Tag: pinot noir

Solid Village Level Burgundy in a Tough Vintage

Today’s Story: Domaine Ghislaine Barthod

Domaine Ghislaine Barthod is a highly regarded but relatively small wine estate located in the Chambolle-Musigny appellation of Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits. The domain was initially established by Marcel Noëllat in the late 1920s, though it became a partnership of the Noëllat and Barthod families when Gaston Barthod, an officer in the French Army stationed in Dijon, married Marcel’s daughter. Following his military service, Gaston took over the domain during the 1950s and bottled all of his wines under the Chambolle-Musigny designation. Gaston’s daughter Ghislaine joined the domain during the 1980s, working alongside her father to study the winemaking practices and traditions of the family. She officially took over Domaine Barthod in 1999 with her father’s passing, though was effectively running the domain for the decade or so prior.

Today the domain consists of about six hectares (15 acres) of vineyards situated largely in Chambolle-Musigny but crossing over slightly into the neighboring Gilly-les-Citeaux. Of these holdings, many are in some of the greatest vineyards of Chambolle-Musigny including the highly regarded 1er Cru sites of Les Cras, Les Fuées, and Les Charmes. Domaine Barthod has been practicing organic viticulture since 2002, with their only treatment copper sulfate to help fight mildew. Their vines average 30 years of age, and yields are greatly limited with severe pruning, debudding, and green harvesting if necessary. All harvest activity is accomplished by hand, with sorting done in the vineyards before the fruit is taken to the winery in small baskets.

In the cellar, Ghislaine practices pretty traditional vinification methods for the region. After a three to four day cold soak with partially destemmed fruit, the wines begin fermentation spontaneously and with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks. She practices pump overs and occasional punch downs for color and tannin extraction, while primary fermentation lasts for roughly three weeks. Next, the wines are barreled down into 20-30% new oak barrels and aging lasts for about 20 months. Malolactic fermentation occurs spontaneously in barrel during the spring, and the wines are only racked following malolactic fermentation and prior to assemblage. Bottling is accomplished with no fining or filtration, unless absolutely necessary.

I previously reviewed the 2016 Bourgogne Rouge Les Bons Bâtons from Domaine Ghislaine Barthod.

Today’s Wine: 2011 Chambolle-Musigny

100% Pinot Noir; 13% ABV

The 2011 Chambolle-Musigny is medium garnet in color. Still shy upon opening, I let this evolve in the glass for about an hour and drank it over the following hour or so. The aromas are of medium (+) intensity, with the nose showcasing notes of black cherry, dried strawberry, plum, red rose, dried tobacco leaf, forest floor, green olive, eucalyptus, menthol, clove, and a hint of smoke. Meanwhile the flavors are also of medium (+) intensity and the palate offers notes of cherry, plum, black raspberry, blueberry, green olive, charred green herbs, crushed rock, and mild allspice. This dry red is medium-bodied with medium (+) acidity, medium (-) tannins, medium alcohol, and a medium (+) length finish. Very good quality and a solid wine for the vintage. This is still more masculine than I would expect.

Price: $120. I think this is a pretty fair price given the producer and how well this bottling performs given a tough vintage. While showcasing some of the 2011 green notes for sure, this is still very well balanced while offering solid complexity and good length.

If this wine seems like something you might enjoy, you may find this link helpful in locating it.

Delicious Spätburgunder at a Very Reasonable Price

Today’s Story: Shelter Winery

Shelter Winery is a fairly small family-owned winery, established in 2003 by husband and wife duo Hans-Bert Espe and Silke Wolf. Situated in the Baden region of Germany on the eastern side of the Rhine River, Shelter holds vineyards in the villages of Kenzingen and Malterdingen and they are dedicated to the production of Spätburgunder/Pinot Noir. Today their vineyard holdings consist of five hectares (12 acres) and Shelter is dedicated to organic viticulture with zero use of herbicides or pesticides. Harvest is accomplished fully by hand, and the fruit is destemmed at the winery prior to a cold soak and delicate pressing. Fermentation occurs in open top vessels using only native yeasts, and the wine is then transferred to oak barrels of which the majority are used. The end result is a Spätburgunder that is both true to variety and place, while the cooler climate of their vineyards generally yield lower alcohol and higher natural acidity.

