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 we’re squarely into a bunch of summer wines, beginning with a couple of brisk whites from Portuguese winemaking legend Anselmo Mendes, one of the winemakers that put Vinho Verde on the map. These two wines are a collaboration between Mendes and the Symington Port family. Both come from the Vinho Verde region of Portugal and showcase a couple of the native grape varieties, Alvarinho and Loureiro. They’re both delicious. Mendes & Symington have a good thing going.

I’ve long thought highly of the eclectic wines made by the stodgy-sounding Teutonic Wine Company in Oregon. But the wines are anything but ordinary. This week I’m looking at two of their white wines, a beautifully light and fresh Gewürztraminer, that can easily change anyone’s opinion about the variety for the better, and their Candied Mushroom Riesling, a deeply mysterious Riesling made with botrytized fruit that packs an umami punch in addition to its whisper of sweetness.

Have you ever heard of the grape Durella? Me neither. Turns out it’s a pretty rare grape from the Veneto region of Italy known for high acidity. The folks at Masari blend it with Riesling to make a characterful white blend they call Agnobianco after the Agno Valley where the grapes are grown. It’s worth seeking out, especially at its quite reasonable price.

Given that summer is in full swing, we all ought to be drinking more rosé. Not that I stop drinking rosé at any time of the year, but when it’s hot out, there’s nothing like a cold glass of rosé in the afternoon. I’ve got three to recommend to you this week. The SCAIA Rosé is a pale peachy version of the grape Rondinella, more often found in the richly textured red wines of Valpolicella. But here, picked early, it ends up fresh, lean and herbal.

Slightly richer and fruitier, the La Valentina Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is on the light side for a Cerasuolo, but still delivers the bright cherry fruit you might expect from this rendition of the Montepulciano grape. This bottling is organically grown and certified, and a sure bet for your summer afternoons.

Finally, Rosalind Reynolds spends her days as assistant winemaker at Pax Wines, but also runs a wine label she started in 2018 called Emme Wines. This week I’m enjoying her rosé of Carignan, which is bouncy with bright berry fruit.

The folks at GD Vajra in Piedmont sent through a bunch of wines recently, and this week I’m tasting two of them. Their brand new Barbera d’Alba and their Claré JC Langhe Nebbiolo. Both are fresh and bright and very much true-to-form, with the Nebbiolo offering enough structure that I think it will age quite nicely.

Finally, I’ve got a couple of Brunellos to recommend. The 2019 Riserva from La Casaccia di Francheschi is maturing nicely, and will appeal to those looking for a wine settling into its secondary flavors and aromas. The 2020 from Pietroso offers a combination of fresh primary fruit and some earthier tones. This wine is from one of the higher elevation vineyards in Brunello, at nearly 1200 feet of elevation.

Notes on all these below.

Tasting Notes

2024 Mendes & Symington “Contacto” Alvarinho, Monção e Melgaço, Vinho Verde, Portugal
Light blonde in the glass, this wine smells of green apples and unripe apricots. In the mouth, bright, tangy unripe apricot, green apple, lime, and crabapple flavors are electric with zingy acidity and silky with a lovely texture that comes from the lees stirring. Hints of oak, peach, and lime zest linger in the finish. Destemmed and given a short skin contact before fermentation. Aged in steel for 3 months with regular bâttonage. 12.5% alcohol. B Corp certified. Score: around 9. Cost: $22. click to buy.

2024 Mendes & Symington “Contacto” Loureiro, Lima, Vinho Verde, Portugal
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon peel and lemon pith with hints of white flowers. In the mouth, zippy flavors of lemon pith, lemon peel, and honey mix with a nice orange pith note that lingers in the finish with a whisper of chalky minerality. Quite pretty. Destemmed and given a short skin contact before fermentation. Cold clarified for 48-72 hours. Aged in steel for 3 months with regular bâttonage. 12% alcohol. B Corp certified. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $22.

