Author: robywine, norm roby

My career as a wine journalist/critic began in 1975 when my article about California Petite Sirah was published. My focus remained on California as I edited a monthly wine magazine and then moved on to The Wine Spectator in 1982. Over the following years, my column appeared under the banner of “Stormin’ Norman, and I also wrote articles about wine collectors and wine auctions. Without getting into a year by year bio, let me try to summarize here. During my time with The Spectator which I enjoyed immensely, I taught wine classes at a culinary school and at other venues in San Francisco. Before venturing into wine, teaching was my thing, English Lit and Rhetoric. After The Spectator I was the U.S. Contributor to Decanter Magazine, writing mostly about California, but also expanding into Washington State and Oregon. My Decanter years began in 1992 and after buying a summer home in France in 2000, I traveled throughout France and eventually published articles about St. Emilion, Castillon, Bergerac, Minervois, Roussillon, Luberon, Provence, and Alsace. Also, around 2000, my wife began working for Cousino-Macul in Chile, so we tasted and traveled our way through Chile and, of course, managed to fly over the Andes and explore and taste our way through Argentina. As travel lovers, we have also spent many interesting days visiting the wine regions of Spain, Italy, Portugal, Scicily, Greece, and New Zealand. And to come to a close, I was Director of Winesong, a Charity Wine Auction for 20 years, 1992-2000 that benefitted a local hospital. That brought me in contact with wine collectors and to the auction scene. And finally, I co-authored a book, The Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine published by Alfred A. Knopf. It went through 4 editions and sold over 500.000 copies.

Tasting Well-Aged Cult Wines 

 

As 2024 was coming to an end, I had an opportunity to taste two aged Napa Valley cult wines.  They were the Bond 2007 Pluribus and the 2011 The Mascot. Both belong to the father of cult wines, Bill Harlan of Harlan Estate. 

Just to make sure I got a good fix on the aging trajectory of these two, the bottles before me were half bottles, 375ml. There’s no argument that wine ages faster in half-bottles, we just don’t know how much faster. Both bottles before me had excellent levels of fill, and the corks were in excellent condition. There was some sediment on both corks. Those signs usually indicate the wines were properly cellared.

Parker’s Wine Advocate rated the 07 Pluribus 98+ and the Spectator gave it a 97.  From Parker’s notes, it was  “A wine of great intensity and full-bodied power yet with a freshness and delineation that are remarkable, this stunning wine should drink well for 25-30 years. Drink: 2010-2040.” 

The Wine Spectator reported: “Wonderful aromatics lead to a rich, layered mix of spicy currant, blackberry, wild berry and currant flavors that are full-bodied, intense, dense and concentrated, slow to reveal pleasing earth, black licorice, graphite and roasted herb. The tannins give the flavors great traction. To be released spring 2011. Best from 2012 through 2024. 566 cases made. “ 

Yes, both publications were reviewing the wine several months before it was released to the public.  That both these guys were given special treatment might explain the use of words like “stunning” and “wonderful” as some sort of indirect payback for advanced review samples. 

To return to the wines, here are my notes for the 07 Pluribus:

Good dark color.  With aeration, the nose was vague and with diligent swirling showed dried prune, a hint of tobacco, and walnut. Overall, it smelled like old wine. The body was smooth and the flavors were gentle. But the wine was going gently into that good night for sure. 

It would not surprise me to hear the Pluribus is now over the hill in a standard bottle. The value given it by wine-searcher is $525. Then again, people who pay that kind of money for a bottle are not likely to ever say they were disappointed if only to protect their ego and reputation.  As for some background, the Bond Pluribus which debuted in 2003  is from a  mountainous 7-acre site in the Spring Mountain District with steep exposures to the north, east and southeast. It comes with a high price and wine pedigree and was sold only to members  on a mailing list.

Among Harlan’s other wine projects is  “The Mascot” which was the brainstorm of his son, Will.  This wine was a Cabernet made from a selection of younger vines from the primary estate vineyards, and The Mascot made its debut in 2008. As I understand it, The Mascot was made from a selection of new vines created by the routine replanting procedure. The concept is similar to the way many of Bordeaux’s famous estates produce wine from young vines and they are known as “second label” wines. 

In 2018, Decanter Magazine reviewed the 2011 The Mascot and the description is interesting. I was intrigued by the last line: “2011 was a relatively cool year, which gives the wine its freshness. The nose is vibrant and seductive, with blackcurrant aromas. Sumptuous and concentrated on the palate, it’s also sustained by firm tannins and sufficient acidity. The finish is robust and long, and although intended to be drunk on release, it will certainly age.”

So seven years after the vintage and after being bottle aged for five years,  The 2011 Mascot seemed to have surprised the Brits, even though they awarded it only 92 points, as capable of further cellaring. The current vintage is priced from $125 a bottle on up, and according to wine-searcher, you can buy the 2011 for the same price at several retailers in the UK.

