JULY
2022 REVIEWS
RED WINES
OREGON
– RED
NV
Crowley Wines, Pinot Noir, DH, Willamette Valley, Oregon
(S) 23.99 / 259.09
We
love Crowley Wines’ elegant expressions of Willamette
Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Tyson Crowley’s creative
and inspired side comes to the fore with this brilliant Pinot
Noir cuvée featuring a whisper of Chardonnay to add
verve and transparency. The DH Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
is a blend of primarily 2018 Pinot blended with dashes of
2019 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, all sourced from the superb
Four Winds and La Colina vineyards. The wine casts a translucent
plum ruby robe followed by a full-throttle bouquet of black
raspberries, Bing cherries, rose petals, barrel smoke, pencil
shavings, and mustard seed. Lush and sumptuous on the palate,
the wine presents a chewy kernel of cherry, black raspberry,
and cassis fruit backed by complex suggestions of bay leaf,
thyme, cinnamon, and licorice. Fine, buffered tannins emerge
mid-palate and segue the DH to its long, earthy, cherry and
currant-tinged finish. This superb and comfortably priced
cuvée seamlessly balances the generosity and vinosity
of the warm 2018 Willamette Valley vintage with the elegance
and transparency of the 2019. Enjoy this beauty now or over
the coming five years with sautéed spring and summer
vegetables, Chinook salmon, roast chicken, duck, burgers,
grilled hanger steaks, and hearty casseroles.
FRANCE
– RED
2019
Vignoble Guillaume, Pinot Noir, Vin de Pays de Franche-Comté
IGP, France 17.99 / 194.29
Vignoble
Guillaume’s delicious, light, and most affordable Pinot
is a frequent feature in these pages, and this is the estate’s
finest effort yet. The Guillaume family, one of the world’s
largest cultivators of vines, places its cuttings and grafts
throughout the world’s finest appellations. In the 1980s,
Xavier Guillaume began crafting wines from the family’s
expansive vineyard holdings between Burgundy and the Jura.
Guillaume’s gorgeous, opulent 2019 Pinot Noir reflects
a transparent red ruby color followed by aromas of pomegranate,
cranberries, pie cherries, geranium, and wood spice. Generous
and savory on the palate, the wine’s crystalline core
of red Pinot fruit meshes with complex suggestions of Ceylon
black tea, Clementine orange, hoisin sauce, and clayey earth.
The wine finishes juicy and lip-smacking with layers of crunchy
currant and cherry fruit lifted by a persistent mineral undercurrent.
Enjoy this delightful red now and over the coming two years
with poultry, rabbit, semi-firm cow’s milk cheeses,
potatoes au gratin, and light pork preparations.
2021
Domaine A. Pégaz, Brouilly, Beaujolais, France
(O) 17.99 / 194.29
The
slopes of Mont Brouilly bestow lovers of Gamay with some of
the most distinctive and soil-driven expressions of Beaujolais’
famed crus. The southernmost of Beaujolais’ crus, Brouilly
features a unique soil type: a blue/black volcanic rock called
diorite that is known locally as “cornes vertes.”
Jean-Francois Pégaz assumed the helm of this superbly
situated 22-acre estate in 2009 and converted it to organic
farming and minimalist vinification to better express Brouilly’s
distinctive soil signature. Pégaz’s 2021 Brouilly,
vinified from 40+-year-old vines, explodes from the glass
with a translucent plum-ruby hue and gorgeous, mineral-inflected
aromas of red plums, wild strawberries, black cherries, and
dusty soil. Savory, lip-dusting, and soil-driven, the Brouilly’s
palate expression melds chewy black cherry and cassis fruit
with dusty, plentiful tannins and an earthy soil signature.
The wine finishes long and delicious with chewy cherry, currant,
and blackberry fruit complicated by pungent, earthy minerals.
A terrific choice for your warm weather barbecues, pair this
beauty now and over the coming seven years with broiled salmon,
grilled summer squashes, dry-rubbed ribs, grilled skirt steak,
and pan-seared pork loin chops.
