse is silky and robust. 12% alcohol. 125 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $44. click to buy.
2022 Klein Amoskuil “The Amos Block” Sauvignon Blanc, Swartland, South Africa Palest gold in the glass with a hint of green, this wine smells of road dust, chalk dust, a hint of cigarette smoke, and lemon pith. In the mouth, salty notes of lemon pith, smoke, dried herbs, and dried citrus peel. Crisp and stony, but quite distinctive. Gorgeous. The fruit comes from the oldest Sauvignon Blanc vineyard in South Africa, planted in 1965, filled with dry-farmed, certified organic bush vines. Barrel fermented with ambient yeasts and aged in neutral oak. 12.8% alcohol. 435 cases made. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $28. click to buy.
2024 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand Palest gold in the glass, this wine smells of sweet green apples and passionfruit. In the mouth, bright passionfruit and green apple flavors mix with a hint of cut grass and a lightly floral sweetness as juicy acidity keeps things fairly fresh. Silky on the palate. I’d like a little more cut and zip, but the flavors are hard to argue with. 13.5% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $33. click to buy.
2022 Xanadu Chardonnay, Western Australia, Australia Pale yellow-gold in the glass, this wine smells of melted butter, white flowers, and a hint of pineapple. In the mouth, bright lemon curd and white floral notes mix with hints of the more tropical, with a touch of saline butteriness that lingers in the finish along with lemon zest. Very good acidity. 13% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $34. click to buy.
2023 Passerelles Chenin Blanc, Anjou, Loire Valley, France Palest gold in the glass, this wine smells of pears and pear skin with white flowers. In the mouth, Asian pear and poached pear flavors mix with pear skin and a hint of dried herbs. Pastry cream, nougat, and floral notes creep into the finish. Very good acidity, and a faint underlying minerality. I’d like a little more zip, but the flavors are very nice. 12% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $25.
2023 Kendric Vineyards Viognier, Petaluma Gap, Marin, California Pale yellow-gold in the glass, this wine smells of apricots, honey, and underripe peaches. In the mouth, bright apricot and white peach flavors mix with citrus pith and a little lemon juice as very good acidity keeps things crisp and clean. The acidity is sneaky and builds through the finish with just a whisper of oak. 13.1% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $29. click to buy.
2022 Yalumba “The Virgilius” Viognier, Eden Valley, Barossa, Australia Pale gold in the glass with a hint of green, this wine smells of unripe peaches, apricots, and apples. In the mouth, brisk, bright flavors of apricot and white peaches have a lovely stony snap to them thanks to excellent acidity. Floral notes emerge on the finish, along with a hint of pomelo zest. Fermented with ambient yeasts in neutral oak. Aged in neutral French oak for 10 months. Certified sustainably grown. 13.5% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: around 9. Cost: $52. click to buy.
2021 Klein Amoskuil Red Blend, South Africa Very dark, nearly opaque garnet in the glass, this wine smells of tobacco, wet leaves, and herbs layered over dark fruit. In the mouth, salty notes of olive juice, black cherry, strawberry, licorice, and dried herbs have a faint grippy tannic texture and a chalky stony quality that lingers in the finish. Very interesting. Bitterness emerges in the finish. A dry-farmed blend of 53% Syrah, 33% Grenache, and 14% organic Mourvèdre, all given extended maceration for 6 months on the skins. 13% alcohol. 450 six-packs made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $28. click to buy.
2021 Craven “The Firs Vineyard” Syrah, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blackcurrant and dark mulberries. In the mouth, meaty notes of leather and horse sweat meet fine-grained stony tannins and a core of blueberry and blackberry fruit. Fantastic acidity and faintly bitter notes of dried herbs and earth linger in the finish. I think this wine will improve with a few years in the bottle. 12.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $39. click to buy.