Of the two wines I tasted, The Mascot was more attractive and in much better condition. Even in a half-bottle, it opened up with airing and displayed a delicate aroma or bouquet of dark fruit and dried herbs. It was soft and harmonious on the palate and had just a touch of velvety tannin left that carried through in the aftertaste. It is 4 years younger and tasted younger. But on its own, it may have been more exciting to taste in 2018. 

The Takeaways

Tasting old wines is an experience that should never be passed up, but often it is not a pleasurable experience. 

Not all wines get better with age is an old saying but even those capable of aging dont always reward long term cellaring. 

With aged wine, it often turned out that each individual bottle ages differently. This I’ve learned over the years: two bottles from the same case in the same cellar  can and often do, taste different. Wine is full of surprises, both pleasant and disappointing.

As for wine reviewers suggesting a wine’s aging capability is a sign of greatness, it is at best a guess. People like Parker and many Somms today pump themselves up believing they have a special gift.  

Maybe they should heed Mark Twain’s view: “It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.”

Do you know the way to Vezelay?

Do you know the way to Vezelay? Well, it leads to a great wine discovery in France and I, pumped up like a new WSET level 4 “expert,” was about to invite you to come along in the journey, only to be brought back to reality. As I learned from a little research. My discovery road trip was 40 years too late.  I found that out when I opened a favorite book from my wine library.

In 1988 in his Adventures of the Wine Route Kermit Lynch described Vezelay as a then “freshly minted AOC capable of producing distinct, world-class Chardonnay.” Just to rub it in a little further, my discovery was a 2022 wine made by Domaine Montanet-Thoden. Kermit’s reference was to Vezelay wine  “especially in the hands of a vigneron as talented as Valentin Montanet.” Same family of winemakers, just different generations.

Well, better late than never, or whatever cliche AI might use. Another point brought home to me when browsing through the Kermit Lynch book is how mechanical, predictable and boring a lot of wine reviews have become these days.  Here’s how Lynch described the Vezelay Chardonnay: “This climate, a clay-and-limestone soil, and stainless-steel vinification are the pillars of Valentin’s Galerne Blanc, a divine rendition of pure, chiseled Chardonnay, bearing notes of orchard fruit, citrus, and oyster shells.” 

a divine rendition of pure, chiseled Chardonnay.

Yep, he described the wine as “a divine rendition of pure, chiseled Chardonnay.” If this has caught your attention, you should try to get hold of the latest edition of  Adventures of the Wine Route which is available from Amazon. 

The writing style is so different from today’s wine ramblings.  It was not only written in a different era in which Lynch was not shackled by the 100 point rating system but it is also written from the point of a view of a wine retailer, a wine merchant. A self-taught wine merchant who approaches visiting wine regions as an “adventure” no less. Not a SOMM, not a WSET holder, not an influencer.

Returning  to Vezelay

And now back to Vezelay and what I learned. It is located south of Chablis and its winemaking goes back for centuries. The medieval village was an important resting place in pilgrimages. And of course, good pilgrims likely enjoyed the local wine. But the vineyards were pretty much wiped out by phylloxera, and it was not until the late 1970s that replanting was underway. 

By 1985, the vineyards were still growing and they were merged into the Burgundy AOC. A few years later they were upgraded to the regional AOC of “Bourgogne-Vezelay.”

Montanet-Thoden, the producer that I “discovered,”  was founded in 2000 by Catherine Montanet of Domaine de La Cadette in collaboration with Tom Thoden. Around that time they planted 6 hectares of Chardonnay and farmed them organically in Vezelay. Largely due to their efforts, Vezelay was granted AOC status in 2017. 

The soils are said to have more clay than Chablis, but they still have a good amount of limestone for their minerality.  Most of the Vezelay vineyards are planted along the higher elevations of the region. Montanet-Thoden Bourgogne Vézelay Blanc Le Galerne is the wine’s full identity, and “Le Galerne” refers to the wind that also helps define this appellation.

In a review posted in winereviewonline.com I gave Domaine Montanet-Thoden Bourgogne Vézelay Blanc Le Galerne 2022 which sells for $39 with a rating of 93. 

Now I realize how impersonal any score is. But I did describe the wine as having oyster shell minerality, and wish I could have come up with “divine, pure chiseled Chardonnay.”  

Checking the Lists of Best Wines of 2024

“The Best Wines of 2024” lists keep coming our way in December as each day another one pops up.  The major publications like The Wine Spectator and the Wine Enthusiast magazines have been offering these Best of the Year lists for decades. Both recently announced their 2024  100 best wines. Though they try to make the announcements dramatic, both The Wine Spectator and the Wine Enthusiasts annual lists have lost whatever drama and sizzle they may once have had.  

No surprise since by now most readers have figured out these lists are either payback for an advertiser or fodder for a PR campaign from the producer. Many of the wines are off the market by year’s end, so the lists are often not useful as buying guides.

 What criteria are used to come up with the typical Best of lists is an interesting subplot. It seems that the major publications ask each reviewer for his or her candidates for best of the year. Scores on the 100 point system are a major consideration, but every so often a wine touted for great value makes the list. But it has to also be rated in the 90-94 point range, of course. I applaud the fact that the Enthusiast also publishes an annual list of great values. 

