I’m in the Santa Ynez Valley for the Santa Barbara Vintners Festival and while having a pre-dinner drink last night in Los Alamos I came across a painting hanging on a wall in a wine bar. It caught my eye among the many other pieces of art displayed around it. It took me back to a time and place I recall fondly, a time of Southern Gothic visions and Flannery O’Connor and Savannah and Athens, Georgia. The music was good.
James Love All the Lady’s?
“I came here as a man of visions. I was sent here as a man of visions, like a second Noah. I’m not Noah but I’m here as a second Noah. I’m here as a red light is in the street.”
The news never stops coming, and keeping up with everything is an impossible task. There are only so many hours in a day that one can devote to reading, and though I attempt to be on top of as much as I can, my stacks of newspapers and books are always beckoning (and expanding). There’s wine and food, of course, but there’s so much more. Here’s a look at a few things that caught my eye this week.
Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman have split. The pair worked on some great projects together — you likely have heard of Domaine de la Côte, Sandhi, and Evening Land — but almost all good things must come to an end, no? Here’s what happened, and what lies ahead for the two gentlemen.
Martha Stoumen gets a tasting room of her own. The much-admired maker of natural wines is taking advantage of capital made available as a result of her partnership with the Overshine Collective. The space, located in downtown Healdsburg, will offer food and, of course, wine.
Thomas Pynchon has been writing for decades, and the 88-year-old has just published his ninth novel, “Shadow Ticket.” It’s full of the author’s enthralling wordplay and fast-moving plot lines, and it’s producing a lot of buzz. I’ve added it to my reading list. Here’s Andrew Katzenstein’s look at the timely work.
Ciliegiolo. That’s an Italian word. It’s fun to pronounce. It’s fun to drink. And it leads this edition of Tasting Notes.
Ciliegiolo is a grape that originated in Italy, where it is found primarily, if not solely, in Tuscany, Lazio, Liguria, Puglia, and Umbria. The word translated into English means “small cherry;” its berries resemble that stone fruit and the wines made from them are redolent of cherries. It is not a variety that you are likely to have heard about on a regular basis, but those who know it are well aware of its value and importance. And since winemakers are paying more attention to it as a grape to shine on its own, as opposed to mainly blending it with Sangiovese to “soften” the latter’s profile, I hope this ancient grape will come to attract your attention on a more regular basis.
Ciliegiolo: An ancient grape with a disputed DNA. (Photo by Nick Belanger)
“In my view, Ciliegiolo is one of the most underappreciated grape varieties, allowing for wines of mesmerizingly pure aromas and flavors,” writes Ian D’Agata in “Native Wine Grapes of Italy” (2014), and I agree with him. (D’Agata’s book is one of my favorites on the subject, and if it is not in your library I urge you to acquire it, along with his more recent “Italy’s Native Wine Grape Terroirs.”)
Ciliegiolo’s parentage is the subject of ongoing debate. D’Agata included a compendium of DNA studies in his book that have been carried out on the variety, which was, according to the author, “most likely first described in the 1600s by Soderini, whose description of a Ciriegiuolo grapevine resembles the Ciliegiolo we know today.” D’Agata’s compendium is thorough and makes for fascinating study, and for readers who appreciate such things I recommend turning to page 248 of “Native Wine Grapes of Italy.” Suffice to say that researchers behind ongoing DNA analyses are sparring still as to the parentage and makeup of Ciliegiolo; is it a progeny of Sangiovese, or is it a natural cross of Sangiovese and Moscato Violetto? D’Agata concludes his say on the subject thusly: “Clearly, this is a matter that needs to be studied in more detail.”
I now embark on a brief journey into Giovan Vettorio Soderini, the Italian agronomist mentioned above, because I like history and biography and he had some influence on the craft of winemaking in Italy. Soderini, who was born in 1526 and died in 1596, was sentenced to beheading because of his protests against the Medici (he was born in Florence), but Ferdinando I de’Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, spared his life and banished him to Cedri, which today has a population of around 35 humans. Soderini had studied law and philosophy in Bologna, but turned his attention to agronomy following his banishment. Trattato della coltivazione delle viti, e del frutto che se ne puo cavare (“Treatise on the Cultivation of the Vineyard, and the Fruit That Can Be Obtained”) (Florence, Filippo Giunti, 1600) is according to many academicians his (posthumously published) masterwork, and copies of it can be purchased still today.
Back to Ciliegiolo, and a bottle of wine I sampled recently that leads this edition of “Tasting Notes.” It’s produced by Badia a Coltibuono and goes by the helpful name Chill Ya Jolo. It, too, is fun to pronounce, and I loved drinking it. It’s 100 percent Ciliegiolo, and sells for around $20. Yes, you should chill this wine well before drinking it.
Ciliegiolo: A grape that deserves wider recognition.
The 2024 Chill Ya Jolo was imminently approachable — I am looking forward to sampling the 2025 — and I tasted it after the bottle reached 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Winemaker Roberto Stucchi Prinetti, aided by consultant Maurizio Castelli, know what it means to put together a wine that makes you smile, and this one certainly does that. It comes with 12 percent alcohol, and 20,000 bottles were produced after aging in stainless steel.
Drink this with pizza, scallops, or a good hamburger.
Labels are made to attract the eye and impart information about the contents of a wine bottle. The ladybug (coccinella in Italian) on this one calls attention to Badia a Coltibuono’s approach to sustainable organic farming, and the Hesse quote is apt: Beauty is in the details.
Back to a little pertinent history now. Badia a Coltibuono — Abbey of the Good Harvest (or Cultivation) — was established in 1051 by Giovanni Gualberto (sainted in 1193 by Pope Celestine III), who founded the Benedictine Vallumbrosan order. It functioned as an abbey until 1810, when it was unable to withstand Napoleon’s assault on the Church. Michele Giuntini, a banker from Florence and ancestor of the current owners, the Stucchi Prinetti family, bought the property in 1846, and that began the estate’s journey to becoming a leader in the Chianti Classico universe.
This wine is liquid ruby; holding a glass to the light makes the Chill Ya Jolo even more inviting. The cherry aroma here is profound — it made me think of a time I had a particularly fresh basket of Lapins cherries and after rinsing sliced a few of them and caught their scent. A little heady, lots of vivacity.
I paired this wine with seared sea scallops; I put the Maillard reaction to good use and made sure that the scallops showed its effect, because that’s a mix of flavors you’ll remember for a long while. The wine’s brightness and lively fruit seemed made for the seafood, which was prepared with a briny vanilla cream sauce.
Chill Ya Jolo might be seen as a summer wine, but in my house wines similar to it are consumed around the year. No reason to put strictures on matters such as these.
The 2022 Nestweaver Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is next, and it excited my senses for a good while following my initial taste. A subtle aroma blend of raspberry and sweet cherry put me in an expansive mood on the afternoon I sampled this wine, which was made by Patrick Nyeholt. A secondary note on the nose is dried mushroom, a scent that gives this wine a restrained wildness. Its garnet color in the glass promises what I discerned as seriousness.