2019
Domaine de la Graveirette (Julien Mus), Côtes du Rhône,
Rhône Valley, France (B)
15.99 / 172.69
This
is really great Côtes du Rhône, and one that will
find favor with both newcomers and traditionalists who relish
chewy, old-school, transparent Southern Rhône rouges.
After completing his viticultural and winemaking studies in
Burgundy, Julien Mus returned to his family’s domaine
on the outskirts of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Mus converted
the domaine to Biodynamic principles and committed his fruit
to minimal-intervention, artisanal winemaking. Mus’s
beautiful, floral 2019 Côtes du Rhône is composed
of Grenache that’s vinified and aged traditionally in
concrete tanks. It radiates a beautiful plum-ruby hue in the
glass and explodes with warm, inviting Southern Rhône
scents of cinnamon, cloves, tart plums, sweet red cherries,
five spice, and licorice. At once sumptuous and taut on the
palate, Mus’s Côtes du Rhône balances its
generous fruit expression with plentiful, dusty tannins, freshening
acidity, and classic Southern Rhône touches of licorice,
allspice, garrigue, and crushed stones. Enjoy now and over
the coming five years with roast lamb, grilled burgers, pork
braises, hearty bean stews, and ratatouille.
2020
Domaine du Cros, Marcillac, Lo Sang del Païs, Southwestern
France 16.99 / 183.49
A
unanimous staff favorite every year, the 2020 Lo Sang del
Païs is quite possibly the Domaine du Cros’s spiciest
and most compelling vintage yet. Marcillac is home to the
wonderfully obscure grape, Fer Servadou, or Mansois in local
dialect. Fashioned exclusively from Mansois, Domaine du Cros’
Lo Sang del Païs – the blood of the countryside
– casts a radiant ruby hue in the glass followed by
head-spinning aromas of Sichuan peppercorns, capsicum, iodine,
geranium, and ferrous earth. Spicy, peppery, and brimming
with personality, the wine presents a bright, focused, savory
palate marked by notes of red currants, tart cherries, black
tea, vine smoke, salt, and bay leaf. Plentiful fine tannins
and buoying acidity transition the Païs to its long,
salty, spicy, mineral-driven finish. Enjoy this beautiful
and distinctive Marcillac now and over the next seven years
with sausages, burgers, sautéed squashes, braised lentils,
and light cassoulets.
ITALY
– RED
2019
Col D’Orcia, Toscana IGT, Spezieri, Tuscany, Italy (CO)
13.99 / 151.09
Col
D’Orcia is one of the original estates of Montalcino,
and now the largest certified organic estate in Tuscany. The
estate leverages its strengths and creativity to fashion this
superb Toscana IGT – a classic Tuscan mélange
of Sangiovese (85%) blended with Ciliegiolo and international
varieties. 2019 will surely reveal itself as one of Tuscany’s
finest vintages, and Col D’Orcia’s Spezieri exemplifies
the harvest’s strengths with a deep plum-ruby robe and
dusty, soil-driven aromas of black Italian plums, Bing cherries,
button mushrooms, blond leather, and chewy licorice. Suave
and precocious on the palate, the Spezieri conveys a core
of chewy plum, blackberry, and cherry fruit infused with suggestions
of mocha, porcini mushroom, salted plums, and sarsaparilla.
Lifting acidity and dusty tannins emerge as the wine segues
to its long, savory, saturated, plummy finish. Pair it now
and over the coming three years with pizza, meaty pasta dishes,
rich Tuscan bean stews, stuffed portobello mushrooms, and
grilled porterhouse steaks. We also think this beauty can
take a slight chill and work with antipasti, cured meats,
sandwiches, picnic fare, and summertime barbecue victuals.
2017
Monsecco, Colline Novaresi Nebbiolo, Pratogrande, Piedmont,
Italy 25.99 / 280.69
The
Monsecco estate’s classic, long-lived Gattinaras and
Barbarescos from the 1950s through the ‘80s are fanatically
sought after by collectors. Today the Monsecco estate continues
its long track record of excellence with a full portfolio
of authentic, traditionally-crafted Alto Piemontese wines.
