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 few more recent releases from Unti Vineyards in Dry Creek Valley. Their Fiano was a lovely mouthful of apple and herbs, their Grenache was all dark strawberry and blueberry, and their Aglianico a brawny expression of floral blackberries and earth. My favorite among the bunch was their Cuvée Foudre, a GSM blend aged in large-format old oak.

Long-time readers will remember that I’m a huge fan of Armenian wine. This week, I got sent two recent releases from Yacoubian-Hobbs, the collaboration between superstar winemaker Paul Hobbs and the Yacoubian family. Both wines are made in a polished, international style that leans a little riper and a little more oak-influenced. The Dry White, made from the indigenous Voskehat, will appeal to lovers of Viognier with its stone fruit aromatics and richness. The Areni Bottling is bright and juicy, with good varietal typicity despite slightly more wood than I’d prefer.

I was psyched to taste the latest rendition of Limited Addition Wines‘ Old Vine Cabernet Franc, which is consistently a lovely expression of the grape and an overall delicious wine. The 2022 vintage didn’t disappoint, with its crunchy plum and herbal notes layered over a stony underbelly.

I tasted a couple more current releases from winemaker Markus Niggli in Lodi this week as well. His Ancient Blocks Carignan (from vines planted in 1936) has a classic cola-nut and strawberry-cherry character, and his “Sol” has a very nice blue-and-black fruit character amidst the sweetness of new oak. Both wines come in bottles that weigh more than they should, unfortunately.

Last but far from least, I received the latest release of estate Cabernet Sauvignon from Spottswoode. Their 2022 vintage proves that you should always buy based on the producer rather than the vintage. While ’22 was a hot one and led to some overripe and/or brawny wines in Napa, the Spottswoode is one smooth operator: fresh, juicy, lean (13.7% alcohol), yet expressive and styled for three decades of aging (if you can keep yourself from drinking it next week). If only more Napa producers made wines like this.

Notes on all these below!

Tasting Notes

2022 Unti Vineyards Fiano, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of freshly cut apples, hay, and chamomile. In the mouth, silky flavors of apples, hay, and chamomile mix with dried herbs and a darker note of a little wet earth. Decent acidity, but I would like more. 13.2% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $35. click to buy.

2022 Yacoubian-Hobbs “Dry White Wine” Voskehat, Vayots Dzor, Armenia
Light yellow gold in the glass with a faint haze, this wine smells of peaches, white flowers, and citrus peel. In the mouth, white peaches, orange peel, and a hint of dried papaya have a silky texture and decent acidity. I would like more snap to the wine, but I enjoy the aromatically sweet apricot note in the finish. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $26. click to buy.

2022 Yacoubian-Hobbs Areni, Vayots Dzor, Armenia
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of flowers, mulberries, and plums. In the mouth, sweet oak, plum, and mulberry flavors have a nice powdery tannic texture and very good acidity. I taste slightly too much wood here, but with a couple of years’ aging, I think that will mellow nicely. A pretty wine. 14% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $26. click to buy.

2022 Markus Wine Co. “Niccolini Ancient Blocks 1936” Carignan, Mokelumne River, Lodi, California
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cola nut, strawberries, and cherries. In the mouth, cherries, cola, and sweet oak notes mix as faint, gauzy tannins hang in the background. Very good acidity. 13.9% alcohol. Comes in a too-heavy bottle weighing 1.56 kg when full. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $41.

2023 Unti Vineyards Grenache, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of strawberries and blueberries. In the mouth, strawberry, blueberry, and a hint of sweet oak are wrapped in a micro-fleece blanket of tannins. Notes of sweet oak and strawberry jam linger in the finish. Very good acidity. 14.8% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $40. click to buy.

2022 Limited Addition “Old Vines” Cabernet Franc, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Light to medium garnet in color, this wine smells of plums, berries, and chopped green herbs. In the mouth, the herbs turn almost minty as bright plummy cherry flavors have a lovely brightness and wonderfully juicy acidity. Faint, gauzy tannins coat the mouth, as plum skin and dried flowers linger in the finish. Excellent. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $65.

2022 Markus Wine Co. “Sol” Red Blend, Mokelumne River, Lodi, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blueberries, black cherries, and sweet oak. In the mouth, black cherries and blueberry notes are wrapped in a fleecy blanket of tannins as the mocha and roasted espresso notes of oak linger in the finish. A bit too much wood for my taste, but the acidity is good, and the wine well-balanced otherwise. A blend of 71% Petite Sirah, 19% Carignane, and 10% Petit Verdot from three different vineyards. Fermented with ambient yeasts and then aged for 16 months in 40% new oak. 14.6% alcohol. 100 cases made. Comes in a too-heavy bottle weighing 1.56 kg when full. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $39. click to buy.

2023 Unti Vineyards “Cuvée Foudre” Red Blend, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of strawberries, cherries, and blackberries with a hint of green herbs. In the mouth, a faintly saline melange of strawberry and blackberry flavors has a nice chopped green herbal note that tastes like a mix between oregano and mint. Faint fleecy tannins coat the mouth. Very good acidity, and just a hint of alcoholic heat in the finish. A blend of 67% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 13% Mourvedre. 14.9% alcohol. 375 cases made. Score: around 9. Cost: $70. click to buy.

2022 Unti Vineyards Aglianico, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California
Dark to very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of freshly crushed blackberries. In the mouth, ripe blackberries and dried flowers are wrapped in a heavy, thick fleece blanket of tannins that stiffens slightly and dries out the mouth a bit. Hints of sweet oak linger in the finish. Very good acidity, but there’s a little alcoholic heat in the finish. 14.6% alcohol. 175 cases made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $65. click to buy.

2022 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, Napa County, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blackcurrants, chopped green herbs, black cherries, and a hint of cola. In the mouth, fine-grained tannins wrap around a core of blackcurrant and black cherry fruit shot through with minty green herbs and a touch of dried flowers. Aromatic and wonderfully balanced, with just a hint of sweet oak emerging in the finish, as the tannins stiffen with time. Lovely and built for the long haul, with excellent acidity. 13.7% alcohol. Certified B Corp. 1% For the Planet. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $285. click to buy.