Nestweaver Wines was launched in 2021 by Caren Frutig Hatton — you might know her as the co-founder of Arietta, which she established alongside her husband, Fritz Hatton, and John and Maggy Kongsgaard, in 1996. “Nestweaver represents the elegant, nuanced Pinot Noir I envisioned creating for over 20 years, and Patrick Nyeholt is the winemaker to bring my vision to fruition,” Frutig says.
Patrick Nyeholt, Caren Frutig Hatton, and Jeffrey Corpuel stand in the Corpuel Family Vineyard, located in California’s Sebastopol Hills. (Photo courtesy Nestweaver)
Some might question the wisdom of pricing the second vintage of a wine produced from purchased fruit at $125, but the market will have final say, as it almost always does. I will say that I have tasted a good number of wines sold at higher prices that satisfied me less than the Nestweaver did, and I’ll leave it at that.
The 2022 vintage — 14 percent alcohol, 122 cases produced, 100 percent Pinot Noir — saw 30 percent new French oak, and nine months of élevage resulted in something that is delicious now and worthy of aging; 140 cases were made. Frutig Hatton says her grandmother, who created a “loving sanctuary” for her family, was the inspiration for the wine, whose label was designed by Frutig Hatton’s daughter, Hattie.
Nestweaver represents the elegant, nuanced Pinot Noir I envisioned creating for over 20 years, and Patrick Nyeholt is the winemaker to bring my vision to fruition.
Nestweaver Wines founder Caren Fruitig Hatton
I find this a cerebral wine, and its soft tannins contribute an elegant touch. Fruit comes from the Corpuel Family Vineyard, a 7.6-acre Sebastopol Hills property planted to Pommard, Swan, and Vosne-Romanée clones by Ulises Valdez, who sadly passed away of a heart attack at the age of 49 in 2018.
Patrick Nyeholt is the head winemaker at Nestweaver, and serves as associate winemaker at Arietta.
I paired the Nestweaver Pinot Noir with a lamb chop seared simply with olive oil and rosemary; the wine gracefully melded with the protein’s gaminess, and the lamb elevated the wine’s midpalate. Nyeholt, who began working under Andy Erickson at Arietta in 2011 and was named head winemaker at Nestweaver in 2022, has produced an intriguing wine, one I hope to revisit soon.
I am a proponent of opening a bottle of sparkling wine as often as one can, be it Champagne, cava, or anything else bubbly and made well. Sharing a bottle with friends and family at the table is a ritual that can slow the pace of a hectic day, encouraging conversation and contemplation. Closing out this edition of Tasting Notes is a wine from Texas, the 2021 Heath Sparkling Wines Adoration. It has a suggested retail price of $61 — Heath club members can get it for $52 — and is a Pinot Noir-dominated blend: 77.2 percent of that sparkling mainstay, along with 17.2 percent Chardonnay, 3.8 percent Pinot Meunier, 1.5 percent Pinot Gris, and .3 percent Pinot Blanc.
Make a platter of spicy friend chicken and pair it with this sparkling rosé.
This sparkling rosé was sampled after being chilled to around 46 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature that served it (and me) well. A beguiling pale coral hue invites one to sip and savor this wine, which smells of wild strawberry, Bing cherry, and rose petals, a balanced melange. In the mouth, red fruit flavors dominate, then a fine citrus blossom note comes along to finish the experience.
The Heath Adoration is classified as a Brut and has .75 percent residual sugar. It spent only 20 months on the lees, which likely explains the large, vigorous bubbles in the glass. The acidity here is impressive; I paired this bottle with a platter of fried chicken that I made with a slightly spicy batter, and the combination was nearly perfect.
Didier Chopin’s life has been a touch hectic during the past several years. The winemaker was sent to jail this week for 18 months after being found guilty of selling hundreds of thousands of bottles of fake Champagne — or should I write “champagne”? He’s also facing sexual assault charges. He was sentenced in a court in Reims. Fake bubbles are not cool.
It was, for a long while, my favorite restaurant in New York. Wedding anniversaries and birthdays were all celebrated there, and I never had a bad time at the Waverly Place Italian destination, no matter if dining at the bar (where on one evening I had a long and pleasant conversation with Jay McInerney), upstairs in the former hay loft, or at “my” table at the far end (on the right) of the downstairs dining room. Babbo was the place — is the place. I sadly had my first awful experience at the restaurant back in 2019, the last time I was there for dinner, so am looking forward to seeing how Mark Ladner transforms the place. He knows it and its creator, Mario Batali, quite well, after all. I hope the Mint Love Letters are on his menu.
A new owner and chef for an old favorite of mine. (Photo by Heath Brandon)
Jess Lander has written a downright dystopian article in the San Francisco Chronicle about the 2025 harvest in California. “Tens of thousands of acres of vineyards have been ripped out across the state, and despite mostly ideal weather conditions this growing season, more than 100,000 tons of California wine grapes will likely be left on the vines to rot — for the second consecutive year,” Lander writes. Brutal, indeed.
To continue in the less-than-good-news category, proposed federal legislation that seeks to bar states from regulating pesticides and insecticides is in danger of being passed into law. A provision in the legislation, section 453, prohibits the EPA and adjacent agencies from updating production warning labels from original conclusions under the 1947 Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. According to WineBusiness.com, in an article written by Michelle Williams, section 453 would “grant immunity to all foreign and domestic manufacturers” of these products for failure to “warn about product hazards.” It does appear to be as bad as it seems. Want more glyphosate and paraquat on your vines?
In better news, the Texas Wine Month Passport 2025 is available for purchase now. It gives you access to tastings, discounts, events, and other good things going on at more than 45 Texas Hill Country wineries from October 1 through October 31. A portion of the proceeds from passport sales goes toward the Texas Hill Country Wine Industry Scholarship Fund, so your pleasure will also help others.
There is, of course, more to this world than wine. Mise en Place, my site, is subtitled “Wine, Food, and Other Vital Things,” and literature and books are two of those vital things in my life. Henry Louis Gates Jr. has written a wonderful piece on Jamaica Kincaid’s work and life in the current issue of The New York Review of Books, and I recommend it wholeheartedly, whether you are familiar with Kincaid or not. Gardening, writing, Black literature, a moving, tempestuous relationship with a mother, and a woman whose early years in Manhattan have long enthralled me. Kincaid is the real thing, and has been for decades.
This week’s reading roster ends on a book, one that should, I strongly posit, be in the library of anyone who respects French wine, its history and place in the world, and its present and future. Get yourself a copy of Jon Bonné’s The New French Wineand revel in Chablis, Pinot Noir, insightful and moving profiles of producers and winemakers, and maps and impressions and opinions. It’s a great book, and will provide you with a lot of reading pleasure. You’ll learn some good things, too.