Listicles

Lists have emerged as a popular format that has taken over the internet over the last decade. “Listicles” have replaced articles in a way. Probably because the number appears in the title or subject line and it sounds newsworthy. More likely, search engines love them. 

Or most likely because a list is easy to compile, while articles need a thesis and require some command of the language to present the argument or position. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn some of these Top 100 lists of wines or of other subjects are done by AI. 

But since listicles, whether compiled by humans or non-humans, have now become a mainstream communications format, I still look them over. One that caught my eye was an end of the year “The Best Argentinian Wines of 2024.”  It appeared at Wine-Searcher, a highly respected and popular website. Like many of my colleagues, I find Argentina to be one of the most dynamic wine countries to follow. The list was based on the 100 point scoring system used by the major reviewers.

As I made my way through the top ten, things got weird. After noting how wonderful Argentina is I read that “prices remain as attractive as ever.” All good. Then the stuff hit the fan. The #1 wine was priced at $245 a bottle, #2 at $226, and, well, the least expensive wine was $128.  Only one white wine made the list, it was a Catena Chardonnay, and the list maker noted, “the White Bones Chardonnay back in 2015 sat at $105, today it comes in at an average of $137. ”  For a Chardonnay from Argentina?

Excuse me, but none of those are attractive prices nor are wines priced at triple digits what Argentina is best known for. Back to Argentina wine #1 in this  wine-searcher list I read, “It’s also extremely attractive pricewise, having gone from $153 in 2020 to today’s price of $246.” 

So that’s what happens when the selection is based on wine ratings from the prime time reviewers. You end up with a list of wines that normal people, non-snobs will never find even if they were fool enough to pay these exorbitant prices.

The Better “Best of Wine” Lists

But for the rest of us, a few “Best of” lists are well worth reading.  James Suckling is much better with the top wines of Argentina. As you go through the list of top 100 wines, you hear about trends and are alerted to new wines to look for. Here’s the method behind the choices: “In curating this year’s Top 100 Wines of Argentina list, we prioritized quality, value for money, each wine’s “wow” factor and general market availability.” 

And as for trend-spotting, Suckling adds this: “Chardonnay may dominate the 14 white wines featured on this list, but rising interest in old-vine semillons and chenin blanc highlights the growing diversity of Argentine whites.”  Suckling’s list also mentions Cabernet Franc, a rising star, and also a Torrontes, the often overlooked wine, made by Susana Balbo.

The “wow factor” is also part of another fascinating list offered by the New York Times list of “Most Memorable” wines of 2024. Compiled by Eric Asimov, the wines are chosen for their quality but also for their impact on the taster and for the reactions they spark. You know, human reactions. And the pleasure wine brings to people. 

Forbes offered several Best of lists. One is “The World’s Best Wine Values of 2024.” Fascinating selections that show a lot of thought went into them.  

Better yet, Forbes asked writer Katie Bell for her “Best Wines of 2024” and she came up with a fabulous list. Her premise, which I thoroughly  support is this: 

“Every year I take note of the wines that moved me, rocked my universe or dazzled me with their quality at an unbelievable price. Long ago I started sharing this list because the best things in life are shared and wine is the ultimate shared experience.” Looking for values and believing that wines are for sharing, now that’s the basis of a great list.

Among the wines she lists are an under the radar Oregon Pinot Noir from Maysara, a white wine from Greece and a Viura from Spain. Oh, and a wine from Argentina: a Malbec from Catena that sells for $20.

And one other list really caught my attention a few days ago. It was posted on Jeb Dunnick’s website. He, of course, offered his top 100 wines, but the list that everyone should read is the Top 50 Best wines of 2024 by R. Drexel. It begins with a Chenin Blanc from  Nalley, a winery new to me and moves along with all kinds of thought-provoking choices and ends up with the #1 wine of the year being a Grenache. A Napa Valley Grenache…totally unexpected but makes me want to get my hands on a bottle.

Discovering a new wine. Now that’s a great way to end a year or celebrate the New Year.

In 2025, Let’s Make Wine Fun Again!

Chablis’ Dirty Little Secret

Chablis may well be one of the most recognizable wine names and also among the most  misunderstood by wine consumers. Some old-timers associate the Chablis name with cheap jug white wine. Then the French don’t help by their obsessive categorization of wine regions. So there are 4 types of Chablis which is a major wine region located in the northeast of France, all made 100% from Chardonnay. 

The four types which are really appellations are: Grand Cru, Premier Cru, Chablis, and Petit Chablis. And the most understood is “Petit Chablis.”  And the most likely of the four to offer super bang for your bucks is…Petit Chablis. So do I have your attention now?

Petit Chablis has nothing to do with being little, but everything to do with place and soils. That’s what most French wine is all about, in case you forgot. While the other categories of Chablis share a type of ancient limestone soil known as Kimmeridgian, Petit Chablis is grown on a more recent type of limestone categorized as Portlandian. 