Today’s Wine: 2018 Spätburgunder

100% Pinot Noir; 13% ABV

The 2018 Spätburgunder is medium ruby in color. Given some time to open up in the glass, this blossoms beautifully with aromas of medium (+) intensity and a nose of cherry, black raspberry, wild strawberry, blood orange rind, rose petal, anise, leather, a hint of barnyard, charred green herbs, white pepper, and mild baking spice. Meanwhile the flavors are also of medium (+) intensity, and the palate showcases notes of black cherry, black raspberry, red plum, muddled strawberry, licorice, cola, dried tobacco leaf, green pepper, underbrush, and cocoa powder. This dry red is light- to medium-bodied with medium (+) acidity, low tannins, medium alcohol, and a medium (+) length finish. Very good quality, particularly given the price-point.

Price: $27. I think this is pretty solid value, particularly given how expressive and complex this is after a little air time. It’s also well-balanced and is a fun yet serious representation of German Spätburgunder/Pinot Noir.

If this wine seems like something you might enjoy, you may find this link helpful in locating it.

Young Oregon Chardonnay and Pinot Project With Incredible Potential

Today’s Story: 00 Wines

00 Wines is a relative newcomer to the Willamette Valley, Oregon wine scene, established in 2015 and run by Chris and Kathryn Hermann. The name for this venture, “Double-Zero,” is based on numerology since 0 is the number of potential. Chris and Kathryn view 00 Wines as a push-forward for the potential of the noble varieties of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with each variety contributing one “zero” to the name. Chris is a wine industry veteran, though not in the way you might expect, as he worked for nearly 40 years as a legal advisor to many wine brands focusing on land use and water rights under environmental law. Kathryn, on the other hand, comes from a background in marketing, product management, and software development in the startup space and she guides the creative side of 00 Wines.

00 sources their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from some of the Willamette Valley’s greatest vineyard sites, including Chehalem Mountain, The Eyrie, Eola Springs, Shea, Hyland, and Seven Springs. Though they make exceptional wines from both varieties, 00 is most widely known and respected for their Chardonnay. Modeled after the winemaking methods of white Burgundy legends Coche-Dury and Roulot, 00 practices the “Black Chardonnay” method wherein the Chardonnay must is freely exposed to oxygen during the press cycle without protection from SO2 or dry ice. The Chardonnay sits on its skins and is pressed into the press pan as a dark brown or sometimes black liquid, then it is barreled down without any settling or filtration. As fermentation progresses, the oxygenated dark colors drop out and they are left with maximum phenolic extraction and beautifully clear Chardonnay. The Pinot Noir is nothing to sleep on, however, as incredible attention to detail exists here too. The Pinot clusters are destemmed by hand with shears, allowing the berries to remain perfectly intact while introducing mild stem characteristics into the wine. The Pinot also ferments in 500 liter terracotta amphorae, which is rather unique for the region.

With a philosophy of blending modern with traditional winemaking practices, 00 Wines seeks to produce distinct and high-quality wines that offer as truest a sense of place as possible. Long-time proponents of Willamette Valley winemaking, Chris and Kathryn are off to an incredible start in their own venture.

Today’s Story: 2018 Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir

100% Pinot Noir; 13.1% ABV

The 2018 Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir is medium ruby in color. This is fairly dark for a Pinot, though it’s very young. I gave this about an hour to open up, revealing aromas of medium (+) intensity and a complex nose of ripe bing cherry, red plum, black raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, dried tobacco leaf, violet, underbrush, crushed rock, a hint of vanilla, mild nutmeg, and cedar. The flavors are also of medium (+) intensity, with the palate showcasing notes of tart red cherry, cranberry, muddled strawberry, blueberry, licorice, leather, charred green herbs, pine, baking spice, white pepper, and mild vanilla. This dry red is medium-bodied with medium (+) acidity, medium (-) fine-grained tannins, medium alcohol, and a long finish. Very good quality and insanely concentrated, this just needs a few more years in the bottle to evolve and come into perfect balance.

Price: $95. While the intensity, length, and complexity of this wine are profound I struggle at this price-point from a “value” perspective. There’s no doubt this needs time to balance all the components and it is a great wine, however other Willamette Valley Pinots $60 or less pack a heftier punch for now. If you worry less about price and want an ultra-premium Pinot, however, this could be for you.