A Bordeaux-stye red blend from the Ballard Canyon AVA is up first in this edition of Tasting Notes, and it’s a selection many of you will want to add to your cellar or wine list. I tasted the 2021 Fenix, from Jonata, on a recent afternoon, along with a few other bottles, and this vintage puts on display the methodical yet agile and intuitive stewardship of winemaker Matt Dees.
The blend is 77 percent Merlot, 14 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9 percent Cabernet Franc, and if you, as I do, love Cabernet Franc, you’ll enjoy the 2021 Fenix even more, because that grape was beautifully evident during my sampling, as it was the next day, when I poured the wine at dinner, pairing it with a duck breast seasoned with salt and star anise.
Where did Jonata get its name? Matt Dees explains. (Jonata)
Dees, who has been overseeing Stan Kroenke’s Jonata since 2004 (and whose purview now includes Kroenke projects The Hilt and The Paring) came to the profession without a degree in oenology, though he did earn a degree in plant and soil science at the University of Vermont, a curriculum relevant to winemaking.
Back to the 2021 Fenix, which was retailed with an average price of $100 (look for it on sites such as Benchmark Wine Group and K&L Wine Merchants, and inquire at your preferred local purveyor). You can also consider becoming a Jonata member for access to current releases and earlier vintages. The 2021 spent 20 months in 50 percent new French oak and 50 percent twice-used French oak barrels (225 liters). Note: One barrique holds 300 750-milliliter bottles of wine. Alcohol clocks in at 14.5 percent, and 1,265 cases of the 2021 were produced.
Dees recently told Levi Dalton in an episode of “I’ll Drink to That” that the Jonata vineyard is the sandiest he’s ever seen, adding that “it’s a beach.” When the Jonata team was surveying the property and assessing it for viability, several winemaking consultants told them that they would be better off growing asparagus or developing a golf course — the sand would be perfect for bunkers. I’m glad Dees didn’t listen to them. The soil there has been producing some stellar wines.
Matt Dees takes soil seriously.
Complex, decadent, focused, architectonic, confident. Those terms came to mind when I sat with the Fenix. Black and dark-blue fruit, buffed leather, and violet notes arouse the olfactory senses, while blackberries, sage, pristine forest floor, plum, and wild mushroom — perhaps chanterelles — meld wonderfully on the palate. Duck breast, as I wrote, pairs well with this wine, as would a rack of lamb. You need some fat to marry the robust (yet remarkably refined) tannins. This is a wine that will please you now, or in 10-plus years if cellared properly.
On to New Zealand
We’ll venture to a wine from New Zealand next, the 2022 Pencarrow Pinot Noir, which I tasted alongside another Pinot from that island country (the latter selection has among its team a very famous name — more on that below).
This Pinot Noir is a steal for $30.
Palliser Estate makes the Pencarrow line, which also includes a Chardonnay, a Pinot Gris, and a Sauvignon Blanc, all made from fruit sourced (100 percent) from Palliser estate’s Marlborough-based vineyards. Guy McMaster is the winemaker, alcohol is 14 percent, and 73 percent of the fruit came from the Pencarrow Vineyard, 24 percent from the Woolshed Vineyard, and 3 percent from the Pinnacles Vineyard. The (mainly) wild-fermented wine is cold-soaked, then pump-overs and plunging take place, followed by 10 months in oak barrels.
As with the Jonata Fenix, I sampled the Pencarrow Pinot Noir on a sunny afternoon immediately after opening the bottle (a screw cap) and finished it later with food. The wine is an attractive light ruby in the glass, an inviting hue. A faint white pepper note marks the aroma, along with wild raspberry, red cherry, and fruity nutmeg. Those profiles continue when one tastes the Pencarrow Pinot Noir, and I picked up some mushroom-centric umami as well. Tannins are powdery, and the finish is sustained. This wine, which retails in the $30-$35 range, is fun to drink, pure fun. Later that day I paired it with a meatloaf made from beef and pork and sun-dried tomatoes and could not have been happier.
A Famous Name
Does the name Sarah Jessica Parker ring a bell? It likely does. She is the famous individual to whom I referred earlier in this piece, and she’s the Invivo X proprietor — her official title with the brand. The 2022 Invivo X SJP Pinot Noir, which Wine Spectator placed at number 82 on its 2024 Top 100 wine list, closes out this edition of Tasting Notes. If you are skeptical of wines linked to celebrities, I understand, but that sector is too large and varied for blanket aversion. This bottle is worthy of your consideration.
From New Zealand comes this wine, which represents a great value.
Marlborough is the region from which the grapes for this wine hails — with a touch of Central Otago fruit added in. It has a suggested retail price of $25, which in my opinion is more than fair. This Pinot Noir is a bit darker in the glass than is the Pencarrow, a hue that is nonetheless fetching. No one I know would mistake this wine for anything other than a Pinot Noir; there is a lively black cherry component, plus allspice and earthy leather, on the nose. The aroma promises something satisfying, and it doesn’t disappoint. A taste reveals cherry and raspberry, with muted oak and smoky spice.
Sarah Jessica Parker and Rob Cameron taste Invivo X SJP samples. (Courtesy Invivo Wines)
The Invivo X SJP has an ABV of 13.5 percent, and fruit was harvested by hand and de-stemmed into open fermenters. Indigenous yeasts began fermentation following a cold-soak of 7 to 10 days. The wine spent 11 months in 35 percent new and 65 percent used French barriques, and malolactic fermentation occurred in barrel.
What did I pair this Pinot Noir with? Salmon. I had a few skin-on, wild-caught coho filets and wanted to see how they’d do with the wine. I seared them (skin-down first; be sure to dry the skin fully before cooking) after seasoning with salt and pepper, and finished by adding a tablespoon of butter to the pan and basting the filets with it. The wine’s tannins complemented the fish’s richness and my guest was ecstatic.
The wines in this Tasting Notes demonstrate terroir well, and the winemaking quality is evident. If you try one (or all of them) let me know what you think. The next edition of Tasting Notes will include a Texas sparkling wine, a California Pinot Noir, and a Tuscan red that loves being chilled.
Aligoté can divide. There are those who disdain it openly, proud, it appears, to proclaim loudly to anyone who will listen that it is not worth the effort it takes to make, that the best Aligoté is inferior to the worst Chardonnay. On the other side of the line are the sane, knowing individuals, the ones who appreciate Aligoté and share their enthusiasm for it with their friends and acquaintances. If you encounter a character who belongs to the first group, nod in agreement and walk calmly away.
Aligoté is a proud grape; Burgundian winemakers love it (check out Les Aligoteurs) and yes, you’ll traditionally find it in your Kir cocktail. (Fascinating history and story behind that apéritif. It was originally known as a “blanc-cassis,” but now honors Félix Kir —1876 – 1968) — a former mayor of Dijon who served the drink to delegations visiting his city to showcase his region’s offerings. What was once made with crème de cassis and red wine had to be made with white wine after the Nazis had their way with Burgundy’s red wine stocks, and the tradition lives on. Put one part crème de cassis in a wine stem and follow with nine parts white wine. Here’s a recipe from the International Bartenders Association.)
