Procrastination is a funny thing, according to my go-to confidante and spiritual guide on the matter, Carl Gustav Jung. To put it bluntly and briefly, he posits that it is a neurosis. But it is more complicated than one might think. For the purposes of this piece, which is geared especially for procrastinators, let’s go with this blunt thesis: You delay because you are seeking to avoid pain, pain you fear will be produced by your actions. I’m here to tell you, however, that you need not fear any discomfort from the action of buying any of the following three items as last-minute gifts for the wine lovers in your life. (The first part of my 2024 Wine Gift Guide came out in a more timely manner, but I’m sure you have an abundance of gift-worthy friends and could use even more recommendations, so consider this my bonus for you.)
Wine Spectator likes this one.
First up, a wine that was awarded the top spot on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the World for 2024. It’s the 2021 Viña Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto Vineyard, and you can get it for $150 directly from the producer, and at lower prices at many retailers. It carries a suggested retail price of $175. Enrique Tirado is the winemaker at Viña Don Melchor, and his reputation is one of excellence. He’s been in charge of production at Don Melchor since the harvest of 1997, and his experience and talent are on display in the 2021, the 35th vintage of this wine.
The Puente Alto Vineyard, a Chilean landmark, encompasses 314 acres and seven major parcels, and was originally planted more than a century ago; it was replanted after Concha y Toro, the parent company of Don Melchor, purchased it in 1968. The 2021 is mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, with 4 percent Cabernet Franc and 3 percent Merlot. This is a serious wine, and since I like to offer a food pairing with the wines I recommend, I urge you to buy the finest example of ribeye steak you can find and cook it medium rare, with nothing but olive oil, salt, and pepper. Let it rest for 8 to 10 minutes before you slice it. The Don Melchor’s velvety aroma – I savored the tobacco and cacao notes – impressed me, as did the kirsch and raspberry hints. Sensual tannins and a long, confident finish complete the package. I daresay that almost anyone on your gift list would appreciate adding this bottle to their collection, no matter what they think of “Wine Spectator” rankings.
Enrique Tirado, winemaker at Viña Don Melchor.
“The 2021 vintage provided us with very expressive wines, brimming with concentration, dense and long, that cast a spotlight on the fruit and textural quality of every variety grown in the Don Melchor Vineyard, displaying a fine balance between finesse and energy, with extremely expressive flavors and aromas,” Tirado said. The winemaker sums it up with grace.
An enormous number of books devoted to all aspects of the wine world have been published, and while my library is always expanding, I want to offer two of my all-time favorites to you, dear procrastinator. The first one I purchased many years ago in Germany, and it became worn and dog-eared from the myriad times I perused it and opened it for research. That original copy was long ago recycled, but the 8th edition of The World Atlas of Wine, by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson, is available and should be in the collection of anyone who loves wine. Johnson wrote the first edition of this masterpiece, which was published in 1971, and the subsequent three editions, and Robinson took over in 1998 and has been in charge of the most recent four editions, including the current (8th) edition. Its 417 pages are packed with the wisdom and wit of Johnson and Robinson, along with maps, charts, and other information that will become indispensable. I look forward to many future editions of this work.
The World Atlas of Wine is indispensable.
The second book on this list, which I cherish and recommend without hesitation, is The Vines of San Lorenzo, by Edward Steinberg. Its subtitle is “Making a Great Wine in the New Tradition,” and the author’s wonderfully captivating storytelling draws the reader in from the opening page. The volume tells the tale of the Gaja Sorì San Lorenzo 1989 vintage and brings to life Angelo Gaja, a legend of the wine world who made Barbaresco a star. The book includes vintage photographs of some of the personalities that populate Steinberg’s tale, including members of the Gaja family, and transports one to the lands and soils that have produced some of the finest wines ever made. Literary in style and never slow, “The Vines of San Lorenzo” makes a great stocking stuffer.
Now, get online, or out there, and make some people very happy with these three gift ideas.
