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 the latest Chenin Blanc releases from Dry Creek Vineyard, who have been producing Chenin Blanc for more than 50 years. In celebration of their 50th vintage, they’ve produced a sparkling version that is pretty tasty, and their normal bottling continues to be an excellent value.

The folks at Darling Wines sent through a number of their latest releases, including a couple of Chardonnays and a couple of Pinot Noirs. Their Mariah Vineyard Chardonnay from Mendocino County has a lovely nervy citrus quality, and their Turnstone Vineyard Pinot Noir has a savory quality, and a little salinity to counterpoint its berry fruit. All four of the wines I’m reviewing this week share the typical lean, almost austere quality that this producer seems to be aiming for.

I also received a number of new releases from Aperture Cellars, including their two Sonoma County red wines and their three estate wines. My favorites were the estate Cabernet Sauvignon from their Farrow Ranch vineyard and their Bordeaux-style blend from Sonoma County. I always enjoy tasting their 1912-planted field blend from the vineyard next to the winery, which in 2023 has a wonderful lightness and energy. Sadly, the winery continues to package its top wines in excessively heavy, environmentally unfriendly glass bottles that weigh more than the wine inside.

Last but not least, I received the latest bottling of Cabernet Sauvignon from Tierra Roja in Oakville. This little vineyard neighbors a lot of the valley’s most famous names. In the warm 2022 vintage, it was made in a pretty rich, ripe style that came across as a bit sweet. But lovers of big reds will certainly appreciate it. Unfortunately, it also comes in a bottle that weighs more than the wine inside.

Heavy bottles make a statement for sure. Producers (and doubtless some consumers) think they say “serious luxury,” but what they really say is, “my ego is more important than the environment.” If Petrus can sell for $4500 in a bottle that weighs 550 grams, there’s no f*cking plausible excuse for choosing a bottle that weighs 950 grams. Using lighter-weight glass is quite literally the easiest thing that any winery can do to lower its carbon footprint.

Tasting Notes

2023 Dry Creek Vineyard “Crémant Brut” Sparkling Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg, California
Palest gold in the glass with medium-sized bubbles, this wine smells of ripe apples and pears with a hint of warm felt. In the mouth, a soft mousse delivers flavors of pear and Asian pear mixed with a hint of grapefruit and a faint salinity. Crisp, bright, and tasty. Includes 10% Cabernet Franc. Fermented in stainless steel and then, after a secondary fermentation in the bottle, aged on the lees in the bottle for 19 months. Disgorged in July 2025. 12.5% alcohol. 553 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $50. click to buy.

2024 Dry Creek Vineyard “Wilson Ranch” Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg, California
Palest greenish gold in color, this wine smells of passionfruit and Asian pear. In the mouth, pear and citrus pith flavors are brisk thanks to very good acidity, with a hint of pomelo zest lingering in the finish. 12% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. 9208 cases made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $18. click to buy.

2023 Aperture Cellars “Farrow Ranch Estate” Sauvignon Blanc, Alexander Valley, Sonoma, California
Palest greenish-gold in color, this wine smells of passionfruit, gooseberries, and a whiff of new oak. In the mouth, the vanilla of new oak layers over passionfruit, green apple, and gooseberry flavors with softer-than-I’d-like acidity. Missing some snap. 13.8% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $85.

2023 Darling Wines “Mariah Vineyard” Chardonnay, Mendocino Ridge, Mendocino, California
Palest gold in the glass with a hint of green, this wine smells of lemon oil, lemon peel, and white flowers. In the mouth, lemon peel, orange peel, and white floral notes mix with bright, mouthwatering acidity and a hint of salinity. There’s a chalky minerality rumbling along underneath the citrus high notes. 12.5% alcohol. 150 cases made. Score: around 9. Cost: $65. click to buy.

2023 Darling Wines “Den Chòsta” Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma, California
Palest gold with a hint of green, this wine smells of lemon peel and lemon pith. In the mouth, zippy flavors of lemon pith, unripe apple, and lemon peel have a faint salinity and very good acidity. 11.8% alcohol. 250 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $55. click to buy.

2023 Darling Wines “Turnstone Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma, California
Light to medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of herbs and stems, earth and red berries. In the mouth, green herbs and stem flavors mix with raspberries, orange peel, and sour cherries as bright acidity keeps things mouthwatering and brisk. There’s a faint salinity to the wine, with notes of green herbs lingering in the finish. Faint, barely perceptible tannins. 11.5% alcohol. 125 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $77.

2023 Darling Wines Pinot Noir, Petaluma Gap, Sonoma, California
Light garnet in color, this wine smells of chopped herbs, raspberries, and raspberry leaf. In the mouth, raspberries and raspberry leaf flavors are shot through with a hint of earth as powdery tannins coat the mouth, and very good acidity keeps things bright. Notes of herbs in the finish. 12% alcohol. 175 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $72. click to buy.

2022 Tierra Roja Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa, California
Inky, opaque garnet in color, this wine smells of black cherry, blackberries, and cassis. In the mouth, rich and ripe, faintly sweet flavors of black cherry and black plum mix with sweet espresso and cocoa powder. Notes of cassis and candied black cherries linger in the finish. Supple, fine-grained tannins. A bit rich for my taste. Aged for 20 months in 75% new French oak. 14.8% alcohol. 250 cases made. Packaged in an unnecessarily heavy bottle weighing 1.62 kg when full. Score: around 9. Cost: $205. click to buy.

2023 Aperture Cellars “Soil Specific” Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County, California
Very dark, inky garnet in color, this wine smells of black cherry and black currant with hints of cola. In the mouth, black cherry and cola flavors mix with black plum and dried herbs as excellent acidity keeps the mouth watering. Lightly muscular tannins coat the mouth and stiffen slightly as the wine finishes with some lovely floral notes. 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $75. click to buy.

2023 Aperture Cellars “Soil Specific” Bordeaux Blend, Sonoma County, California
Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry, blueberries, and licorice. In the mouth, black cherry and blueberry flavors are bright with juicy acidity as dried herbs and dried flowers linger in the finish. Fine-grained, fleecy tannins coat the mouth and stiffen slightly, but remain supple as notes of chocolate, licorice, and blueberries linger in the finish with a hint of sweet oak. A blend of 36% Malbec, 28% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. 14.4% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $60. click to buy.

2023 Aperture Cellars “Estate 1912 Vineyard” Red Blend, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Very dark garnet in the glass with purple highlights, this wine smells of boysenberries, blackberries, and strawberries with a hint of herbs. In the mouth, that mixed-berry flavor profile mixes with herbs and citrus peel, as fantastic acidity keeps things bright and mouthwatering. Faint gauzy tannins coat the mouth, and citrus peel lingers in the finish with a hint of sweet oak. A field blend of many different varieties. 13.1% alcohol. Comes in a nasty, heavy bottle weighing 1.77 kg when full. Score: around 9. Cost: $90.

2022 Aperture Cellars “Aperture Estate – Farrow Ranch” Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley, Sonoma, California
Inky opaque garnet in the glass, this wine smells of sweet black cherry and plum. In the mouth, rich black cherry and blackberry flavors mix with black plum and a touch of licorice and molasses. Fleecy, supple tannins coat the mouth, as the wine finishes with notes of licorice, mocha, and sweet oak. Pretty ripe and rich. 14.9% alcohol. Comes in a nasty, heavy bottle weighing 1.80 kg when full. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $175.