A flight of Trois Noix

 

This project was started in 2013 by Jaime Araujo, scion of Daphne and Bart who purchased the famed Eisele Vineyard in 1990 and partner in Accendo Cellars following the sale of Eisele to Pinault in 2013. It is built around wines with a focus more akin to her decades in Europe, "with the goal of making fresh and precise wines of time and place." 

They are crafted with native yeast, little to no new oak and picked for freshness and vibrancy with lower ABV. For me, they all show varietal precision and purity. For the newer wine drinker, they also offer tremendous relative value for Napa Valley wines. 

2023 Rosé of Pinot Noir- Crisp and fresh with flavors of red apple, cranberry and red currant. It's a dry expression with plenty of lift and juiciness. Loads of freshness, due to its "traditional" style of being intentional rosé.

2022 Chardonnay- From the Muir Hanna Vineyard in the Oak Knoll District. No malolactic fermentation whatsoever and neutral oak (if one single new barrel in a vintage). This is a crunchy and fresh expression of Chardonnay with no manipulation at all. Golden and green apple, Bartlett pear with a touch of persimmon flavor. It has mouth-watering acidity and is lively, perfect for a range of food. Fans of flinty Chablis will enjoy this style.

     *This was a vineyard source for fruit that Chateau Montelena used in their Judgement of Paris-winning Chardonnay, along with Bacigalupi. 

2023 Sauvignon Blanc- This is about 2/3 Musque clone, so it definitely speaks more to my style of a tropical, lush and less pithy/cat pee expression of SB. Nose of papaya, gooseberry and zested Buddah hand. On the palate, it's luscious and tropical with great acid. Lovely texture. Loads of green pear, passionfruit, lime zest, lemon and a touch of lychee. It has persistent acidity keeping it fresh from start to a lingering finish. 

2021 Merlot- A red-fruited expression with aromas of currant, red an black cherry with hints of mint and basil. On the palate, it's crisp and high-toned. Red fruits lead with some black cherry and barely ripe boysenberry. It's very dry with good minerality, all kept light with good acidity. There is a slight touch of herb without being "stemmy."

2022 Merlot- Similar in tone and style, but in a more round, slightly more luscious expression exhibiting more ripeness in its fruit and vivacity. 

2021 Rancho Pequeño Cabernet Sauvignon- It's always fascinating to taste Cabernet, pure and simple. No extraction or influence of oak at all, just the grape itself. Loads of fresh currant and cassis with a touch of blackberry and boysenberry. It has wonderful freshness and purity that is brighter leaning, even somehow on the darker fruit tones. No leafy or stemminess here at all, but sits "just ripe" retaining verve and backbone. Fans of stainless or amphora-aged wines will enjoy this style and I submit, anyone who likes food with wine vs wine-in-place-of-food, will find pleasure here. 

The wines of R.A. Harrison

 I just sent my client list an offer on Roger's wines, so thought I'd share my impressions of the current lineup here as well.

Roger Harrison spent 32 years at Beringer, at which he learned to craft the special botrytized wine direct from the Nightingales. If you have enjoyed this dessert wine from Beringer since the 90s and others, then you have sampled Roger's craft.

Upon retiring from Beringer, he began his own label, with an initial focus on this late harvest and botrytis winemaking, which I would stack up against any of your favorite Barsac or Sauternes. He now offers a range of great dry wines named Zosia, after his granddaughter, that I know will bring you great pleasure.

2023 Zosia Sauvignon Blanc- Cool fermented in stainless steel for crispness, then finished in neutral oak for added texture. Think Bordeaux Blanc. Aromas of apple, pear, lime zest and ginger candy. Rich texture without being heavy. Peach, oragne zest, pear and green apple flavors. It's crisp and luscious. 

2021 Cabernet Franc (Coombsville)- In a riper Chinon style. A purple, floral nose with a touch of star anise, cassis, plum and clove. It's dark on the palate and nicely ripe without being flabby. Flavors of black currant, plum and blueberry along with black cherry and a licorice note. Wonderfully ripe with good balance and lively acidity.

2021 Sonoma Red- A red fruited nose with hints of mint, cedar and sandalwood. A touch stemmy with some green herbs and more tart, just-ripening fruit. It's a lighter wine on the palate, dominated by red fruit. Easy drinking and very food friendly. 

2021 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon- A nose of pure cassis along with some pine needle and turned earth. Some black cherry meets the cassis on the palate. This wine has nice focus and polished, though grippy tannins. It exhibits an interesting resinous quality. Well balanced.

2021 Kotka's Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon- This has a more reserved nose at the moment with oak spice and a mossy underpinning. Some black cherry, currant and plum. It has a very polished texture and tannin balance, with herb-tinged black and purple fruit. Youthful, drying tannins, so best with food or extended cellaring. 