Monsecco’s Pratogrande bottling is Nebbiolo from vineyards
just outside the hallowed Gattinara and Ghemme zones. A beautiful
orange-rimmed garnet color, the wine casts a classic Alto
Piemonte nose of pie cherries, licorice, white pepper, salumi,
and smoky soil. Plentiful lip-dusting tannins and juicy acidity
frame the Protogrande’s core of wild cherry and plum
fruit. Long, zesty, and brimming with character, the wine
finishes with complex notes of cloves, cinnamon, tobacco,
menthol, orange-scented potpourri, and ferrous limestone.
Pair this pure, versatile, and unusually affordable Alto Piemonte
Nebbiolo now and over the coming decade with both classic
hearty Piemontese cuisine as well as pizza, pasta, burgers,
and pork chops.
SPAIN
– RED
2020
Hiruzta, Getariako Txakolina Tinto, Basque Country, Spain
18.99 / 205.09
A
true rarity: red Txakolina accounts for a miniscule fraction
of the wine produced in the Basque Country’s Getariako
Txakolina zone. Hiruzta’s Txakolina Tinto is based solely
on the Hondarrabi Beltza variety, which is chiefly employed
to make the delicious Txakolina rosé. A gleaming ruby
color, Hiruzta’s Txakolina Tinto evokes comparisons
with savory Loire Valley Cabernet Francs and Mencias of Bierzo,
but with a personality all its own. The Tinto opens with fresh,
lively aromas of cherry skin, red currants, pomegranate seeds,
sweet tobacco, and espelette peppers. Piquant and invigorating,
the Tinto layers the palate with red currant and cherry fruit
framed by fine tannins and complex suggestions of tobacco,
Fresno pepper, dried bay leaf, and pipe tobacco. Floral suggestions
of lavender and rose emerge on the wine’s long finish.
As the weather warms, we are definitely going to make this
beauty our go-to red wine for picnics, barbecues, and festive
gatherings. We’ll be pairing with antipasti, vegetable,
mushroom and meat tapas (dusted with smoked paprika, of course!),
chorizo and other hard sausages, slow smoked brisket and pork,
ribs, chicken, hard cheeses, and hearty bean pintxos. Serve
chilled, now and over the next two years, to capture the Tinto’s
youthful vigor.
WHITE WINES
FRANCE
– WHITE
2021
Stéphanie & Arnaud Dezat, Sancerre, Loire Valley,
France (S) 24.99 / 269.89
Dezat’s
gorgeous 2021 Sancerre casts a pale, green-tinged gold color
in the glass followed by aromas of greengage plums, lime zest,
wintergreen, gunflint, and dusty, chalky minerals. On the
palate, the wine presents a riveting panoply of tart yellow
and green plum fruit complimented by clean, classic Sancerre
overtones of white pepper, nettles, chervil, mint, and freshly
cut grass. Bristling acidity and an undercurrent of chalky
minerality carry Dezat’s Sancerre to its long herb,
citrus, and limestone-tinged finish. This is a superb, elegant,
and authentic Sancerre to buy by the case and enjoy now and
over the coming three years with fresh chèvres, poached
freshwater fish dishes, oysters, clams, mussels, vegetable
risottos, white pastas, and as a top-shelf end of day reward.
2020
Château de Fontenille, Entre-deux-Mers Blanc, Bordeaux,
France (S) 13.99 / 151.09
Visionary
winemaker Stéphane Defraine is defining what makes
the wines of Bordeaux’s Entre-deux-Mers sector so special
and so compelling. The name Entre-deux-Mers translates to
“between two tides” – in this case, the
tides of the Garonne and Dordogne Rivers. Here Defraine selects
the coolest gravelly limestone and clay sites for his exemplary
blend of traditional White Bordeaux varieties: Sauvignon Blanc
(40%), Sauvignon Gris, Sémillon, and Muscadelle. Fontenille’s
2020 Blanc presents gorgeous aromas of pink grapefruit, passion
fruit, preserved lemons, and yellow peaches. Sumptuous and
ample on the palate, the wine infuses a juicy kernel of grapefruit,
pomelo, and green pineapple fruit with gravelly minerals and
hints of mint, tarragon, and menthol. Notes of white pepper,
basil, jalapeño, gravel, and flint emerge on the wine’s
long, refreshing finish. This is superb, affordable, top caliber
white Bordeaux that will pair well with shellfish, broiled
rainbow trout, sole meunière, sautéed leafy
vegetables, creamed spinach, and fresh chèvres.
