Hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up on my doorstep 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 arrived recently.

Let’s start with a couple of wines from Helen Keplinger‘s eponymous personal label. Keplinger is a consulting winemaker at some of Napa’s biggest-name wineries, including Kenzo Estate, among others. Her own label is dedicated to Rhône and Spanish-influenced wines, often blends, and I’ve got two to recommend this week. The first is her wonderfully weightless white blend she calls El Dorado, which shimmers with a crystalline quality. And then on the darker, more sensual side, her Versailles red blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, and Viognier has a wonderful, juicy richness.

I was very excited to get my first taste of Ridge Vineyard‘s Chenin Blanc this week, which was excellent and distinctive, along with a number of other new releases from the venerable brand. The Pagani Ranch and East Bench Zinfandels offer ripe, boisterous fruit, and the Geyserville and Lytton Springs field blends are predictably stupendous. I truly believe these two wines offer some of the best quality-to-price ratios anywhere in California wine, especially because they can age and improve for decades. In the 2024 vintage, I preferred the Lytton Springs for its energetic lift.

I’m recommending two sparkling wines this week, the No.8 Cremant de Bourgogne from JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset, which is rich and ripe for those who want a more intense fruitiness from their sparkling wine. The Goldeneye Brut Rosé from Anderson Valley offers a nice classic pink bubbly character that will appeal to a wide range of wine drinkers.

Lastly, I’m reviewing two merlots from Duckhorn Vineyards that arrived too late to be included in my big article about Napa Merlot that I penned for Jancis Robinson’s website last month. Of the two, I preferred the Rector Creek bottling from Napa, despite its nasty, heavy bottle. It had more refinement than the fruit-driven Carneros Merlot.

Notes on all these below!

Tasting Notes

2023 Keplinger “El Dorado” White Blend, California
Palest greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of peaches, white flowers, pears, and a hint of bay laurel. In the mouth, white peach, pear, white flowers, and wet pavement have a beautiful crystalline quality and a sort of weightlessness on that palate that is extremely charming. Perfumed and elegant. A blend of 61% Viognier, 21% Grenache Blanc, and 18% Roussanne. 13.7% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $60. click to buy.

2025 Ridge Vineyards “Heringer” Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg, California
Palest gold in the glass, this wine smells of salty grapefruit, crushed nuts, and resinous herbs. In the mouth, pear and grapefruit flavors are shot through with rosemary and other herbal notes as lemon oil and white flowers linger in the finish. Slightly softer acidity than I would like, but a very compelling, complex flavor profile that is quite distinctive. 13.2% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $35. click to buy.

2017 JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset “No.8 Brut” Champagne Blend, Cremant de Bourgogne, Burgundy, France
Light gold in the glass with medium fine bubbles, this wine smells of candied lemon peel, ripe apples, and honey. In the mouth, a soft mousse delivers flavors of candied lemon, apple compote, and a touch of candied almonds. Decent acidity. Comes across as rich and ripe. 12% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $23.

2022 Goldeneye “Brut” Sparkling Rosé, Anderson Valley, Mendocino, California
Pale peachy gold in the glass, with medium fine bubbles, this wine smells of hibiscus, orange peel, and wet chalkboard. In the mouth, a solid mousse delivers flavors of berries, orange peel, crabapples, and a nice hint of sweet brioche. Very good acidity and just a hint of citrus bitterness in the finish. Aged in the bottle on the lees for 24 months before disgorgement.12.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $74. click to buy.

2025 Dutton Goldfield “Dutton Ranch – Shop Block” Pinot Blanc, Green Valley, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California
Light gold in the glass with a hint of green, this wine smells of passionfruit and kiwi with a hint of green apples and lemon curd. In the mouth, passionfruit and lemon curd flavors have a nice juiciness thanks to decent acidity. Notes of candied green apple linger in the finish. I suspect that a particular commercial yeast was used here that is driving the aromas and flavors towards the passionfruit end of the spectrum, and away from what I would expect from a Pinot Blanc. Tasty, but not varietally true. Fermented in stainless steel, malolactic blocked. 12.5% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $38.