I love to talk about wine with people who share my passion for it. We open bottles, we trade stories about travel and winemakers, terroir and residual sugar, and we talk of taste and food and restaurants. We recommend wines to one another, we drink, and we learn a lot. In Wine Talk, I introduce you to some of my friends, acquaintances, and people I meet as I make my way around the world, individuals who love wine as much as I do, who live to taste.
You’ll appreciate their insights, and I hope you’ll learn something from them as well.
Wine and family: I love those two words. They make my mind wander to Germany, where I first began learning about and drinking wine (Riesling, natürlich); I moved there when my father, who was in the U.S. Air Force, was assigned to Europe. My time spent there made me, in large part, who I am today. Those words also bring forth memories of visiting wineries and meeting the families who founded them and put their energy and love into their land and bottles. One is lucky indeed if family and wine are there for you.
I met a family recently, a wine family, one that hails from Austin and now owns a prime piece of property in Calistoga, California, 10.5 acres once known as the Dutch Henry Winery. The Glass Fire devastated most of the estate’s infrastructure, but its cave was spared. And this family, the Epprights, have big plans for the property. Enter Parable Wines.
First, a brief introduction: Fred Eppright, the owner of a commercial real estate firm based in Austin, has a son named Trey, who took his first sip of wine in 1999 or 2000, aged 15 (he was allowed one sip only). Trey later began to immerse himself in all things wine, especially Wine Library TV, and in 2013, after traveling and tasting and learning, decided to establish a career in wine. Trey, who graduated from Texas A&M, spent some time in Oregon in 2020 working for a friend who ran a farm that supplied produce to local restaurants; he liked the work, getting his hands into the soil and growing things, practices that put him in good stead when he convinced his father that buying a property and making wine was a great idea.
In 2021, the Epprights – Fred and his wife, Paula, and Trey and brother Matt – purchased the Calistoga property that was formerly occupied by the Dutch Henry Winery, and that’s where the big plans really took off.
The Parable team. From left, Kale Anderson, Fred Eppright, Paula Eppright, Matt Eppright, Trey Eppright, and Brian Kelleher, Parable’s general manager.
Of the 10.5 acres on the Parable estate, 2.4 originally hosted Syrah; they are now planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Epprights, with winemaker Kale Anderson, hope to bottle their first estate vintage in 2025 or 2026. To commence the Parable journey, Trey and Kale began sourcing fruit from other locales, including the Vangone Vineyard, the Ritchie Vineyard, and the Beckstoffer Bourn Vineyard. In addition, Parable has signed a five-year sourcing contract with Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard and plans to produce a Cabernet Sauvignon with that famed and expensive fruit; the 2024 vintage will be released in 2027.
If you want to purchase Parable’s current offerings, which include a 2021 Beckstoffer Bourn Cabernet Sauvignon, a ’21 Vangone Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2022 Chardonnays from Ritchie Vineyard and Larry Hyde & Sons Vineyard, check out this section of the winery’s site. The Parable team is using a custom crush facility to produce its wines, but plans to move all production onto the property and will also use the 4,400-square-foot cave.
Let’s see what Trey has to say in Wine Talk:
James Brock:Tell us about three wines you think are drinking well at the moment. What makes them worthwhile? How about a food pairing for each?
Trey Eppright: The 2021 Parable Vangone Cabernet Sauvignon ($225) is drinking beautifully now. It’s a classic Atlas Peak Cab. I would have it with barbecued pork ribs and beef brisket (and not just because I’m from Texas).
The 2021 Parable Vangone Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.
The 2022 Parable Ritchie Creek Chardonnay ($90) from the Russian River is just beautiful. It was fermented in a concrete egg, instead of an oak barrel, which gives it wonderful complexity. I’d have the Ritchie with raw oysters and/or a flaky white fish with lemon butter sauce.
The 2022 Parable Ritchie Creek Chardonnay.
