Talking

Bordeaux 2023 Primeurs Photo Essay

For the past ten days, Lisa Perrotti-Brown been accompanied by one of our photographers, Svante Ornberg, who has done an incredible job of capturing the spirit of the Bordeaux 2023 Primeurs season and the many players in this comedy of manners. While Lisa is still tasting and talking her way toward the final vintage report on 2023, we hope you enjoy Svante’s photos that we’ve just published on the site!

Throwback

Pilcrow’s New Releases

Pilcrow is among an emerging set of Napa Valley’s throwback producers—young winemakers who were first smitten by tasting Napa wines from the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s and want to make those styles of wines that came before the pimped-up, high-octane, muscle car styles that emerged in the ‘90s and early 2000s and took over the show.

Unending Journey

Harlan Estate, BOND, Promontory 2021 and 2011

In February this year Lisa Perrotti-Brown visited Harlan Estate, BOND, and Promontory. Founded by Bill Harlan in 1984, this year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Harlan Estate journey. A 40-year milestone for any winery is impressive, especially for one that has reached the dizzying heights of Harlan. Yet it is nowhere near the journey’s end.

Art of Growing

Favia 2012-2021

Favia is growing. The creation of Andy Erickson and Annie Favia, this boutique label has been based out of the couple’s home in Coombsville since commercial production started in 2002. Following a recent partnership with the Huneeus family in a prime vineyard site in Oakville, it’s about to get a lot bigger.

Parched

2021 Napa Valley Vintage Report & New Releases

75 NEW NOTES added 4 April

Without any wildfires to taint the harvest, 2021 was a blissful reprieve from 2020 in Napa Valley, but not without its challenges.

Keeping up with the Jones

KJS 2024 Releases

35 NEW NOTES added 4 April

Founded in 2003, Kimberly Jones Selections (KJS) is a wine broker and importer based in Napa. With reviews of new releases from California, Italy, and France, there is something for everyone in this eclectic collection!

Legendary

Eisele Vineyard 1971-2021

Eisele Vineyard is a key piece of Napa Valley history. Located off Pickett Road in Calistoga, within the gentle slopes extending from the Vaca Mountains foothills, the vineyard was first planted to vines in the 1880s, continuing to produce jaw-dropping, age-worthy wines to this day.

Haute Couture

Château Rauzan-Ségla 1990-2020

Since their purchase in 1994, the Wertheimer family, owners of Chanel, and their team approached the no-compromise redevelopment of Château Rauzan-Ségla with patience and long-term vision, and the results are impressive.

Scaling New Heights

Notes from the Summit

Our two weeks of annual TWI Summit events have finished, and we couldn’t wait to share tasting notes and photos of some of the incredible wine moments experienced among our small groups of avid wine lovers and winemakers.

Reflections

Château Latour’s New Releases

Next week, Château Latour will release its next trio of vintages, including the 2017 Latour, 2018 Les Forts de Latour, and 2019 Le Pauillac de Château Latour.

Crystalline

2021 Château d’Yquem

The 2021 vintage of Château d’Yquem will be released on the 21st of March this year—the first day of Spring. In February, Lisa Perrotti-Brown visited the château to taste this and the most recent bottlings of Y, Château d’Yquem’s dry wine, with estate manager Lorenzo Pasquini.

Diamond in the Rough

Château d’Armailhac 1982-2019

Changes are afoot at Château d’Armailhac. Superbly situated in Pauillac between Mouton-Rothschild and Pontet-Canet, this diamond in the rough fifth growth has long been a solid performer but rarely a dazzler. Following the construction of an impressive new winery in 2021 and with a fresh team dedicated to improving quality, prepare to be dazzled with recent vintages and in the years to come.

Back to the Future

2014 Bordeaux 10-Years-On

In February this year, Lisa Perrotti-Brown tasted over one hundred of the major Bordeaux reds and sweet wines from the 2014 vintage. Most of these wines were tasted blind with the Southwold Group as part of our annual 10-Years-On exercise.

Constant Flux

Dalla Valle Maya 1988-2021

In January this year, Lisa Perrotti-Brown participated in a tasting of every vintage made of Dalla Valle’s Maya since the first 1988 release (including one unreleased vintage) with Naoko and Maya Dalla Valle.