2021 Petit Verdot (Rutherford)- The nose is cherry and 5-spice. Some plum with loads of clove and cinnamon. Hints of graphite. On the palate a lot of red and black cherry and berry with nice acid and moderate tannin. Mellow spice throughout. It has nicely interwoven minerality, ginger, clove and baking spice. I don't generally enjoy PV on its own, but this one, I quite enjoyed. 

Late Harvest Semillon- Candied orange peel, ginger, apricot, citrus and lemongrass on the nose with a touch of hazelnut. Rich texture with moderate acidity,. Flavors of wildflower honey, beeswax, apricot brandy, lemon curd and candied ginger. Very nice. 

2014 Nobility- This is his botrytized wine of 50/50 Sauv Blanc and Semillon in the Sauternes style. This one had a fairly oxidative nose. Aromas of sultana and oak spice. Loads of dried apricot and candied orange peel along with hints of lemongrass, toffee, honey. Good balance of acid to mitigate the sweetness. 

Chateau Ste Michelle Columbia Valley Chardonnay 2022

Going back a bit to revisiting some of the early wines I drank while learning and diving into the world of wine. 

This is an affordable bottle of wine that is readily available at most grocery stores. 

Some oak on the nose, but not overpoweringly so. Lots of apple and pear aromas along with some white pepper, nectarine and almost notes of flour. Some baking spice.

On the palate, it exhibits fair balance with a nice brighter texture and moderate oak. The flavors match aromas of baking spices, baked apples and pears, hints of lemon curd with a splash of lime zest. 

Nothing really jumps out of the glass at you, so it's a moderate, nice wine. A solid options for everyday enjoyment and welcomingly, not over woody or creamy. Thankfully, they allowed this wine to keep some acid.  

Union Grands Crus Bordeaux Tasting 2025

 This year, I wasn't able to go in "blind" having read and seen "spoilers" online about the growing season in 2022. It was quality enough even that unlike the last couple of years, even the Sauternes and Barsac were vintage-matched to the theme of the event.

Given the ripeness of the vintage, it was a bit more difficult to make a tremendous amount of differentiation in wines, or to make notes on more specific aromas or flavors. So, in many cases, I am listing the wines per region in the order I gave highest marks, on down. There wasn't one wine I'd say to avoid, so the quality level is high this vintage with nice wines all around, based on those I was able to taste within the time limits. I also spent more time this year chatting with folks, so it impeded my note taking, which is usually copious. 

These will likely have wide appeal due to the harvest conditions, so if you seek out those more popular brands, be sure to get on them early. I think even those outside of the "Cru Classe" provide excellent quality and enjoyment and likely at a relative bargain. This should also be a good BDX vintage for those who possess a "California palate" to perhaps explore and break into trying wines from this region. Though not traditionally their consistent "house style", given the results of climate change, we may see more vintages of this type than not as time goes. 

I failed to take any photos aside from these two. One is a new label for Desmirail to celebrate their anniversary. The other is what got more notes jotted on it than some of the wines, which was my shirt as I held my "carnet" and spit cup with too often, the pen facing me. So as I got pours and chatted with vintners, it became an inkblot. Cheers to being a bit "gauche".

Pessac-Leognan

I hit many of the whites early on and only remembered near the very end of the tasting to go back to try the reds. As such I didn't jot many impressions on the reds beyond a number of stars to recall my level of enjoyment. 

Since these offered whites and reds, I categorized together.

Top marks in both white and red came from Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere. The white was exceptional with a very light style and super floral without being "perfumy". It definitely stood out for me.The red was also simply outstanding.

Chateau Pape Clement- The white has an interesting touch of tarraggon over loads of citrus. It's layered and juicy and really very nice. Lingers well on the finish. Just a tick better yet, was their red which is a super juicy expression and simply, delicious. 

 Domaine de Chevalier- Excellent white with citrus and stone fruit. Good minerality and outstanding texture. Nice effort also on the red which was just about "half a star" less in my notes. 

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte- Good minerality on the nose. It's a somewhat savory expression with briny notes over citrus and stone fruit. Both the white and red got equal "stars", but I failed to get notes on the red. Highly recommend both. 

I only tried the white from Chateau Latour-Martillac, which is delicious with an SB-focused nose and palate of bright, juicy citrus. 

The white from Chateau Bouscaut was quite nice and just one tick higher for me, was their red with a nice stony minerality underlying the fruit. 

Next in line of "like" for me, were

Chateau de France- Blanc had a somewhat reserved nose, but great flavor with nicely balanced grapefruit, lemon and lime. It's pleasant and floral. 

A lovely, classic expression here from Chateau Haut-Bailly (red). Highly recommended.

Scoring equally here, was the rouge from Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion. Just behind a half tick, was their white. Both readily recommended.

Next in line, a nice red from Chateau la Louviere. Both the blanc and rouge were enjoyable from Chateau Carbonnieux, with the rouge just a tick higher in score for me. The blanc wasn't super aromatic and even on the palate was more subtle and citrus driven. Nice floral notes and a more moderate acidity. The rouge was also in a leaner style. 