2020
Paul Pernot et Ses Fils, Bourgogne Côte d’Or Chardonnay,
Burgundy, France (S) 33.99 / 367.09
Paul
Pernot is a legend in his home village of Puligny-Montrachet.
Pernot’s always-delicious Bourgogne Chardonnay –
now with the Côte d’Or designation to highlight
its superior origins – is fashioned from declassified
Puligny-Montrachet vines situated on Puligny’s border
with Meursault. Pernot’s Bourgogne Chardonnay, from
the superb 2020 White Burgundy vintage, opens with a brilliant
pale lemon-gold color followed by rich Meursault-like aromas
of lemon curd, pear, and dry-roasted cashews. The wine performs
way above its appellation with a creamy, textured palate that
conveys unusual intensity and soil transparency for such an
affordably priced Côte-de-Beaune blanc. Long, precise,
and packed with limestone-infused impressions of lemon juice,
yellow plum, orange blossoms, almonds, and buttery pastry
crust, Pernot’s Bourgogne blanc finishes elegant, lush,
and impeccably well balanced. The wine already drinks well
young, but also has the reserve and balance to ensure midterm
keeping. Enjoy now and over the coming decade with roast pork,
veal, poultry, white-fleshed fish dishes, and young chèvres.
This bottling is always very limited, so be sure to secure
your case of this beauty.
2021
Arnaud Lambert, Saumur Blanc, Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg, Loire Valley,
France (CO) 17.99 / 194.29
Arnaud
Lambert is leading a revolutionary movement in the Central
Loire Valley appellations of Saumur and Saumur-Champigny.
His goal is to spotlight each of his vineyard’s distinct
terroirs and to express their potentials through organic viticulture
and precise, minimal-intervention winemaking. Tuffeau is the
yellow-tinged limestone that was quarried in times past to
build the magnificent châteaux in the central Loire.
Today, tuffeau’s incomparable soil signature is responsible
for the equally magnificent Chenin Blancs and Cabernet Francs
grown upon it. Lambert’s Chenin Blanc Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg
bottling casts a bright lemon-gold hue and classic Saumur
Blanc aromas of Anjou pears, green pineapple, beeswax, and
perfumed tuffeau soil. Showing superb cut and tension on the
attack, the wine presents a taut mouthful of pear-driven Chenin
fruit framed by yellow limestone minerals and electric acidity.
Complex suggestions of quince, sweet cinnamon, fresh ginger,
lanolin, chamomile, and honeycomb emerge on the wine’s
long finish followed by a tactile dusting of salty, lip-coating
limestone minerals. This is bone-dry, “grand cru”
Chenin for a song. Pair it now and over the coming three years
with freshwater fish dishes, aged chèvres, recipes
featuring chanterelle mushrooms, and roast pheasant.
2020
Domaine Nebout, Tressallier, L’Incompris du Tressallier,
IGP Val de Loire-Allier, Loire Valley, France 17.99 / 194.29
Nearly
wiped out by the phylloxera epidemic in the mid-19th century,
the historically important Tressallier grape is a rare specialty
of the Saint-Pourçain zone just south of the Loire
Valley. Today a mere ninety acres of Tressallier survive,
but dedicated vignerons such as Julien Nebout are reviving
the grape on Saint-Pourçain’s special mineral-rich,
alluvial soils. A medium lemon-gold in the glass, Nebout’s
L’Incompris du Tressallier opens with aromas of Meyer
lemon zest, Anjou pear, yellow apple skin, and smoky limestone
minerals. The wine greets the palate with fleshy Golden Delicious
apple and Mirabelle plum fruit, vivified by the wine’s
firm mineral spine. Crisp impressions of white peach, quince,
and ginger layer the palate before yielding to brisk acidity,
notes of fresh thyme and sage, and another lashing of flinty
minerals. A must-buy for fans of Loire Valley rarities, Nebout's
Tressallier will prove a lovely foil now and over the coming
three years with herbed roast chicken, broiled white-fleshed
fish recipes, fresh chèvres, and lightly-dressed green
salads.
