April 2024 Wine Club
Wine Club, April 2024
• Chateau Pegau, Pink Pegau 2023
• Raul Perez, Ultrea Saint-Jacques 2021
• Peay, ‘La Bruma’ Syrah 2018
WINES
Wine Club Selections, April 2024
• Château Pégau, Pink Pégau 2023
• Raul Perez, Ultra Saint-Jacques 2021
• Peay, ‘La Bruma’ Syrah 2018
March 2024 Wine Club
Wine Club, March 2024
• Produttori del Barbaresco, Barbaresco 2019
• E. Pira e Figli (Chiara Boschis), Barolo ‘Mosconi’ 2019
WINES
Wine Club Selections, March 2024
• Produttori del Barbaresco, Barbaresco 2019
• E. Pira e Figli (Chiara Boschis), Barolo ‘Mosconi’ 2019
Produttori del Barbaresco, Barbaresco 2019
100% Nebbiolo / Piemonte, Italy
Founded in 1958, the Produttori del Barbaresco represents perhaps the best cooperative of winegrowers in the world. Today, the 'produttori' consists of 51 grower/members who farm 100 hecatres of the finest vineyard sites in Barbaresco. Each vintage, the nebbiolo grapes from these vineyards are brought to the winery located in the heart of the commune of Barbaresco, where they undergo a traditional vinification. This 'blended' Barbaresco is the flagship of the cooperative, and is produced in each vintage. It represents a benchmark for the region as a whole, and routinely scores 95+ points in critic tastings. One of the reasons for this exceptional quality and consistency is that the growers of the Produttori hold grapes in many of the top crus, which are both made into single-vineyard bottlings in smaller qualities, and are used in the classic Barbaresco. This represents one of my favorite go-to wines in any vintage. In a great vintage like 2019, it is the kind of wine to buy in bulk, as it has tremendous aging potential, while delivering fantastic drinkability in its youth.
The wine undergoes a fairly long maceration of 24 days in stainless steel tanks. It is then aged in large oak casks. Lovely right now, the wine has the potential to age and improve over the next 20 years. Nebbiolo is a powerful, tannic, and high-acid grape that often demands food. While the wines of Barbaresco are often fresher and a bit lighter and a touch easier to drink alone than there counterparts in Barolo, they still really are enhanced by the right pairings. This is a versatile wine that can go well with classic pastas, and both white meat and red meat dishes. However, for the best experiences, try and pair it with classics of the region: gnocchi or agnolotti with a sauce that is either based on braised pork or veal or brown butter; mushrooms/truffles; braised pork dishes; grilled pork chops or grass-fed steak; aromatic soft cheeses.
Drink: now-2045
E. Pira e Figli (Chiara Boschis), Barolo 'Mosconi' 2019
100% Nebbiolo / Piemonte, Italy
Chiara Boschis is the 'force of nature' owner and winemaker at E. Pira e Figli, located directly in the center of the commune of Barolo. She has become one of my favorite winemakers in the world, and every time I visit with her, I am further enchanted by the wines. Chiara comes from a family with deep roots in Barolo and ties to some of the region's most historic estates. As a young woman in the early 1980s, she convinced her parents to help her get a loan to buy the E. Pira e Figli estate as the owners had no offspring to pass it on to upon their retirement. Chiara quickly became a star. This was a time of massive upheaval in Barolo. A new movement towards modern winemaking styles was making waves, and the group of young winemakers pushing these trends where called 'The Barolo Boys'. Chiara was the one woman in the group of rebels, who were looking at changing the production and marketing of the wines in the region. The so-called 'Barolo Wars' pitted this young group against traditional stalwarts.
Historically, Barolo was a wine so tannic, so acidic, so powerful, that it need 10, 15, even 20 years of bottle age before it could really be enjoyed. The traditional viticultural and vinicultural processes included no pruning in the vineyard, incredibly long and slow macerations, and long aging in giant Slavonian oak botti. The young modernists wanted to try and create Barolo that not only would drink well in its youth, but also would age, and would perhaps even be appreciated by the growing wine markets in the United States that craved 'hedonistic' wines with ripe fruit and higher alcohol. 'The Barolo Boys' began green harvesting (cutting bunches off the vine mid-summer to concentrate flavor into the remaining grapes), and perhaps most controversial of all, started aging some or even entire portions of their wine in 250-liter French oak barriques as in Bordeaux. In the beginning, this battle produced wines that were in stark contrast. Over time, as is often the case, both sides began to see the benefits in both methodologies. While there are a handful of producers in each camp that remain 'hardcore' in their styles and principles, the majority of producers have come to a middle-ground. Nearly all winemakers in Barolo now green-harvest as it controls yields and producers higher-quality grapes. Most of the modernists now use a portion of older or larger barrels, while many of the traditionalists are working cleaner to produce wines with freshness and a drinkability in their youth.
