Thanksgiving is the food holiday, at least in my family’s culinary tradition. My maternal grandmother made the best stuffing I’ve ever tasted, and while her Christmas fruitcakes and mincemeat pies are the stuff of legend, we always privileged Thanksgiving when it came to family holiday feasts.
I was not drinking wine as a child at those gatherings at my grandparents’ house in Savannah, but now I can’t imagine sitting down at the table on the last Thursday of November unless a few bottles are in the mix, wines selected for an occasion that likely features turkey, cranberries made your way (I like mine a bit spicy), potatoes or squash, perhaps sautéed green beans … you fill in the blank, of course, depending on your traditions. I have made shrimp as an appetizer for Thanksgiving, and last year at a Friendsgiving meal my contribution was a green chile pork stew.
Choosing the right wines to serve with your Thanksgiving feast is not rocket science. (Circe Denyer)
So, based on general American habits concerning Thanksgiving foods, and with some flexibility added for regional or familial variations, which wines should be on your menu come November?
Word to the wise: Champagne or other sparkling wines are a must, and I will accept no debate here. You cannot go wrong selecting several bottles from this diverse category. Offer guests a glass of cava as they cross your threshold, and consider serving gougères with that Spanish treasure (I like this recipe from David Lebovitz). For the table, and if you are serving turkey, feel free to indulge your Champagne obsession and knowledge. Pair the main course with a vintage brut, and with your desserts (pumpkin pie, pecan pie, a sweet casserole) serve a demi-sec. You can also opt for a Sauternes or a Trockenbeerenauslese with your sweet dishes.
Cava is a Spanish treasure, and it’s a great addition to the Thanksgiving table. (Marcelo Verfe)
Unless you are going extremely non-traditional and plan to serve steak, avoid Cabernet Sauvignon and anything blended with that grape (and anything with robust tannins). Turkey, mashed potatoes, and your squash casserole will hate sharing the stage with with those otherwise fine wines. I’m sure you drink a lot of big Napa reds on a regular basis, so missing one day won’t damage your psyche. If you must open a bottle of your favorite big red, it would be advisable to make it something with age; softer tannins are a better fit with the lower fat level of turkey.
Chardonnay is a common refrain around this time of year, and chablis definitely has a place on your menu. Fruity and crisp, plus graced with wonderful acidity, these wines will pair well with your turkey. If you want something with a bit more oak, feel free to go that way. Better yet, serve both types and provide your guests’ palates with a chance to compare and contrast.
Two Perennial Wines I’ll now proffer two names that have featured at my Thanksgiving table for years and years. I’m referring to Pinot Noir and Beaujolais. The tannins generally found in a good Pinot are of the softer variety, and a medium body will suit your turkey well. Cherry and mushroom notes, plus vibrant acidity, are magic at Thanksgiving. You can’t go wrong with something from Burgundy, and Oregon is another stellar source.
Beaujolais is an easy and popular choice for Thanksgiving, and gamay’s mid-level alcohol and superb fruit profile combine to great effect at the holiday table. I served a Morgon at my inaugural Thanksgiving gathering, a decision that began my love affair with this wine.
I’ll add here — and this applies to all of your wine selections for the holiday — that it’s a good idea to sample every wine you plan to serve before you make your final decisions. Consider your palate, and the palates of your guests, as well as your particular menu, especially if your food lineup wanders off from the traditional.
Riesling is a wine that gets along well with Thanksgiving.
And now to Riesling, my liebling grape. I love to make a savory gravy from the drippings of my turkey, and the high acidity of this grape makes my mouth water, literally when eating it and when I merely think of this combination. I am also a dark meat guy, and, again, that acidity cuts through the fat and richness of a turkey leg and stuffing made from the gizzards, heart, and liver. Buy a few dry and off-fry versions of Riesling and sample them, based on your menu.
The Guests are the Stars No matter what you serve with your Thanksgiving feast, don’t stress. I’ve given you some tried-and-true options, but do not feel hemmed in by my guide, except for that Cabernet Sauvignon advice. In addition, there’s no need to be a wine snob on this special Thursday. Sure, you might want to impress your guests with your taste and knowledge, but the wines aren’t the star here, and neither are you. Your grandmother might prefer a Chardonnay rich with oak, or uncle Joe’s love could be White Zinfandel. What better way to show them you care than putting “their” bottles at their places at the table for their sole consumption, a gesture that need not interfere with the rest of your wines?
A meal in Malibu: Joan Didion, her daughter, Quintana Roo, and husband, John Gregory Dunne. (Henry Clarke/Condé Nast/Shutterstock)
To close, I urge you to read this piece, which was published today in The New York Times; it is a beautiful story about Joan Didion’s love for Thanksgiving dinner. The author, who passed away in 2021, was a thoughtful cook, and she planned meticulous holiday dinners. From Patrick Farrell’s article: “It has always seemed like such an awful holiday,” a friend wrote her after one dinner, “but you made it something quite wonderful.”