A nice white next from Chateau de Fieuzal with nice freshness and flecks of herbs adding nice complexity. 

Sauternes & Barsac

Delicious efforts here. 

Chateau Guiraud- Fabulous wine! Loads of apricot, peach, honeysuckle and hints of almond. It's rich, yet balanced with great acidity. A really luscious, delicious wine. My favorite of the lineup.

Chateau Doisy Daene- Has a light, floral nose and tons of brightness. On the palate, excellent acidity to balance the sweetness in flavors of honey, candied melon, apricot and peach with a touch of hazelnut. Wonderfully balanced. 

Chateau Doisy-Vedrines- Interesting touch of petrol on the nose. This is a more briny, savory expression with loads of oyster shell along with candied orange peel, citrus and apricot. 

Chateau Suduiraut- Lots of forward oak. It's a bigger and more unctuous expression with more cloying sweetness. 

Chateau La Tour Blanche- A bit overly sweet for me. It feels heavy and unctuous without enough acidity to brighten it. 

La Gauche

Margaux

Chateau Brane-Cantenac- A perennial favorite of mine from this AOC, so I may be a bit biased. That said, it leads with aromas of cedar, pencil shavings and loads of black fruit. It has tremendous balance and elegance, with a nice floral edge; it's pretty with power. Very, very nice. 

Chateau Rauzan-Segla- Darker on the nose and savory with "purple" flowers. Very smooth and lush with loads of red and blue fruits. Stellar effort.

Chateau Malescot Saint-Exupery- Lovely wine. Expressive and wonderfully balanced. 

After those top three, next are 

Chateau Desmirail- Plush and pretty with great balance between red and black fruit with a nice savory edge on the finish. Plush and very tasty.

Chateau Lascombes- Great aromatics on this, of floral notes and plum. Grippy tannin. Flavors lean black and pueple fruit with hints of bay leaf. 

Chateau Prieure-Lichine- Bright, ripe nose. The fruit here is red and black with hints of notable oak. Moderate tannin levels and is nice, though a bit oak-heavy right now. I'd love to revisit once that integrates better. 

Scored nearly as high as the above 3, 

Chateau Kirwan- Red and purple fruit with some peppery notes. Interesting notes of cola/sassafrass. Well layered and complex. Nice wine and with some more standout interesting flavors. 

Chateau Giscours- Blue and purple fruit on the nose. Lovely wine with an herbal tinge along with a dark cocoa edge. 

Chateau Dauzac- Loaded with purple fruit and flowers on the nose. Dry entry and darker leaning flavors. Nice. A big and more  muscular style. 

Solid examples from both Chateau Siran and Chateau du Tertre that for me are nice, but were the least remarkable. They may show more with added time in bottle. With such a ripe vintage, it's possible that only some "high notes" are showing right now. 

Saint-Julien

My favorites were

Chateau Gloria- Very pretty nose and a simply gorgeous wine with excellent balance and finesse. 

Next in line

Chateau Gruaud Larose, Chateau Beychevelle which is rich and round, well layered and balanced with cassis and black plum, Chateau Leoville Poyferre with its beautiful nose along with ripe red and black fruit and flowers with touches of baking spice; super luscious. Two nice wines from Barton. 

Chateau Langoa Barton- Pretty berry and floral nose. It's powerful and tannic, yet remains elegant. Lots of blue and purple fruit. Very nice. 

Chateau Leoville Barton- Darker, with blue and black fruit with a touch of cola. It lingers nicely and long. 

Good wines, that for me, scored in the middle-

Chateau Branaire-Ducru- Pretty nose focused on red fruit and floral elements. Lots of cedar on the palate and is a touch closed off right now. It's big and tannic and needs time. 

Chateau Talbot was also nice. 

Pauillac

My top two:

Chateau Batailley- Really nice in a touch leaner style. More old school, which was refreshing in this pool of ripeness. 

Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande- Cassis on the nose with a touch of lavender florals. It's pretty and elegant with nice layers. 

Next were

Chateau Pichon Baron- Pure cassis nose with flecks of bay leaf. Loads of savory cassis on the palate with lots of purity and freshness. Very nice. 

Chateau Duhart-Milon- I failed to jot any impressions, but I enjoyed it. 

Then

Chateau Lynch-Bages- Lovely aromas. The entry reads a touch tart/sour. It has excellent purity of fruit with good acid, driven by high toned red fruit. 

Saint-Estephe

Chateau de Pez- This may have been the only wine I got to try from this AOC. It has intensely grippy tannin. It's nice but super tight right now. 

Listrac Medoc

A nice effort from Chateau Fourcas Hosten. 

Moulis-en-Medoc

Top wine here was from Chateau Poujeaux. Just behind this was a toasty, oak nose and though a bit heavy on the wood, should be quite nice in time- Chateau Maucaillou. 