The wines of Chiara Boschis, are simultaneously meditative, structured, and powerful like the traditional wines of Barolo, while still demonstrating an almost 'hedonistic' sense of pleasure. Her skill in the cellar is immense, but perhaps the most important characteristic in her wines is the quality of her farming and the incredible terroir that she works in. Chiara was the first producer to certify organic in the Barolo region. She farms seven of the most important single vineyard crus in the region, including Mosconi and Ravera di Monforte in Monforte d'Alabe, Cannubi, Terlo, and Liste in Barolo, and Gabutti and Baudana in Serralunga d'Alba. From these vineyards, she produces four Nebbiolo-based wines: • Langhe Nebbiolo (from the Ravera di Monforte cru)
• Barolo 'Via Nuova' (a traditional blend of 5 crus)
• Barolo 'Cannubi' (single vineyard bottling)
• Barolo 'Mosconi' (single vineyard bottling)
The 'Mosconi' cru presented here represents, perhaps, my favorite cru in all of Barolo, and is home not only to this wine, but to the illustrious Barolo 'Percristina' of Domenico Clerico which is one of my favorite wines in the world. 'Mosconi' is a small vineyard in the commune of Monforte d'Alba at the souhtern edge of the Barolo zone. This area produces some of the most structured and powerful wines in all of Barolo, due to a combination of the heavy clay soil which is also rich in calcium carbonate and iron. The wine is powerful and structured with a redish-brown color, generous floral aromas wrapped in dried fruits and spices, with a long, persistent finish, fantastic acid, and chewy tannins.
Is it ready to drink now? Probably not. If you have patience, you will certainly be rewarded. Try and hold off until at least 2026 to really get into this wine. That said, the aging potential here is immense and if stored properly it will easily hold to 2050. When you open it, open it with food and share it with loved ones and good friends. This is a wine for big flavors: ribeye, bison steaks, aged cheeses, or classic Brasato al Barolo (braised veal/beef in barolo wine sauce).
Drink: 2026-2050+
February 2024 Wine Club
Wine Club, February 2024
• Mayacamas, Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
WINES
Wine Club Selections, February 2024
• Mayacamas, Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (Mount Veeder, Napa Valley, California)
When it comes to Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, wines tend to fall in one of 3 camps:
1) High-priced ‘cult’ wines from extreme mountain sites with extraordinary concentration, high alcohol, and intense power.
2) Lower-priced concentrated and jammy wines from the hot valley floor of Napa Valley
3) Terroir-driven cabernets from single vineyards/communes that express elegance along with power–yes, often expensive.
4) Classic cabernets made with longer agings, older barrels, and older vines that produce a more Bordeaux-like style–very elegant and extremely ageworthy with minerality and acidity–yes, also expensive.
While the taste for many consumers is for the giant wines from category 1 and 2, my preference is for the wines of categories 3 and 4, with a special love for the most classic and traditional productions. That is what Mayacamas is. If 100 sommeliers were asked to choose the 10 most historic and traditional producers of Cabernet Sauvignon, no list will be completed that does not have Mayacamas on it. The winery (which is still in use) was first built in 1889. After the financial upheaval of the first half of the 20th Century, the estate was purchased in 1941 and renamed Mayacamas. The Travers family bought the estate in 1968 and the wines made here ever since have continued in a traditional fashion, using large barrels for fermentation, extended agings in mostly old oak barrels. Grapes come from vineyard at nearly 2,000 ft. elevation on Mount Veeder, getting cooling air from both San Pablo Bay and the Pacific Ocean. This helps preserve acidity, as does the traditional early picking done at Mount Veeder, which helps insure that these wines have potential to age. That said, they are not shy, and still show the dark fruit qualities, spice, and power that make Cabernet Sauvignon what it is, they are just shown without the overpowering influences of lots of new French oak.