Of Scorpions & Smoke Taint

ETS Laboratories

Got questions about the latest research into smoke taint or testing wine for spoilage micro-organisms? Check out this week’s interview with Gordon Burns, co-founder and CEO of ETS Labs, a world-renowned independent laboratory dedicated to servicing the wine industry.

Windswept

New Releases from Santa Lucia Highlands

Lisa Perrotti-Brown’s tasting last month of nearly 150 new and upcoming Santa Lucia Highlands’ releases confirms that this small, windswept region is well worth seeking out, especially for lovers of elegantly styled, nuanced Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays.

High Ground

Château Troplong Mondot 1964-2020

Troplong Mondot’s wines were of a big, rich, opulent style that has become increasingly polarizing for modern consumers and critics alike. Then, amid harvest in 2017, along came the new CEO—Aymeric de Gironde, who was ready to shake things up.

Hattrick

Morlet Family Vineyards’ 2020, 21 and 22 Releases

2020, 2021, and 2022 are three very different vintages in Northern California, each with unique challenges. And yet Luc Morlet, an inventor at heart, managed to avoid their pitfalls.

Bootstrappers

The Kinsman Eades Story

“We bootstrapped it,” says co-owner Shae Kinsman. “Along with the deposit we had saved for a home, we sold some of our first vintage in bulk and part of our cellar to fund the business in the first three years before we released any wine.”

Risk

Realm’s 2021 Spring Releases

With the upcoming 2021 Realm releases of their single vineyard wines and The Absurd, this is an opportune moment to look back at the story of Realm’s dramatic past as well as the impressive changes that are going on now.

History in the Making

Morisoli Vineyard

According to the Historic Vineyard Society, there are only nine sites planted before 1920 left in Napa Valley. Morisoli Vineyard’s two-acre “Old Block,” planted in 1902, is one of them.

Perseverance Pays Off

Recent Releases from Virginia

This collection of more than 50 Virginia wine reviews demonstrates the clear level of progression in one of the USA’s first wine-growing states.

Off the Charts

Occidental’s New 2021 Releases

Given the greatness of this vintage in Sonoma and what this father/daughter winemaking team had said about their 2021s last year, Lisa Perrotti-Brown expected that this quintet of wines would be worth the long drive out to the Bodega coast. She wasn’t disappointed.

The Polite Child

Paul Lato’s 2021 Releases

“We are trying to express the differences in terroir,” says Paul Lato. “Some vintages show this clearer than others, and 2021 clearly shows these differences. 2021 was a well-behaved, polite child. The wines are exquisite. Across California, this was a beautiful vintage.”

Metamorphosis

Château Gruaud Larose 1990-2022

Possessing some of the most coveted terroir in the Médoc, Château Gruaud Larose had not lived up to its potential for many years. But recent vintages (2018-2022) reveal a new face of Gruaud Larose, and it’s a remarkable metamorphosis.

Freshness Challenge

Spottswoode 2020-2022

I checked in on Beth Novak, President of Spottswoode, and winemaker Aron Weinkauf just as their 2023 harvest started trickling in. This calm period before the storm provided an excellent opportunity to taste the trio of previous vintages—2020 through 2022—looking at the stylistic differences of each year in the context of the winemaking challenges.

Championing Napa Merlot

Sullivan Rutherford Estate

“We champion Merlot here,” says new owner Juan Pablo Torres-Padilla. “We believe we have exceptional terroir for Merlot, and we want to emphasize that.”

Drinkability

Château Léoville Barton

"In the past, people were hunting for big points but forgetting that you’re supposed to be drinking these wines. At dinner, we want to be the first bottle that’s empty, not the wow wine."

- Damien Barton

Something Old, Something New

La Pelle

La Pelle—“the shovel” in French—is the only tool used in the winery and the vineyard. It’s an apt name for this collaboration that started in 2016 between Silverado Farming Company and Maayan Koschitzky, a talented young winemaker and farmer from Israel.

Italian Made

Ferrari Trento Sparkling Wine New Releases

Made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes grown in the foothills of the Alps, Ferrari Trento’s sparkling wines speak of a cool climate with delicate citrus and mineral-inspired flavors backed up by a crisp backbone and bags of finesse.

