Domaine Chapel "Charbonnieres"
100% Gamay Noir. Fleurie, Beaujolais, France 2018
2018 is proving to be quite the phenomenal vintage in Burgundy. There was a long heat wave from May till harvest, which would stress out most vines, but the older plantings had deep root systems that could access the ground water needed to survive. We witnessed something extremely a-typical: the old vines were producing more grapes than the younger vines due to these root systems and, from the heat, they were concentrated and fruit forward, but showing all the minerality from the strain of pulling water right out of the rocks. What this all means for an upstart like Domaine Chapel is that several top-tier vineyards had extra fruit they were willing to spare, and this is quite the blessing in the case of the Charbonnieres vineyard in Fleurie. Domaine Chapel was founded in 2016 by the former director of NY's 3-michelin starred Brooklyn Fare with the concept of taking great Beaujolais plantings and producing wine in the least interventional way possible to really express a classic wine with purity of fruit. Problem is: a lot of the prime vineyards are spoken for so this made 2018's abundance extremely important for Chapel to really show what it can do. What they are doing that is so sensational is not only adding next to nothing to the wine (no sulfur, no acid, are the key ones) they are also doing carbonic maceration, a super classic style of wine making in Beaujolais that is more delicate and will bring out the subtle fruit making for a less burly and a bit more playful of a wine. The results are staggering, and show the potential of this Domaine so vividly. The wine is a little wound up, and certainly benefits from 30 minutes decanting, but once it has opened up, it really begins to sing. The nose has delicate red fruits that jump to the fore, while brooding dark fruits and trace minerals are lingering beneath what becomes even more expressive on the palate showing more distinctive plush raspberries, red currants, and juicy cherries while accented by undercurrents of blackberry jams, fennel roots, and granitic minierality all while retaining a textural mouthfeel that is velvety and elegant, but with a tongue prickling subtle effervescents that only carbonic maceration can give. The wine is playful and fresh, but can be thought provoking in it's multiple layers. As with any Beaujolais, and from popular in-store requests, this red wine drinks fantastically with a slight chill on it. Thank you 2018 for gifting us such a wondrous wine!
Chateau de Rouanne "Brut Nature"
55% Mourvedre, 20% Cinsault, 10% Syrah, 10% Marselan, 5% Grenache. Vinosobres, Rhone, France 2019
When Saint Cosme took over the classic Chateau de Rouanne estate in 2018 they immediately began producing top tier Vinosobres red wine from the estate, but sold a large portion of the grapes to other producers because they were just too high in acid for what Saint Cosme considered to produce balanced red wine. This is due to the close proximity to the Alps, giving cool dry winds, and the heavy amounts of limestone these grapes are planted on. This is when a revelation struck them: what wine benefits from high acid? Sparkling wine. Particularly Champagne level of quality sparkling wine. This is rarely heard of from the Rhone valley because, typically, the grapes are too sweet and fruit forward without enough acid to balance them out. Not a problem here and, by using such expressive rhone varietals such as Mourvedre we get an extremely expressive wine that is still bone dry. Nothing short of a triumph. The wine is a beautifully pale, and alluring, pink that perfectly evokes the aromas of strawberry sorbet and soft rose water that leads to an elegant experience of fine bubbly mousse with accents of thyme and fresh mint that wraps around the ethereal blackberries and wild strawberries all ending on a refreshingly bright finish thanks to the lack of any sugar added. The perfect balance of powerful fruit, and Brut Nature dryness. Someone's giving Champagne a run for its money!