This is an amazing place and I am thrilled to share this wine with you. It is among my favorites in all of California.
Drink: Yes, you can drink now. BUT, this wine has massive aging potential and will continue ‘improving’ for at least 15 years and will drink perfectly until 2045-2050!
Serving temperature: 58º-60º
Food pairings: Classic big red cuisine: steaks, burgers, pork chops - but also works with roasted meats and game.
July Wine Club
Wine Club, June 2023
Smith-Madrone, Riesling 2018
Marcel Lapierre, Morgon, 2021
La Rioja Alta, ‘Viña Ardanza’ Reserva 2016
WINES
2018 Smith-Madrone, Riesling, Spring Mountain, Napa Valley, California
2021 Marcel Lapierre, Morgon, Beaujolais, France
2016 La Rioja Alta, ‘Viña Ardanza’ Reserva, La Rioja, Spain
SMITH-MADRONE
2018 Riesling, Spring Mountain, Napa Valley, California
100% Riesling
For more information on Smith-Madrone, please read our June Wine Club post to learn a bit about this iconic producer. However, I will say here that I am overjoyed that these wines are now available in the State of Kansas! Smith-Madrone has been a ‘darling’ for sommeliers for over 30 years, but most people outside of California and few other markets are relatively unfamiliar with this producer. And while I am a huge fan of their Cabernet Sauvignon, it is really this Riesling that sets Smith-Madrone apart.
Riesling is perhaps the most under appreciated varietal in the United States. The assumption from the general public that it is always sweet and lacks depth and complexity is simply a falsehood. Riesling is one of the world’s noble grapes and is maybe the most exciting varietal in the world for sommeliers when it comes to food and wine pairing. While Germany is regarded as the home of Riesling, there are hamlets around the world where the grape also has incredible success. Napa Valley rarely gets spoken of as one of these places. However, Smith-Madrone, who planted their Riesling vines in their beginning along with Cabernet Sauvignon, is the great exception. This Riesling is completely dry and filled with depth, minerality, finesse, and fantastic persistence. Present is the characteristic Riesling acid, but here we also see ripe and sweet citrus notes ranging from lemons to oranges, and beautiful floral aromas. The 2018 vintage is the current release for this wine and it is built for a long life!
Serve at 45º-48º
Can drink now, BUT…. Riesling has tremendous aging potential because of its fantastic acidity. This wine has the potential to develop for as long as 20-30 years….my advice–drink this bottle and then buy a lot more to keep in your cellar!
Food pairings: all the classic white wine dishes are great here from salads to seafood. Also - pork tenderloin, roast chicken, sushi, oysters, clam chowder.
MARCEL LAPIERRE
2021 Morgon, Beaujolais, France
100% Gamay
It is possible that the wines of Marcel Lapierre are my favorite in the world. They are just so damn delicious and so versatile! Marcel Lapierre is part of a generation of French winemakers that started the natural wine revolution in the 1970s. Their understanding of the importance of a diverse ecosystem to provide nutrients and energy to the vines, and then the ability to the grapes and wine evolve naturally with limited intervention from manmade chemicals seems obvious. However, it requires commitment and precision both in the vineyard and in the cellar to make wines of quality and character while limiting the use of chemicals and manmade compounds. One of the issues with the ‘natural wine movement’ is that too many winemakers us the marketing opportunities of the ‘natural’ moniker while not having the raw materials or skills to truly make outstanding wine. These include the right sites, high-quality and/or old vines, and exceptional, clean, and scientifically-sound wine making. At Marcel Lapierre, all of these issues are moot.
Located in the Beaujolais village of Morgon, one of the 10 Crus of the Beaujolais Appellation, Marcel Lapierre has vineyards with the best exposition, vines averaging 45 years in age, and a cellar that is pristine. Their wines, made with 100% Gamay grapes as required by the AOC, are among the most structured and expressive of all of Beaujolais.
A word on Beaujolais
The wines of Beaujolais have been maligned in much of the world by the marketing phenomenon that was and is Beaujolais Nouveau. Beaujolais Nouveau is the quickly made and released wine that hits the market on the 3rd Thursday of November each year, from grapes harvested just a few months prior. These wines, candied and filled with bubblegum notes, are not the wines that exemplify Beaujolais or the noble Gamay grape. Rather, the wines from the 10 cru villages (Saint. Amour, Juliénas, Fleurie, Chenas, Moulin-a-Vent, Chiroubles, Morgon, Brouilly, Côtes-de-Brouilly, Régnié) raise Gamay to its fullest potential as a fine wine with tremendous fruit, spice, finesse, and depth. These are some of the most food-friendly red wines on the planet and are pure happiness in a glass.