Leave a comment and let me know what you’ll be pouring on Thanksgiving.
The annual World of Pinot Noir extravaganza is a great event to attend; I was there this year for the first time, and look forward to the 2026 edition. More than 200 Pinot producers poured their wines and the seminars, lunches, and dinners were thoughtful and informative.
Alma Rosa winemaker Samra Morris, right, at this year’s World of Pinot Noir in Santa Barbara with Angela Shah and me.
As an appetizer to the main event, Wally’s Presents: WOPN LA is taking place on Oct. 25, and if you like Pinot Noir now is the time to get your tickets (purchase here). The Pacific Design Center is the venue, and from 2 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. you can taste wines from Alma Rosa, Calera, Bien Nacido, Dusty Nabor Wines, Kosta Browne, Presqu’ile Winery, and many other producers. Tickets are $125, and if you use promo code WOPN2025 you can save $50 if you buy two.
Dan Fredman pours Champagne at this year’s World of Pinot Noir.
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.
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.
My tasting agenda has swung into high gear since my return from France (more on that soon), and the bottles are calling to me (except for a certain Riesling that’s raising its voice in a persistent manner): “Let’s go,” they say. “It’s getting crowded in here.”
Two wines that impressed me recently were made by Eric Johnson at Talley Vineyards, a family-owned winery located in the San Luis Obispo region of California’s Central Coast. I’m referring to the 2022 Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir and the 2022 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay, both of which I found stellar (and the dishes I paired them with were definitely improved by my doing so). A trip to the SLO region is on my planning calendar and I look forward to visiting and touring Talley.
When one sleeps surrounded by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines the essence of the fruit seems to slip into the subconscious. A final glance at the vineyard outside my room before retiring for the evening, moonlight allowing a view of the young light-green leaves, the cold air and ground working to strengthen the vines. Last night’s temperature fell to around 46. I closed the window and slept, warm under down.
Early morning mist fades away as the sun rises and warms the surroundings. The vines, the leaves, the tendrils – the tops of the trunks low to the ground, perhaps 1 foot or so in height where the green begins – appear fresh, confident even, their color uniform across the parcel. Buds are present, small, tight, promising. (Smudge pots and other weaponry against the dangers of frost abound – it’s late April in Burgundy, and though next week is forecast to bring warmer temperatures, farmers are worried.)
These vines are promise. And our tastings of various vintages this week bring to life the effort and fears and work and dreams that have been deposited into the surrounding vineyards. A 2020 Aligoté lively and fresh, a 2019 Pinot Noir flirtatious and tempting. A premier grand cru that made one’s eyes close with pleasure. That’s the promise.
I like 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 meet 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. You’ll appreciate their insight, and I hope you’ll learn something from them as well.
Dusty Nabor’s journey into winemaking began with a carboy in his Ventura County, California, kitchen. A business associate with a passion for cult Napa wines had introduced Nabor to that rarified sector of the wine world, and he began frequenting events as a consumer. But this son of SoCal wanted to do more than drink wine. He wanted to make it as well.
“I got interested in wine right around when I became legal, back in the late 1990s, but I didn’t really learn much about it until around 2005 or so,” Nabor says, referring to that business associate’s influence on him. “I was always really drawn to the production personnel of the winery rather than the hospitality staff or ownership, and I wanted to know what they did. I wanted to make wine commercially.”
In 2014, Nabor made his way to a custom crush facility near his home, and laid the plans for his first vintage, two barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon harvested in 2015. “After a couple of years at the custom crush I decided to venture out on my own and opened my winery, in Camarillo, in time for the 2020 vintage,” he says. Dusty Nabor Wines was born.
Nabor’s stated focus is on Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, and he and his partner Karin Langer source fruit from vineyards in Santa Barbara County, from the AVAs of Sta. Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon and Los Olivos District. (His production last year was around 1,500 cases, and he is anticipating 2,000 cases this year. The wines are sold mainly through the Dusty Nabor Wines mailing list — click here to add your name.)
Nabor is a self-taught winemaker, though he is quick to credit a few mentors, including Matt Dees, Nile Zacherle and Paul Frankel. And he taught himself (an ongoing process, as always) while working at his family’s business, 101 Pipe & Casing. The company was founded by Nabor’s father, Fidel, and the winemaker is the firm’s executive vice president. He’s worked there for 28 years.
In addition to Dusty Nabor Wines, he and Langer are behind Bolt to Wines and NSO Wines.
Another thing to know about Nabor is that he has raced cars, competed as a triathlete (he and Langer still do), played competitive poker and golf, and. . . well, the point is that he loves adventure and accomplishment.