Giacomo Fenocchio
100% Freisa. Langhe, Piedmont, Italy 2018
It's easy to throw around the term 'classic style' of wine making. You take an established producer and you use their neighbors and the regional style as the baseline for such statements. Thing is: Giacomo Fenocchio is truly the founding wine house of his region. Back in 1864 a local noble wanted to express his local Nebbiolo to stand up and honor the region's name and legacy. The problem was that he felt no one took it seriously due to how sweet it was being produced. He approached Fenocchio and requested a dry version of the wine be produced and named 'Barolo'. The rest is quite literally history. Over the course of the years rules and regulations were added to control quality and, the one most important to this bottling is the rule dictating all Barolo's must be 100% Nebbiolo. Fenocchio agreed to this, but suddenly had Freisa that he could no longer blend in to his cuvees. Luckily he still kept the vines and to this day expresses them as a single varietal. What makes this heritage grape so important is that, genetically, it has been found to be the parent of Nebbiolo. What a special piece of history to hold on to! The wine at its core shows a lot in common with it's high pedigree Barolo offspring, being aromaticly floral with hints of crunchy fruit layered in, and fine elegant tannin. The big difference? Whereas Nebbiolo is dominantly red driven (roses and red berries) Freisa expresses a distinctly purple and blue quality. We get bushels of lavender and violets that intertwine with crystallized blueberries and tart boysenberries while still maintaining the lifted brightness and silky tannins that Freisa and Nebbiolo do so well. A great addition to any table, but particularly with spicy pastas that are paired with grilled veggies and game meat. A powerful wine that way over performs for the price.
Blackbird Vineyards "Dissonance"
88% Sauvignon blanc, 12% Semillion. Napa Valley, California 2018
Blackbird Vineyards began with the concept that the grape Merlot, loosely translated from French as 'little blackbird', could show the height and potential of the great Bordeaux chateaus and gain the respect it deserves. Through years of producing high quality Merlot based wines they have achieved just that, and demand the price point and scarcity that follows with that. It was somewhat recently when the good people at Blackbird realized something was missing in their lineup of fine wines. In music dissonance is defined as a clash of unharmonious themes and, in a portfolio of rich heavy red blends a snappy bright white wine achieves just that. You see, in Bordeaux, most of these great Chateaus also produce small amounts of Sauvignon blanc, but this should not be confused with it's Sancerre brethren for here it is blended with Semillion. The additional grape gives more depth and a broader, fruitier palate while still retaining Sauvignon blancs hallmark snappy dry finish. This wine is just packed full of delicious orchard fruit notes of all varieties: pears and apricots immediately come to mind while a further depth of apples and grapefruits are highlighted by a drizzle of fresh honey. This is my kind of dissonance for a warm sunny day!
Miracolo "Rosso"
100% Sagrantino. Montefalco, Umbria, Italy 2015
Sagrantino is a tricky grape. It has the potential to be extremely dense and tannic, but when treated carefully in the winery it can yield a wine of elegance and nuance while still having the tannins under control. This is extremely hard to do and why most Montefalco producers will blend in up to 85% Sangiovese to tame the beast and, even then, it will be far more robust than any Chianti you've ever had! So when we were given the opportunity to taste a 100% Sagrantino we jumped on it. What a happy choice that was! This wine shows what potential Sagrantino has on it's own and what makes the grape so special. Miracolo extracts such a beautiful wine thanks to both some age in the bottle, but also an oxidative winemaking style. What this means is that the wine has a lot of exposure to oxygen while being produced - causing a similar effect as aging in bottle would do and this tempers the tannins to give us a wonderful wine to pair with food, or have on it's own. We see all the glorious dark tones of black plums, fine fruit and floral teas that are mixed in with some freshly cracked pepper and exotic olallieberry overtones. While rich and complex the wine still finishes smooth and elegant like the finest of Malbecs. What a rare wine to experience!
Constant Disruptions "Antihero"
100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Coombsville, Napa Valley, California 2018
Ah yes: the Antihero. A person who is similar to the beloved hero, but counter to it in some distinct way. The sub-appellation of Coombsville is very much the 'antihero' to the rest of Napa Valley. While still the being made from the king grape of Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coombsville wines tend to lean on the lighter more elegant side of the spectrum. This is thanks to how cool the climate is compared to the sunny and warm greater parts of the valley, but still a concentration and elegance from being higher elevation mountain fruit. The wine itself is very serious, but still bright and lifted with remarkably high acid fo Cabernet! We get the immediately pleasing notes of cassis on the nose that are accented by high-cacao chocolate that his the finest hints of coffee beans and vanilla. This all gives way to bright and lifted raspberry brambly fruit that has a dusting of hazelnut on top, all giving way to a white pepper and blackberry juice-like finish. I'm rooting for this antihero!