Aligoté is in no way an inferior grape, contrary to what the misguided proclaim. It is a cross between Gouais Blanc and Pinot Noir, it is, after Chardonnay, the second most-planted variety in Burgundy, and it represents great value.
Drink this with oysters on the half shell.
One Aligoté that I enjoyed recently is Abbey Road Farm‘s 2023 vintage, available for $35 directly from the producer. I opened the sample bottle and thought, “I must pair this with briny, small oysters,” which is what I did. Royal Miyagi, with lemon and mignonette sauce. Poached shrimp would also be excellent. The wine carries a refined note of salinity, along with unripe apricot and Granny Smith apple. Delicate floral aromatics add to the pleasure. Whole-cluster pressing was used, and this estate Aligoté was aged sur lie for eight months in neutral French oak (70 percent) and in one new Austrian oak puncheon. Drink now.
Abbey Farm Road is an 82-acre farm, winery, and bed and breakfast in Carlton, Oregon. (Abbey Road Farm)
2022 Markham Vineyards Merlot, Napa Valley, California
I have my mind on a Napa Merlot that also represents great value for the price, and I’d recommend finding it soon, because it’s sold out at the producer’s website (though the 2023 vintage will be along soon). I have found it at retailers in the $25-$30 range, however, and it’s worth every dollar. I paired the 2022 Markham Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot with a rack of lamb, and the duo was the centerpiece of a fine meal.
Kimberlee Nicholls is a veteran winemaker and leads the Markham winemaking team. (Markham Vineyards)
This wine, from an all-female winemaking team, is dark red in the glass and offers aromas of black stone fruit, sensuous and warm. You get the familiar cherry and plum flavors on the palate, and freshness and vibrancy that spark conversation. The 2022 Merlot spent 18 months in oak barrels — 30 percent new — and was fermented in stainless steel. It is 95 percent Merlot, 3 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2 percent Malbec.
Markham’s estate vineyards — Yountville Ranch, Little Cannon, and Rockerbox —provide about a third of the fruit here, and head winemaker Kimberlee Nicholls and her team have produced a food-friendly wine that I’d gladly give to all of my cooking friends.
2024 Turnbull “Josephine” Sauvignon Blanc, Oakville AVA, California
Rounding out this edition of Tasting Notes is a Sauvignon Blanc from the Oakville AVA that I particularly liked. It’s available for $50 from the producer, Turnbull Wine Cellars, and holds a place on my list of top 10 Sauvignon Blancs tasted in the past year.
Turnbull Wine Cellars’ ‘Josephine’ Sauvignon Blanc: Graceful, complex, and delicious.
Peter Heitz is the winemaker at Turnbull, and he’s been quoted thusly in reference to this Sauvignon Blanc: “This wine gives me goosebumps — in the best way.” I did not get goosebumps when I tasted this wine, but I am in no position to quibble with Mr. Heitz, nor doubt his reaction, because I did love this bottle. I paired it with a pork loin (garlic, fennel, and parsley). Fermentation and élevage are carried out in terracotta amphorae, concrete tank, and French oak, and the result is an exhilarating journey of citrus joined with grace, complexity, and satisfying texture that pairs well with foods. I couldn’t ask for more in a Sauvignon Blanc.
Peter Heitz is a fourth-generation winemaker.
Fruit in this wine is primarily estate, from Turnbull’s Home Ranch and Fortuna vineyards, complemented by grapes from a North Coast site that sits at 1,600 feet above sea level. If you have friends who think Sauvignon Blanc is not worthy of pairing with serious food, who consider it a “pool sipper,” share some of this wine with them during a meal of the pork loin I mentioned and watch their reactions.
Ilove to talk about wine with people who share my passion for it. We open bottles, we trade stories about travel and soil types, 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 friends, acquaintances, and people I encounter as I make my way around the world, individuals who love wine as much as I do, who live to taste, who farm and make wine. Whether my subject is a sommelier, a collector, a winemaker, a chef, a buyer, or an avid drinker of wine, you’ll appreciate their insight, and I hope you’ll learn something from them as well.
Pinot Noir is loved by many drinkers of wine, for good reason. It can, when handled properly, produce wines that are aromatic in a profound manner, silky and supple, and sublime on the palate and in the brain and soul. As the great Henri Jayer said, “Pinot must be full and fleshy, fat and concentrated, but discreet, supple, and soft at the same time, and it must have definition.”
In America, which produces some great examples of Pinot Noir, Kosta Browne made its name with the grape. Dan Kosta and Michael Browne founded the brand in 1997, and the duo’s 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir won Wine Spectator‘s Wine of the Year award in 2011. Kosta Browne was bought by Texas Pacific Group in 2009, and then in 2014 by J.W. Childs Associates in 2014. The two founders parted ways with the winery after the latter deal. In 2018, Duckhorn Wine Co. purchased Kosta Browne and owns it still.
Julien Howsepian, the subject of this edition of Wine Talk, worked as a harvest intern at Kosta Browne for the 2012 vintage, and impressed Michael Browne and winemaker Nico Cueva (more on him below). They offered him a permanent position for the next harvest, and he has been the head winemaker at Kosta Browne since 2019. He has a French father and a Dutch mother, has a degree in viticulture and enology from the UC Davis, and was raised in Northern California’s Bay Area. Needless to say, he loves Pinot Noir. But he also has a soft spot for Chardonnay.
I write about Kosta Browne’s Burgundy Series recently, and hearing what Howsepian had to say about his ventures there was the catalyst for wanting to feature him in Wine Talk. Let’s see what’s on his mind.
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 one?
Julien Howsepian: 2010 Kosta Browne Garys’ Vineyard Pinot Noir. We featured this wine recently at our 20-year partnership working with the Franscioni and Pisoni families in Santa Lucia Highlands, and this wine was screaming. It had 40 percent whole cluster and was so complex and fresh for being almost 15 years old. Something simple like stewed trout in tomato sauce would be killer with a wine like this.
Next, the 2021 Kosta Browne Gap’s Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir is a classic Kosta Browne wine. 2021 was an incredible vintage, a perfect growing season that produced wines with excellent aging potential but that are also fresh and elegant young. Being a year with slightly elevated acidities, I would love to pair it with a pork tenderloin with a cherry reduction sauce.
2019 Domaine Chanson Clos de Feves 1er Cru Pinot Noir is an excellent wine from a resurgent iconic producer in Burgundy. Still affordable, 2019 was an excellent year in Burgundy, producing approachable wines that are really hitting their stride. This would be great with a terrine and baguette. Bon appetit!
JB: If cost was no consideration, tell us the one bottle you would add to your personal collection, and why.
JH: I would love to add Gaja Barbaresco San Lorenzo to my personal collection. I visited many years ago and have loved the wines ever since, but rarely get the chance to enjoy them. Sometimes wine takes you on an adventure back in time, and that was a formidable trip to Italy and the rest of Europe, both personally and professionally.