Let’s see what Nabor has to say in Wine Talk.
James Brock: How has COVID-19 changed your work and life?
Dusty Nabor: COVID for us (Karin and me) has been extremely easy. It definitely was a tale of two pandemics. Those who were affected greatly and those who simply were not. For me personally, I didn’t know anyone whom I am close with that was affected adversely by the virus. We were also able to get vaccinated very early on due to our affiliation with the food and service industry.
Our lives have been set up in sort of an introverted way from the beginning. We do a lot of endurance sport training (triathlon, cycling, running and swimming) and those sports by their nature are very individual and solitary. We don’t need to be around large groups of people and usually are not.
Professionally, it was very similar. My day job was considered an essential business from the start of the pandemic, and the winery was as well. So income never stopped for us and the winery kept on going as usual. Also, the winery was started as if I knew the pandemic was coming.
We have no tasting room and the winery is not open to the public. All of our sales channels were done online or remotely. While others had to pivot to meet the demands of the pandemic, we just continued doing what we were already doing. Don’t get me wrong, all of this was by sheer luck. I had no idea this would be the case setting up the winery years ago.
JB: 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?
DN: Yeesh, this is a tough one for me. I’m terrible at food pairings. Three wines doing well right now. . .
A Chardonnay for your consideration.
Well, our 2019 Chardonnay from Spear Vineyards is really starting to hit its stride. It’s a Wente clone of Chardonnay and just needed a little bit of bottle time to settle in. It suffered a little bit of bottle shock after we bottled it last year, and it’s regained it’s form nicely. I’d pair it with pretty much anything, but I’d really like to enjoy it with a pear salad with some candied walnuts.
Second wine would be our 2018 Bolt To Wines Syrah from Ballard Canyon. This is a serious dead ringer for a Côte-Rôtie Syrah. It has all the hallmarks that we strive for in Syrah. . . bloody meat, iodine, some forest mustiness, a little cigar box and beautiful blue and black fruit. I’d drink this wine with anything savory.
Third would be the 2017 Jaimee Motley 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon from Peter Martin Ray Vineyard. What a wine. Just a gorgeous example of what Cabernet Sauvignon can be without any heavy-handed oak or mass extraction. Just flowers and tea and fresh berries. . . just lovely. I had this wine and paired it with a light pasta with red sauce and some “Beyond” meat sausage.
This Cabernet Sauvignon pairs well with red sauce and pasta, according to Dusty Nabor.
JB: If cost was no consideration, tell us the one bottle you would add to your personal collection, and why?
DN: I’d like to experience DRC. I don’t have the financial ability or enough friends who do to have been able to try it. I would like to because Pinot Noir is a joy of mine to make and I don’t feel like I’ve really experienced it without having some of the inaccessible grand crus of burgundy.
JB: What is your favorite grape variety, and why?
DN: Syrah. Always Syrah. I absolutely love Syrah because of all the magical expressions it has. I will die trying to create the perfect Syrah. . . I am a long, long way away.
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? Can be one of your wines, but need not be.
DN: Our 2019 Pinot Noir from Spear Vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills, which was done 100 percent whole cluster. I’m dying to fast-forward into the future and try this wine 10 years down the road. It has all the structure of a brilliant wine to cellar. It has so much nerve and tension in such a great way. Once it starts to relax and unwind, I think it will be a very good wine.
Dusty Nabor and Karin Langer are partners in life, endurance athletics, and wine.
JB: Where is your go-to place when you want to have a glass or bottle (outside of your home and workplace)?
DN: Our local spot Boar Dough Tasting Room is our Cheers. Always great wines and fun people.
JB: If there was one thing you wish everyone would keep in mind when buying and drinking wine, what is it?
DN: If it’s an honest wine, made by a small producer, just keep in mind how much love, care and heartache went into that wine. Wine is a living thing and it goes through phases like any living thing. And they ain’t all great phases.
JB: What is your “wine eureka moment,” the incident/taste/encounter that put you and wine on an intimate plane forever?
DN: A 2007 Hundred Acre Kayli Morgan Vineyard, which I opened at Karin’s birthday six or seven years ago. My tastes have changed since, but I had no idea wine could taste like that.
JB: What has been the strangest moment or incident involving wine that you have experienced in your career thus far?
DN: Experiencing bottle shock of our first vintage, a 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon. A week after it was bottled it was absolutely terrible. I thought I totally messed everything up and it made me really doubt myself. A year later, the wine was very good. So now, we wait 18 months in bottle before releasing our flagship Cabernet.
JB: Your favorite wine reference in a work of literature?
DN: I’m a sucker for Sideways. I’m a SoCal kid, and that entire movie took place in my backyard and in the region I now work. I still think it’s a fantastic movie.
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