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.
This past week included the reliably pretty and easy-to-drink pink sparkler from Domaine Carneros, the Champagne Taittinger-owned sparkling house in Sonoma. Their Cuvée Pompadour Brut Rosé is a crowd-pleaser of a pink bubbly, but with nice complexity thanks to 18 months spent on the lees in the bottle.
I’ve also got two Chardonnays to recommend from Abbot Claim in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, both sourced from the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. Of the two, I actually like the wine made from multiple vineyard sources just slightly more than the single-vineyard bottling from Temperance Hill Vineyard. Both are made in the leaner, modern style that has made Willamette Valley Chardonnay such a topic of conversation and interest these days.
Also from that neck of the woods, I can recommend the perennially tasty “The Wild Bee” Chardonnay from Big Table Farm, the tiny operation run by artist Clare Carver and her winemaker husband Brian Marcy. They make wines with a low-intervention approach and a lot of integrity. This one, sourced from multiple sites around the Willamette Valley, is a great value.
Acorn Winery (the brand) was sold recently to Melissa Moholt-Siebert of nearby Ancient Oak Cellars, who (in a remarkable gesture of stewardship) is keeping the brand alive and purchasing fruit from the former estate vineyards that were retained by Acorn’s former owners, Bill and Betsy Nachbaur. This week, I’m reviewing the Grüner Veltliner and Cabernet Franc rosé produced under the new ownership. Both are solid wines, but I’m not entirely sure how much they cost or how to purchase them under the new ownership.
Finally, this week I’ve got some wines from the epic Weathereye Vineyard that straddles the (sharp, basaltic) edge of the Red Mountain AVA in Washington’s Yakima Valley. I wrote about this project a couple of years ago, and so I was very interested to receive a bunch of samples recently of their 2023 wines (which have yet to be released). They are all (both white and red) rich, concentrated, and intense, and will please those looking for wines with heft and power, though I think all (especially the whites) would be improved by lower alcohols and higher acidity. My favorite among them was the black-tea scented Tempranillo, which managed excellent balance and complexity.
Notes on all these below.
Tasting Notes
NV Domaine Carneros “Cuvée Pompadour” Brut Rosé Sparkling Wine, Los Carneros, Sonoma, California
Pale peachy pink in color with medium-fine bubbles, this wine smells of citrus peel, unripe strawberries, and peaches. In the mouth, a soft mousse delivers flavors of orange peel, dried herbs, apricot, and unripe strawberries. Excellent acidity and nice balance, plus a whisper of sweetness, make this a very easy wine to drink. A blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir with a little still Pinot Noir added for color. Spends 18 months on the lees in the bottle before disgorgement. 9 g/L dosage. 12% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $44. click to buy.
2023 Abbot Claim Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Light gold in the glass, this wine smells of struck match and flint. In the mouth, saline flavors of lemon curd, lemon oil, lemon peel, and a touch of grilled sourdough. Light chalky grip, and excellent acidity. Whole-cluster pressed, with free-run juice put back in the press for some more skin contact. Barrel fermented on gross lees. Aged for 12 months in 35% new French oak, followed by 6 months in stainless steel tanks. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 12% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $85. click to buy.
2023 Abbot Claim “Temperance Hill Vineyard” Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Light gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon oil, wet chalkboard, and lemon peel. In the mouth, lemon peel and pith mix with toasted oak and a hint of vanilla as electric acidity and a deep stony character offer a touch of austerity. Lemon oil and oak linger in the finish. Whole cluster pressed, recycled free-run juice put back in the press for some more skin contact. Barrel fermented on gross lees. Aged for 12 months in 35% new French oak, followed by 6 months in stainless steel tanks. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 13% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $135.
2024 Big Table Farm “The Wild Bee” Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon pith and white flowers, grapefruit, and a hint of herbs. In the mouth, white flowers, lemon pith, and tangy sour lemon candy flavors are bright and juicy with excellent acidity. Balanced, bright, and zippy. A blend of 6-7 different sites in the valley. Fermented with ambient yeasts and aged in neutral oak. 13.3% alcohol. 1200 cases made. Score: around 9. Cost: $35. click to buy.
2023 Acorn Winery “Alegría Vineyards” Grüner Veltliner, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California
Light yellow-gold in the glass, this wine smells of golden apples, baked apples, baking spices, and yellow plums. In the mouth, yellow plum, pear, and vanilla notes mix with a touch of yellow herbs and baked apples. Decent acidity. Mostly Grüner Veltliner, but really a field blend that includes Traminer, Ehrenfelser, Kerner, Silvaner, Viognier, Furmint, and Scheurebe. All the grapes are cofermented in 75% steel, 25% oakl. 13.2% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $??
2023 Acorn Winery “Alegría Vineyards” Rosé of Cabernet Franc, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California
Light coppery pink in color, this wine smells of berries, citrus peel, and chopped green herbs. In the mouth, berries, dried herbs, and citrus peel flavors have very good acidity and a faint salinity. I’d like a bit more snap here, but the flavors are clean and crisp. 13.2% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $??
2023 Weathereye Vineyards “Estate” Clairette, Columbia Valley, Washington
Pale straw in color, this wine smells of pears, pastry cream, and chamomile. In the mouth, rich poached pears, cream, and white flowers mix with a hint of citrus pith. Silky textured, with delicate acidity, this wine is more concentrated than crisp. 14.9% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $85.
2023 Weathereye Vineyards “Estate” Roussanne, Columbia Valley, Washington
Light to medium yellow-gold in the glass with some amber highlights, this wine smells of candied lemon peel, confectioners’ sugar, and a hint of yellow herbs. In the mouth, silky concentrated flavors of lemon peel, dried herbs, and a touch of saffron have a rich ripeness to them, and very delicate acidity. I find myself wishing for some more zip, as a faint bit of alcoholic heat rises in the finish. 14.9% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $85. click to buy.
2023 Weathereye Vineyards “Estate” Marsanne, Columbia Valley, Washington
Light yellow-gold in the glass, this wine smells of pears, banana, and a hint of dried papaya. In the mouth, pear and dried mango flavors mix with candied lemon rind and a touch of candle wax. Silky textured, concentrated, with a faint tannic grip, this wine is quite ripe, with less acidity than I would like. There’s a faint phenolic bitterness that lingers in the finish.14.9% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $85
2023 Weathereye Vineyards “Estate” Grenache, Columbia Valley, Washington
Medium hazy garnet in the glass, this wine smells of strawberries and freshly chopped aromatic herbs. In the mouth, rich strawberry jam and dried herb flavors are wrapped in fleecy tannins as intense notes of herbs and incense linger in the finish. Decent acidity. 14.9% alcohol Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $85. click to buy.
2023 Weathereye Vineyards “Estate” Tempranillo, Red Mountain, Columbia Valley, Washington
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherries, black tea, and earth. In the mouth, juicy, concentrated black cherry and black tea flavors mix with dried flowers and a hint of cherry cordial as fleecy tannins coat the mouth and flex their muscles a little. Very good acidity. 14.9% alcohol Score: around 9. Cost: $85