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.
JH: This one is an easy one for me: Pinot. Pinot Noir offers a lifetime of exploration through all the great growing regions of the world. The endless expressions of terroir, the ageability, the diverse food pairings … it’s the heartbreak grape for a reason. It’s just a lot of fun to try everyone’s different takes on how to make Pinot. And of course, there’s always Blanc de Noirs, so you know, there’s that to enjoy, too!
Pinot Noir, a grape that has broken many hearts and brought joy to millions. (Illustration by Felloni Claire)
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?
JH: As mentioned, I think 2021 was an incredible vintage for California Pinot, so I would recommend the 2021 Kosta Browne Cerise Vineyard Pinot Noir. Cerise Vineyard is located in Anderson Valley, which is a small appellation in Mendocino County. Cerise Vineyard is a unique hillside vineyard in a unique appellation, producing wines that are lower in alcohol, higher in tannin and not as fruity as most other California Pinots. And I think it’s perfect to age because the aromas will evolve beautifully as the tannins integrate over time. The 2021 is tasting phenomenal today, but I think its best days are still ahead. (Editor’s Note: Duckhorn Wine Co.’s purchase of Kosta Browne included Cerise Vineyard.)
Kosta Browne winemaker recommends that you cellar this bottle and uncork it in 2035. (Courtesy Kosta Browne)
JB: Where is your go-to place when you want to have a glass or bottle (outside your home and workplace)?
JH: One of the most classic and best restaurants for ambience and food in Sonoma County is Underwood Bar and Bistro in Graton. Graton is a tiny, rural, unincorporated town whose downtown stretches all of one block, but Underwood is like stepping into a restaurant bar in the middle of a happenin’ city. Usually quite busy but rarely overcrowded, it’s frequented by many winemakers, grape growers, and others alike.
JB: If there was one thing you wish everyone would keep in mind when buying and drinking wine, what is it?
JH: Wine is a magical, mysterious product that is ingrained in our DNA. It’s also sometimes hard to understand and can be a little intimidating or pretentious. But wine is meant to be enjoyed, to be shared with food, family and friends. It enriches our lives in many ways, and is not meant to be taken too seriously. There’s a niche for that, but what matters most is that you love it, it is as simple as that and nothing more.
JB: What is your “wine eureka moment,” the incident/taste/encounter that put you and wine on an intimate plane forever?
JH: I remember the first time I tasted a Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Premier Cru. I certainly didn’t understand or appreciate it, because at the time I didn’t think it tasted like much. But my good friend and boss at the time, Nico Cueva, who would become my wine mentor, explained to me how to appreciate a subtle and elegant wine, and that wine doesn’t have to punch you in the face to be good. A wine can be ultra-refined, delicate, all about finesse and subtlety. And the way that wine evolved in the glass was remarkable, so after that I was hooked on Chardonnay.
Julien Howsepian inspects fruit at Kosta Browne’s facility.
JB: What has been the strangest moment/incident involving wine that you have experienced in your career?
JH: I’m having a really difficult time thinking about the strangest moment, but one story comes to mind. I had a work dream one night during harvest that we were sorting fruit and there was a ton of garlic mixed in, but we couldn’t keep up with removing all the garlic. I ran up to find the winemaker who was in his office, which was dimly lit, and after telling him what was happening, he simply said, “Let the gold through.” I told the team my dream the next day, and everyone thought it was odd and funny. A week or two later, we were sorting a Pinot block from Anderson Valley, and there was a lot of Chardonnay mixed in. This block had some errant Chardonnay interplanted, and when I texted the winemaker about what to do, he responded, “Let the gold through.” It was a pretty funny moment, and very strange to have somehow foreseen that a bit.
JB: What is your dream wine-tasting and touring locale?
JH: Argentina. I visited when I was in my 20s, but it was not a wine-related trip. The mountain backdrop to the wine country looks spectacular, and I love mountains. I’ve also never given the proper time to explore the wines of Argentina, so I’m sure I’d love them if I could find the time to take up another region.
This bug is bad: Phylloxera and wine have an infamous relationship. (The Phylloxera, a True Gourmet, Finds Out the Best Vineyards and Attaches Itself to the Best Wines. Edward Linley Sambourne, Punch, September 6, 1890.)
JB: Your favorite wine reference in a work of literature?
Burgundy is often on my mind. The diverse landscapes and geography, the wines, the cuisines … it is a fabled region with a grand history (the Franks and the Dukes of Burgundy are alone worthy of lifelong study) and captivating present. All that, plus escargots, those heavenly escargots.
A Bugundian staple. (Photo by James Brock)
I spent some time in that magical region – since Jan. 1, 2016, known officially as Bourgogne-Franche-Comté – of France last year, and too many days there would have been too few. I was therefore excited when I received Kosta Browne’s Burgundy Series 2022 vintage lineup, because the wines took me back to the sights, sounds, and smells of Meursault, where my traveling companions and I set up headquarters for a few days in a stone house overlooking a vineyard in the small village (2022 population: 1,376).
A Meursault room with a view. (Photo by James Brock)
Headed to the patisserie in Meursault. (Photo by James Brock)
Meursault is known for its excellent white wines, and when planning a trip to Burgundy don’t overlook the idea of making the village your temporary home. The proximity of the Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet appellations, to name but two nearby, and the city of Beaune are nothing but bonuses. In addition, Meursault has an excellent patisserie on its town square that makes a fine pain au chocolat, as well as a French-Asian restaurant, La Goutte d’Or, where Yuki and Thomas Broyer’s menu of honest, authentic food includes fricassee of frog legs, duck breast, pike quenelles, sushi, and terrines of pigeon, foie gras, and lobster. La Goutte d’Or’s wine list, full of great values, adds to the story.
To the Burgundy Series wines. Kosta Browne winemaker Julien Howsepian — his family’s roots lie in Burgundy and he speaks French — had long wanted to make wine from grapes grown in the region, and beginning in 2012 began having discussions about the vision.
“Back then, it was just the seed of an idea — a dream waiting to be realized,” he said. “Creating the Burgundy Series has been a remarkable journey, and one of the most inspiring experiences of my career. In many ways, our early years in Burgundy felt like a return to our roots in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast, when we were the new kid on the block finding our footing, building relationships with growers and earning their trust and respect.”
Chablis Premier Cru ($115 SRP/$70 member price) is an ideal place to begin my study of Kosta Browne’s Burgundy Series. Kimmeridgian soils is the buzzphrase, and Chardonnay the buzzword, so let’s take a brief look at both.
Julien Howsepian, Kosta Browne’s head winemaker. (Courtesy Kosta Browne)
If you don’t already know, Chablis is — must be by regulation — 100 percent Chardonnay. Then there’s the hierarchy: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru, and Chablis Grand Cru. The latter three originate from vineyards planted on the aforementioned Kimmeridgian soils, while Petit Chablis — the name was first used in 1908 to mark wines not made from Chardonnay grapes and/or not grown in Kimmeridgian soils — is primarily grown on younger, Portlandian soils.