As vineyards were expanded in Chablis, all of the vineyards on this type of soil were most often on the higher slopes or the beginning of the plateau. In other words, on the outskirts.   A relative newcomer in French wine history,  Petit Chablis became official in 1944.

By today’s standards, the vineyards of Petit Chablis which now represent 20% of all Chablis are not inferior so much as they are not located on that precious ancient limestone soil. And, no surprise, Somms and influencers thrive on babbling about how much they know about the 180 million year old soils. And that rant might lead to terroir, another soil-related subject SOMMS will beat to death.

So back to plain talk and the wine that ignited this conversation.

The wine is: Prieuré Saint-Come Petit Chablis (France)  2021 $25 and I’ve seen it selling for $20. 

It is bright and lively from the get-go with an aroma of fresh cut apple, and a little hint of lemongrass and citrus. The taste is again vibrant with tart apple and a chalky, crisp aftertaste that is a hallmark of Chablis. ALL Chablis.  This Petit has all the right stuff without oak and is moderate in alcohol, so it invites a second glass and is ever so food-friendly.

Fresh, lively, and with no ponderous oak or alcohol, Petit Chablis is worth exploring as a white wine that happens to be made from Chardonnay. In addition to the wine mentioned earlier, here are my 5 suggestions of the leading producers of Petit Chablis.

Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard 

Michel Laroche et Ses Enfants 

Samuel Billaud

Domaine Jolly et Fils

Domaine Roland Lavantureux

The Mad Crush: An Insider’s View

If you are looking for a gift for the special wine drinker in your life, here’s a suggestion that is a sure bet to please, and it is NOT a wine.

The Mad Crush, a new edition written by Sean Weir is highly recommended for those who are into wine or remotely curious but also for anyone out there dreaming about starting a winery.  Available on Amazon ($14.95) this new edition is beautifully written by someone who knows his wine but more importantly, knows how to engage and entertain the reader. 

It is an easy read, but also hard to put down.

On one level, it is the story of Bill Greenough, who “left a successful business world in favor of moving to a remote canyon, digging out an abandoned old vineyard, and making wine off the grid.” The vineyard was established in 1880, abandoned after Prohibition, and Greenough began the process of restoring that vineyard in 1974. Today, the original 3-acre block of head pruned Zinfandel is still producing. Located in what’s known as the Edna Valley today, It is the oldest in San Luis Obispo County. Greenough added 6 acres of Zin in the 1970s and 80s.

The winery is now in the hands of  the second generation and still focusing on Zinfandel.

On another level, the book is also the story of this old vineyard established about 150 years ago which was tended to by several generations who like Greenough become full time stewards of the vines and the land. Along the way the book gives life to many of the cliches tossed around in the wine world. Among them are winemakers being caretakers of the land or stewards as many now like to say, along with communicating with the vines. Stuff like this is made believable through Weir’s first hand experiences and poignant observations.

What held my attention from the first page is the feeling the book is also about the author as he comes to understand the commitment needed to succeed in tending vines and making wines. And as the process unfolds, it may all sound romantic but you sense he comes to realize that pursuing the dream of becoming a winemaker, a dream so many people have shared, is not for everybody. 

Weir grew up in the wine country. He worked in the cellars of Kenwood Vineyard and saw first hand how the partners worked hard to make a go of it.  In 1992 as a student at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, he worked one summer as a cellar rat with Greenough as he revived the old vineyard. 

In 1995, out of the blue, Greenough contacts him to work the harvest. That included monitoring the vines as they matured, cleaning the winery, and  preparing for the harvest, crush, and fermentations. That experience, he explains, “is what ultimately drove him to write the book.” As the story unfolds, readers learn a lot about vines, making wines, cleaning, and dealing with the weather, equipment, and the workers during the harvest and crush. It is an inside look at the nitty-gritty, the dusty, dirty boots side of winemaking, not to forget the long hours.

When you go to Amazon for the book, there’s a plot summary. This is a revised edition and includes an afterword and a section called “Prunings,” consisting of some tidbits and stories that didn’t fit the main story.

As for the author, when asked about his winemaking experience after 1995, Sean notes:  “That was my third and final crush. That was enough for me. I caught the winemaking bug, but it wasn’t terminal.”

Marietta Cellars: Wines for Sharing

If you are shopping for excellent wines at reasonable prices, then forget about those made by celebrities, cult wines, and wines made by 100 point rockstar winemakers. Let them all be legends in their own minds, and seek out wines made by real people.

I recently rediscovered one of my favorite examples of a family owned winery making excellent, affordable wines. Here’s how the winemaker summarizes things:

“It feels right to make the best wine possible and to sell it at a fair price. Our instincts tell us that being honest, being consistent, working hard, and thinking outside the box is more important than anything else in business.” 