Haut-Medoc

I got to these toward the end so for time purposes, just jotted "stars" and no notes. In order of top enjoyment:

Chateau Belgrave

Chateau Cantemerle

Chateau Coufran (this one was very middle ground for me)

La Droite

St. Emilion

Top marks to Chateau Pavie Macquin- Spiced plum and cassis on the nose. The flavors follow suit and are delicious and layered with added complexity from some spices and herbs that emerge. 

Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere- High toned expression. Lovely wine with elegance and great balance. 

Next in "top marks" was from Chateau Villemaurine with a very nice effort. I didn't jot any notes on it.

The next few all got the same "score" which I considered good, solid wines.

Chateau Canon- Big! Hard to gauge due to its intensity, but had nice crunchy red fruit and purity/freshness. Needs time. 

Others on the same level came from Chateau La Dominique, Chateau Franc Mayne that had some hints of brett, but showed nice earthy notes with the fruit at 100% Merlot, Chateau Grand Mayne with a beautiful nose and flavors on the richer, riper side yet with balance. Another nice wine though in a leaner, more classic style from Chateau La Tour Figeac. 

Next, Chateau Berliquet- High acid. Tart red fruit. I think perhaps this just needs time to coalesce. 

Pomerol

All four of these got the same "score". Pomerol seemed to have the most consistency in high quality and deliciousness (for me), on the right bank.

Chateau La Cabanne- Pretty nose of flowers and red fruits. Bright, with loads of high-toned red fruit on the palate. 

Chateau Clinet- Lingers nicely on black, savory notes. Long finish. 

Chateau Le Gay- Fresh and pretty. Very nice. 

Chateau Petit-Village- A more toasty expression of red and black fruit. Very good. 

Just a tick below, came Chateau Gazin. 

2022 Paper Planes Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

 Here is a fun wine by a super small producer based out of Napa, started by a couple who met in film school. 

They make a blush and red Grenache, Pinot Noir, Valdiguie and Nero d'Avola in addition to a pet nat sparkler and recently opened a tasting room in the tannery district of Napa along with other local friends from Belong Wine Co. 

Their style is leaner, lower alcohol, seeking freshness. 

This wine was my purchase from the flight when I visited, being my favorite of theirs on that day. 

The first comment I must make, is that it's a Pinot Noir that looks like Pinot Noir should. In the glass, it's a beautiful ruby that is translucent, which is refreshing with all these opaque Cab-wannabe expressions folks are making lately. 

The aromas are of subtle baking spice and pie crust with hints of crushed stone and splinters of sandalwood. The fruit doesn't leap from the glass, but its aromas are of pomegranate, red cherry and red currant. 

It is lithe on the palate with freshness and bright acidity. Delicate and balanced flavors of red berry fruit are elevated by some darker bass notes of plum and blackberry. The spice is minimal on the palate, but acts as a smooth accent to the fruit. The frame is elegant and finessed and over all the wine drinks very nicely. It's a pretty expression both in its flavors and its structure. It's also fully ripe at 12.75% abv with no noticeable green notes. I quite enjoy this wine.

Waldele 2022 Chardonnay Caldwell Vineyard

 Given my appreciation of Hannes' touch with Chardonnay in a restrained, leaner, elegant style, I was excited to try this single vineyard wine, new to their lineup. It appears that John (Fucking) Caldwell only grows about 4.5 acres of Chardonnay, planted to two clones. 

At this point in its evolution, it has a rather reserved nose, not giving a whole lot. It has slight whiffs of tangerine, apricot and peach with briny sea air and minerality. It's far more expressive on the palate, with luscious, yet balanced fruit. It exhibits flavors of perfectly ripe tangerine, Cara Cara orange, white peach, Meyer lemon and even hints of finger lime with delightfully balancing acid and flecks of minerality with mere hints of toasted almond. 

Not only in California terms, but in a worldwide scale, it's a wonderfully structured and balanced wine. I'd stack this blind against any great bottlings from Australia or Montrachet and even, dare I say Corton Charlemagne. It's not a cheap expression, but compared with its "contemporaries", it's a relative value and well worth seeking out if you appreciate the finer expressions of this grape. 

Going Sideways

 A good friend and I sought to venture out to Santa Barbara county wine country. It'd been some years since we had been so were looking forward to some great Chards, Pinots and Rhones. 

To breakup the drive, I arranged a lunch stop for tasting in Paso Robles because after all, I was accompanied by the self proclaimed "Zinbitch". Since Cypher was out of that particular bottling, we skipped and did a lovely lunch at Calcareous. It's a gorgeous property, though was around 100 degrees, so we opted for the indoors. They offer a range of nice wines to explore. 

From here, we went to Linne Calodo based on numerous recommendations. I am very glad we did. This house does exceptional work with Rhone varieties. They are a more premium-priced wine from the area, but well worth it. My top that day were the white blend "Contrarian" and the elegant, finessed Pinot-esque "Sticks and Stones" GSM blend. Absolutely gorgeous!

