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 week included some of the best sparkling wines made in California, courtesy of Racines Wines, the collaboration between Étienne de Montille and Brian Sieve of Burgundy and Rodolphe Péters of Champagne. This small project is perhaps better known for the Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays they make, in part because those wines are made in larger quantities, but this small estate has been making tiny amounts of some positively fantastic sparkling wines. They sent along two single-vineyard vintage blanc-de-blancs, one from Bentrock, the other from Sanford & Benedict vineyard, as well as their multi-vintage bottling. All three are excellent, but the Bentrock has a citrusy electricity that is positively stunning.

I make it my habit to try pretty much every low- and non-alcoholic wine that I come across, hoping (usually in vain) to find something palatable. But I recently received some samples from Missing Thorn, a collaborative project between Napa winemaker Aaron Pott and Stephanie Honig of Napa’s Honig Vineyards. While I didn’t enjoy the still wines very much, their sparkling rosé was a wine I would happily drink more than one glass of. It’s got a silky mousse, a robust flavor profile, and just a hint of sweetness. If you’re looking for a no-alcohol alternative, this is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Jordan Kivelstadt has been creatively exploring the wine world for a while, from being an early pioneer of wine-on-tap to making interesting wines from his family’s vineyard in Sonoma as well as elsewhere around the state. His Kivelstadt Cellars tasting room in Sonoma is somewhere I often send people who want a nice afternoon of wine tasting. He recently got a new winemaker, Luke Nio, who has embraced Kivelstadt’s creative approach to wine. The two wines I’m recommending from them this week are a fairly straightforward Pinot Noir from Kivelstadt’s home vineyard as well as the more experimental “Sonomasuolo,” a carbonically macerated blend of Mourvèdre and Syrah.

Pride Mountain Vineyards sits atop the Mayacamas Mountains that divide Napa and Sonoma, and the estate’s vineyards cross the county line between the two, allowing them to make estate wines from both counties or, as the case may often be, as a blend of fruit between the two. That’s what they’re doing with their Reserve Claret, which has bright acidity and nicely integrated oak. Their Reserve Sonoma Cabernet is a little more brawny but will likely mellow beautifully with time. Also worth noting: in a world of increasingly insane prices in Napa, these wines are starting to feel like pretty good values.

Finally, I also recently received the latest Cabernet release from Far Niente, which keeps true to form with a sweet, ripe, round approach to Cabernet, helped by the addition of a little Malbec, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Fans of riper, mellower Napa Cabernet will positively lap this up.

Notes on all these below.

Tasting Notes

2018 Racines Wine “Bentrock Vineyard” Sparkling Wine, Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, California
Pale gold in the glass with fine bubbles, this wine smells of white flowers, sea air, candied lemon peel, and a hint of toasted nuts. In the mouth, a velvety mousse delivers beautifully saline flavors of kelp, candied lemon, toasted sourdough bread, and white flowers across the palate. Gorgeous, mouthwatering acidity and resonant depth. A very impressive wine. 12.5% alcohol. 1100 bottles made. Score: around 9.5. Cost: $105.

2018 Racines Wine “S&B Vineyard” Sparkling Wine, Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, California
Pale yellow-gold in the glass with a hint of green and fine bubbles, this wine smells of lemon pith, lemon oil, a hint of apple, and sea air. In the mouth, a voluminous mousse delivers faintly saline flavors of lemon peel and lemon pith mixed with a touch of herbs and a hint of butterscotch. Excellent acidity and lovely length. 12% alcohol. 1134 bottles made. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $105.

NV Racines Wine “Grand Reserve” Sparkling Wine, Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, California
Pale gold in the glass with medium-fine bubbles, this wine smells of sea air, lemon peel, toasted nuts, and a hint of orange blossom. In the mouth, a voluminous mousse delivers bright, tangy, slightly saline flavors of lemon peel and lemon pith mixed with orange peel, a touch of Fuji apple, and a hint of toasted nuts. 12.5% alcohol. 11798 bottles made. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $65. click to buy.

NV Missing Thorn Sparkling Rosé, California
Light peachy pink in the glass with somewhat sparse medium-sized bubbles, this wine smells of orange peel and toasted nuts. In the mouth, a surprisingly silky and velvety mousse delivers tangy flavors of candied orange peel, apple, and a hint of berries, all of which have a faint sweetness as well as a sourish tang. Quite tasty. 0.5% alcohol. 6 g/l residual sugar. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $30.

2022 Kivelstadt Cellars “Sibling Rivalry – Kivelstadt Family Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma, California
Light to medium garnet in color, this wine smells of cranberry, cherry, and wet earth. In the mouth, silky flavors of cranberry, raspberry, and wet earth mix with dried herbs and delicate acidity. Faint gauzy tannins. Fermented with ambient yeasts and 35% whole clusters. Aged for 12 months in French oak puncheons. 12.6% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $49. click to buy.

2023 Kivelstadt Cellars “KC Labs Sonomasuolo – Kivelstadt Family Vineyard” Red Blend, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma, California
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of boysenberries and black cherries. In the mouth, bright boysenberry and blueberry flavors mix with black cherry and faint gauzy tannins. Bright, crunchy acidity keeps things fresh and bright. Tasty. A blend of carbonically fermented Mourvèdre and Syrah, kept separate through fermentation and then aged in neutral barrels. 12.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $22.

2021 Pride Mountain Vineyards Reserve Claret, California
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of black cherry, graphite, tobacco, and cola. In the mouth, juicy flavors of cherry and cola mix with sweet oak and a touch of graphite as supple, suede-like tannins coat the mouth. Excellent acidity and length, with a real freshness that is quite appealing. There’s sweet oak here, but it’s well-integrated. A blend of 52% Sonoma County fruit and 48% Napa County fruit. 14.4% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $149. click to buy.

2021 Pride Mountain Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry, pipe tobacco, and sweet oak. In the mouth, flavors of sweet oak and black cherry are wrapped in a fleecy blanket of tannins that coats the mouth and stiffens slightly with time. Excellent acidity keeps things fresh and bright while sweet oak and licorice root linger in the finish. 14.5% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $106. click to buy.

2022 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of sweet black cherry and blackberry fruit. In the mouth, rich black cherry and blackberry flavors are wrapped in a fleecy blanket of tannins as notes of sweet berries and a touch of licorice linger in the finish. Rich and ripe, but not overblown, with very good acidity. Notes of sweet oak linger in the finish. A blend of 92.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1.7% Petite Sirah, and 1% Petit Verdot aged in 65% new, 35% once-used French oak for 17 months. 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $116. click to buy.