The Morgon of Marcel Lapierre is now made by his son Matthieu and daughter Camille who follow in their father’s footsteps, making wines with organic farming practices in the vineyard and natural, non-interventionist techniques in the cellar. The final wines are bottles with either very low or zero sulfite additions, no added sugars, and no filtration. The grapes are brought to winery where the whole clusters are placed in large oak vats to begin the alcoholic fermentation. However, in Beaujolais, this is done by Carbonic Maceration—a process in which the tanks are sealed and a layer of CO2 forms above the clusters as the weight of the bunches presses the grapes slowly. Following the fermentation, the clusters are slowly crushed and the juice is moved into used wood barrels for 12 months aging. The wine is bottled with no sulfur addition (or very minimal in the case of some of the exported wine) and held at the winery before release. The final wine is an example of some of the most delicious, and interesting wine on the planet. Full of red fruits that range from sour cherry, to raspberry, to strawberry, spices from cinnamon to cardamum, and a range of floral, earthy, and mineral notes. The combination of bright acid and fine tannins make give the wine a beautiful mouthfeel and long, finish.
On my visit to the estate in June 2023, I observed a winery and community of people with a spirit and joy for the wines, the earth, and hospitality. Our tasting included not only the low-sulfite Morgon, but also the zero sulfite version which was fascinating to taste side by side. In addition, we enjoyed their special cuvées including the single vineyard wine from the Côte-du-Py and a 2010 Morgon. I simply love everything this wine is. It does not pretend. It just is…delicious.
Serve at 55º-58º - you can actually chill this wine a touch if you like but it is definitely best at cellar temp or a little below.
Drink now or hold up to 10 years.
Food Pairing: Everything! This wine goes with any fish (especially fatty fish like salmon) and ranges all the way to chicken, roast pork, lamb, tenderloin steaks, burgers, pizza, hard/soft cheese, and more!
LA RIOJA ALTA
2016 ‘Viña Ardanza’ Reserva
80% Tempranillo, 20 % Grenache
La Rioja Alta produces some of the most exciting wines in all of Spain. Located in Haro, the capital of the Rioja DO (Denominacion de Origen) La Rioja Alta creates a perfect balance between tradition and modernity in the region. The dominant grape in the region, as in Ribera del Duero, is Tempranillo—spicy, high acid, and complex. As is customary here, the wines are aged in American oak which provides hallmark aromas of coconut and dill that support the fruit and mineral structure of the wines. The region’s warmth helps produce wines of richness and ripeness, while the cooling breezes that enter the Ebro valley help support the acid that gives the wines their longevity.
In the Rioja, wines are traditional identified by three markers for the amount of time they age in oak barrels. They are:
Crianza: aged a minimum of 12 months in oak and 6 months in bottle (2 years total required) before release
Reserva: aged a minimum of 12 months in oak and 6 months in bottle (3 years total required) before release
Gran Reserva: aged a minimum of 24 months in oak and 24 months in bottle (5 years total required) before release
La Rioja Alta’s aging process goes beyond the required minimums, spending 36 months in oak for the Tempranillo and 30 months in oak for the Garnacha. The oak protocol at La Rioja Alta sets them in a more traditional camp, using 4-year old American oak barrels for the Tempranillo and 2nd or 3rd passage oak for the Garnache. What results here is a wine that is almost perfect on release with fantastic potential to age and develop.
The 2016 vintage was tremendous, and this wine is a showstopper right out of the bottle. A huge bouquet with spice and red fruit jumps out of the glass. Hints of cigar and smoked meat combine with lovely toast notes, cedar, and dried coconut. On the palate, the acid and tannin hit simultaneously, integrating with a rich and round mouthfeel. The finish is long with new flavors of earth and spice revealing themselves every second. As the wine ages, more and more of these earthy elements appear, revealing forrest floor, dried leaves, and cured meat.
Serve at 58º-65ºF
Drink now or hold up to 15 years.
Food Pairing: This wine begs for smoked and cured meat, hard cheeses, and anything off the grill.