Then just around the corner, the must in Paso, Turley. I could have easily spent my entire trip's wine budget here, as they offer such a broad range of great current and library vintages of their multitude of Zins and blends. Some of the current releases drink with such great balance and purity, it belies the abv of the warmer regions. We always have a nice experience here and I'd always recommend it without hesitation.

Our first full day began in Los Olivos, at Brewer Clifton. I became acquainted with these while working for Jackson Family when we got a couple of Greg's wines at The Spire Collection toward the end of my  time there. He now does a range of Chards and Pinots under the label at varying price points. Diatom is always a solid, reasonable and delicious Chard and the "starter" wines always deliver for the price. We were excited to taste the new Perilune wines, which are elegant and wonderfully structured. They are top end, so for the serious collector, but will reward cellaring. 

 

Next, was Dragonette. Another great host in a comfortable space. Here, I was pleasantly surprised by a Sauvignon Blanc. I tend to not love NorCal expressions being so pithy and acidic. I thoroughly enjoyed the Grimm's Bluff Vineyard, with more musque clone-like qualities of softer edges (from some judicious oak) and lovely tropical flavors. Their Sta Rita Hills Pinot was also delicious and came home with me. 

Nearby, Holus Bolus was also enthusiastically referred to us. Crafted by a MW, these are fun, low intervention yet not quite "crunchy" wines. They have some fun here, you can tell. All were high quality and very tasty. The Joy Fantastic Syrah was a must for me. Outstanding stuff, so you MUST go here when in Los Olivos. 

We had some spare time, so also popped into Liquid Farm. I'd had the wines once or twice, as they're on many lists and shelves here in Napa. I figured a Somm darling like this was worth a visit. More great, casual hospitality and great wines. For my palate, the Golden Slope Chardonnay was the winner and I had to have a bottle of their Blanc de Blancs Champagne which was simply stunning. The guys who poured for us here also have their own label, Baltazar. We enjoyed a lovely Riesling which I recommend you seek out. 

 

From here, it was off to lunch in Santa Maria. Presqu'ile was a long known brand to me, so I was excited to finally go. It's a stunning property with great architecture, beautiful landscaping and a range of nice wines. I enthusiastically recommend the mezze spread for lunch. It was a great portion if not a bit much for the two of us and their culinary team is excellent. The wines are solid and I took a Rancho Ontiveros Pinot with a personal history with that vy, it as a must. Their Syrah wines are also quite nice. 

From meeting Kevin at World of Pinot Noir, we had to return to Cotiere while in SM. Still a small production winery in an industrial park, they make exemplary wines, some from well known spots like Sanford & Benedict, Rinconada, etc. He even crafts some Bordelais varieties from Napa, so it was fun to end a day with wines from my 'hood. These are really tremendous wines, so look up Cotiere and give them a try. The assistant, William, hosted us and he also has his own small project on the side. Another really delicious dry Riesling from the Kick On Vineyard, called Willing and Able. Outstanding juice!

The next day took us to Santa Barbara, as I made a stop at Au Bon Climat a requirement. The drive from Santa Ynez is lovely, taking us by Cachuma Lake which offers some gorgeous views.

Little needs to be said with the history and pedigree ABC offers. Standouts for me were the 2021 "Isabelle" Pinot cuvee, Mondeuse and I quite enjoyed the Pinot Gris/Blanc. It was difficult to parse the Pinot wines as all were delicious, so it was splitting hairs to choose my favorite. 

From here, another great lunch experience at Margerum. I'd become acquainted with Doug's winemaking years back when I represented Cimarone. His larger production wines are often on store shelves and restaurant lists, like M5 and The Sybarite. Standouts of this flight for me, were the estate Grenache and the Barden Syrah. Oh, and if it's available, get the duck toast! 

We tried for Sanguis as whatever I looked at on the web seemed to indicate they were open to the public. We arrived to find they are appt-only and had no availability (it was Monday). Pity, as I'd liked to have explored their wines more. 

Melville was our afternoon spot and I had confidence as again, had seen their wines on many lists though never had them myself. We began with a juice rosé of Grenache. I quite liked the Rancho Nuevo Pinot and took home a Donna's Block Syrah 2021. Seeing it got 98 from Jeb Dunnuck made me think it was going to be a bombastic wine, but it's finely tuned and very, very tasty.

If in SB for dinner, may I suggest, Barbareno. It's Michelin-recommended and deservedly so. We opted for a range of smaller plates to get to try more. Great spot, great service and inventive and bold dishes. 

Our final day was shorter, as it was on the way back up north toward Napa. We began at Dierberg. Another sprawling property with great spaces for tasting and friendly service. Standouts for me were the Star Lane Sauvignon Blanc from Happy Canyon , 2021 Chardonnay from the Drum Canyon vy and the 2020 Pinot Noir Sta Rita Hills. 

