Week of 6/16/24 : Vinography

hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up asking to be tasted. I’m pleased to bring you the latest installment of Vinography Unboxed, where I highlight some of the better bottles that have crossed my doorstep recently.

This past week included a couple of interesting wines made in a Trappist monastery in the far north of California. The vineyards where they grow their grapes have a storied history stretching back to the mid 1800s when, for a while, it was the single largest vineyard operation not just in California, but the world. Owned briefly by Governor Leland Stanford, the land was sold off in pieces after the onset of Prohibition. In 1955, the Trappists bought a big chunk of it, and restarted wine production, led by fifth-generation winemaker Aimée Sunseri. The New Clairvaux monks, in their wisdom, have planted their volcanic soils with Greek, Spanish, and Italian grape varieties. This week, I’ve got their two Greek white wines to recommend, their Assyrtiko (the first planted in California to my knowledge) and their Moschofilero, which I have never seen anywhere. Both are crisp, bright and refreshing.

Of course, those words could also describe the Pinot Blanc I’d like to recommend from Brooks Note Winery. I was introduced to Brooks Note a couple of months ago as I was exploring Marin wines, and I decided I wanted to take a closer look at some of their Sonoma wines as well. They gave me a Pinot Noir and a GSM blend, both of which I’m also recommending this week in addition to this lovely, graceful Pinot Blanc.

Bridging from white to pink, let’s dally for a moment in between, in the realm of a white wine with just a shade of skin contact. For that I’ve got a Pinot Grigio from Tar & Roses Wines in the Victoria region of Australia. Definitely not an orange wine, this wine just has a slight hue and faint grip that tells you it’s not a straightforward white, but is much the better for it.

In the pink universe, I received a cute little bottle of rosé from the folks at Three Sticks Wines, who have named the wine after the 1842 adobe home they occupy as a tasting room, built by the brother of famous General Mariano Vallejo, when California was still part of Mexican territory. Name and squat little bottle aside, the wine is crisp and fresh and will deliver what most are looking for in a poolside rosé.

Finally, I’ve got three more wines to recommend from Dutton Goldfield, two bright and juicy Pinot Noirs and one dark and slightly impenetrable Syrah, for those who want to explore their dark, earthy side.

Notes on all these below.

Tasting Notes

2023 New Clairvaux “St. James Block” Assyrtiko, Tehama County, California
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon pith and sea air. In the mouth, faintly salty flavors of lemon pith and lemon juice have a nice crispness thanks to decent acidity. There’s a faint wet chalkboard minerality underneath the wine and a lemon oil note to the finish. 12.5{83994d7454f8ce68441ea8152244c292227c3db19076e7622c8f5ff92141c35a} alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $21.

2023 New Clairvaux “St. James Block” Moschofilero, Tehama County, California
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of white flowers and freshly cut Fuji apples. In the mouth, crisp flavors of apple and citrus pith have a nice brightness thanks to very good acidity. Clean and bright. 12.3{83994d7454f8ce68441ea8152244c292227c3db19076e7622c8f5ff92141c35a} alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $20.

2023 Brooks Note Pinot Blanc, Mendocino County, California
Palest greenish gold in the glass to the point of being near colorless, this wine smells of white flowers and grapefruit pith. In the mouth, zippy flavors of grapefruit and white flowers have a nice minerality and silky texture, setting up a tension in the wine that is admirable. Clean and crisp. Very good acidity. 13{83994d7454f8ce68441ea8152244c292227c3db19076e7622c8f5ff92141c35a} alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $34. click to buy.

2023 Tar & Roses Pinot Grigio, Victoria, Australia
A pale blonde in color with bronze highlights, this wine smells of pears and pastry cream. In the mouth, white flowers, orange peel, and pear flavors have a nice faint tannic grip and citrusy notes that linger through a long finish. Very good acidity. 13.8{83994d7454f8ce68441ea8152244c292227c3db19076e7622c8f5ff92141c35a} alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $24.