Sum of the Parts

Château Pavie 1998-2020

More than ever, Château Pavie is a sum greater than its parts, the most significant being the uncompromising vision of Gérard Perse.

Riding the Wave

2022 Preliminary Napa Valley Vintage Report

Coming on the heels of an impressive but small 2021 crop, 2022 was tracking to be a relatively effortless vintage for Napa Valley until Mother Nature decided to throw growers a heatwave curve ball during the first week of September.

Shifting Horizon

Champagne Jacques Selosse

"I have the impression that I’m on the move. I have a horizon that keeps shifting in front of me. But I want to keep going because I want to find out what is on the other side."

- Anselme Selosse

Reflection Selection

Dalla Valle’s 2021 Releases

A first look at the Napa Valley 2023 vintage with Naoko and Maya Dalla Valle, plus reviews of the upcoming 2021 releases.

Map Maker

Summer Dreams, Fortunate Son and Hundred Acre New Releases

"When I create something, the wine tells me what to do. I don’t tell the wine what to do."

-  Jayson Woodbridge

Poetry in Motion

Cliff Lede’s New Releases

Although Cliff Lede’s Poetry Vineyard in Stags Leap District has been making wine since the 1970s, the recent vintages—2018, 2019, and 2021—are jaw-droppers.

Act II

Brand Winery

Christine O’Sullivan and Jim Bean met in Silicon Valley while working for Apple, but nearby Napa Valley was their love story. In 2019, they purchased Brand Winery on Pritchard Hill. “This is our second act,” says Christine. “We were only interested in doing this if we could be the best of the best.”

Rarified Air

Myriad’s New Releases

Today, owner/winemaker Mike Smith’s Myriad wines are right up there in that rarified air of the most revered Napa Cabs, but his beginnings were down-to-earth.

Delicious Tuesday

New Champagne Releases

Reviewer Sarah Mayo provides an in-depth overview of the 2023 Harvest in Champagne with compelling photography by Johan Berglund.

Vintage Foretold

2023 Champagne Harvest Report

With over 200 Champagne reviews, reviewer Sarah Mayo casts a wide tasting net, delving into the diversity of styles and changes in production underway in what is one of the most dynamic wine regions in the world.

Match Made by Dionysus

Fe Wines

When Jon and Joanne Goldstein purchased the site for their Fe Vineyard in 2012, it was virgin vineyard land, but it did come with a permit for planting vines. All it needed was a keen viticultural eye and the right winemaker.

Keeping It Real

Spotlight on Aaron Pott

Napa has a lot of consultant winemakers, competition is a ruthless. One year of less-than-outstanding scores and some wineries will toss their consultant out like a corked bottle. Aaron Pott is one of Napa’s top winemakers operating in this sphere, yet he somehow manages to stay out of the politic games. With Aaron, what you see is what you get.

Adventure Time

Pangaea 2015-2019

Pangaea is a blend of the five major Bordeaux red grapes from five different countries. The blend changes every year, depending on the success of the varieties in their respective regions. The concept is the brainchild of Travis Braithwaite, but the master blender behind this project is probably the only consultant enologist who could pull something like this off: Michel Rolland.

The Haunting of AXR House

AXR’s New Releases

Would you buy a place if you had to sign a spiritual entity clause acknowledging active ghosts exist on the property? In 2017, Jean Hoefliger and a small group of friends did just that when they bought the V Madrone winery and converted it into the new home for their AXR winery. So far, the new owners have found the spirits to be mostly polite, although these friendly ghosts still let the fleshies know who was here first.

The Count’s Revenge

Buena Vista Winery Spotlight

If old houses hold the ghosts of their former owners, then so must old wineries, and there are none older or more haunted in California than Buena Vista. When Jean-Charles Boisset’s family purchased Buena Vista Winery in 2011, it was a shadow of its former glory. Constructed in 1857, it was in a crumbling state of ruin, requiring costly and painstaking repairs just to make it functional, let alone return it to its former glory.

