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 a few more of the recent releases from Dan Petroski’s Massican brand, including his perennially tasty Sauvignon Blanc and his always-delicious Annia blend dominated by Ribolla Gialla. Notably, his Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay is in superb form, and might be one of the best renditions of this organically farmed sites in Napa that Petroski has ever produced. And how refreshing is it to have a Napa Chardonnay under 14% alcohol?

Next, some alpine wines, but still in an Italian theme. The folks at Kellerei Kaltern sent me some of their latest releases from Alto Adige. My favorite was their Pinot Bianco, which has a laser-like acidity and that hint of salinty that makes you want to just keep on drinking. Their Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay aren’t too shabby either.

Portugal represented this past week as well, with a reserve Encruzado from the Dão region from producer Taboadella (a label owned by the Amorim cork family), that will appeal to anyone who likes richer more sumptous white wines. I generally prefer leaner, brighter wines such as the pithy and juicy Florão white blend that the folks at Quinta da Fonte Souto (owned by the Symington Port family) sent along. They also sent the accompanying red blend, which has a dark, savory and earthy quality that is quite distinctive.

These days luxury rosé is a thing, with some bottlings from Provence topping $100 or even $200. Some folks in Napa are getting in on the game with the launch of Abloom, a rosé only brand of 100 cases that is allocated from day one at a price of $150 per bottle. The wine is decent, but missing some zing from my perspective. As for the price? Well, everyone gets to decide what they think is reasonable to pay for wine.

Dry Creek Vineyard in Sonoma County has been making high-quality, balanced wines that are great value for the money for many years—the very definition of a stalwart Sonoma producer of quality. I was very excited, therefore to receive a new wine from their portfolio, the Merlot-dominant “Seaquelle.” Unsurprisingly, it is delicious and punches well above its weight for the reasonable (to some) $55 price tag. I think the wine will prove as ageworthy as it is tasty.

Last but not least, a new label from the folks at Catena Zapata in Argentina. Emphasis there on the label, rather than the wine, though this is a new wine from the collaboration between sisters Laura and Adrianna Catena. It’s a Cabernet Sauvignon from the family’s Angelica Sur vineyard—not anything dramatically new from a winemaking perspective in the portfolio—but the wine is part of a storytelling-focused line of wines that began when the two created their Malbec Argentino label recently. Like that wine, this one sports an elaborate illustrated label that tells the mythologized story of the “chance meeting” between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc that gave birth to Cabernet Sauvignon. The label is pretty, but what matters is inside, of course. Thankfully, this is a delicious, elegant wine that any Cabernet lover will enjoy.

Tasting Notes

2024 Massican Sauvignon Blanc, California
Pale greenish gold in color, this wine smells of sweet gooseberries and green apples. In the mouth, gooseberry, passionfruit, and green apple flavors are crisp and bright, with a faint salinity and a stony, wet pavement quality that leaves a faint chalky sensation in the mouth. Excellent acidity. A blend of fruit from Napa and Sonoma was whole-cluster pressed and fermented in a combination of used French oak and stainless steel, where it was also aged for 5 months before sterile filtering and bottling. 13.8% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $28. click to buy.

2024 Massican “Hyde Vineyard” Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California
Palest gold in the glass with a hint of green, this wine smells of lemon zest, chopped herbs, and a hint of verbena. In the mouth, electrically bright and saline flavors of lemon oil, pink grapefruit, herbs, and lemon juice vibrate the palate and kick the salivary glands into overdrive. Silky texture and long finish. Outstanding. Organically farmed grapes were whole-cluster pressed and fermented in a combination of used oak and stainless steel. Aged for 5 months in new French oak. Sterile filtered. 13.6% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $55. click to buy.

2024 Massican “Annia” White Blend, California
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of yellow herbs, citrus zest, and grapefruit. In the mouth, savory flavors of yellow herbs, lemon peel, grapefruit pith, and a hint of Asian pear have a faint salinity and a chalky texture as excellent acidity keeps the mouth watering. Crisp and bright. A blend of 42% Ribolla Gialla, 25% Tocai Friulano, 17% Chardonnay, and 6% Pinot Bianco, whole-cluster pressed and then fermented in a combination of used oak and steel. Aged for 5 months in a combination of used French oak and steel. Sterile filtered. 11.8% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $31. click to buy.