Our last appointment was at Sandhi in the Lompoc wine ghetto. Here we were spoiled with a ride up to the vineyard where we saw Bloom's Field which they do not pour or sell, but which I'd had locally. Even a sneak peek at Dave Phinney's new project on the top of that same hill. We then enjoyed a great tasting of a range of Sandhi and DDLC wines including Romance and even a couple of Piedrasassi Syrahs. If you want some top of the line, serious Chards and Pinots, you have to arrange a reservation here! The Domaine de la Cote wines are less "purchaseable" but you will find something to take home, no doubt. 

Two cases of wine later, I dropped the "Zinbitch" off for a slight in San Jose and met friends in the area for dinner. It's so easy to get in trouble with so many great options around. Realizing just how many options are indeed right in Los Olivos, I could see doing a quick weekend just right in that one little town... with one breakfast pastry stop in Solvang of course. 

Union Grands Crus Bordeaux 2021 Vintage Tasting- Rouges

 58 wines tasted in total this year, at the Union Grands Crus Bordeaux tasting in SF. 

I purposely went into the tasting with no knowledge of the 2021 season so I could taste and assess without any preconceptions or expectations. 

It became pretty clear that many reds struggled to achieve ripeness this vintage, with overall, the Right Bank showing better collectively, than the Left Bank. 

That said, it seemed that the areas further south got more ripe flavors with Margaux and Pessac-Leognan along with their cousins across the river in Pomerol and St. Emilion showing the best, this early in their aging. One common theme throughout my notes was purity. Many wines had outstanding purity of fruit.

My plan this year, was to hit my favorite region first, with a fresh palate. That was Margaux. Then I worked my way through St. Julien and some St. Estephe and Pauillac, which I then did the Pessac/Graves whites and Sauternes. Following that refresher and a bit of cheese, I finished the reds. 

Where the 2020s showed a lot of brightness and high-toned notes dominated by red fruit flavors, the fruit on these 2021s was notably darker in profile. Much more black fruit. I "scored them" in my book only so I could list them here in order of top down by my personal preference.

MARGAUX- My top 3, all receiving about the same love, came from Brane-Cantenac, Dauzac and Prieure-Lichine. 

Brane-Cantenac lead with aromas of leafy currant and sweet pipe tobacco along with forest/brush notes. It is a richly textured wine with red and black berries and plum flavors. Great acidity here and a long finish on cassis and cedar, seeming to get darker at the end.

Dauzac at 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot had a mineral nose. Loads of blue and black fruit here with great purity and depth. Really tasty wine even this young. 

Prieure-Lichine had a nose of blackcurrant leaf, cassis and plum. Also a nice, rich texture here, luscious and dark in flavors. Plum, cassis and a touch of a savory edge added an interesting component. Very nice.

Cantenac Brown has a pure blackcurrant nose with hints of leaves. A touch leaner than those above, it still shows nice concentration and depth of flavor. Black fruit leaning into blue with a long finish. 

Desmirail, one of my favorite finds last year, shows a nose of dried currant and plum with some dried herbs. Loads of red and black fruits here with racy acidity. A leaner, more elegant wine this vintage, it's very nice and should show nice unfurling with some age. 

Giscours has a toasty, savory nose tinged with minerals and black fruits. On the palate, there is good acid to balance the darkness and weight. It's dense, with loads of black fruit. Very nice, but definitely needs some time to relax and better integrate. 

The wine from Malescot Saint-Exupery has an interesting earthy nose of forest floor with dark, black-leaning fruit. The palate is very savory with flavors of cassis and plum. This wine shows great persistence and is nice from start to finish. 

Another nice wine came from Marquips de Terme.  Wonderfully aromatic with blueberry and plum. It's a pretty wine, with lots of freshness and purity along with a velvety texture. Rich in coacoa dust, blue and black fruits. 

A nice effort as well, from Lascombes with a pure nose of black currant, and turned, damp soil. The pure cassis is also leading the flavor profile and I wrote "deep purple" though no music was playing. Rich an ripe with good balance and a nice structure. 

Kirwan has a nice nose of Kirsch and cassis and is vibrant on the palate, though there is a touch of tartness in the fruit. Great acidity and in time, I think this will be lovely. 

Rauzan-Segla is driven by aromas of red and black fruit over black tea. The flavors are black fruits with accents of red berried. It also has black tea and a savory note, which is nice. 

du Tertre is showing its oak with a nose leading by espresso and cocoa, over black fruits. Interesting flavors suggesting tar and soil with black fruits over an earthy, savory frame. There is nice acid to balance the weighty, dark flavors. It also has a nice, long finish. 

SAINT-JULIEN- Favorites here were dominated by Barton. 

Langoa Barton had a nice label to commemorate their 200th anniversary. Aromas here of pipe tobacco with red and black berry and cherry fruit. This wine has great texture! Nicely balanced, darker leaning in it's fruit flavors and a savory edge. Very nice. 