AUSTRIA
– WHITE
2020
Nigl, Grüner Veltliner, Freiheit, Kremstal, Austria (S)
19.99 / 215.89
In
the terrific 2020 Kremstal vintage, Nigl’s Freiheit
conveys what makes Grüner Veltliner one of the world’s
most delicious, versatile, and distinctive grape varieties.
Nigl, unquestionably one of Austria’s premier wine estates,
crafts focused, chiseled wines of impeccable detail and transparency.
The 2020 Freiheit – hailing from four high-altitude
vineyards with the deep Löss soils on which the Grüner
thrives – casts a green-gold hue followed by high-toned
aromas of Pippen apples, honeysuckle blossoms, green lentils,
and white pepper. The wine then graces the palate with pure,
mineral-driven green melon, lime, and kiwi fruit accented
by suggestions of sweet snap peas, blond tobacco, and sweet
fresh marjoram. Brilliant acidity transitions the Freiheit
to its long, zippy finish, featuring waves of citrus and melon
fruits driven by deep Löss minerality. Enjoy this versatile,
comfortably-priced Austrian wonder now or over the coming
five years with sautéed green vegetables, grilled zucchini,
braised pork and roast chicken.
James Suckling: 91 points
SPAIN
– WHITE
2021
Ostatu, Rioja Blanco, Rioja Alavesa, Spain (S) 15.99 / 172.69
Rioja
is Spain’s oldest and most famous winegrowing region.
The Ostatu estate, located in Rioja’s Alavesa sub-zone,
features predominantly clay-calcareous soils which are essential
for creating wines of great concentration and complexity.
Ostatu’s high altitude, old-vine blend of Viura (85%)
and Malvasía casts a pale straw gold color and dazzling
aromas of bosc pear, green apple skin, lemongrass, quinine,
and calcareous minerals. Vibrant and mineral-driven on the
palate, Ostatu’s Blanco layers the palate with waves
of juicy pear, Key lime, Meyer lemon, thyme, and limestone
dust. Brisk, clean, and driven by its acid and mineral backbone,
the wine finishes with a burst of juicy citrus fruit infused
with suggestions of chamomile, bay leaf, fresh ginger, and
dusty limestone minerals. Enjoy this crisp, riveting Rioja
Blanco, served cool but not cold, now and over the coming
two years with seafood and vegetable tapas, roast pheasant,
and fresh cheeses.
2021
Celler Pardas, Penedès Blanco, Rupestris, Catalonia,
Spain (CO) 17.99 / 194.29
This
is an outrageously great Penedès blanc and a world-class
value. Celler Pardas’ Rupestris (“that which lives
on or gets its sustenance from cliffs or rocks”) is
old-vine blend of indigenous, massale-selection Xarel-lo (85%)
and Malvasía de Sitges fermented and aged for six months
in century-old concrete tanks. Reflecting a brilliant lemon-gold
color, Pardas’ Rupestris casts evocative scents of white
peach, elderflower, chamomile, high-toned herbs, and smoky
limestone dust. Brisk and taut on the attack, the wine fleshes
out mid-palate to reveal gorgeous impressions of lemon juice,
green pears, crisp fennel, and herbs. Chalky limestone minerality
emerges and segues the wine to its long, dry, and soil-driven
finish, with dissolved limestone minerals seemingly dusting
the inner cheeks and lips and persisting for minutes. Pair
now and over the coming two years with freshwater fish preparations,
shellfish, seared scallops, and sautéed green vegetables.
PORTUGAL
– WHITE
2020
Quinta de Porrais, Douro Branco, Portugal 11.99 / 129.49
The
terraced shale vineyards of the Douro are a sight to behold.
Here the vines cling to precipitous hillsides slopes while
absorbing the plenitude of minerals in the shallow soils.