June Wine Club
Wine Club, June 2023
Lamole di Lamole, Chianti Classico ‘Maggiole’ 2021
Viette, Langhe Nebbiolo ‘Perbacco’ 2021
Smith-Madrone, Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
WINES
2021 Lamole di Lamole, Chianti Classico ‘Maggiolo’, Tuscany, Italy
2021 Vietti, Langhe Nebbiolo ‘Perbacco’, Piemonte, Italy
2019 Smith-Madrone, Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain, Napa Valley, CA
LAMOLE DI LAMOLE
2021 ‘Maggiolo’ Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy
Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
With an elevation of 650m above sea level, the highest elevation in Chianti Classico, and the highest range that Sangiovese can legally grow in Tuscany, the village of Lamole represents one of the most unique microclimates in Tuscany. Vineyards here are often planted on terraces and the soil itself is unique to the region, with large sandstone boulders called 'Macigno toscano’ mixed with schist, galestro stone, and albarese limestone. The wines here are highly perfumed and elegant, and many say they are the only Chianti Classico wines that are truly identifiable geographically in a blind tasting.
Aromas of blackberries and blueberries surprise here where you expect more bright cherry. Sweet spices and flowers round it out and on the palette, marked acidity is complemented with fine and integrated tannins and additional red fruit components plus a bit of cocoa.
Serve at 58º-62ºF
Drink now. This wine can be cellared for up to 10 years, but is truly a gem right now.
Food pairings: Traditional Italian foods are perfect, so think about tomato-sauce based pastas, pizzas, beans, and roasted meats or vegetables. This is a lighter and more aromatic style of Chianti, so intensely grilled or smoked meats might be better paired with slightly bigger styles, but don’t hesitate to drink this with a lovely grilled ribeye.
VIETTI
2021 Langhe Nebbiolo ‘Perbacco’
100% Nebbiolo
Vietti is one of the truly great domains in all of Piemonte. Their Barolos include some of the most sought-after and long-lived wines in the region, most notably their single vineyard Ravera cru. Founded over 150 years ago by Carlo Vietti, the estate was recently named winery of the year by Antonio Galloni of Vinous. The estate was family-owned until 2016, with the Vietti family finally handing over full control in 2023 to the new owners.
In Piemonte, the Nebbiolo grape is supreme. Langhe Nebbiolo or and Nebbiolo d’Alba are often referred to as ‘baby Barolo’. In truth, this moniker doesn’t really capture the wine for what it truly is. So often, the big Nebbiolo wines of Barolo and Barbaresco are so tannic and powerful that they don’t showcase the best of the grape until they have several years of bottle age. Langhe Nebbiolo is produced in such a way as to take the powerful Nebbiolo grape and highlight its acid and fruit qualities while preserving the tannic structure, but offering the final wine in a way that makes it absolutely delicious on release. Many of the best Langhe Nebbiolos still possess the potential to age for even a decade or more.
Typically, Langhe Nebbiolo DOC is produced from Nebbiolo grapes grown either outside the major zones of Barolo or Barbaresco, or from vineyard sites not suited to these ‘superstar’ wines. The Langhe DOC allows grapes to come from anywhere within the large Langhe zone. Vietti, like a few other great producers, chooses Nebbiolo grapes from prestigious vineyards both in Barolo and Barbaresco, and then completes a traditional long fermentation of nearly a month. The wine is then aged 18-20 months in a mix or barriques and large barrels. The nose is classic Nebbiolo with cassis, cherry, raspberry, rose, and tea aromas. Notes of spice and toast round the wine out. It can be powerful in its youth and soften much like a Barolo with several years in the bottle.
Serve at 60º-63º F
Drinking now and over the next 10 years.
Food Pairing: Hearty stew, wild game, roasted red meats and sharp, aged cheeses.
SMITH-MADRONE
2019 Cabernet Sauvignon
88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc
Founded in 1972, Smith-Madrone is an iconic producer in Napa Valley, even if they remain relatively less well-known than many of the larger producers in the region. Family owned and operated by Stuart and Charles Smith, the estate produces wines of incredible class and quality on Spring Mountain. Spring Mountain is an iconic area in the Mayacamas Mountain Range that forms the Western boundary of Napa Valley. Vineyards at this estate range from 1,300 to 2,000 feet in elevation and are planted not only to Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, but also to Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and arguable the most important Riesling in the region.
