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 bunch of fun wines from around the world. Let’s start with some Chardonnay, shall we? I recently published a deep dive into the wines of Australia’s Mornington Peninsula, but some of the producers I visited there also make wine from elsewhere. Venerable producer Yabby Lake also has a property in the Coal River Valley of Tasmania, where they make an exceptional single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They’re not easy to find in the US, but any lover of cool-climate Burgundian varieties would do well to hunt these down. Yabby also owns their Heathcote Estate, where they grow Shiraz (and then bring the grapes to the Mornington Peninsula to make the wine). Their Shiraz from the estate has a distinctly savory quality that will appeal to those looking for more than fruit in their glass.

Likewise, winemaker Sam Coverdale makes wines from all over the Victoria region under his Even Keel label, including a very nice Chardonnay from Tumbarumba (the wine region that’s very fun to pronounce) as well as a couple of excellent Shirazes from Heathcote. Even though that’s the correct plural of Shiraz, it always seems odd to write.

Closer to home, I’m recommending a single vineyard Chardonnay from Anaba Wines in Sonoma, as well as their Westlands Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast, which I preferred over the Chardonnay.

Stereograph Wines is a newer project from Napa, the work of winemaker Sally Johnson Blum and her husband Max Blum. They sent along their old-vine Napa Chenin Blanc and their 2023 Napa Cabernet, which I found very enjoyable in its restraint.

This week I’m also recommending the “Auténtico” Malbec from Bodega Colomé. Grown at an elevation of 7545 feet of elevation in the high desert of Salta, Argentina, this is a dark, chocolatey Malbec, but with enough bright acidity to be juicy rather than rich.

Lastly, and certainly not least, I’m happy to recommend the 2018 Château Lagrange Saint-Julien from Bordeaux’s Left Bank. The estate is currently celebrating 40 years of ownership by the Suntory Group from Japan with the release of the 2023 vintage. That wine has not yet been released, but they sent me a bottle of 2018 just to keep them top of mind, I guess. It’s a very pretty outstanding vintage, and Lagrange’s intepretation of it is both eminently drinkable now, but also likely to age quite well, for those who prefer their Bordeaux more mature.

That’s all for this week. Notes on all these wines below.

Tasting Notes

2023 Yabby Lake “Single Vineyard” Chardonnay, Coal River Valley, Tasmania, Australia
Pale to light gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon pith and wet pavement, with hints of lemon peel. In the mouth, wonderfully lean and bright lemon pith and floral notes mix with a crushed-shell mineral quality with amazing texture and depth. Hints of dry herbs kiss the finish, but this is really a stony lemon pith extravaganza. Only 20% of the wine goes through malolactic conversion, which is unusual for this producer. 13.5% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $??

2022 Anaba “J McK Estate Vineyard” Chardonnay, Carneros, Sonoma, California
Pale yellow-gold in color, this wine smells of lemon pith, apple, and wet chalkboard. In the mouth, lemon curd and lemon peel flavors mix with a hint of butterscotch and candied apple lingering in the finish. Silky texture. Very good acidity, but missing some zip for me. Aged for 17 months in 50% new French oak. Full malolactic conversion. 14.1% alcohol. 150 cases made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $58. click to buy.

2023 Even Keel Chardonnay, Tumbarumba, New South Wales, Australia
Palest greenish gold in color, this wine smells of lemon and grapefruit pith. In the mouth, lemon pith and lemon peel mix with pink grapefruit flesh and a hint of white flowers. Crisp, clean, and juicy, with a nice stony underbelly and a whiff of salinity. From two vineyard sources. Whole bunch pressed into tank, chilled, and then fermented old French oak with ambient yeasts. Spends 6 months in barrel, stirred, and then is aged for another 3-4 months on the lees. 12.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $??