2024 Teutonic Wine Co. “Candied Mushroom – Crow Valley Vineyard” Riesling, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Pale gold in color, this wine smells of honey and dried herbs. In the mouth, brightly juicy flavors of lemon juice, honey, and dried herbs have the lovely umami quality that has given this wine its name and reputation, echoing the earthy sweet notes of candy cap mushrooms. Lovely. 11.56% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $36. click to buy.

2023 Teutonic Wine Co. “Crow Valley Vineyard” Gewürztraminer, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Palest gold in the glass, this wine smells of lychee and orange blossom. In the mouth, juicy and crisp flavors of orange blossom, lychee, and orange peel are bright and ever-so-slightly saline as they vibrate across the palate. Delicious and mouthwatering. 11.6% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $24. click to buy.

2022 Masari “Agnobianco” White Blend, Veneto, Italy
Light gold in the glass, this wine smells of honey and golden apples. In the mouth, faintly chalky flavors of honey, golden apples, dried yellow herbs, and orange pith have a nice crispness thanks to excellent acidity. Pretty and delicious. An unusual blend of 75% Riesling and 25% Durella grown on volcanic soils. Fermented with ambient yeasts. 12.5% alcohol. Certified organic. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $22. click to buy.

2024 Tenuta Sant’Antonio “SCAIA” Rosato, Veneto, Italy
Pale peachy pink in color, this wine smells of watermelon, crabapples, and unripe strawberries. In the mouth, crisp green strawberries and watermelon rind flavors have a faint bitterness to them as orange peel acidity keeps things bright and fresh. Crisp and lean, with a hint of bitterness in the finish. 12.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $14. click to buy.

2024 Emme Wines “Ricetti Vineyard” Rosé of Carignan, Redwood Valley, Mendocino, California
Palest ruby in color, this wine smells of cherries and dried herbs. In the mouth, silky cherry and berry flavors have a nice crispness, though perhaps slightly softer acidity than I would like. Clean and bright though, and with a chill, likely quite refreshing. 11.5% alcohol. Closed with a technical (resin) cork. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $30. click to buy.

2024 La Valentina Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Italy
Pale ruby in the glass, this wine smells of cherries, strawberries, and dried herbs. In the mouth, strawberries, dried herbs, and a hint of cherry have a nice crisp brightness as excellent acidity makes the mouth water. Hints of orange peel in the finish with a faint chalky minerality. Very pretty. 13% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $22. click to buy.

2024 G.D. Vajra Barbera d’Alba, Langhe, Piedmont, Italy
Medium garnet in color, this wine smells of blackberries, orange peel, and black cherries. In the mouth, black cherry and orange peel flavors are mouthwatering with electric acidity as notes of dried herbs, dried flowers, and bitter orange linger in the finish. Very faint gauzy tannins hang in the background. 13.5% alcohol. SQNPI Sustainable certified. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $25. click to buy.

2024 G.D. Vajra “Claré J.C.” Langhe Nebbiolo, Piedmont, Italy
Light to medium garnet in color, this wine smells of strawberries, dried herbs, and a hint of wet earth. In the mouth, intense strawberry and dried herb flavors are wrapped in leathery tannins that gradually stiffen as the wine lingers floral and fruity on the palate. Excellent acidity. 13% alcohol. SQNPI Sustainable certified. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $25. click to buy.

2020 Pietroso Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of cherry and dried herbs with a hint of molasses. In the mouth, suede-like tannins surround a core of cherry, sawdust, dried herbs, and a touch of wet earth. Very good acidity. 15% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $89. click to buy.

2019 La Casaccia di Franceschi “Riserva” Sangiovese, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy
Medium ruby in the glass with coffee highlights, this wine smells of sandalwood incense, a hint of brown sugar, and dried cherries. In the mouth, powdery, fleecy tannins wrap around a core of sandalwood, dried cherry, and dried herbs. The tannins stay fluffy and pliant through the finish as dried herbs leave a faint bitterness on the palate. Very good acidity. 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $175. click to buy.