If this wine seems like something you might enjoy, you may find this link helpful in locating it.

Profound Bourgogne Rouge Offering Exceptional Value

Today’s Story: Domaine Ghislaine Barthod

Domaine Ghislaine Barthod is a highly regarded but relatively small wine estate located in the Chambolle-Musigny appellation of Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits. The domain was initially established by Marcel Noëllat in the late 1920s, though it became a partnership of the Noëllat and Barthod families when Gaston Barthod, an officer in the French Army stationed in Dijon, married Marcel’s daughter. Following his military service, Gaston took over the domain during the 1950s and bottled all of his wines under the Chambolle-Musigny designation. Gaston’s daughter Ghislaine joined the domain during the 1980s, working alongside her father to study the winemaking practices and traditions of the family. She officially took over Domaine Barthod in 1999 with her father’s passing, though was effectively running the domain for the decade or so prior.

Today the domain consists of about six hectares (15 acres) of vineyards situated largely in Chambolle-Musigny but crossing over slightly into the neighboring Gilly-les-Citeaux. Of these holdings, many are in some of the greatest vineyards of Chambolle-Musigny including the highly regarded 1er Cru sites of Les Cras, Les Fuées, and Les Charmes. Domaine Barthod has been practicing organic viticulture since 2002, with their only treatment copper sulfate to help fight mildew. Their vines average 30 years of age, and yields are greatly limited with severe pruning, debudding, and green harvesting if necessary. All harvest activity is accomplished by hand, with sorting done in the vineyards before the fruit is taken to the winery in small baskets.

In the cellar, Ghislaine practices pretty traditional vinification methods for the region. After a three to four day cold soak with partially destemmed fruit, the wines begin fermentation spontaneously and with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks. She practices pump overs and occasional punch downs for color and tannin extraction, while primary fermentation lasts for roughly three weeks. Next, the wines are barreled down into 20-30% new oak barrels and aging lasts for about 20 months. Malolactic fermentation occurs spontaneously in barrel during the spring, and the wines are only racked following malolactic fermentation and prior to assemblage. Bottling is accomplished with no fining or filtration, unless absolutely necessary.

Today’s Wine: 2016 Bourgogne Rouge Les Bons Bâtons

100% Pinot Noir; 13% ABV

The 2016 Bourgogne Rouge Les Bons Bâtons is medium ruby in color, almost even deep garnet. I gave this a slow ox in the bottle for an hour and then another hour in the glass to open up, as it’s rather tight at this stage. The aromas are of medium (+) intensity, with the nose showcasing notes of tart red cherry, blueberry, raspberry pastry, strawberry licorice, violet, black tea, fresh leather, delicate limestone, and mineral. Meanwhile the flavors are also of medium (+) intensity and the palate offers up notes of red and black cherry, red plum, raspberry, licorice, violet, pipe tobacco, charred green herbs, finely crushed rock, and a very mild touch of baking spice. This dry red is medium-bodied with high acidity, medium tannins that are firm but not out of balance, medium alcohol, and a long finish. Very good quality and incredibly concentrated for a Bourgogne Rouge. Need to revisit this in probably two to three years.

Price: $55. This wine offers great value, performing as one of the best Bourgogne Rouge bottlings I’ve had around this price-point. The intensity, complexity, and length of the wine are fantastic while the tannin and acid structure bode quite well for aging. I look forward to purchasing a few more bottles to lay down in the cellar.

If this wine seems like something you might enjoy, you may find this link helpful in locating it.

Perhaps the Greatest Bottle of Domestic Pinot Noir I’ve Had

Today’s Story: Antica Terra

Antica Terra was established in 2005 by Scott Adelson, John Mavredakis, and Michael Kramer, three friends and partners who had collaborated before and dreamed of owning a vineyard together. This being said, vines were first planted in 1989 on the property, an 11 acre vineyard on pre-historic seabed in the Eola-Amity Hills of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Having taken ownership of their new vineyard, Scott, John, and Michael started seeking a winemaker and their crosshairs quickly fell upon Maggie Harrison.