This is putting it simply, but the mineral-rich Kimmeridgian clay and limestone (full of fossilized oyster shells) give the first three appellations astounding minerality and aging potential, while the Portlandian earth produces wines marked by immediate approachability and freshness (plus great value). As a loose rule of thumb — I write “loose” because changes made by winemakers in Chablis have resulted in wines that are offer an abundance of pleasure whether one drinks them young or old, as opposed to times past, when many of the wines were harsh when young or lacked a finesse and depth that was sorely missed — drink Petit Chablis young, perhaps two years after release, Chablis five years after release, and Chablis Premier Cru and Grand Cru five to 10 years (or more) after release. Time will reward you, but if you are impatient do not let me stop you from pulling a cork whenever you desire. To close this topic, it’s a pleasing thing to try a Premier Cru five years after release and the same wine/same vintage five years later. Notice and appreciate the evolution and development of the living liquid.
The first thing that struck me upon tasting the 2022 Kosta Browne Chablis was its singular precision. Lovers of Chablis will be familiar with the flinty minerality these wines possess, and this one is no exception. Retrieve a stone from a river whose waters are clean and flowing and hold it under your nose — that aroma is beautifully represented here, along with white stone fruit and a delicate lemon note. The concise minerality continues in the mouth and marries well with the wine’s distinct acidity. You’ll love opening this bottle and drinking it with a plate of seared sea scallops (prepared simply with garlic and a touch of lemon).
A Chablis of elegance and precision. (Courtesy Kosta Browne)
This wine has an alcohol level of 13.5 percent, and élevage involved the use of 100 percent stainless steel for 13 months. As noted, I would not scold you if you opted to open this Chablis now, but uncorking it in 2028 would not be a bad plan, either.
And we now turn to Pinot Noir, that other grand grape of Burgundy, for the remaining four selections in Kosta Browne’s Burgundy Series vintage 2022 (2020 was the first vintage in this series). These names — Beaune, Pommard, Volnay, and Nuits-Saint-Georges — will likely be familiar to many, and Howsepian and his team have produced fine examples that fit well under these appellations.
I’ll dispose of some rudimentary notes here about the four Pinot Noirs. All come in at 13.5 percent alcohol, and each carries a suggested retail price of $150, or $90 for Kosta Browne club members. As for oak programs, which Howsepian controls, here’s the breakdown: Beaune (37 percent new oak, 63 percent neutral oak for 13 months); Pommard (29 percent new oak, 71 percent neutral oak for 13 months); Volnay (19 percent new, 81 neutral for 13 months); Nuits-Saint-Georges (29 percent new, 71 percent neutral for 13 months).
Howsepian works with a winery in Côte de Beaune (under a confidentiality agreement) to produce this series; the wines are vinified and aged in barrel in Burgundy, then transported under refrigeration for bottling in Sebastopol, California, where Kosta Browne, which is owned by Duckhorn Wine Co., is located.
“Over time, as our connections in Burgundy have strengthened, our ability to work with the best vineyards has grown, including access to Premier Cru properties in Beaune and Chablis,” Howsepian says. “The exceptional quality of those vineyards is embodied in our 2022 Burgundy Series wines. So is the extraordinary quality of the 2022 Burgundy vintage, which has already earned glowing praise for its energy, freshness, and generosity. It is a fascinating union that I find thrilling.”
Here is a look at the four 2022 Pinot Noirs in Kosta Browne’s Burgundy lineup, beginning with the Beaune Premier Cru, and though I want you to keep reading, if you are pressed for time here is my appraisal in brief: Club members should definitely purchase these bottles, and, depending on their wine-buying budget, non-club members would do no wrong adding these selections to their cellars. My tastings were, across the board, much, much more than satisfactory.
The Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune is a cultural treasure. (Photo by Colby Walton)
The Beaune Premier Cru bottling speaks of cherries, dark cherries, the predominant note aroma-wise and on the palate. If you like black and dark blue fruits, this one will interest you. Wonderful tension and vitality are evident in this medium-body wine, along with confident acidity and tannins. Secondary aromas of forest floor and mushroom, which will become more pronounced as the wine ages in the bottle, are part of the dynamic here, and the hint of white pepper is delightful. I’d pair this bottle with a mushroom and chicken fricassee, making sure to include some morels. Interesting fact about Beaune Premier Crus: There are 42 individual climats (vineyard sites) classified as premier cru in the appellation, and only about 10 percent of total production meets the premier cru qualification standards.
Drink this wine with duck. (Courtesy Kosta Browne)
To the Kosta Browne Pommard, and first things first: You will be pleased if you serve this bottle with duck breast or duck confit. The wine’s rusticity, restrained might, and dark cherry notes will marry perfectly with the waterfowl, but won’t overpower the dish. You also get a pleasing floral undertone, as well as red berry notes. The tannins and power characteristic of wines from the appellation are evident, but they do not punch wildly. Pommard, which lies between Beaune and Volnay, had a population of 444 as of 2022. As noted above, time spent in this area is time not wasted; cycling around the villages is a pleasant way to spend a day, and the scenery is moving and enlivening.
Cycling in Pommard. (Photo by Colby Walton)
Here, in transition, I offer some words from Jon Bonné, which appear in his indispensable book The New French Wine: “If Pommard tends to be about muscle, Volnay stands on finesse. Frequently the comparison is to Chambolle, and the similarities are there, certainly in the nuanced structure of the wines and in the relatively light topsoil with harder Bathonian limestone below.” Volnay boasts, according to Vins de Bourgogne, 29 premiers crus, a not insubstantial quantity; these include Santenots, Clos de la Chapelle, and Clos de la Rougeotte.
Volnay, as done by Kosta Browne. (Courtesy Kosta Browne)
Yes, Pommard wines are described as masculine, and those from Volnay (the appellation dates to 1937) are often termed “feminine.” They can certainly, in most cases, be appreciated as “delicate,’ and while I’ll leave it up to readers to debate the utility of using “masculine” and “feminine” to describe wines, the Kosta Browne Volnay is complex and carries an arsenal of poised, confident aromas, including the ever-present cherry, as well as gooseberry and raspberry. In the glass the wine is a lovely shade of garnet, and tannins are restrained. When you take this bottle to the table, try pairing it with coq au vin, as made by Julia Child.
A road that leads to some fine vineyards. (Courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
Nuits-Saint-Georges is the final selection in this series, and a key thing to know about the appellation is that it is comprised of two parts, which are divided by the town and the valley of the Meuzin, a smallish river (38 kilometers long) that is a tributary of the Saône. (In an interesting aside, the Meuzin made international news in 1978 when a disgruntled winery worker dumped $600,000 worth of wine into the river, a wasteful act that killed thousands of fish.) Soil composition is also divided in the appellation, but limestone, marl, and clay dominate. The elevated portions of the northern section consist of alluvia marked by small stones, while the low-lying areas of the northern region are mostly silt deposited by the Meuzin. The southern part of the appellation features alluvia from the Vallerots Valley and limestone deposits atop the slopes.