Leoville Barton was probably my favorite from this AOC. It has a prettier, more floral nose over all those dark fruits. I jotted down "sexy." It has a very finessed palate and is really a pretty wine with excellent complexity of dark cherry, berry and plum flavors. 

Next in line of my preferences, comes Branaire-Ducru with dark aromas that are a touch resinous with lots of black plum. It is dark and earthy on the palate with a touch of roasted herbs. Loads of plum and currant fruit here and nice complexity. 

Gruaud Larose has a rich, pure nose with lots of cassis and Kirsch. Focused flavors on the palate of blue and black fruits. Nicely made. 

Lagrange has aromas of red and black fruit over espresso notes. Rich and savory on the palate with lusciousness. The dark fruit flavors are balanced by racy acidity. 

The wine from Leoville Poyferre has a nice nose of cedar-tinged blue and black fruit. It's dark and rich but a bit closed off right now. More time is required for this to relax some. 

Gloria has a mossy, underbrush lead nose. It drinks a bit light and is very closed down right now. A leaner expression that should show better with a few more years in bottle. 

Another lean and lithe, though fairly closed down wine came from Talbot. It's nice, but hard to get much out of it at the present. 

The wines from PAUILLAC for me were much more varied. 

There were nice expressions from Duhart-Milon and d'Armailhac. Duhart-Milon had red and black fruit aromas over blackcurrant leaf. On the palate, heavy black tea flavors over black currant and plum, It's a touch stemmy. 

d'Armailhac has nice balance in the earthy notes present and fruit. Black tea and wood, but less green notes than others from this region. 

Clerc Milon has a nice nose of red and black fruits with an earthy streak. On the palate, red and black fruits with lots of plum skin. It's a tannic wine. Once more cohesion occurs in bottle, this may flesh out nicely. 

Batailley has a nose of leafy, stemmy black currant. There was an interesting flavor I could only describe as sarsparilla over leaner red berry fruit. It's got loads of acidity, but for me, lacked the body to balance it out. It would be interesting to revisit it down the line some. 

Lynch Bages was a favorite in 2020. This vintage has aromas of red fruits both floral and a touch stemmy. The palate has an interesting edge of licorice over bright, higher toned, red-leaning cherry and berry fruit. It reads a touch green and underripe on the palate. Once it develops more, it'll definitely be best with food. 

Following Lynch Bages, the wine from Ormes de Pez from SAINT-ESTEPHE. This wine has a stemmy nose of red fruit and licorice. On the palate, it's lean and earthy with lots of green notes showing. The fruit is red in nature and leaning a bit tart. 

The wine from Phelan Segur was nice. I wrote that the nose had hints of what I could only describe as glue. Aside from that, on the palate, it has nice crunchy red fruit flavors with good balance. There is a touch of stemminess, but it's well integrated with the fruit so not a detractor. 

The other region that, for me, showed the best in this vintage, was PESSAC-LEOGNAN. Here, my top wines were from Carbonnieux, de Chevalier and Smith Haut Lafitte. 

Carbonnieux showed nice mineral qualities and acidity with a lovely mixture of red, blue and black fruit. It's a lively, vibrant wine. 

There was great minerality on the wine from de Chevalier, balancing red and black berry fruit with a touch of blueberry and plum. Very nice wine. 

Smith Haut Lafitte exhibited a pretty nose of florals and berries. It had a lovely purity to it. Great balance and structure.

Another nice wine here came from de Fieuzal which was well made. Clean, integrated and just plain tasty. 

Pape Clement was also very nice with a good, clean nose and on the palate, a savory edge that balanced out the tartness coming from cherry and underripe plum notes. 

The red from Chateau de France was also pleasant with nice Bing cherry flavors. Clean and pretty. 

I only tried two wines from HAUT-MEDOC.  The first was a nice example by La Tour Carnet with a nose of black plum and cherry. Excellent purity here, with flavors of savory plum and cherry. 

The other was from La Lagune. Aromas of tomato and currant leaves with cherry and plum. It has a nice palate and medium body and I found the present "stemminess" to be under control. Nice effort. 

On to the Right Bank, where there was real consistency of high quality in their wines. I'd have thought perhaps that wines driven by Merlot with much more Cabernet Franc would appear green and herbaceous, but they seemed to get ripeness that much of the Left Bank did not. 

SAINT-EMILION

My highest praise goes to Clos Fourtet and Pavie Macquin.

Clos Fourtet had a gorgeous nose of black cherry and Kirsch, which were also evident on the palate with excellent purity of fruit. Flavors of spiced red and black cherry with plum and a touch of earth. Outstanding balance and layers on this wine. 

There was great cherry and plum aromas on the Pavie Macquin with a wonderful texture on the palate and great depth of flavor with black cherry and plum. Very nice wine!

Just behind those two, was Larcis Ducasse with a nose of black cherry and a touch of pleasant herb. The flavors are red and black cherry with a touch of plum and a savory streak. Very nice wine that ends on toasty cocoa. 

