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 few new releases from Aperture Cellars, including the first release of their “Estate” Sauvignon Blanc from the Farrow Ranch Vineyard. It’s pretty delicious, though not quite as delicious as the red field blend they make from the 1912-era vineyard behind their winery, or their Devil Proof Malbec, both of which I have notes on below. All three are highly recommended.

Speaking of delicious Sauvignon Blanc, Spottswoode Winery in Napa also sent along a couple of new wines, including their fresh-off-the-bottling-line 2024 Sauvignon Blanc, which shows its usual bright passionfruit personality. Their equally reliable Lyndenhurst bottling of Cabernet Sauvignon is also its usual delicious self.

Stonestreet Estate Vineyards (part of the Jackson Family Wines portfolio) sent through a really intriguing and alluring blend of Assyrtiko, Semillon, and Malvasia Bianca that I adored. It’s not that easy to get ahold of and may require you to be on the winery’s mailing list, but it’s a stunner of a white wine.

I’ve followed Kathleen Inman‘s career as a winemaker since its beginnings, and she continues to make excellent wines from her tiny Russian River Valley estate. But last week something new came my way from her brand. A very fun wine named Whole Buncha Love: a white Pinot Noir mixed with a little Pinot Gris. Delicious, effortless to drink, and reasonably priced, it’s a contender for the porch pounder of the summer.

Speaking of porch pounders, the folks at Troon Vineyard recently sent through their Glou-Glou wine, which is a blend of Carignane and Grenache made in a crunchy nouveau style, and very fun to drink. Not quite a rosé, not quite a red, it goes down easy without much thought.

On the heels of my review of the 2021 Cabernet vintage in Napa several producers have been sending me a few more 2021 wines they want me to try, including St. Supery, who sent through their Elu Bordeaux blend, which I particularly enjoyed for its juiciness.

Lastly, I’ve got a few more wines from Antinori Napa Valley to share with you, including their new Antica Cabernet Franc, which has yet to be released to the public, but will be taking its place as one of their flagship named wines from here on out. Confusingly, Antica was the original name of the Antinori brand in Napa, and then when they switched to being called Antinori Napa Valley, Antica became a second-tier brand in their portfolio focused on Cabernet Sauvignon. Now, however, it is being reclaimed as a single Cabernet Franc wine that is quite beautiful and worth your time. As are the two examples of Townsend, the estate’s flagship Cabernet Sauvignon that I’ve got to share with you this week.

Notes on all these below.

Tasting Notes

2022 Aperture Cellars “Aperture Estate – Farrow Ranch” Sauvignon Blanc, Alexander Valley, Sonoma, California
Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of passionfruit and green apples. In the mouth, bright passionfruit and green apple flavors have a juicy zip thanks to excellent acidity. Notes of candied green apple and a touch of guava candy linger in the finish. Clean and bright and tangy. 13.7% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $85.

2024 Spottswoode Estate Sauvignon Blanc, North Coast, California
Palest gold in the glass with a hint of green, this wine smells of candied green apple and passionfruit. In the mouth, bright green apple and passionfruit flavors mix with a touch of white flowers and a hint of celery. Bright with juicy acidity and silky textured. A vibrant mouthful of green. A blend of fruit from Napa and Sonoma counties. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $57. click to buy.

2023 Stonestreet Estate Vineyards White Blend, Alexander Valley, Sonoma, California
Palest greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of green apples, lime zest, and grapefruit pith. In the mouth, electrically bright lime juice, grapefruit pith, and green apple flavors have a wonderfully mouthwatering saline quality. Zippy and utterly delicious. An unusual blend of 74% Assyrtiko, 24% Semillon, and 2% Malvasia Bianca grown between 1000 and 1200 feet of elevation. 43% of the wine was barrel fermented, with the Malvasia and Semillon in oak, and the Assyrtiko in a combination of steel and neutral oak. 14.1% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $55.

2024 Inman Family Winery “Whole Buncha Love” White Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Light greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of Ranier cherries and citrus peel and a hint of melon. In the mouth, juicy flavors of cherries, white peaches, citrus peel, and white flowers have a nice zing thanks to excellent acidity. Fun and delicious. A blend of 80% Pinot Noir made as a white wine, mixed with 20% Pinot Gris. Both were whole-cluster pressed and fermented in steel with ambient yeasts. 12.4% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. 132 cases made. Score: around 9. Cost: $43. click to buy.