Grown at nearly 2,000 feet above sea level, Quinta de Porrais’s
Branco – a blend of 65 to 80-year-old Códiga
do Lorinho (55%) and Rabigato (45%) – bristles with
the energy imparted by these elevated sites. Pale green-glinted
lemon-gold in the glass, the wine casts smoky, soil-inflected
aromas of lemon zest, green pineapple, quince, acacia, and
orange blossoms. Brisk and invigorating, the palate juxtaposes
a juicy core of green plum, papaya, and honeydew melon fruit
with fresh green herbs, menthol, and pungent schistose minerals.
Floral notes and waves of smoky minerals reappear to segue
the Branco to its long, clean finish. This is a stunning value
as an everyday sipper or as a complement to green salads,
picnic fare, sautéed zucchini, oysters on the half-shell,
sashimi, steamed clams, and seafood tapas.
Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast: 90 points
ROSÉ WINES
OREGON
– ROSÉ
2021
Broadley Vineyards, Romato of Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley,
Oregon (S) 19.99 / 215.89
Broadley
Vineyards has a stellar track record of crafting exemplary,
critically-lauded Pinot Noirs, and with the 2021 vintage,
Broadley has issued its first skin contact Pinot Gris. Broadley’s
Romato – given skin contact for three days and aged
seven months in neutral French oak – casts a luminous
copper-peach hue followed by beguiling aromas of wild strawberries,
salmonberries, and nectarines. Juicy and succulent on the
palate, the Romato meshes impressions of tart cantaloupe,
pink grapefruit, and white peach. Sappy and driven by a brisk
acidic spine, the wine finishes long, satisfying, and bone-dry
with complex suggestions of orange water, thyme, and bitter
cherry skin. The winery recommends that you enjoy this wine
on a hot day in the shade with family and friends. This sounds
like a wonderful plan to us, but we might venture that you
serve this beauty at a cool temperature, and pair it with
grilled fare like chicken thighs, marinated mushrooms, summer
squashes, and steelhead salmon.
FRANCE
– ROSÉ
2021
Domaine de Fontsainte, Gris de Gris, Corbières, Languedoc-Roussillon,
France (S) 16.99 / 183.49
The
impeccable wines of the Domaine de Fontsainte have been staples
of Kermit Lynch’s venerable portfolio for over forty
years. The domaine’s beloved rosé is a fascinating
medley of Grenache Gris (90%), Carignan, and Mourvèdre
grown on the stone-strewn clay, limestone, and silica terroirs
of the Corbières region in the center of the Languedoc.
Fontsainte’s 2021 Gris de Gris (might we add that 2021
is a stunning Southern French rosé vintage!) shows
a pale pink-salmon color followed by aromas of red currants,
Rainier cherries, and lavender-scented garrigue. On the palate,
the Gris de Gris conveys expressions of tangy pie cherry and
currant fruit accented by suggestions of peach skin and spicy
cinnamon. Snappy, zesty, and bursting with flavor, the wine
leaves the palate refreshed and lingering with impressions
of Seville orange peel, dried herbs, and white pepper backed
by an undercurrent of stony minerality. Perfect for warm weather
sipping and barbecues, it will also work as a fine foil for
ratatouille, grilled summer squashes, broiled salmon, and
roast quail. This is unquestionably the finest and most complete
Fontsainte Gris de Gris in our experience!
A Kermit Lynch selection
2021
Stéphanie & Arnaud Dezat, Sancerre Rosé,
Loire Valley, France (S) 24.99 / 269.89
Dezat’s
rosé – fashioned from Pinot Noir grown on Sancerre’s
incomparable silex and caillottes soils – gleams with
a limpid orange-salmon robe followed by textbook Sancerre
aromas of gunflint, chalk, grapefruit, tart peach, fresh tarragon,
red peppercorns, and rose petals. Crisp, focused, and driven
by its mineral origins, Dezat’s 2021 rosé buoys
its kernel of red currant, bitter orange, and tart cherry
fruit with riveting acidity and a lashing of flinty minerals.
Juicy crystalline and ineffably Sancerre, Dezat’s rosé
finishes clean and brisk, begging for food. This is simply
brilliant Sancerre rosé and a rare treat at its most
comfortable price level. Enjoy now and over the coming three
years on its own, or ideally as a partner to dry-rubbed grilled
chicken, rare ahi, sashimi, sautéed summer squashes,
fresh chèvres, light sausages, and beef tartare. |