2024 Kaltern “Saleit” Chardonnay, Südtirol-Alto Adige, Italy
Palest gold in color, this wine smells of lemon zest and lemon curd. In the mouth, flavors of candied lemon, lemon peel, grapefruit pith, and a hint of wet pavement have a nice brightness thanks to very good acidity. Crisp and clean, with a faint note of pineapple as the wine finishes. 13.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $20. click to buy.

2024 Kaltern “Vial” Pinot Bianco, Südtirol-Alto Adige, Italy
Palest greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon pith and lemon flowers. In the mouth, juicy, bright, and faintly saline flavors of lemon pith, lemon zest, white flowers, and a hint of vanilla are crisp, bright, and stony. A pretty wine. 14% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $24. click to buy.

2024 Kaltern Pinot Grigio, Südtirol-Alto Adige, Italy
Light straw blonde in the glass, this wine smells of poached pear and vanilla pastry cream. In the mouth, bright pear and poached pear flavors have a nice juicy brightness thanks to excellent acidity. There’s a faint stony note underneath the bright fruit, which has just a tinge of sweetness. 13.5% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $19. click to buy.

2023 Taboadella “Reserva” Encruzado, Dão, Portugal
Pale yellow-gold with a hint of green, this wine smells of white peaches, lemon curd, yellow plums, and yellow herbs. In the mouth, notes of yellow plum and vanilla mix with yellow herbs and candied lemon peel. Softer in acidity, with a faint sweetness. Nonetheless, there’s a faint chalkiness in the finish. On the rich side of white. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $32. click to buy.

2024 Quinta da Fonte Souto “Florão” White Blend, Vinho Regional Alentejano, Alentejo, Portugal
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon zest, grapefruit pith, and a hint of white flowers. In the mouth, crisp and juicy lemon zest and lemon oil flavors are crackling with excellent acidity and a stony mineral quality. Delicious and refreshing. A blend of 80% Arinto and 20% Verdelho aged in stainless steel. 13.5% alcohol. Certified B Corporation. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $23.

2024 Abloom Rosé of Grenache, Napa Valley, California
Pale peachy pink in color, this wine smells of sweet berries and cream with a hint of citrus peel. In the mouth, silky flavors of berries and citrus peel have a faint bitterness to them and slightly softer acidity than I would like. Bitter orange lingers in the finish. Not as fresh and snappy as I would hope. Fruit from the Paras Vineyard on Mount Veeder Direct-pressed and then fermented in a combination of ceramic, new French oak, and stainless steel, with 5% of the wine carbonically macerated in glass. Twice-monthly bâtonnage. 14.2% alcohol. 100 cases made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $150.

2021 Quinta da Fonte Souto “Florão” Red Blend, Vinho Regional Alentejano, Alentejo, Portugal
Dark garnet in the glass with purple highlights, this wine smells of wet earth, blackcurrants, blackberries, and camphorwood. In the mouth, dark black cherry and blackberry flavors are shot through with camphor and road dust. Juicy acidity keeps things bright on the palate, but there’s a dusty earthiness here that’s very interesting. The tannins are slightly sandy. A blend of 35% Alfrocheiro, 18% Aragonez, 16% Alicante Bouschet, 12% Touriga Nacional, and 19% made up of several other native varieties. Aged for six months in used oak with 25% of the wine remaining in steel tanks for that period. 14.5% alcohol. Certified B Corporation. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $23.

2021 Dry Creek Vineyard “Seaquelle” Red Blend, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black plum and red plum with hints of raspberry. In the mouth, juicy plum and plum skin flavors are bright and mouthwatering thanks to excellent acidity. Muscular tannins coat the mouth and stiffen slightly, but let the juicy, tangy fruit take the fore. Hints of dried herbs linger in the finish with a faintly minty note. Delicious. A blend of 63% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec, and 4% Petit Verdot. Aged for 17 months in 31% new French and Hungarian oak. 14.5% alcohol. 1017 cases made. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $55. click to buy.

2021 Angelica Zapata “Birth of Cabernet” Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza, Argentina
Dark garnet in the glass with purple highlights, this wine smells of black cherry and cassis. In the mouth, blackcurrant and black cherry flavors mix with blueberry and a hint of dried herbs as lightly fleecy tannins coat the mouth. Juicy and bright, with excellent acidity. Quite elegant. Fermented in a mix of concrete, stainless steel, and French oak. Aged in a mix of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd use French oak for “18-24 months.” 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $80. click to buy.