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 newest sparkling wine from Raventos i Blanc, produced under their Can Sumoi label, which is reserved for the wines made from their ancient (circa 1645) mountaintop farm of the same name in Penedes. A blend of the two traditional grapes of Cava, Macabeo and Xarel-lo, Muntanya is a fresh and bright expression of this mountain fruit. As with all Can Sumoi wines, it is made with minimal intervention and is certified organic. I’m not sure if it is yet for sale in the US, but when it is, it won’t be super expensive.
I received a couple of wines this week from Monroy Wines in Sonoma County, the personal project of winemaker Aldolfo Hernandez. He sent along a Sauvignon Blanc and a Cabernet Sauvignon, both from the Kick Ranch in Sonoma County, both solidly made wines.
Winemaker Stewart Johnson dropped off a few samples of his Marin-based Kendric Vineyards wines recently, and this week I’m recommending his bright and zippy Chardonnay and his very floral and fruity, but stony Syrah, which I think will benefit from a bit of bottle age to temper its current exuberance.
Pali Wine Co. from Santa Barbara knows that I’m a fan of Chenin Blanc, so they sent along their most recent bottling of the variety from their estate vineyard, and it’s a stony, pear-and-grapefruit winner for anyone else who enjoys a nice glass of Chenin.
I got my first taste this past week of the wines of NBA player CJ McCullom, who partnered with Adelsheim Vineyard to produce his McCullom Heritage 91 brand (McCullom was born in 1991). With the Adelsheim talent behind them, the wines are predictably competent, with the Chardonnay being slightly more exciting than the Pinot Noir at this point. McCullom owns a vineyard property in the Yamhill-Carlton district, acquired in 2021, so estate wines will presumably be forthcoming.
Most Americans have heard of the famous Ligurian tourist destination of Cinque Terre, a series of seaside fishing villages, many of which are inaccessible by car. Like most places in Italy, however, that doesn’t prevent winegrowers from doing their thing. In the tiny village of Lemmen, accessible only via hiking trails, Lucia Bruzzone and Diego Feola have recently established Stella di Lemmen, a biodynamic farm and vineyard from which they have begun producing low-intervention wines. I received their entire lineup last week, consisting of 3 white wines with varying degrees of skin contact, and a nice stony red wine. All the whites were decent, though despite having different varietal compositions, maceration times, and aging vessels, I didn’t find them distinct enough amongst themselves to warrant three separate bottlings in that style, though I did prefer the wine with the longest skin contact. Their red blend of Grenache and Canaiolo was another favorite, with its dark strawberry, herb, and earth tones.
Notes on all these wines follow below.
Tasting Notes
2024 Can Sumoi “Muntanya” White Blend, Spain
Light gold in the glass with medium bubbles, this wine smells of freshly cut apples and chamomile flowers. In the mouth, a silky mousse delivers stony flavors of unripe apples, chamomile, wet pavement, and a hint of fresh chervil. There’s a lovely crystalline quality to this wine, as it approaches but never crosses the line of austerity. A blend of Macabeo and Xarel-lo grown between 400 and 700 meters of elevation. Fermented with indigenous yeasts, and then given a secondary fermentation in the bottle, followed by an additional 12 months of aging on the lees before disgorgement. 3.5 g/l dosage. 12% alcohol. Certified organic. Certified vegan-friendly. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $30?
2024 Monroy “Kick Ranch Vineyard” Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County, California
Palest gold in color, this wine smells of passionfruit and guava, vanilla, and wet chalkboard. In the mouth, passionfruit and guava flavors mix with kiwi and a touch of Asian pear, all bright with very good acidity. Aged in 63% stainless steel, 27% used and neutral French oak. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $34.
2024 Pali Wine Co. “Pali Vineyard” Chenin Blanc, Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County, California
Pale gold in color, this wine smells of pears, pear skin, wet straw, and grapefruit. In the mouth, pear and grapefruit flavors mix with pear skin and warm wheat stalks, as bright citrus pith acidity lingers in the finish over a stony, wet pavement minerality. Zippy and energetic.13.1% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $50. click to buy.
2022 Kendric Vineyards Chardonnay, Petaluma Gap, Marin County, California
Pale yellow-gold in the glass, this wine smells of candied lemon peel, lemon curd, and yellow herbs. In the mouth, bright, juicy lemon peel and lemon curd flavors mix with a hint of yellow herbs and faintly salty pastry dough. 13.5% alcohol. 85 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $30. click to buy.
