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, I got a bunch of wines from sommelier-turned-winemaker Ted Glennon, who makes wines under the banner of Vinos Finos de California, within which he produces a number of sub-brands or labels focused on classic interpretations of mainstream and lesser-known grapes in California. This week I’m recommending his Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but also his very attractive Nebbiolo, earthy Syrah, and old-school Cabernet Sauvignon from the Carmel Valley.

I got a chance to hang out with viticulture consultant and winemaker Ken Swegles recently, who offered me a bottle of Madson Wines Pinot Noir from the Branciforte Vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains, which Swegles farms for Madson winemaker Cole Thomas. It’s got a nice coniferous quality and a pretty balance between savory and fruit.

Stewart Cellars in Napa also sent through a bunch of wines recently, including their Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir from the Thornton Vineyard. It was decent, as was their GSM blend from Rossi Ranch in Sonoma County. However, I preferred the two Cabernets they sent this week. Their 2023 Montecillo Vineyard Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon is still quite young and needs a bit of time to swallow its oak, but their 2021 Yountville Cabernet is just about to enter its prime. Both were excellent, but must be chastized for being bottled in glass that is heavier than the wine it contains. Down with heavy bottles!

The folks at Epoch Estate in Paso Robles make a wine each year that they name “Gratitude” and from the sales of which they make donations to causes they support. Their 2021 release, a juicy and nicely restrained Grenache, supports the Salvation Army of Paso Robles. Unfortunately, they, too, are using glass that is too heavy.

Last but not least, the folks at Rodney Strong sent through their Symmetry bottling, a Bordeaux-style blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon from various sites throughout Sonoma County. It’s a modern-styled California red, with more than a modicum of oak, but will appeal to those who don’t mind a little wood.

Notes on all these below.

Tasting Notes

2022 Vinos Finos de California “Lasai – Escolle Vineyard” Chardonnay, Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey, Central Coast, California
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon curd, white flowers, and a hint of pink grapefruit. In the mouth, bright lemon curd and pink grapefruit notes are kissed by toasted oak and a hint of candied orange peel. Very good acidity, and lovely silky texture. 13.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $75.

2023 Madson Wines “Branciforte Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Light to medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of raspberries, sour cherries, and cedar boughs. In the mouth, sour cherry and redcurrant flavors are sour and mouthwatering as excellent acidity vibrates the palate. Faint, powdery tannins have a dusty quality as notes of chopped green herbs and forest floor notes linger in the finish. Lean and tangy. 13.5% alcohol. 100 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $60.

2023 Stewart Cellars “Nomad – Thornton Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma, California
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cranberries and cherries. In the mouth, cranberry and cherry notes mix with earth and hints of mocha as bright acidity keeps things juicy on the palate. Notes of dried herbs linger in the finish as dusty tannins coat the mouth. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $95.

2021 Vinos Finos de California “Vöcal – Lobo Marino” Pinot Noir, Monterey County, Central Coast, California
Light to medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of raspberries and cranberries. In the mouth, raspberry and cranberry fruit have a nice herbal savoriness to them, as gauzy tannins hang at the edge of perception. Excellent acidity, with a hint of wet redwood bark in the finish. 12.8% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $50. click to buy.

2023 Vinos Finos de California “Nebbiolo d’Alta – Regan Vineyard” Nebbiolo, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of strawberries and a hint of asphalt and orange peel. In the mouth, strawberries, orange peel, and forest floor flavors are wrapped in lightly fleecy tannins that coat the mouth, as excellent acidity carries orange peel notes into the finish. There’s a lovely freshness here. 13.6% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $95.

2021 Epoch Estate “Gratitude” Grenache, Willow Creek District, Paso Robles, Central Coast, California
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of strawberries, earth, and chopped green herbs. In the mouth, juicy dark strawberry flavors mix with earthier and savory tones of dried herbs as thick, fleecy tannins coat the mouth. Excellent acidity. Contains 8% Clairette Blanche. Aged in neutral oak. Extremely well balanced given the 15.2% alcohol. A charity project with $20 per bottle donated to the Paso Robles Salvation Army. Comes in a heavier-than-necessary bottle weighing 1.57 kg when full. Score: around 9. Cost: $75.

2023 Stewart Cellars “GSM – Rossi Ranch Vineyard” Red Blend, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of strawberries, cherries, and roasted nuts. In the mouth, flavors of mocha and toasted oak compete with dark berry tones as fleecy tannins coat the mouth and stiffen slightly. I wish there were slightly less wood influence here. Very good acidity. A blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. 14.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $65.

2022 Vinos Finos de California “Vöcal” Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmel Valley, Monterey, Central Coast, California
Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blackcurrant, black olive brine, green herbs, and earth. In the mouth, savory notes of blackcurrant, black cherry, earth, and marmite have a stony wet pavement quality with fine-grained tannins and very good acidity. 13.2% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $75. click to buy.

2019 Rodney Strong “Symmetry” Red Blend, Sonoma County, California
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of sweet oak, mocha, and black cherries. In the mouth, mocha and espresso notes wrap around a core of black cherry fruit. Fine-grained tannins coat the mouth and stiffen slightly. Excellent acidity. Too much wood influence here for my taste. A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 7% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $51. click to buy.

2023 Vinos Finos de California “La Leona de la Suerte – Escolle Vineyard” Syrah, Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey, Central Coast, California
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blackberries and blueberries with a hint of smoky conifer. In the mouth, faintly saline flavors of black cherry, blackberry, and sour cherry are tinged with the sweetness and nuttiness of oak. There’s an orange peel note that lingers in the finish along with the wood. 13.9% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $125.

2023 Stewart Cellars “Nomad – Montecillo Vineyard Old Vine” Cabernet Sauvignon, Moon Mountain District, Sonoma, California
Very dark garnet in the glass with purple highlights, this wine smells of black cherry and blackcurrant mixed with dark chocolate. In the mouth, mocha and sweet oak blend with black cherry and blackcurrant under a blanket of fleecy tannins. There’s perhaps more oak influence here than I would like, but this wine is young yet, and I think it will blossom nicely with time. Excellent acidity and balance. 14.6% alcohol. Comes in a nasty, heavy bottle weighing 1.64 kg when full. Score: around 9. Cost: $175. click to buy.

2021 Stewart Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Yountville, Napa, California
Very dark, inky garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry and blackcurrant, tinged with green herbs and earth. In the mouth, cherry and cola flavors have a hint of mocha and dried flowers. The oak is integrating nicely as the fleecy tannins coat the mouth and stiffen slightly. Excellent acidity. 14.5% alcohol. Comes in a nasty, heavy bottle weighing 1.64 kg when full. Score: around 9. Cost: $83. click to buy.