Wanderlust

Paul Hobbs’ New Releases

Paul is never short on stories about his travels and adventures. Apart from owning vineyards and winemaking facilities in Sonoma and Napa, he also has projects in New York, Argentina, France, Armenia, and Spain. Yet his early years are about a million miles from the international flying winemaker lifestyle he leads today.

The Stampeding Rose

Russell Bevan Spotlight

What’s the opposite of a shrinking violet? A stampeding rose? Whatever it is, that’s Russell Bevan. Larger than life and known for his pedal-to-the-metal winemaking style, Russell is also an incredibly creative and meticulous winemaker with a keen nose for singular vineyard sites.

Swiss Aerial

Jean Hoefliger Spotlight

Packing a great sense of humor and no pretenses, Napa-based winemaking consultant Jean Hoefliger works for about 28 different brands, spread between Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles, Texas, Italy, and Spain, and a little bit in Switzerland, mainly because it’s his native land.

Unbreak-
able

Memento Mori & Vida Valiente

Hayes Drumwright sees his near-death experience when he was twenty as the best thing that’s happened to him. Since then, he co-founded the wine estate Memento Mori—a reminder to live. A few years later, Hayes and his wife Susana partnered with Sam Kaplan and his wife Nancy to embark on a separate, refreshingly heroic winery project: Vida Valiente.

Paradise Regained

The Vineyardist 2015-2022

“We not only wanted to acquire a site that could produce world-class Cabernet Sauvignon," says Dirk Fulton. "We wanted that intangible element of a property having a ‘soul.' A property that spoke to us. The historic Calarcadia winery site on Diamond Mountain checked all the boxes.”

Location, Location, Location

Aubert 2021s and 2022s

“I don’t want to make 1er Cru. I don’t want to make AVA. I only want to make Grand Cru.” Since the beginning, Mark Aubert has been delivering full-bodied, concentrated, textural wines. The 2021s in bottle and 2022s from barrel do not disappoint.

A Comtes is Born

2013 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne

We’ve just published is a hot-off-the-tasting-table review of the forthcoming release of the 2013 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs by our new Champagne reviewer, Sarah Mayo. This is set to hit the markets from Monday next week.

My Pebble, My Pride

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 1920-2022

Having grown up in a very different era for Bordeaux wine—before all the glitz, glamor, and commercialism we know today—this château was not just a showpiece for Bruno Borie and his family. It was and remains a home.

Pocket Full of Kryptonite

Château Cheval Blanc 1967-2012

Cheval Blanc is adored not because it is a brawny superhero like some of its right-bank neighbors. It doesn’t need power to woo its fans. Often, it’s that quiet, clever kid at the back of the room with a wicked sense of humor, all the right answers, and a pocket full of Kryptonite.

Seat of Mars

Realm’s Fall Releases

To coincide with Realm’s Fall Releases, this feature focuses mainly on the four 2021 wines being offered to the mailing list over the next two weeks: The Tempest, The Bard, Moonracer, and Hartwell XX.

Elixir Immortal

Château d’Yquem 1876-2017

Chronicling the history of one of Bordeaux’s greatest estates, this article includes reviews of 32 vintages of Château d’Yquem.

Atomic

2018 & 2021 Giaconda Chardonnay

There’s some exciting news for lovers of Giaconda Chardonnay. From October this year, Bordeaux merchant Ets J.P. Moueix will be distributing this wine to markets worldwide where distribution has been non-existent or scarce over the last few years, including the USA.

Home-
grown

Sine Qua Non, Next of Kyn, and The Third Twin New Releases

Manfred and Elaine Krankl established Sine Qua Non in 1994 as an artistic collection of multi-vineyard blends. This is a milestone year for them. It's the first year all their Sine Qua Non wines being released are 100% estate-grown.

Sliding Home

Andremily New Releases

Jim Binns established his Andremily label in 2012, the name being an amalgamation of his children's names: Andrew and Emily. His style is crafting wines of remarkable restraint. There is more than a nod to the Southern Rhône in how the fruit is expressed here, often delivering beautifully pure, soft-spoken, savory, and earthy fragrances.

Ketan's Beautiful Prison

Jasud Estate

A vineyard that challenges the viticultural status quo, the first three wines off Jasud Estate are not just extraordinarily good; they achieve what almost no one has been able to do in Napa in recent years: full flavor and phenolic ripeness at under 13.5% alcohol.