The third wine, which I had recently and is drinking fabulously, is the 2012 Maya Dalla Valle Red Blend. It’s a 50-50 blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a perfect wine made in some of the most special soils, and has everything you’d want in a wine. Funnily enough, I had it with pork and beef tacos. (Editor’s note: Not many bottles of this vintage are on the market, but a quick search found a few going for around $450; JJ Buckley is selling the 2020 vintage for $599.)
Trey Eppright, managing partner at Parable Wines.
JB: How did COVID-19 change your life, both personally and professionally?
TE: Because of Covid, I ended up with a winery in Napa Valley. My life couldn’t have changed much more if it wasn’t for Covid. During the pandemic I moved to Oregon and got into farming; and then to California, where my family and I bought a winery, which turned out to be Parable. Otherwise, I would have stayed in Austin, where I grew up, where I would’ve tried to figure out my life. Covid helped me figure a lot out.
JB: If cost was no consideration, tell us the one bottle you would add to your personal collection, and why.
TE: DRC (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti) Échezeaux Grand Cru. I paid $2,000. Which was 30 percent below market. I said, “I guess I have to.” La Tache (DRC) and Salon (Cuvee ‘S’ Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut) Champagne would be great, too. It’s a toss-up. There are too many good wines.
JB: What is your favorite grape, and why? If you don’t have a single favorite, tell me about one that you are especially passionate about.
TE: I don’t have a favorite. That would be real boring. But if you forced me, it would be Syrah. I’m also super passionate about Chardonnay. But Syrah is very versatile. It shows terroir very well. It really has a good sense of place, and it’s a fun grape to work with. As a winemaker, your input means a lot. And Chardonnay is interesting because it produces Champagne and still wine.
Kale Anderson, winemaker at Parable.
JB: How about one bottle that our readers should buy now to cellar for 10 years, to celebrate a birth, anniversary, or other red-letter day?
TE: The 2018 MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon from the MacDonald brother’s section of To Kalon Vineyard. It has so much power, so much energy. But it needs a 12-hour decant. As far as vineyards in Napa Valley, it’s an amazing, perfect wine, but it still needs 10 years in the bottle. (Editor’s note: Angry Wine Merchant is selling this vintage for $1,095. This wine will age wonderfully for decades.)
JB: Where is your go-to place when you want to have a glass or bottle (outside your home and workplace)?
TE:V Wine Cellars in Yountville. It’s a special wine bar. It has couches, and the selection is great. Anything you can dream of, they’ve got it. Good Chardonnays and Champagnes. And on Fridays there’s a very good chance, after 2 pm, if you want to meet a vintner or a winemaker, this is the place.
JB: If there was one thing you wish everyone would keep in mind when buying and drinking wine, what is it?
TE: Enjoy it. Just fuckin’ enjoy it. I think sometimes we all take wine too seriously. Enjoy it and share it. Take a second to appreciate it. Close your eyes on that first sip.
JB: What is your “wine eureka moment,” the incident/taste/encounter that put you and wine on an intimate plane forever?
TE: The first sip of wine I’d ever had changed my direction in life. It was the ’93 Dom Perignon Champagne, in 1999 or 2000. It was that whole thing: a lawyer had won a big case and brought it to this place. There was Dom stuffed into a commercial icemaker. I was only allowed to have one glass, but … I was 15.
Have you tasted this vintage?
JB: What has been the strangest moment/incident involving wine that you have experienced in your career?
TE: I shared a bottle of ’82 Salon with Lady Gaga’s bandleader, Brian Newman, in Las Vegas. He was doing a performance after a Gaga show, and the next day I was seated next to him at brunch. I handed a glass of the Salon to him. And we became friends, playing blackjack and sharing a joint.
The entrance to the cave at Parable Wines.
JB: Your favorite wine reference in a work of literature (fiction, film, poem, etc.)?
“Drinking good wine with good food in good company is one of life’s most civilized pleasures.” – Michael Broadbent, British wine critic/wine writer.