2024 Stereograph “Henry Ranch” Chenin Blanc, Napa Valley, Napa, California
Palest gold in the glass, this wine smells of pear, vanilla, and grapefruit. In the mouth, vanilla pastry cream, poached pear, and a hint of grapefruit pith are bright and juicy with excellent acidity. Polished, but quite pretty. Vines planted around 1945. 13.4% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $60

2023 Yabby Lake “Single Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Coal River Valley, Tasmania, Australia
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of raspberry and cherry fruit. In the mouth, powdery tannins coat the mouth as redcurrant, raspberry, and sour cherry fruit flavors mix with dried herbs and dried flowers. Juicy and bright, with excellent acidity. 10% whole-cluster fermented. Ages for 11 months in 20% new oak on gross lees. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $65

2022 Anaba “Westlands” Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma, California
Medium garnet in color, this wine smells of wet earth, cherry, and raspberries. In the mouth, raspberry and blueberry notes mix with sour cherry and a hint of dried flowers. Silky textured, decent acidity. Aged for 20 months in 33% new French oak. 13.8% alcohol. 145 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $74. click to buy.

2021 Heathcote Estate (Yabby Lake) Shiraz, Heathcote, Victoria, Australia
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of earth, carob, black cherry, blackberries, and dried herbs. In the mouth, juicy and tangy flavors of blackberries, dried herbs, and road dust have a fennel seed and licorice root note in the finish. Very savory. Fermented with around 20% whole cluster in wood and open-top stainless tanks. Ages for 12 months in roughly 20% new oak.13.5% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $45

2022 Even Keel Shiraz, Heathcote, Victoria, Australia
Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of dark blackberries, black licorice, and a hint of barnyard. In the mouth, saline flavors of blackberry, olive brine, black cherry, and licorice have fine, suede-like tannins and excellent acidity. The tannins stiffen a bit with time. Some floral notes linger in the finish. A blend of two vineyard sources. Roughly 40-50% whole cluster fermentation with ambient yeasts in steel, and then matured in large format old oak for 10 months. 13.9% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $34. click to buy.

2022 Even Keel “Reserve” Shiraz, Heathcote, Victoria, Australia
Inky garnet in the glass, this wine smells of earth, blueberries, and iodine, with a hint of ink. In the mouth, blueberries and blackberries are intense and juicy with fantastic acidity and brawny fine-grained tannins that squeeze like a muscled fist around the core of juicy fruit. The tannins coat every corner of the mouth. Super juicy with a hint of salinity. This is a single vineyard, but because it is purchased fruit, it doesn’t get a vineyard designation. 40% whole cluster fermentation in steel with ambient yeasts and a saignée of 10% of the juice to concentrate the wine. Aged in old oak for 10 months. 14% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $??

2022 Bodega Colomé “Auténtico” Malbec, Valle Calchaqui, Salta, Argentina
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of struck match, chocolate-covered blueberries, and black cherries. In the mouth, black cherry, black olive, earth, and cocoa powder flavors have a light salinity and nice bright acidity, making them mouthwatering. Light powdery tannins coat the mouth. Nice balance and brightness. Grown at 2300 meters. 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $33. click to buy.

2023 Stereograph Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Napa, California
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of black cherry, a hint of Worcestershire sauce, tobacco, and dried herbs. In the mouth, fine-grained tannins wrap around a core of black cherry and black plum with a nice soy-umami kick to them. Very good acidity. The tannins stiffen a bit with time, and dried herbs linger in the finish. Contains 10% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. 14.4% alcohol. Packaged in an unnecessarily heavy bottle weighing 1.57 kg when full. Score: around 9. Cost: $80.

2018 Château Lagrange Saint-Julien Grand Cru, Médoc, Bordeaux, France
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of black cherry, blackcurrant, tobacco, and flowers. In the mouth, supple fine-grained tannins wrap around a core of black cherry and black plum with notes of cassis and graphite. Smooth, poised, and balanced with a hint of green herbs in the finish. Ready to drink now or to age for another decade or two. A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot aged for 21 months in 50% new French oak. Average vine age, 37 years. 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $66. click to buy.