2023 Three Sticks “Casteñada” Rosé, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma, California
Palest baby pink in the glass, this wine smells of slightly muted aromas of hibiscus and strawberries. In the mouth, crisp flavors of strawberry and watermelon rind mix with raspberry and a crisp, citrus oil brightness that accompanies a wet chalkboard sensation in the finish. Very good acidity. An unspecified field blend of Rhône varieties. 13.9{83994d7454f8ce68441ea8152244c292227c3db19076e7622c8f5ff92141c35a} alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $45. click to buy.

2022 Brooks Note Pinot Noir, Petaluma Gap, Sonoma, California
Light to medium garnet in color, this wine smells of wet earth, cherries, and cranberry compote. In the mouth, cranberry and raspberry fruit flavors are shot through with chopped herbs and a touch of lavender. Gauzy tannins have a fine texture and linger with notes of red apple skin in the finish. 13.9{83994d7454f8ce68441ea8152244c292227c3db19076e7622c8f5ff92141c35a} alcohol. 340 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $45. click to buy.

2021 Dutton Goldfield “Angel Camp Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, Mendocino, California
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cherry and cranberry. In the mouth, bright cherry fruit mixes with notes of cranberry and raspberry along with chopped herbs and flowers. Excellent acidity and lightly grippy tannins. Balanced and poised. Aged 17 months in 40{83994d7454f8ce68441ea8152244c292227c3db19076e7622c8f5ff92141c35a} new French oak. 14.1{83994d7454f8ce68441ea8152244c292227c3db19076e7622c8f5ff92141c35a} alcohol. 260 cases made Score: around 9. Cost: $74. click to buy.

2021 Dutton Goldfield “Fox Den Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Green Valley, Sonoma, California
Light to medium garnet in the glass with some purple highlights, this wine smells of cherry and cranberry fruit with a sweet raspberry pastille note on top. In the mouth, juicy flavors of raspberry and cranberry fruit have excellent acidity and a nice supple tannic texture. The barest whisper of new oak lingers in the finish with dried flowers and raspberry leaf. Delicious. Aged for 18 months in 55{83994d7454f8ce68441ea8152244c292227c3db19076e7622c8f5ff92141c35a} new French oak. 14.1{83994d7454f8ce68441ea8152244c292227c3db19076e7622c8f5ff92141c35a} alcohol. 495 cases made. Score: around 9. Cost: $74. click to buy.

2022 Brooks Note GSM Red Blend, North Coast, California
Light to medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of sweet oak, strawberry jam, and dried herbs. In the mouth, lightly muscular tannins wrap around a core of spicy strawberry, cherry, and aromatic herbal notes nicely welded to sweet oak tones. Excellent acidity, but slightly high-toned, despite the modest alcohol level. A blend of 45{83994d7454f8ce68441ea8152244c292227c3db19076e7622c8f5ff92141c35a} Grenache, 30{83994d7454f8ce68441ea8152244c292227c3db19076e7622c8f5ff92141c35a} Syrah, and 25{83994d7454f8ce68441ea8152244c292227c3db19076e7622c8f5ff92141c35a} Mourvèdre. 13.8{83994d7454f8ce68441ea8152244c292227c3db19076e7622c8f5ff92141c35a} alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $45.

2019 Dutton Goldfield “Dutton Ranch – Cherry Ridge Vineyard” Syrah, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Dark garnet in the glass, with purple highlights, this wine smells of iodine, black cherry, and blueberry jam. In the mouth, dark wet steel and iodine flavors mix with blackberry and blueberry jam tinged with an earthy, herbal savoriness. Very good acidity and fine-grained, muscular tannins. Dense and somewhat impenetrable at this point in the wine’s evolution. I’ll be interested to see what happens over time, though it’s still very tight after 5 years. Aged for 21 months in 40{83994d7454f8ce68441ea8152244c292227c3db19076e7622c8f5ff92141c35a} new French oak. 14.1{83994d7454f8ce68441ea8152244c292227c3db19076e7622c8f5ff92141c35a} alcohol. 218 cases made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $50. click to buy.