That saying simply states one of my favorite pastimes and something I get to do often.
The period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is already more than hectic, so why complicate your life with things that aren’t worth the stress? You take care of the reservations, the gift selections, the booking of flights and lodging, and the seating charts for your holiday dinners, and leave the wines to me. What follows is a subjective list of bottles I’ve tasted, paired with foods, and shared with friends during tasting sessions and at the table with meals. Some of these selections might be more difficult to find than others, but the internet is rich with sources, so happy hunting.
One request: When and where possible, please purchase your wines directly from the source, meaning the producer/winery. Many producers, especially the smaller ones, need the business. If that is inconvenient for you, your local independent wine merchant is the way to go. As always, if you can’t find the specific vintage I sampled, these wines, with perhaps no exception, will serve you well no matter the year the fruit in the bottle was harvested.
Bubbles should begin all of your gatherings, and I offer a number of bottles here that will satisfy any occasion. First up, how about a vintage Champagne? The 2012 Cuvée Louis Salmon Brut Blanc de Blancs is a delicious marvel. It’s named for the brother of Elisabeth Salmon, who married Nicolas François Billecart and with him founded Maison Billecart-Salmon in 1818. Louis was mad about wine and heavily involved in making Champagne for the storied house, which is today owned and run by Mathieu Roland-Billecart, the seventh generation of the family.
Serve the 2012 Billecart-Salmon with seafood.
The 2012 Louis Salmon Cuvée is elegant, delicate yet bold, and abundantly self-assured. Soft gold in color, the fruit (100 percent Chardonnay) for this vintage comes from the grand crus of the Côte des Blancs: 60 percent Mesnil-sur-Oger, 23 percent Cramant, 11 percent Chouilly, and 6 percent Oiry. Citrus and pear aromas deftly shone in my sampling, and this wine offers the palate sublime citrus, pineapple, and baked apple, along with a chalky minerality that rewards savoring. The 2012 was aged for more than 10 years on the lees, and dosed at 3.9 percent. The patient and demanding Billecart-Salmon approach and care shine in this wine, which you and your guests should find enthralling. Look for it at around $200. As for pairings, I admire that the Champagne house recommends a “casserole of whole calf sweetbread from Corrèze,” but procuring that dish on this side of the pond will take some effort. Oysters are always correct, and caviar is never wrong.
Laurent Gruet, partner and sparkling winemaker at Vara Winery. (Courtesy of Vara Winery)
New Mexico, here we come, as our second sparkling selection hails from that state. It’s a methode champenoise bottling from Vara Winery & Distillery, which is based in Albuquerque. I’d serve this wine ($27 SRP) with oysters on the half shell or a smoked salmon canapé, both excellent choices for kicking off a dinner party. It’s 72 percent Chenin Blanc, 18 percent Listán Prieto, and 10 percent Pinot Meunier; jasmine and lemon notes caress the nose, and a sip brings apple and hazelnut (almond ventured forth on a second tasting). Fine bubbles that persist increase the sensuality of this wine.
I tasted our next sparkling wine last week. It’s a Moscato d’Asti DOCG from Vignaioli di Santo Stefano, the 2023 vintage, and if you want to serve a dessert wine that keeps people at the table with a surprise – what, no Sauternes? – this $24 bottle is for you. Fruit is harvested by hand, and the result is a remarkable creation whose sweetness is balanced by superb acidity. Serve very cold.
A Willamette Valley sparkling from Abbey Road Farm is perfect with a mushroom tart.
Now to Oregon, and a festive rosé sparkling from Abbey Road Farm. It’s 100 percent Pinot Meunier, and the vibrant color of this wine makes me smile. Blair Trathen is the winemaker behind this bottle, and he’s created something that is lively and easy to drink. If you like lambrusco, try this $34 bottle. You get red fruit flavors along with an effervescence that provides a distinct and lasting finish. Pair with a mushroom and cheese tart. Abbey Road also makes a fine little carbonic Gamay Noir, so look for that one as well. (I’ll have more Willamette Valley wines for your consideration in upcoming articles, so stay tuned.)