The California winery is Marietta Cellars, founded in 1978 by Chris Bilbro and now in the hands of Scot, his winemaker son. While the original winery in Sonoma County was a rented cow barn, they now own 300 acres in Mendocino and Sonoma. And  if you like old vine wines from Syrah and Grenache, well the Bilbros are your kind of people. They have some of the best vineyards farmed organically.

Since Day #1, Marietta Cellars produced affordable wines, starting with blended red wines based on Zinfandel. Their benchmark Old Vine Red was first made in 1982. “Affordable” and “blended” are not exactly popular search tags in today’s wine world. Then add that the production is not tiny and the wines are not allocated to a select few, and voila?  Marietta wines are available direct from the winery, online, and yes, even in wine shops.

Go to www. mariettacellars.com  You can also find 8 Marietta Cellars’ wines today at www.wine.com 

Here are my recent reviews on two of those wines:

Marietta Cellars California OVR Old Vine Rose 2023 $19

Here’s an absolutely lovely Rose to enjoy year round. The Bilbro family has long specialized in old vine wine, and Scot Bilbro has been the winemaker since 2012. Chris Bilbro, his dad, founded Marietta back in 1978. This 2023 Rose is made from 50% Syrah, 25% Grenache, and 25% Grenache Gris, with all of the fruit from the estate’s organically grown McDowell Valley vineyards established well over 100 years ago.  With its inviting coral-pink color and its lively peach and melon aroma, the wine charms you and seals the deal with its juicy peach and pomegranate flavors which come with  a hint of spice. Nicely textured, it remains lively on the palate and finishes on a crisp note. 93 points 

2021 Marietta Cellars “Christo,”  Estate Grown, North Coast  $20.00

“Christo” refers to the family nickname for Chris Bilbro, veteran Sonoma winemaker. A Rhone blend (68% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 18% Petite Sirah, & 4% Viognier), this is a powerful, full bodied red. Aged for 18 months in neutral oak, this blend offers a solid core of ripe fruit and is built on a solid foundation. The aroma is fantastic. It opens to reveal background notes of spice, ripe plums and earthy, forest floor. Some subtle floral hints of violets and lavender emerge with aeration. On the palate, black pepper pokes through in the intense, rich berry flavors. The lengthy finish has a pleasant touch of juicy blackberry fruit and light tannin.  Taken altogether, this wine has it all. It is a whole lot of wine for the money and should age well. 94 points

So why isn’t Marietta Cellars better known?

Well, I’ll let the Bilbros offer a reason: “We are hands-on and busy year-round.”

 A Super Sale and the Latest Happenings in Online Wine Clubs

 

cawineclub.com 

A Harvest Sale with 30% off all wines was an upbeat headliner coming from the California Wine Club. Based in California, this is one of the oldest and most reliable wine clubs around.

The website went through a redesign and upgrade earlier this year and is not only more attractive but also much easier to use.

As for the wines offered, what is most appealing is that the wineries are real, not custom labels, and the wines are not the typical fare or your pretend cult wine.

As I’ve mentioned before, when you see a $100 or so bottle of wine reduced by 50-60% in a flash sale or a daily offering, it was overpriced to begin with. Regardless of the hype, it is being dumped.

With the current wines offered by the California Wine Club, here are a few of the wines  that have great appeal at 30% and are seldom offered online. 

Heading my list are these:

2020 Handley Cellars Pinot Noir

2021 Testarossa Pinot Noir and also its Chardonnay

2020 Dragonette Syrah from Santa Ynez

2019 Keller Estate Syrah

2020 Wrath Pinot Noir

2020 Jeff Cohn Zinfandel

2022 Onesta Rose of Cinsault

The sale is on until September 30th Code: HARVEST

Other Breaking News!!

Vinesse

Vinesse, once a big and active wine club, is part of Vintage Wine Estates’ portfolio.  Last month, that company filed for bankruptcy and over the last few weeks some brands have been sold at auction. 

Vinesse was recently the target of a bid from the Full Glass company, a specialist in direct to consumer wines. 

Full Glass already owns three wine clubs: Winc, Bright Cellars, and Wine Insiders. So Vinesse seems destined to join this group. 

Vintage Wine Estates was a mix of wineries such as Clos Pegase, Kunde, Swanson, Girard  and brands without the winery like Qupe. It also has custom labels like Bar Dog which must be a woofer.

Since those wineries and brands have been auctioned off to multiple buyers,  Vinesse will likely not have access to them. 

Members may want to stock up on their favorite wines before they disappear.

nakedwines.com

Don’t know what to make of it, if anything, but a few wines from nakedwines.com are showing up in discount stores at drastically reduced prices.

As one example, wines from Rick Boyer, a well-known winemaker, were spotted at several stores. The 2021 Rick Boyer Syrah caught my attention at the $6.99 bottle price. 

Another winemaker in the nakedwine stable is Benjamin Darnault whose wines I’ve liked in the past.

His 2020 La Cote Doree has also been seen on several store shelves for $6.99.

Maybe these winemakers have dropped out of the program. 

Or maybe the particular wine has been discontinued.