2024 Ridge Vineyards “Pagani Ranch” Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California
Very dark garnet in the glass with purple highlights, this wine smells of black licorice candy, blueberries, and chocolate. In the mouth, rich blueberry and blackberry flavors mix with dark chocolate, licorice, and a hint of minty herbs, and the coconut note of American oak. Light, suede-like tannins coat the mouth as excellent acidity keeps the ripe fruit bouncy and juicy. A little ripe for my tastes, but the flavors are hard to dislike. A field blend of 82% Zinfandel, 9% Alicante Bouschet, 5% Petit Sirah, and 4% Mataro.14.9% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $40. click to buy.

2024 Ridge Vineyards “East Bench – Funsten Ranch” Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California
An intense dark purple in color, this wine smells of blueberries, blackberries, and a hint of oak. In the mouth, blackberry, blueberries, black tea, and dried herbs are wrapped in fleecy tannins as sweet whiskey barrel notes of American oak linger in the finish. Very good acidity. 14.6% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $42. click to buy.

2024 Ridge Vineyards “Geyserville” Red Blend, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California
Dark garnet in the glass with purple highlights, this wine smells of blackberries, licorice, blueberries, and chocolate. In the mouth, sweet oak flavors and coconut notes mix with blackberry, blueberry, dark chocolate, licorice, and dried herbs. Fantastic acidity and brightness, as well as supple, fleecy tannins, make for a complex and shimmering mouthful of flavors. Delicious. A field blend of 71% Zinfandel, 19% Carignane, 8% Petite Sirah, and 2% Alicante Bouschet. 14.6% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $54. click to buy.

2024 Ridge Vineyards “Lytton Springs” Red Blend, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California
Very dark garnet in the glass with purple highlights, this wine smells of black cherries, blackberries, and black plums. In the mouth, wonderfully juicy flavors of blackberries, black cherries, chopped cooking herbs, mint, and a touch of bourbon barrel have a fleecy mouth-coating tannic texture. The tannins gain weight and stiffness as the wine moves across the palate, and the finish at the moment has a distinct oaky sweetness that is more charming than distracting. Gorgeous acidity and wonderful depth and complexity without much weight. As usual, a tour de force. A field blend of 78% Zinfandel, 13% Petite Sirah, 6% Carignane, 2% Alicante Bouschet, and 1% Grenache. 14.5% alcohol. Score: around 9.5. Cost: $56. click to buy.

2022 Duckhorn Vineyards “Rector Creek Vineyard” Merlot, Napa Valley, Napa County, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherries and black plums with a hint of espresso. In the mouth, black plum and black cherry fruit are laced with espresso and dried herb notes. Muscular tannins coat the mouth and stiffen with time as bright acidity keeps things juicy. Notes of oak linger with cocoa notes in the finish. 14.5% alcohol. Nasty, heavy bottle weighs 1.67 kg when full. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $115. click to buy.

2022 Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot, Carneros, Napa County, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black plums, mocha, and a hint of concord grape. In the mouth, black plum and black cherry flavors mix with mocha and espresso notes, as oak flavors dominate the finish. Very good acidity and muscular tannins, but overall slightly more wood influence here than I would like. 14.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $82. click to buy.

2023 Keplinger “Versailles – Paderewski Vineyard” Red Blend, Willow Creek District, Paso Robles, Central Coast, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of chocolate-covered strawberries, blueberries, and black plums. In the mouth, bright and juicy flavors of strawberries, blueberries, cola, and plums are tinged with mocha and fresh with juicy acidity. Lush and ripe, but with a freshness, and some alcoholic heat in the finish. A blend of 48% Grenache, 47% Mourvedre, and 5% Viognier. 14.7% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $140. click to buy.