The 2022 PassioneSentimento Bianco Veneto IGT from Pasqua will set you back all of $18.
Let’s turn to Garganega for our first white selection, a grape that might not be on the tip of your tongue, despite it being in the 6th position on the list of Italy’s most widely grown grapes. However, it is one that often rewards via its price-to-quality ratio. The 2022 PassioneSentimento Bianco Veneto IGT from Pasqua will cost you $18, and for that price you might as well get a case and serve it with exuberant abandon this holiday season. Bright citrus and lemongrass aromas lead to tart apple in the mouth. Refreshing to drink on its own, and I served it with a goat cheese galette and loved the combination.
How about a Chardonnay? It’s a tried-and-true choice, and there are any number of reasons the grape is consumed in the quantities it is – I’ll leave the buttery/oaky/unoaked debate for another day, or year, though I do think less oaky wines pair better with holiday fare, and a bottle I sampled recently takes its place on my list of “chardonnays to drink often.” Te Mata Estate, which produces the acclaimed Coleraine, is the source of one of the best chardonnays I’ve had this year. It’s a Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand wine, dry and plush and earthy. Golden white in the glass, a whiff of the Te Mata Estate Vineyards Chardonnay gives you lemony notes and subtle oak, then the palate is treated to white flower and pineapple. Firm, confident finish. I’ve not found a Chardonnay for $24 that I like more. This would be great with a butternut squash tart.
A Napa Chardonnay that made history.
On we go, and Napa is the next stop. Chateau Montelena is the exact destination, and the 2017 Chardonnay is on the table. I sampled it and the 2022 vintage recently, and while both are singing with aplomb, I chose the ’17 to include on my list this year for reasons that are completely subjective. (By all means, buy the 2022 as well and be happy, because you won’t go wrong with either of these.) Loads of citrus peel, delicate peach, and cavorting aromatics of white flowers. Try it with your poultry or fowl, or perhaps a roasted sea bass. The 2017 is priced at around $75, but I’ve seen it for less on some reputable sites.
Insolia is a grape I find myself drinking more and more. It loves seafood of most all sorts, and seafood loves it. I like to shell oysters, run the empty shells in a dishwasher cycle, and make Chinois Curried Oysters with Cucumber Sauce and Salmon Roe, a recipe I came across a decade or so ago and made at a wedding I catered on Nantucket for my friends Constance and Alison. I’ve served it a few times since then, and the 2022 “Carinda” from Assuli Baglio will go with it well. This wine from Sicily sells for around $19. White flowers on the nose – orange and jasmine – and a beautiful salinity that goes for miles.
Dry, bracing, refreshing, and perfect with curried oysters.
You should cook the oyster dish, which is based on a Wolfgang Puck creation first served at Chinois in Los Angeles, so I’m including it here; if you make it, drop me a line and let me know how you liked it.
Chinois Curried Oysters with Cucumber Sauce and Salmon Roe From “Comfort Me With Apples” by Ruth Reichl
“This was an appetizer on Chinois’s first menu. I’ve always loved it. I’ve adapted the recipe from the one Wolfgang distributed at the American Institute of Wine and Food’s Cutting Edge of L.A. Cuisine dinner in 1985. The cucumber sauce is very easy and endlessly versatile; I sometimes use it as a vegetable dip.”
FOR THE CUCUMBER SAUCE
1/4 of a seedless cucumber, chopped
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, unseasoned
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
2 tablespoons peanut oil
FOR THE CURRIED OYSTERS
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
16 oysters, shucked, shells reserved
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 tablespoons salmon roe
Accompaniment: lemon wedges
TO MAKE THE CUCUMBER SAUCE
In a blender, purée the cucumber with the vinegar and salt and pepper until very smooth. With the motor running, add the two oils in a slow stream and blend until emulsified.