Also, La Dominique with its cherry and plum accented by notes of black tea on the nose. Flavors of blackcurrant leaf and plum along with black cherry skins. Good layers here. 

Just behind those two, was Villemaurine. Floral nose with bright red cherry aromas and currant. On the palate, it's a leaner wine, but very pretty. Lovely elegance and finesse here.

Having visited in June, I was anxious to check out the new vintage from the Count, from Canon-La-Gaffeliere. Deeper nose of black currant and waves of florals. The palate reads delicate, but is balanced with a nice mix of red and black berries, cherries and plum. Finishes on a cedar note and was very nice. A pretty wine. 

On to Canon, with a bright and pretty cherry aroma. This was all red to me, with a mix of cherries and currants. Pretty with nice balance. 

I also enjoyed the wine from Grand Mayne with its aromas of flowers and red cherries. On the palate, the red fruit is perceived as a touch tart, but it's over all, a nice wine. 

Next, on to POMEROL. Again, great consistency of quality. Top marks go to the wines from Le Bon Pasteur and Clinet followed closely by Petit-Village then Le Gay. 

Le Bon Pasteur smells of savory black fruit. The palate follows with excellent depth and concentration. It's complex and very, very good. 

The nose on Clinet is pure cherry and currant that's just lovely. On the palate, the wine has great elegance with pretty, floral essence under bright red cherry and red currant fruit. Very nice wine. 

With the addition of 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine from Petit-Village was distinct for this reason over its neighbors. It's aromas were of brandied black cherry with a touch of licorice. It had nice flavors of plum and black cherry with some bay leaf and that same hint of licorice, all with a nice, savory edge. Nice, deep and complex. 

The wine from Le Gay had a nose of black plum and Luxardo cherry. A really inviting aroma. Also possessing a nice, savory edge, this was darker with black fruits, like plum and black cherry all with accents of black tea. 

Next, a nice wine from La Cabanne. Loads of black cherry and plum. The palate shows a touch of green herbs, but it's balanced out nicely with lots of plum and cherry fruit. Definitely more a food wine after some more time. 

Another wine that smelled of black and Luxardo cherry, was from Beauregard. This has flavors of tea, with a touch of green, stemmy flavor, but sweetened with nice plum and black cherry fruit. 

Union Grands Crus Bordeaux 2021 Vintage Tasting- Blancs

 I was able to again attend the tasting by the Union Grands Crus Bordeaux in SF. 

I went into the tasting knowing nothing of the vintage, as I wanted to be able to taste them without any preconceptions or knowledge of the season. 

I think I collectively tasted less white wines this year as time simply got away from me. In a vintage that clearly saw more difficult ripening of the reds, the whites showed wonderfully. 

The standouts from PESSAC-LEOGNAN for me came from Pape Clement, Bouscaut and Carbonniuex. 

The nose on the Chateau Bouscuat was a bit muted and un-expressive, but he wine had really nice flavors of orange zest over lemon and crunchy, underripe peach. Lovely acidity. 

Carbonnieux was also not super aromatic, but showed pretty, floral aromas. I found it to be racy and vibrant with nice citrus and melon flavors. Very nice. 

Pape Clement exhibited the most aromatics with loads of lemon, grapefruit and gooseberry and had a really pretty palate and excellent texture. It had ripe tropical and citrus notes with very good balance. 

Also enjoyable, was de Chevalier, which exhibited a somewhat muted nose and a fresh and bright expression that had some woody/stemmy character and fresh herbs. 

A new winery for me, was Chateau de France, with a nose of fresh leaves and herbs and flavors of citrus and zest with grapefruit, lemon and even a hint of line. Nice minerality here. 

Not a lot represented from Barsac or Sauternes this year.

My favorite "sticky" came from Chateau de Rayne Vigneau. Aromas of melon, apricot and hints of toasty hazelnut. Very good wine with flavors of honey and candied apricot and pineapple. Excellent.

Next top was from Doisy-Vedrines, their 2018. Aromas of honeyed apricot and a touch of nuttiness. Exuberant flavors of candied pineapple, candied ginger and dried apricot with a touch of marzipan. Very nicely balanced. 

Then, the wine from Guiraud, a 2016. Less expressive on the nose than the priors but standout remarkable acidity. Flavors of peach, apricot and a touch of vanilla over toasty flavors. Nice. 

Also from 2016, Sigalas Rabaud, with aromas of lemon oil, though not super aromatic. Nice Semillon-type flavors, being very floral with chamomille. A nice wine. 

2016 Tertio de Montrose

 

A super tasty 3rd by a "Super 2nd". 

Nice nose with some still-forward oak over the tell-tale St. Estephe minerality and nice black cherry, blackcurrant, plum and a touch of bay leaf.

Supple on the palate with softened, resolved tannins, nice balanced acidity and freshness. The fruit is bright and ripe, well balanced by good earthiness. For an affordable 3rd label, it checks all the boxes, readily. Enjoy it now.