If We’re Lucky

Fingers Crossed New Releases

This week, Lisa Perrotti-Brown headed to Oak View, California, to check out the upcoming Fingers Crossed releases. Nik and Julia Krankl presented the 2021 “Unanswered Prayers” trio of wines from the tank, as well as the bottled 2020 triplet from the series named “Head Held High.”

Wash-Out, Mostly

2013 Bordeaux 10-Years On

Ten years on, 2013—this Century’s unrivaled wash-out of a Bordeaux vintage—is a mixed bag. However, those who love elegantly styled, mature Bordeaux reds or soft-spoken, beautifully nuanced Sauternes might want to go bargain hunting.

Red Rock Oasis

Stagecoach Vineyard & Pahlmeyer’s New Releases

Napa Valley’s Stagecoach Vineyard is an enigma to find in the glass. Sometimes it’s savory, mineral-laced, and chewy; other times is rich, bold, and formidably structured. It makes top-tier Cabernet, opulent Chardonnay, rugged Malbec, and zesty Sauvignon Blanc. A site of many different guises and expressions. Why? It’s enormous.

Ticket to Ride

2023 Penfolds Collection Releases

Tasting the new Penfolds Collection Releases with Peter Gago is increasingly a global affair. This year, 14 of the 38 wines tasted by Lisa Perrotti-Brown were from beyond Australia, keeping Gago on his globe-trotting toes.

Tasting with Tony

Hourglass, Lasseter Family, & Amici

Lisa Perrotti-Brown recently tasted the new releases from Hourglass, Lasseter Family Winery, and Amici Cellars—three wildly different wineries spread across northern California with one thing in common: winemaking consultant Tony Biagi.

The Alpha

Littorai’s 2021s

Littorai as the alpha of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay. Yes, others grew grapes and made wine in this area before Littorai. But beyond being a winegrower, Ted Lemon is a leader and advisor in developing new ways to farm this area, using generative (as opposed to regenerative) practices beyond organic and biodynamic farming.

Cold Soul

West Sonoma Coast AVA

"We have been working on this new AVA for over seven years. So, to see its approval is a bit surreal."

- Christopher Strieter of Senses Wines

Steve's Story, Part 2

Occidental

Steve Kistler gave up the right to use his name on wine labels and, perhaps even more shocking, his right to produce a Chardonnay. What could he do now? This is by no means the end of Steve Kistler’s story, now this is also Catherine Kistler’s story, Part 1.

The Last Frontier

Cervantes

"I think I didn’t choose Pope Valley, but Pope Valley chose me. It is wild and rugged, had everything I was looking for, the AVA, seclusion, and wildlife. It really is Napa Valley’s last frontier."

- Xavier Cervantes

Bastard Tongue Pact

Argot

Unashamedly rich and opulent, Justin Harmon’s wines are also layered, beautifully nuanced, and weave in a myriad of earth and savory accents to tame all that decadent fruit. These come highly recommended.

Go Big

Colgin IX Estate 2006-2018

For those that know Ann Colgin—a highly discerning art expert and philanthropist with a no-nonsense Texan drawl—her namesake estate was destined to go big from the moment she put her mind to founding it in the early 1990s.

Past is Prologue

Champagne Henri Giraud PR 90-19

Inspired as much by philosophy and physics as technical curiosity, winemaker Sébastien Le Golvet set out to bend time and space to his will with this cuvée – the PR 90-19 - a 3D time-elapsed journey through Henri Giraud vintage history.

Putting Down Roots

DuMOL’s New Releases

DuMOL must be one of the best-priced producers in the world right now for spectacular Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. The style here perfectly hits that sweet-spot target of generous fruit with captivating finesse.

Heavy Metal

Hertelendy 2013-2021

Convivial, ironic, iconoclastic, provocative, and, above all, delicious—Hertelendy is a full-on amplified departure from the Napa status quo.