2022 McCollum “Heritage 91” Chardonnay, Chehalem Mountains, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Near colorless in the glass, this wine smells of lemon pith and lime leaf. In the mouth, lemon peel, lemon pith, and pomelo pith overlay a bright stony quality. Excellent acidity with hints of orange oil in the finish. Fairly lean. 12.9% alcohol. LIVE certified sustainable. Salmon-safe certified. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $50.
2022 Stella di Lemmen “Limen” White Blend, Italy
Medium to dark gold in the glass with a hint of amber, this wine smells of apricots, dried apples, and yellow herbs. In the mouth, flavors of savory herbs, sarsaparilla, baked apples, and caraway seed have a nice bright acidity and faint tannic texture. There’s a hint of slightly bitter licorice root in the finish. A blend of 40% Vermentino, 40% Albarola, and 20% Bosco grown biodynamically at between 400 and 450 meters of elevation. Fermented in steel with ambient yeasts and given between 36 hours and 5 days of maceration time on the skins. 13% alcohol. 3200 bottles made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $57.
2022 Stella di Lemmen “112358” White Blend, Italy
A hazy medium gold in the glass, this wine smells of wet leaves, dried pear, and dried orange peel. In the mouth, jasmine tea and Asian pear flavors mix with chamomile and wet leaves as a light chalky texture coats the mouth. Bright acidity keeps things fresh as the wine finishes with a small citrus and papaya kick. A blend of 50% Albarola and 50% Vermentino, farmed biodynamically at between 400 and 380 meters of elevation. Fermented with ambient yeasts in terra cotta amphorae and given 5 months of skin contact before aging an additional 8 months on the fine lees. 12.5% alcohol. 900 bottles made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $72.
2022 Stella di Lemmen “Astro” White Blend, Italy
Medium gold in the glass with a hint of amber, this wine smells of peaches, flowers, and dried apples. In the mouth, peach and dried apple mix with dried citrus peel and yellow herbs as notes of sarsaparilla and lemongrass linger in the finish. There’s a faint chalky texture here as well. A blend of 60% Bosco, 20% Albarola, and 20% Vermentino grown biodynamically between 400 and 450 meters of elevation. Fermented in a combination of steel, terracotta amphorae, and French oak. The Bosco is given 5 months of skin contact in the amphorae. 12.5% alcohol. 900 bottles made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $89.
2022 McCollum “Heritage 91” Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Light to medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of raspberries, cherries, and dried herbs. In the mouth, raspberry and raspberry leaf flavors mix with chopped green herbs and a hint of flowers. Lightly fleecy tannins coat the top of the mouth. Good acidity. There’s a hint of sawdust bitterness in the finish. 13.5% alcohol. LIVE certified sustainable. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $55. click to buy.
2023 Stella di Lemmen “Caligo” Red Blend, Italy
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of strawberries, dried herbs, and dried flowers. In the mouth, faintly gauzy tannins wrap around a juicy core of strawberries, black plum, and black tea flavors. Bright, zippy acidity keeps things fresh, even as the more savory tea and herb flavors linger in the finish. A blend of 90% Grenache and 10% Canaiolo grown biodynamically between 370 and 450 meters of elevation. Fermented with ambient yeasts and 25% whole-cluster in stainless steel, with 5 days of extended maceration. Aged for 12 months in glass demijohns. 13.5% alcohol. 500 bottles made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $72.
2023 Kendric Vineyards Syrah, Petaluma Gap, Marin County, California
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of candied blackberries, black cherries, and white pepper. In the mouth, bright blackberry, purple SweetTart™, and blueberry flavors have a faint sweetness but also a bright saline quality. Faint powdery tannins and excellent acidity round out this intriguing wine that I think will mellow into something more sophisticated with time.13.5% alcohol. 150 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $32. click to buy.
2022 Monroy “Kick Ranch Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry, tea, and earth. In the mouth, fleecy tannins coat the mouth, squeeze, and slightly parch the palate as flavors of cherry and tea, dried herbs, and earth linger through the finish. Feels like slightly more wood influence than I’d like. Aged in French oak. 14% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $80.