In general, Napa Valley Cabernet falls into one of three camps:
1) Highly concentrated, powerful wines with juicy fruit, high alcohol, ripe tannins, and a distinct presence of new oak
2) Dusty, woven wines with power, earthiness, and black fruits with pepper and spice
3) Wines with a strong mineral quality, higher acid, and ripe but not overripe fruit.
Smith-Madrone, being located on Spring Mountain tends to produce Cabernet with a more pronounced acid profile from the elevation. In addition, their practice of dry-farming (not irrigating the vines after they come of age) helps to produce a more complex and mineral-driven style. The fruits have a complex balance of ripeness and earthiness, likely attributed again to the elevation which keeps the grapes cooler and allows them to ripen more slowly than on the valley floor. While the use of new French oak is truly essential for aging high-quality Cabernet, Smith-Madrone carefully balances the new and used oak profile in their wines. This vintage spends 18 months in oak, 55% of which is new. The blending of Cabernet Franc helps to provide more floral and earthy aromas in the wine. While there is no doubt an intense amount of pleasure and immediacy to the hedonistic ripe style found from many of the Cult producers and valley floor Cabernets, I have a soft spot for wines produced in the Smith-Madrone style with a more restrained use of new oak and higher acid. There is an elegance in this Cabernet that speaks to the way most of the wines here were made in the 1980s and 1990s.
Spring Mountain was significantly impacted by the 2020 Glass Fire. Photos can be seen below of the fire at Smith-Madrone.
Serve at 60º-63º F
Drinking now and over the next 15 years
Food Pairing: Steaks, smoked and grilled meat, blue cheese, and even lighter
March Wine Club
Wine Club, March 2023
Lopez de Heredia, Viña Tondnia Reserva, 2011
Clos du Val, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019
Château Pégau, Cuvée Maclura, 2020
WINES
2011 Lopez de Heredia, Viña Tondonia, Reserva, La Rioja, Spain
2021 Clos du Val, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California
2020 Château Pégau, ‘Cuvée Maclura’, Côtes-du-Rhône, France
LOPEZ DE HEREDIA
2011 Viña Tondonia, Reserva, La Rioja, Spain
Tempranillo (70%) – Garnacho (20%) – Graciano/Mazuelo (10%)
Over the past 3 months, we have offered the full range of wines from Lopez de Heredia, featuring their 2014 'Cubillo' Crianza, 2011 'Bosconia' Reserva, and finally their prestige wine, the 2011 'Viña Tondonia'. For over 145 years, this estate has been a benchmark in La Rioja and the wine is now made by Maria Lopez de Heredia, the great-great-grandaughter of the estate's founder. All of the wines here are magical and absolutely traditional. Fermentation is done in 140+ year old wood vats, and aging takes place for extended periods of time in American oak barrels which are made in the estate's own cooperage. The 'Viña Tondonia' is their prestigious single vineyard located at a bend in the Ebro river just on the edge of Haro, the center for wine production in La Rioja and a few hundred meters from the estate itself. The soil here is a mix of alluvial sand and limestone with lots of poplar trees, dotted with square plots of vines growing as 'gobelets' (individual plants/bushes rather than vines tied to a trellis system).
The Tondonia vineyard is the source for all of the fruit for the estate's top wines, including the rare Gran Reservas which have only been produced 20 times in 140 years, despite the estate's aging regimen that technically makes all of their wines Gran Reservas. The general rule for a Gran Reserva wine in La Rioja is that it much undergo at least 5 years of total aging, with a minimum of 2 years in oak. The standard is 3 years in oak and 2 years of bottle aging. Following the fermentation in the oak vats on wild/native yeasts, ‘Viña Tondonia’ ages for an incredible 6 years in American oak barrels allowing for a slow oxidative process to develop an incredible depth of flavor and aroma in the wine, plus additional time in bottle in the estate’s cellars. Each year, the wine is racked twice meaning it is moved from one barrel to another, and there is traditional fining done using egg whites that help to bind large particles that can be easily filtered out. This aging protocol is remarkable and is one of the things that contributes to the very long life and ageability of the ‘Viña Tondonia’. As a point of reference, the Gran Reserva when it is made, ages for 10 years in oak barrels and might stay at the estate for another 5 or 10 before release! The 2011 vintage is the CURRENT release for the Tondonia Reserva.