Or whatever!!

Sales Alert!

Terre Rouge Wines

On Thursday, August 22, Bill Easton with Terre RougeWines will begin a major sale:

Mediterranean Madness Sale 2024

Starts Thursday, August 22nd Online

Watch for our email Thursday morning with all the details!

So my best advice is get on the mailing list.  

sales@terrerougewines.com

And here are my recent reviews to whet your appetite:

2011 Domaine de la Terre Rouge, Sierra Foothills (California) Roussanne Monarch Mine Vineyard              

 Following whole cluster pressing, the juice was barrel fermented and the wine aged on the lees. Beginning with its deep golden color, this wine was a unique experience.  Rich and deeply concentrated with great viscosity, it delivers ripe pear flavors with some floral notes.  This vintage is maturing nicely, but still has plenty of life ahead of it.  As for a rating, how about rare and wonderful.     97 points Norm Roby 

WINES FROM THE CELLAR2005 Domaine de la Terre Rouge, Sierra Foothills (California) Roussanne  ($75): From the winery’s cellar courtesy of Bill Easton.  The color here is medium yellow but with some lively green glints.  You really have to suspend your instincts about an “old” looking white because this wine is still very much alive.  The intense aroma is a combination of nectarine and candle wax with some citrus and green tea subtleties.  Concentrated with layers and layers of flavors, the wine offers a silky smooth, creamy texture from bottle aging.  It has developed nuances of pear and honey flavors and a touch of almond but it is all seamless and harmonious at this stage.  Finishes long and lively.  What a treat to experience how well Roussanne responds to cellaring.  It held up well when tasted again a day later.  Amazing wine.     98 points Norm Roby

Sauvignon Blanc: Exploring Oregon’s New & Distinct Style

As a longtime Sauvignon Blanc lover, I was amazed to find that some of the most exciting versions are now coming from Oregon. Yes, Oregon is a key player in the surge of Sauvignon Blanc. It may take a minute to let that sink in since Oregon is automatically associated with Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and in some minds, Chardonnay. This is not totally unprecedented because back in 1961 when Richard Sommer launched Oregon’s post-Prohibition era of winegrowing he planted Sauvignon Blanc — among other varieties at his Hillcrest Vineyard in the Umpqua Valley. But that was back then. 

Patricia Green, one of the most respected winemakers, was the first in the modern era to advocate for Oregon Sauvignon Blanc. In 2000, she and her partner Jim Andersen purchased vineyards in the Willamette Valley and earned high marks for Pinot Noir. For white wines, Patricia Green believed that the climate and terroir of Oregon is well-suited. On several occasions she went on record as preferring to work with Sauvignon Blanc over Pinot Gris.  Patricia, who passed away in 2017, would be happy to know that here in 2024 other multi-talented winemakers and proven wineries are out to prove her right.

 King Estate’s CEO Ed King, Jr.  thinks the world is ready for an Oregon-style Sauvignon Blanc. You heard that; the major producer of Pinot Gris is backing Sauvignon Blanc and now producing over 5,000 cases a year. King Estate’s Viticultural Director Ray Nuclo explains it this way:

“We see a lot of promise with this varietal due to the cooler climate in Oregon producing a unique expression of Sauvignon Blanc. It’s more akin to cool climate areas like the Loire Valley in France and parts of New Zealand, than, say, California and Burgundy.” 

Then Joe Dobbs, the veteran winemaker behind Wines by Joe, Dobbes Family and now Iterum Wines does not hold back in his enthusiasm. He recently said,  “I believe that Sauvignon Blanc from the Willamette Valley has the potential to be considered world class and I predict that it will eventually surpass Pinot Gris plantings.”  Brent Stone, King Estate’s winemaker sums things for the Willamette Valley this way:  “We know the variety can do well here and think it can be one of the next great wines that Oregon is known for.”

Not to be outdone, winemakers in the Rogue Valley are also devoting a lot of attention to their version of Sauvignon Blanc. Eric Weisinger, who made wines in New Zealand for several years, is busy exploring special sites. In 2023 he made a Sauvignon Blanc from The Cole Family Vineyard, a high-elevation, cool site, in the Applegate Valley sub AVA.  Eric barrel fermented the wine in neutral oak and then aged it on the lees. With its bright fruit and lime aroma, it offers a rich smooth texture, great length but retains vibrancy.

Similarly, Kiley Evans of Padigan Wines barrel fermented their 2024 in neutral oak and then extended the lees contact for 6 months. And voila! It is loaded with vibrant fruit aromas and has a rich, smooth texture, bright minerality in its flavors and a crisp finish.

Not to be overlooked, the 2024 Sauvignon Blanc from Peter William Vineyard is a stunner. It offers an attractive Sancerre-like aroma, but has loads of flavors and a lengthy finish.