This terroir diversity produces wines with diverse characteristics: in the south, near Premeaux-Prissey, you’ll find lighter wines with subdued tannins, while in the north, near Vosne-Romanée, the wines are more complex and show remarkable finesse. Drink these wines young to enjoy their vivacity, and age with care to appreciate the AOC’s overall reputation for producing robust wines that mature with grace into something complex and elegant in the bottle.
To the 2022 Nuits-Saint-Georges from Kosta Browne, and we begin with my food pairing, as presented by Yotam Ottolenghi: slow-roasted lamb with grapes. The recipe uses an abundance of shallots and garlic, and its sauce will enhance the wine’s elegance. I tasted the 2022 immediately after pulling the bottle’s cork, and its freshness and earthiness mingled in the nose and on the palate. Rose petals, subdued red licorice and violets were also playing in the bouquet. In the mouth you get a wine of medium body and balanced, dancing elegance.
Howsepian, as noted above, has roots in Burgundy; one of his grandmothers grew up in a village near Nuits-Saint-Georges, and his father had an uncle who worked in wineries in the region. What he and his team have produced in this series of wines is worthy of that legacy. While I understand the decision to keep some details — namely, vineyard sites — confidential, knowing exactly the provenance of the fruit that went into the bottles would allow a more comprehensive appraisal and comparison of the wines. However, 2022 has been universally deemed an excellent vintage, with high temperatures that slowed polyphenolic ripeness and a major storm in June that helped the vines get through a dry July, and these bottles represent the vintage well.
Linda Milagros Violago, wine director at Canlis, sits at the restaurant's piano. "I want to invest more time and energy in things that promote growth – both for myself and others. (Photo by Amber Fouts)
Ilove to talk about wine with people who share my passion for it. We open bottles, we trade stories about travel and soil types, 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 friends, acquaintances, and people I encounter as I make my way around the world, individuals who love wine as much as I do, who live to taste, who farm and make wine. Whether my subject is a sommelier, a collector, a winemaker, a chef, a buyer, or an avid drinker of wine, you’ll appreciate their insight, and I hope you’ll learn something from them as well.
Dining at Canlis had been on my agenda for a good number of years. I was in Seattle for a week or so back in 2010, part of an itinerary I had devised that included reuniting with friends residing on the West Coast (Portland and Seattle) and a visit with family in Florida.
I was living in Dubai at the time, working at a newspaper, and the trip was much needed. I wanted to get a table at Canlis during my trip, but part of my reason for being in Seattle was a reunion with some friends from my German high school, a gathering that featured a number of events and meals that took up most of my time. Canlis had to wait.
The welcoming and elegant entrance to Canlis. (Photo Courtesy Canlis)
Last year, I made it, finally. We flew up to Seattle, en route to Bremerton, where we would be staying with friends, former colleagues of mine with whom I worked at a newspaper in Westchester County, N.Y. Before taking a ferry over to Kitsap County we spent the evening at Canlis, a reservation for four secured with the help of Aisha Ibrahim, who was hired in 2021 as the restaurant’s first female chef – it’s had seven chefs, including Ibrahim, since it served its first dish 75 years ago. (Ibrahim, who helmed Canlis’ kitchen for nearly four years, has left the restaurant, along with her sous chef and life partner, Samantha Beaird; the pair plan to open their own place in either Los Angeles or New York. In other recent Canlis news, Brian Canlis is also parting ways with his family’s restaurant; he has accepted a role in Nashville with Will Guidara. His brother, Mark Canlis, remains at the establishment.)
A view into the main dining room at Canlis. (Photo by Kevin Scott/Canlis)
The meal was outstanding, as were the service and the ambiance. If you know anything about Canlis, you’ll be aware that it is an architectural star, and from the moment one glimpses the distinctive exterior of the restaurant the building itself becomes a vital component of one’s experience.
A quartet of dishes begins a meal at Canlis. (Photo by James Brock)
But the food and design at Canlis are not the foci of this piece. The star of this Wine Talk is Linda Milagros Violago, who happens to be the first female director of the restaurant’s vaunted wine program.
Fish done well at Canlis. (Photo by James Brock)
Violago was born in Winnipeg, and refers to herself as “a first-generation Filipina/Canadian and citizen of the world.” She’s worked – for more than 35 years – in restaurants in 13 countries, including at Michelin-starred luminaries in Europe (such as Mugaritz in Spain and In De Wulf in Belgium) and fine- and casual-dining places in North America, Charlie Trotter’s among them. She even, during the Covid pandemic, scooped and served ice cream at a shop in her Canadian hometown. She’s well traveled, and adaptable, to say the least.
Linda Milagros Violago sits at the piano in Canlis. (Photo by Amber Fouts)
Violago has also worked four harvests, and she’s brewed sake in Japan. When she’s not on the floor or in the cellar at Canlis, she’s traveling, practicing yoga – she teaches yoga and breathing to her colleagues – and spreading the word about the importance of intentional movement, which she credits with helping her “get through life and service” at her places of work.
Violago is thoughtful, careful with her words, and genuinely loves what she does. Let’s see what she 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 one?
Linda Milagros Violago: In no particular order:
The 2022 Domaine du Gringet Etraz. I have always loved Dominique Belluard’s wines, and this new project that has arisen after his death is sure to just grow and evolve in a beautiful way. This wine, though young, is just so special and unique. It’s also so drinkable now, but will definitely age well. I like this with one of our courses that has aged and smoked salmon served with silken tofu and crispy cabbage.
Domaine du Gringet: Continuing the legacy of Dominique Belluard.
Next, the 1996 Domaine de Montille Pommard Les Rugiens 1er Cru. I am not being cheeky. After a long conversation with a guest who wanted to splash out on wine and trying something with age, I served this bottle, and it did not disappoint. It was still so youthful and powerful, but elegant, too. I love old Nebbiolo, but I also really love old Burgundy, and wines from this generation (or earlier) just evolve in a really fun and satisfying way throughout the meal.
A Burgundian jewel.
Finally, anything from Bérêche & Fils. People who know me know that I love to support the small growers in Champagne. The brut reserve from Bérêche & Fils is just so easy to drink and yet so pleasing and complex. We just recently poured it by the glass at Canlis and the initial response was always, “Yes, that’s perfect,” and then a few sips later, “Wow, this is really great!” Great for apéro, great with our truffle fries, great with our whole menu.
JB: How did Covid-19 change your life, personally and professionally?
LMV: I want to invest more time and energy in things that promote growth – both for myself and others. I want to do something every day that brings me joy – reading, moving, listening to the birds … something that fills my cup and restores me. Professionally, I’ve changed how I talk about wine – to peers, to students, to guests. More than ever we need to make our discussions like real conversations, and not just us at the table talking to guests. We want them to feel good about what they chose and feel free to ask questions and describe in their own words what they want.