Inglenook

Inglenook’s Rubicon 2012-2020

It took the Coppolas nearly 40 years, yet true to their vow, they restored the Inglenook estate—vineyard parcels, winery, and, finally, the Inglenook name, which they were able to buy in 2011. Purchasing the name and trademark cost them more than the entire estate. But it was an important milestone.

Smooth-Sailing

Peter Michael’s New 2021 Releases

Lisa Perrotti-Brown loves the vibrancy and freshness of the Peter Michael 2021s. These are wines with that sense of effortless harmony that comes with a smooth-sailing growing season. For those that like their Chardonnays and Pinots with a bit of cellar age, these 2021s should develop slowly and gracefully.

Beyond the Heat Dome

Kistler Vineyards

The vibrant freshness of Kister’s 2021s speaks of the relative coolness in this part of Sonoma that year. The bodies and alcohol levels are relatively moderate, with more citrus fruit characters in the whites and red berry profiles in the reds, compared to warmer recent vintages.

The Other Dr. Crane

Salvestrin 1996-2021

Beckstoffer’s is not the only Dr. Crane Vineyard in Napa Valley. Located very close by, is the other Dr. Crane. Although less well-known, it also produces stunning wines with a characteristic earthy/minerally profile and an uncanny resemblance to the DNA of its sibling.

Straight to the Top

Continuum Estate 2005-2021

The sale of Robert Mondavi Winery in 2004 left his son, Tim Mondavi, devastated but not broken. Using the financial windfall from the sale, the very next year, he and his sister Marcia founded Continuum—the continuation of the family’s winemaking legacy.

The Better Story

The MacDonald Brothers

The better story is not about the To Kalon trademark, but what brothers Graeme and Alex MacDonald are doing today: standing shoulder to shoulder with giants, crafting astonishingly great wine.

Giovanni’s Dream

Casanova di Neri 2012-2018

Casanova di Neri make some of the most powerful, long-lived, and highly rated Brunello di Montalcino in the whole of the DOCG.

No Guts, No Glory

Sauternes 2022 Primeurs 

Because the production of Sauternes is a very different process than the production of Bordeaux’s dry wines, including a unique set of growing season requirements for success, as usual, Lisa Perrotti-Brown separated these sweet wine reviews into a dedicated report.

Heaven & Earth

2022 Primeurs Report

Bordeaux 2022 is a future classic. The top wines of the this vintage are bright, multilayered, and luminous. And there are a lot of them.

Beware of the Wolf

Podere Le Ripi 2008-2019

A “breath of fresh air” within a region steeped in history and tradition.

Measure for Measure

2022 Primeurs Early Releases

We hope this article helps you with your purchase decisions as the initial 2022 Primeur offers start rolling through.

Enlighted Tradition

Col D’Orcia

“We are a traditional producer looking towards innovation – the most important core value is age-ability - we respect and protect the core of acidity,” says Col d’Orcia’s owner, Count Francesco Marone Cinzano. This is the story of the “biggest of the small wineries” in Brunello di Montalcino. 

Cristal Clear

Louis Roederer New Releases & Cristal 2015

In anticipation of the soon-to-be-released Louis Roederer Cristal 2015, we’ve got reviews of the recent and upcoming releases from this top-tier Champagne house. Is the latest release of this iconic label all that? Read on to find out!

Energy

Bordeaux 2019 Vintage Revisited

Energy is the perfect word to describe the style of Bordeaux’s 2019 vintage. Compared to 2018, the flavors are remarkably bright and refreshing—like crunching into ripe but not overripe fruit. And yet, these are also wines with gravitas, weight, and jaw-dropping intensity.

Sky’s the Limit

Saint-Élites Saint-Émilion Satellites

For many years, areas on the peripheries of prestigious Saint-Émilion—known as the satellites—have been considered the poor cousins. But in 2016, a group of eight wineries decided it was time to change that view by forming their own marketing body and manifesto dedicated to improving the quality and image of their wines. The group is called Saint-Élites.

Lighter, Fresher

Sauternes: 2020 in Bottle

Sauternes’ 2020s are less concentrated and rich than more consistently great vintages. These are lighter, fresher styles, which still maintain a lot of layers and terroir signatures. For this reason, this is a vintage that Bordeaux lovers who do necessarily gravitate toward big, rich, sweet wines will want to seek out.