While there’s plenty of excitement in Southern Oregon to match that of the Willamette Valley, the northerly AVA of the Columbia Gorge AVA has its formidable advocates. Anna Matzinger, now also a busy consultant, served as winemaker and general manager for Archery Summit for 14 vintages before joining forces with Michael Davies who made wines for Rex Hill and A to Z wineries.  For their own label, they make Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Willamette Valley, and Grenache and Sauvignon Blanc from the cool, windy Columbia Gorge. Their 2021 “Gorgeous Savvy” Sauvignon stands out from the crowd. My note ends with this: “Light in color, the nose of this wine is seriously flinty, chalky with lime and lemon zest.  Medium bodied, it offers flavors of vibrant fruit with a leesy texture.  Brisk in the finish with hints of flint and minerality.”

Matzinger-Davies’ other Sauvignon Blanc, subtitled “Unabridged” goes way off the chart. Cold fermented with whole clusters for 8 weeks, it was aged on the light lees for 14 months. So much is going on that it’s best to let the winemaker describe this amazing wine: “I love the expression of greenness here fresh and newly risen like fiddleheads, pea shoots, spruce tips and nettle. There is lime zest and ginger, bay leaf and sea greens, angelica, bee balm, cardamom and salt. This wine is expansive, mouthwatering and wide with a texture and acidity almost crystalline.”

Coming from diverse viticultural sub-regions, we can naturally ponder whether there is a distinct Oregon style of Sauvignon Blanc. Surprisingly at this early stage, there seems to be one emerging that aims toward Sauvignon Blanc that lean toward the Loire Valley in aroma and texture but also retain some of the zippy, bright style that is New Zealand’s distinctive component. 

Brent Stone of King Estate describes it this way: “The Sauvignon Blanc wine style in Oregon can be really nice. You still get some of those traditional tropical and stone fruit notes but also subtle minerality and crisp acidity that can add balance and often make the wines very food-friendly at the same time.”

 To Joe Dobbes, the stylistic goal is this: “What world class Sauvignon Blanc should look like [for me] is true varietal character showcasing primarily copious amounts of fruit and not herbs and vegetables; crisp, forward acidity and freshness in the palate; and attention to combining all the above with palate weight, which makes the wine more interesting.” He adds, “I love the character and the richness of Sancerre and also appreciate the fresh zestiness of New Zealand.”

As this story continues to unfold over the next few vintages, it is clear that Oregon Sauvignon Blanc is no Chardonnay wannabe, nor a simple quaffing Pinot Gris. One unifying theme is that whether from the northern boundary of the Columbia Gorge or the Southern end of the Rogue Valley, the new Sauvignons are food-friendly, showing their best features as a complement to food. They are because the acidity brings vibrancy but the savory texture or palate weight enables them to stand up to a range of main courses.

The timing is great since so many of the California pioneers of Sauvignon Blanc/Fume Blanc have been acquired by corporations which over time have diluted the wine. Gone are the days when you could savor the excellent versions from Matanzas Creek, Murphy-Goode, Ferrari-Carano, Folie A Deux, Geyser Peak, Kunde Girard and so on. 

One major exception: Dry Creek Vineyards.

For readers who want to catch the wave, you should know Oregon’s trend setters are generally small family owned wineries making relatively small batches. So going direct to the winery to buy or to learn where their Sauvignons are available, here are my top ten:

Iterum Wines  ‘Old Friend’ Oak Grove Vineyard, Willamette Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2023

Andrew Rich Vintner Croft Vineyard, Willamette Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2022  

Patricia Green Cellars, Willamette Valley  Sauvignon Blanc 2022 

Padigan Wines, Rogue Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2023 

Matzinger Davies Winery, Columbia Gorge (Oregon) Sauvignon Blanc “Gorgeous-Savvy” 2021 

Weisinger Family Vineyard Cole Family Vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc 2023  

Peter William Vineyard Rogue Valley Sauvignon 2023 

King Estate Oregon Sauvignon Blanc 2022 

Kriselle Cellars Rogue Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2022

Quady North 4 Diamonds Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc , Southern Oregon 

New Faces and Places: Sauvignon Blanc Rises Again

Sauvignon Blanc has been increasing in popularity and some experts are calling it the next hot wine. While I do believe Sauvignon Blanc deserves to become better known, what fascinates me is the way many of today’s most talented and daring winemakers are working toward a new interpretation. In this new style, it is sort of a marriage between the best of New Zealand Sauvignon and the best features of Lore Valley’s versions such as Sancerre and Pouilly–Fume.

But first, thanks to the boatloads of Sauvignon Blanc coming our way from New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc is now familiar to most wine drinkers. Some may not like the assertive style of New Zealand with its sharp green, herbal aroma and piercing acidity. But led by the ubiquitous Kim Crawford, Sauvignon Blanc is at least back in the game. So it is not surprising to see more and more Sauvignon Blancs from Chile joined by a few from Argentina, Australia and South Africa being positioned as less expensive and more appealing than under $20 Chardonnays and more flavorful than most supermarket Pinot Grigio.

While I do prefer widely available Sauvignon Blancs over the mass produced Chardonnays and sweet tinged supermarket Pinot Grigios, the most exciting trend is based upon a new style that emphasizes cool climate, site specific Sauvignon Blanc with some degree of what’s called “minerality.”