JB: If cost was no consideration, tell us the one bottle you would add to your personal collection, and why.
LMV: That’s tough! A guest recently asked me if I were sitting down and had no budget, what would I drink? There are many options, and I do not regret serving him the 1996 Château Rayas.
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.
LMV: I have a few favourites, but old Nebbiolo makes me giddy and old Burgundy (red or white) brings me joy.
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?
Cayuse Widowmaker – yes, a wine that isn’t any of the grape varieties that I mentioned!
JB: Where is your go-to place when you want to have a glass or bottle (outside your home and workplace)?
JB: If there was one thing you wish everyone would keep in mind when buying and drinking wine, what is it?
LMV: Don’t be afraid to try something different, don’t be afraid to zero in on what you like and don’t like, and learning how to express that is as important as learning how to express it when you’re shopping for anything else.
JB: What is your “wine eureka moment,” the incident/taste/encounter that put you and wine on an intimate plane forever?
LMV: The wine that got me into wine as a very simple Alsatian Gewürztraminer from the early ’90s. It was then that I was able to first grasp at the different layers of wine.
Linda Milagros Violago is making history at Canlis. (Jeremy P. Beasley/Canlis)
JB: What has been the strangest moment/incident involving wine that you have experienced in your career?
LMV: This was a strange interaction with guests. There was an older couple dining with two young women. One of them was the couple’s daughter and I am not sure about the relationship with the other young woman (she stayed quiet). The older couple were quite the characters. The man wanted to talk options, the woman – who was celebrating her birthday – stated, “I want red wine!” It was all very convivial and fun. They had a round of cocktails to start and I was looking forward to the conversation with them. The man turned to his daughter and asked if she was joining in the wine, and she refused, saying she “didn’t want to lose any brain cells.”
I’m in my 50s, I would guess that her parents were about my age, so we looked at each other and laughed and somehow got into a conversation of what we do to keep sharp: brain games, etc. And I talked about neuroplasticity. The daughter just refused, again, repeating that she didn’t want to lose any brain cells. But, she did want some sparkling wine. I mentioned our options of wines by the glass, but somehow that wasn’t what she wanted (she wanted bubbles, but didn’t want to order a glass, didn’t want to lose brain cells, and, honestly, it wasn’t clear what she did want.) Eventually, we found a bottle of wine for the parents to drink. The daughter did keep complaining about not having sparkling wine but wouldn’t order a glass. This happened just last year.
JB: Your favorite wine reference in a work of literature?
LMV: Rumi: “Gratitude is the wine for the soul. Go on. Get drunk.”
Less esoteric: Shakespeare, from “As You Like It”: “I pray you, do not fall in love with me, for I am falser than vows made in wine.”
Daniel Maclise (1806–1870), The Wrestling Scene in ‘As You Like It’ (1854), oil on canvas, 129 x 177.1 cm, location not known. (Wikimedia Commons)
Australia’s been on my mind often as of late, for several reasons. One, I’m re-reading Patrick White‘s The Solid Mandala, which I first encountered during a seminar taught by my favorite university professor, H.E. Francis. Secondly, I’m researching Western Australia for a trip I plan to make. Finally, I recently completed a tasting series of some wines from Down Under that impressed me greatly.
A Xanadu vineyard. (Xanadu)
Xanadu made three of the Australian wines I tasted, all from the Margaret River region. They are part the brand’s Circa 77 range, created to commemorate the year –1977 – in which the first vines were planted at the estate. I sampled the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc/Semillion blend, and the 2022 Chardonnay (all come with a suggested retail price of $18.99).
The Margaret River is a fascinating wine region; more than 36 grape varieties are grown on roughly 14,400 acres, and the first vines in the area were planted in 1967, according to the Margaret River Wine Association. It boasts more than 200 wineries, many of them small, family-owned operations. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted grape there, followed by Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. If the wines produced in this Mediterranean-climate region are new to you, these three Xanadu selections are a great place to begin your exploration.
A land of wine. (Margaret River Wine)
First thing to know: these wines are fun. Fun to drink, fun to serve, fun to share. And that in no way implies that quality is lacking. The wines are made well, and possess a freshness and vitality that state “pour me immediately.”
That “drink me now” directive applies especially well to the Sauvignon Blanc/ Semillon blend, which is 70 percent of the former and 30 percent of the latter. Bracingly dry, crisp, lively … those three adjectives come immediately to mind when drinking this wine. You’ll note the bright citrus (helmed by lime) on the nose, as well as a hint of tarragon. In the mouth there is honeysuckle and a barely discernible mélange of baker’s spices.
Xanadu’s Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend pairs well with poached or grilled shrimp.
You’ll want to chill this well and pair with shrimp poached in olive oil and garlic. I know this is a great combination because it’s what I served when I drank the rest of the bottle with a meal on the day following my sampling session. The wine was still vibrant. Fruit comes from the Wallcliffe subregion of Margaret River, mostly from Xanadu’s Boodjidup and Lagan vineyards.
No malo in this wine. Pair it with pasta al limone.
The Chardonnay continues the vibrancy. I’ll start with a food pairing: a lemon farfalle with garlic and olive oil. Sprinkle fresh Italian parsley and grated Parmigiano Reggiano on this dish and you have a fine meal. This Margaret River Chardonnay – 12.8 percent alcohol – is light on oak and did not undergo malolactic fermentation. Apple and pear notes dominate the bouquet, while white peach and citrus linger in the mouth. Drink now, or hold for a year or two.
The final Xanadu wine in my tasting session, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon, has a lot to offer for the price. It’s 86 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 5 percent Cabernet Franc, 4 percent Merlot, and 2 percent Petit Verdot; alcohol comes in at 14 percent. The wine’s red hue is deep and serious, and on first taste cassis and graphite come at you with grace, as do eucalyptus, black fruit, and deftly applied oak. This wine is ready for your table now – pair it with a rib eye and potato au gratin with Gruyère – or cellar until 2027.
Deft oak, confident tannins … a wine for your favorite cut of beef.
The Circa 77 line also includes a Shiraz and a Rosé that I have not sampled, but I look forward to doing so.
Xanadu was founded by Dr. John Lagan and his wife, Eithne, in 1969, and the name, as you might surmise, comes from Coleridge. Lagan, a lover of literature, was fond of his new landholdings, so wanted to give it a fitting name. The estate now includes a restaurant and tasting room, and produces a variety of wines; check out the Stevens Road single-vineyard range and the Xanadu Reserve lineup for higher-end selections. As always, ask for these wines at your favorite merchant, or purchase directly from the producer, though in Xanadu’s case the latter route is likely not convenient for residents of the U.S.
I’ve got more wines from Australia on my agenda, as well as a look at this year’s edition of World of Pinot Noir, so stay tuned.
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