I adore this wine for its depth and incredible warmth. It always feels special to enjoy it with friends, whether sipping alone or with some grilled/smoked meat, charcuterie, or aged cheese. I recently had the opportunity to share a bottle of 1991 Tondonia Reserva around a fire pit with a cigar (a very rare thing for me) and new friends and it was nothing short of extraordinary.
Like all red wines from La Rioja, the primary grape here is Tempranillo blended and supported by the other primary red grapes of the region Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano. Tempranillo is famous for its red fruit profile and outstanding acidity and tannic structure. The aging in American oak lends these wines hallmark aromas of coconut and dill that bring a fantastic roundness to the other sweet spices that come from the extended aging. You will not find the powerful vanilla notes here as the barrels are all well-used. Instead, the wines fruit profile turns more to dried and dessicated instead of ripe and we note a pronounced sense of earthiness, dried flowers, smoke, tobacco, leather, and game qualities. This is definitely a wine for meditation that can be perfectly enjoyed today or held for 30 years in good conditions. I encourage you to take an opportunity and purchase extra bottles to keep in the cellar. Enjoy one now, and taste others as the wine continues to develop. You will not be disappointed!
Serve just above cellar temperature 58º-62ºF
Drink: will drink beautifully right now but will continue to age for at least 30 years.
Food pairings: see above
CLOS DU VAL
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California
Cabernet Sauvignon with small amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec
One of the most historic estates in Napa Vally, Clos du Val produces classically-styled Cabernet Sauvignon in the Stags Leap District. Founded in 1972, the estate was founded, and the inaugural 1972 vintage was among the 6 California red wines selected for the famous 'Judgment of Paris' Blind Tasting held in 1976. This benchmark wine sets a standard against which other Cabernet Sauvignons continue to be measured. The wine is an expression of the French influences here, featuring Cabernet Sauvignon blended with small percentages of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Aged for 16 months in a mix of new and neutral French oak, the wine exemplifies what I consider 'classic' Napa Valley style: ripe black fruit along with notes of plum and blueberries; freshness and acidity alongside the firm tannins rather than just jamminess; touches of cedar, baking spice, and savory herbs. I love this producer and think these wines are delicious now, but will continue to improve for a few years and drink beautifully for at least a decade.
Serve at 60º-65º F
Can drink now but best after 2024. Hold 10-20 years.
Food Pairing: Big wines call for big food. Steak, juicy burgers, grilled vegetables. This wine can also go with slightly leaner meats like pork chops or rack of lamb.
CHÂTEAU PÉGAU
2020 ‘Cuvée Maclura’, Côtes-du-Rhône, France
Grenache (60%) / Syrah (20%) / Mourvedre (10%) / Cinsault (10%)
Château Pégau and Domaine du Pégau produce some of the most storied wines in France's Southern Rhône Valley. This region is the home of some the world's finest Grenache, primarily used in the famous GSM (Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre) Blends of the Côtes-du-Rhône and the mighty Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The estate is operated by Laurence Ferrand, the daughter of the founder. Wines are all organic and made with a special care and attention. The purchase of Château Pégau was recent (2012) and it is there that they produce their Côtes-du-Rhône and Rosé wines. The Domaine du Pégau, where the Châteauneuf is made, is like walking into your neighbors home-brew operation in the garage. The caveau is located on a side street in the town of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and when I visited in 2011, an old Frenchman in a white tank top met us, smoking a cigarette. We then enjoyed a tasting of some truly astonishing wines, and the domaine has been one of my favorites ever since. While the estates premiere wines are the three profound Châteauneuf-du-Pape cuvées (2 of which are on the menu here), their Côtes-du-Rhône are among the best everyday wines of the region. The 'Cuvée Maclura' is a blend of Grenache (60%), Syrah (20%), Mourvèdre (10%), and Cinsault (10%). It has a very generous nose and the ripeness of the fruit is evident immediately. Aromas of cassis and licorice are met on the palate by smooth tannins. The wine is fresh with a bright 'aliveness' and is fermented on natural yeasts, entirely whole-cluster, and aged for one year in a neutral tank rather than oak.
Serve at 60ºF.
Drink: Drink now - will hold for 3-5 years
Food pairings: bacon, grilled meats, creamy cheeses, barbecue