TO MAKE THE CURRIED OYSTERS
Whisk together the curry powder, flour, and salt in a shallow bowl. Dredge the oysters in the curry mixture one at a time, shaking off the excess flour, and transfer them to a plate.
Heat the oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet until hot but not smoking and pan-fry the oysters in batches, turning them once, until slightly crisp on the outside, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the fried oysters to paper towels to drain. Spoon a scant tablespoon of the cucumber sauce into each of the 16 oyster shells and top with a fried oyster. Top each oyster with 1 teaspoon of salmon roe.
Here’s a red for you that pairs well with a rack of lamb, or Bill Blass’ meatloaf. The 2023 G d’Estournel, from Cos d’Estournel, is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. The clay soils of northern Médoc can be discerned in this wine, which offers a fascinating melange of eucalyptus, violet, rosemary, and blueberry. Peppery notes sustain through a relaxed finish. It retails for $39, and you can find other vintages at a lower price point, such as the 2019 for $23.99 at Zachys.
Pair this Chianti with a dish of lasagna and be happy.
I’m going Chianti now, and these two bottles I recommend with gusto. From Tenuta Perano we have the Chianti Classico DOCG 2021 ($25 SRP), and from Castello Nipozzano the 2020 Chianti Rufina Riserva DOCG ($19.99 SRP). Here’s what you do with these Italian reds: make a large dish of lasagna with béchamel and, if you can find it, wild boar (or lamb or beef). It will be a cool evening, sometime between now and the end of the year. If you wish, make the lasagna the day before. Invite a few friends over for dinner, a between-Thanksgiving-and-Christmas gathering, and open these bottles. The Perano delivers with a bouquet of berries and forest floor and a confident finish, while the Castello Nipozzano brings dark cherry, wild mushroom, and a concise minerality. They’ll both pair well with the lasagna, and the addition of a crusty baguette and a simple salad will make the evening perfect. Both selections are from the Frescobaldi family, which has been producing wines for about 700 years.
I like to give wines to special people as holiday gifts, and while all of the selections in this article would be ideal for such purposes, J. Lohr has put together a few collections that would make ideal presents. One I sampled recently highlights Paso Robles well, and is comprised of the 2021 Proprietary Red Wine, 2021 Tower Road Petite Sirah, and the Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon. For $117, you get three bottles that I would happily drink with a meal starring bone-in ribeye, grilled medium-rare and served with creamed spinach topped with toasted breadcrumbs. The blend melds Cabernet Sauvignon with Petite Sirah, while the 100 percent Petite Sirah showcases the beauty of that grape in outstanding manner. Robust tannins are balanced with rich fruit … you’ll want to put away a bottle of this for a few years as well, because it will age with grace. The Hilltop’s oakiness might be off-putting to some, but the winemaker, Brenden Wood, has a deft touch, so don’t hesitate to give it a try if you like Cabernet Sauvignon.
Ceretto makes Barolo worthy of your attention.
Barolo is special. Nebbiolo is one of my favorite grapes, and I’m including the 2019 Ceretto Barolo DOCG on this holiday list because it tastes so good. Fruit for this wine ($75 SRP) comes from vines with an average age of 30-35 years selected from a number of DOCG Barolo vineyard sites. The wine is aged for three years in oak casks, then for at least one year in the bottle. I hope you are well aware of the beauty of a Barolo, and this one possesses the magic for which Nebbiolo is loved, the rose and tar and mushroom notes that can transport one to a special place. Serve this wine with the grilled steak of your choice, or a pasta and truffle dish.
That’s it, the 2024 edition of my holiday wine guide part one. (Part Two will include some unique finds, along with a few wine-related accessories and books that will be appreciated by those fortunate to receive them as gifts.) I hope you find something to your liking, and that you open and pour with good people. Dine well, enjoy the season, and remember, wine is a living thing, so treat it with care.
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