2024 Troon Vineyard “Glou-Glou” Red Blend, Applegate Valley, Southern Oregon, Oregon
Pale ruby in the glass with orange highlights (is it a rosé? Is it a red?), this wine smells of cherries and raspberries with a hint of watermelon. In the mouth, watermelon and raspberry flavors are crunchy with bright acidity and shot through with a hint of dried herbs and bubblegum. A blend of 52% Cinsault and 48% Grenache. 12.3% alcohol. Regenerative Organic Gold certified. Demeter biodynamic certified. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $25. click to buy.

2022 Spottswoode Estate “Lyndenhurst” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Napa, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blackcurrant, black cherry, tobacco leaf, and a hint of green herbs. In the mouth, black cherry and blackcurrant flavors mix with green herbs and a touch of cola as powdery tannins coat the mouth. Excellent acidity and length. Still quite youthful and primary. Will improve with a year or two in the bottle. 13.7% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $90. click to buy.

2021 St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery “Elu” Red Blend, Napa Valley, Napa, California
Very dark, opaque garnet with purple highlights, this wine smells of sweet oak, black cherries, and blackberries. In the mouth, excellent acidity makes flavors of black cherry, black plum, and blackberry quite juicy and bright, as a fleecy blanket of tannins descends to coat the mouth. The wood is better integrated on the palate. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 10% Malbec, and 6% Petit Verdot aged for 19 months in French oak. 14.5% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $90. click to buy.

2021 Antinori Napa Valley “Antica” Cabernet Franc, Atlas Peak, Napa, California
Inky garnet in the glass, this wine smells of chopped green herbs, rich plum, and crushed nuts. In the mouth, rich black cherry and black plum are wrapped in a fleecy blanket of tannins. Notes of dried herbs merge with dark plum fruit and blueberries. Contains 24% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged for 18 months in 20% new, 80% once-used French oak. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $??

2019 Antinori Napa Valley “Townsend” Cabernet Sauvignon, Atlas Peak, Napa, California
Inky opaque garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry, blueberry, and cola. In the mouth, black cherry and blueberry notes, mix with blackberry and a hint of cola and licorice. Very good acidity and length, with refined fleecy tannins. Supple and gorgeous. Spends 2 years in new French oak. 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $150. click to buy.

2003 Antinori Napa Valley “Townsend” Cabernet Sauvignon, Atlas Peak, Napa, California
Very dark ruby in the glass, this wine smells of a touch of barnyard, cedar, tobacco. In the mouth, cedar and tobacco mix with bright juicy cherry, cocoa powder, and a little umami meatiness and dried herbs. Lightly gauzy tannins coat the mouth, and notes of mint linger for a long while in the finish. Wonderfully fresh still after 21 years. Outstanding. Score: around 9.5. Cost: $n/a.

2022 Aperture Cellars “Aperture Estate 1912 Vineyard” Red Blend, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Dark garnet in the glass with purple highlights, this wine smells of blackberry, licorice, carob, and blueberries. In the mouth, juicy and bright flavors of blackberries, blueberries, licorice, and dried herbs mix with a touch of citrus peel and wet earth. Wonderfully mouthwatering thanks to excellent acidity, and a faint fleecy tannic texture that tugs on the cheeks. A field blend of Zinfandel, Carignan, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Sémillon, Cabernet Franc, and several other grape varieties aged for 16 months in 15% new French oak. 13.7% alcohol. Comes in a nasty heavy bottle, weighing 1.79 kg when full, which means the glass alone weighs more than a kilogram. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $90.

2021 Aperture Cellars “Devil Proof – Cima Ladera” Malbec, Alexander Valley, Sonoma, California
Very dark garnet in color, this wine smells of black cherry and blueberries with a hint of dried flowers. In the mouth, intense and rich flavors of black cherry and blueberry flavors are wrapped in a thick fleecy blanket of tannins and juicy with excellent acidity. Rich and brawny, but not overly opulent, with nice herbal notes and a citrus peel quality balancing the intensity of the fruit. I recommend a couple more years of bottle age before enjoying. 14.8% alcohol. Comes in a nasty heavy bottle, weighing 1.74 kg when full. Score: around 9.5. Cost: $350. click to buy.