“Minerality”  is now widely used and  of course overdone, but it is definitely behind the new style of Sauvignon Blanc. Maybe it is just a cool word to use instead of smokey and flinty. That reminds me that Sauvignon Blanc was revived in California decades ago by going with the alternate name of Fume Blanc. But whatever is behind it, this new move toward a distinctive style, neither Kiwi nor Sancerre, is exciting. And the winemakers involved here on the West Coast are creative, risk takers willing to explore. 

The following reviews which have been posted at winereviewonline.com  best convey what I see as happening:

Cadre Wines Edna Valley, San Luis Obispo, “Stone Blossom” Sauvignon Blanc 2021 $22

With most of the fruit harvested from a Paragon Vineyard block planted in 1973, the wine was stainless fermented and aged on the lees. Once poured, this wine changes dramatically in the glass. It changes from flinty and green pea aroma and opens us to reveal secondary aromas of melon and white peach along with a wet stone kind of minerality. It offers plenty of vibrant flavors with mouth-coating texture, and it picks up lovely herbal and chalky nuances before finishing on a long, long crisp aftertaste.

Iterum Wines  ‘Old Friend’ Oak Grove Vineyard, Willamette Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2021 $50

Veteran winemaker Joe Dobbes is focusing on small lot wines from special vineyards under the new Iterum label. This inaugural Sauvignon Blanc is from an old vineyard Dobbes has worked with since 1989. The wine is effusively aromatic and very much in line with top quality Sancerre. It combines chalky, wet stone aromas with lime, grapefruit and fresh cut green apple. But then it performs amazingly on the palate with a rich smooth texture and multi-layered flavors. In the finish it turns on the crisp acidity, lime and lemon peel notes that linger. Beautiful, long aftertaste. Technical details explain it did not undergo M-L, and was fermented 50% in stainless and 50% in Acacia barrels.  It was then aged 7 months before bottling.

Padigan, Rogue Valley (Oregon) Sauvignon Blanc 2023 ($27)

 Sauvignon Blanc from Oregon has been getting lots of media attention recently.  Several wineries in Southern Oregon are key players, including Padigan. This 2023 is its 8th vintage and the 2023 growing season enabled Sauvignon to achieve full ripeness at a relatively low 22.5 brix.  After the wild yeast fermentation, half of the wine was aged “sur lies” for 6 months in neutral oak.  Bright, yellow-green in the glass, the wine quickly showcases lime, melon and flinty aromatics and the flavors add a layer of  juicy ripe mango for added depth. The texture is rich and supple and the finish emphasizes ripe fruit and that flinty nuance.  Probably best to enjoy within the next couple of years.  From the winery estate vineyard.  227 cases produced.   

Matzinger Davies Winery, Columbia Gorge (Oregon) Sauvignon Blanc “Gorgeous-Savvy” 2021 ($25):  Once commonplace, “flinty” is rarely used these days to describe Sauvignon Blanc, but this wine reminded me that flinty can be an accurate descriptor for distinct versions.  This version is made by veteran winemakers who seek out special vineyards.  Anna Matzinger, now a consultant, served as winemaker and general manager for Archery Summit for 14 vintages.  Michael Davies made wines for Rex Hill and A to Z wineries. This Sauvignon is from the Garnier Vineyard on the southern bank of the Columbia River.  Winemaking notes include fermenting and aging in a combination of concrete egg, stainless steel, and cigar-shaped oak barrels.  After primary fermentation, the wine was aged 6 months on light lees.  Light in color, the nose of this wine is seriously flinty and herbaceous.  Medium bodied, it offers flavors of mostly grassy fruit with a leesy texture.  Brisk in the finish with hints of flint and minerality.       

Verdad Wines, Ballard Canyon (Santa Barbara County, California) Sauvignon Blanc Rusack Vineyard 2023 ($35): This is the inaugural Sauvignon Blanc from Louisa Sawyer who sourced the fruit from the Rusack Vineyard which meets her requirements for being certified organic and for an ability to retain good natural acidity.  The Sauvignon vines are also 20 years old.  She fermented the juice entirely in stainless steel to allow the site to shine through.  The aroma is vibrant, with lots of melon fruit along with figs and flinty-chalky hints.  Medium bodied with similar melon flavors, it has a pleasant roundness in the middle palate before the acidity kicks in to bring it to a crisp finish.       

Never heard of Cadre, Iterum, Matzinger Davies, Verdad or Padigan? Well hold on, the parade of new names is just forming.  

Many of these new faces are making these daringly different Sauvignon Blancs from lesser known places such as Edna Valley and Rogue Valley. Add to that regions best known for other wines, specifically Oregon’s Willamette Valley and Santa Barbara and there’s much more awaiting us.

In my next post, we’ll look deeper at this new style of Sauvignon Blanc coming from Oregon.

From there we will move to the Central Coast and focus on the key players and the special vineyards they are working with.