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 I tried two more of the current releases from Raventos i Blanc, the venerable Spanish sparkling wine producer who makes some of the most compelling sparkling wines in the Penedes region of Spain. Their dedication to single-site production and indigenous grape varieties in the region has caused them to withdraw from all of the DO organizations they might ordinarily belong to in their region, so the wines are just labeled as Spanish sparkling wines, but don’t let that fool you. These are serious bubbles. In particular, I loved the latest vintage of their De la Finca blend.

I’ve also been working my way through a bunch of Virginia wines and have several to recommend, starting with a tasty Vermentino from Barboursville Vineyards. Vermentino isn’t a grape I associate with Virginia, but this one was quite competently made. Petit Manseng, on the other hand, is one of the most successful white grapes in the region, and a taste of the bottle from The Winery at La Grange will give you an understanding of why. Nicely balanced, aromatic, and wonderfully bright, it’s a pleasure to drink.

Virginia is also known for its Bordeaux blends, and the three reds I’m recommending this week bear out that reputation. The CrossKeys Vineyards Cabernet Franc has a wonderful freshness to it and a classic profile. The Pollack Vineyards Reserve Merlot has a nice dark complexion but also some savory notes to complement the rich fruit. And the Glen Manor “Vin Rouge” offers a nice melange of herbal and blue fruit flavors along with toasted oak.

Finally, I am pleased to recommend some current and upcoming releases from Inglenook, Francis Ford Coppola’s historic estate in Napa. I reviewed their white wines last week, and this week I’m featuring their estate Cabernet Sauvignon and the top bottling they call Rubicon. The 2023 versions of both wines are fantastic, showing all the elegance that the very cool vintage had to offer. The 2024s reflect the slightly warmer year and are excellent as well, though perhaps not reaching the heights of the 2023s, at least not yet. If you enjoy the more elegant, lower-alcohol side of Napa wines, these wines will delight you.

Notes on all these follow below.

Tasting Notes

2023 Raventos i Blanc “De La Finca” White Blend, Spain
Yellow gold in the glass, with medium-fine bubbles, this wine smells of lemon and ripe apples with a hint of herbs. In the mouth, a voluminous mousse delivers bright floral lemon and pastry cream flavors across the palate while excellent acidity and a stony wet-pavement minerality make for an elegant, refined quality. Very pretty. A blend of 60% Xarel·lo, 30% Macabeu, and 10% Parellada fermented in stainless steel and concrete. Malolactic conversion inhibited. Secondary fermentation in the bottle, where the wine ages on the lees for 30 months. Certified organic. 12% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $39. click to buy.

2022 Raventos i Blanc “Textures de Pedra” White Blend, Spain
Bronze-gold in the glass with medium-fine bubbles, this wine smells of berries, herbs, and baked apples. In the mouth, a muscular mousse delivers flavors of baked apples, dried orange peel, dried herbs, and wet chalkboard as excellent acidity and a hint of salinity round out this savory experience on the palate. There’s a faint aromatic sweetness that lingers in the finish. Certified organic. A blend of Xarel·lo Vermell and Sumoll fermented and aged for 9 months in concrete. Malolactic conversion inhibited. Secondary fermentation in bottle. Aged on the lees in the bottle for 42 months. 12.5% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $50. click to buy.

2024 Barboursville “Reserve” Vermentino, Virginia
Palest greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of pears, white flowers, and dried herbs. In the mouth, silky flavors of pear and linalool mix with hints of herbs and a touch of citrus pith. Very good acidity and a nice chalky underbelly round out the package. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $25. click to buy.

2024 The Winery at La Grange Petit Manseng, Virginia
Light yellow-gold in the glass, this wine smells of honeysuckle, yellow apples, and lemon curd. In the mouth, candied lemons, apple, and a hint of pineapple are all bright and juicy thanks to excellent, even slightly electric acidity. Juicy and delicious. 13.9% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $39. click to buy.

2024 CrossKeys Vineyard Cabernet Franc, Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of black plums, crushed nuts, and a hint of struck match. In the mouth, juicy and bright flavors of black plum and pencil lead are wrapped in fine, powdery tannins that coat the mouth. Excellent acidity accompanies chopped green herbs and hints of citrus peel that linger in the finish. Fresh and juicy. 14% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $31. click to buy.

2023 Pollak Vineyards “Reserve” Merlot, Monticello, Virginia
Very dark garnet in color, this wine smells of black cherries, plums, and oak. In the mouth, black cherry flavors and notes of toasted oak are wrapped in a fleecy blanket of tannins. Very good acidity offers some nice freshness as chopped green herbs and black plums linger in the finish. 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $60. click to buy.

2023 Glen Manor Vineyards “Vin Rouge” Red Blend, Virginia
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherries, prunes, and blueberries. In the mouth, black cherry and blueberry flavors are wrapped in fleecy tannins and shot through with chopped green herbs. Very good acidity gives a nice freshness to the wine, and the powdery tannins coat the mouth and linger as notes of oak emerge in the finish. A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot. 13.4% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $35. click to buy.

2023 Troon Vineyard Syrah, Applegate Valley, Southern Oregon, Oregon
Medium to dark garnet in the glass with purple highlights, this wine smells of blackberries, blueberries, and a hint of horse manure. In the mouth, juicy acidity makes blackberry and blueberry flavors bright as fleecy tannins coat the mouth and darker wet earth and dried herb notes surface amongst the fruit. Dried herbs and a touch of that barnyard note linger in the finish. Excellent acidity. Demeter-certified biodynamic. Regenerative Organic Certified Gold. 12% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $44. click to buy.

2024 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Napa, California
Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blackcurrant and black cherry with a hint of licorice and baking spices. In the mouth, blackcurrant and chopped green herbs mix with black cherry. Fine, powdery tannins coat the mouth, as chopped green herbs and dried flowers linger in the finish. Excellent acidity. 14.2% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $100.

2023 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Napa, California
Very dark garnet in color, this wine smells of chopped herbs, blueberries, blackcurrant, and violets. In the mouth, smooth powdery tannins coat the mouth and surround a core of black cherry, blackcurrant, a hint of licorice root, and chopped green herbs. Excellent acidity, floral perfume, and a lovely roundness to the wine. 14.3% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $100. click to buy.

2024 Inglenook “Rubicon” Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Napa, California
Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blackcurrant and black cherries. In the mouth, mouthwatering acidity makes for a juicy character in plum, blackcurrant, and black cherry fruit. Powdery, even stony tannins coat the mouth but remain supple through the finish. Dried herbs and freshly chopped herbs linger in the finish. 14.2% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $265.

2023 Inglenook “Rubicon” Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Napa, California
Very dark garnet in color, this wine smells of blackcurrant, plums, and black cherries with a hint of mocha. In the mouth, black cherry and blackcurrant flavors mix with dried flowers and plums. Seamless, supple tannins coat the mouth, and give a wonderful shape to the wine. Notes of licorice and violets linger in the finish. Excellent, juicy acidity. 14.2% alcohol. Score: around 9.5. Cost: $265. click to buy.