Maggie began her winemaking career at Sine Qua Non (known for $200-$1,000+ bottles of cult Rhone variety wines) working for Manfred Krankl and her expertise was quickly realized. In 2004, Manfred encouraged her to begin her own Syrah project on the side, and Lillian was born (I reviewed two of these Syrahs previously). Maggie worked tirelessly on her passion project wines while still tending to barrels at Sine Qua Non, demonstrating her pure passion for the craft. When Scott, John, and Michael asked Maggie to become their winemaker, she refused profusely though the three friends ultimately convinced her to simply visit the property to offer her opinions of the vineyard. 26 seconds after Maggie stepped foot into the vineyards and observed the fossils, oaks, and vines, “she found herself hunched beneath one of the trees, phone in hand, explaining to her husband that they would be moving to Oregon.”

The vineyard of Antica Terra is rather intense, both in appearance above the earth and underground for the vines. The vines find home amongst fossilized oyster shells and sandstone with no topsoil, leaving them to struggle for nutrients and in turn producing incredibly unique fruit. Aboveground, the vineyard is strewn with boulders, steep grades, and vines that (due to the soil) appear spindly and frail. Fruit for Antica Terra wines forms in tiny clusters with thick-skinned grapes that are half the size that is typical for their varieties and the canopy of these plants is incredibly sensitive. Maggie provides immense care and attention to these delicate vines, which culminates into unique and immeasurably profound wines. Antica Terra produces four Pinot Noir bottlings, two Chardonnays, and one Rosé. In the 2018 vintage, they also produced their first-ever and incredibly limited ice wine.

I wrote about Antica Terra a few times previously, first on the 2017 Botanica Pinot Noir, then on the 2018 Aurata Chardonnay, and most recently on the 2018 Paraselene Ice Wine. I’m excited to review another wine from Antica Terra today, as it’s the oldest vintage I’ve ever had the opportunity to purchase.

Today’s Wine: 2008 Botanica Pinot Noir

100% Pinot Noir; 13.6% ABV

The 2008 Botanica Pinot Noir is deep garnet in color, showing beautifully with its age. I served this as a pop-and-pour, as it was firing on all cylinders right out of the gates. The aromas are of pronounced intensity, with the insanely complex nose showcasing notes of dried black cherry, stewed black plum, muddled strawberry with stems, black olive, lavender, smoked meat, worn leather, tobacco, forest floor, morel mushroom, wet gravel, basil, eucalyptus, and a touch of cedar. Flavors are also of pronounced intensity, with the equally complex palate displaying notes of black cherry, blueberry, stewed black plum, black raspberry, leather, sweet tobacco, lavender, scorched earth, truffle, crushed rock, charred green herbs, pine, smoke, and a hint of baking spice. This dry red is medium-bodied with medium (+) acidity, low and incredibly silky tannins, medium (+) alcohol, and a long finish that lingers for at least 45 seconds. This silky, elegant, and captivating Pinot is perhaps the greatest I’ve had from the US.

Price: $125. This bottling is practically impossible to find nowadays, however it is absolutely worth the price if you find it. I’d even go so far as to say it’s a very strong value at $125. The complexity, depth, balance, intensity, and length in this wine are all truly mind-boggling.

If this wine seems like something you might enjoy, you may find this link helpful in locating it. Unfortunately for this wine, availability is incredibly limited.

Incredibly Pure Expression of Pinot Noir From One of Burgundy’s Legends

Today’s Story: Domaine Denis Mortet

Domaine Denis Mortet is a very highly-regarded wine estate established in 1956 by Charles Mortet in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin of Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits. Charles started with only one hectare (2.5 acres) of vines, though similar to many others around him he sold the majority of his fruit to merchant houses. Over time Charles’ holdings grew and his son Denis joined him during the 1980s to assist with winemaking. When Charles retired, Denis received 4.5 hectares (11 acres) of vineyards in the villages of Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, and Vougeot. Denis was well on his way to a gifted winemaking career, becoming lifelong friends with the great Henri Jayer and tasting with legendary Lalou Bize Leroy around the start of his own venture. He established Domaine Denis Mortet in 1992 alongside his wife Laurence, and the two set about expanding their holdings further.

Denis rose quickly to legendary status not just amongst wine consumers but with his peers in Burgundy. His attention to detail in his vineyards, where Laurence was also a huge help, was second-to-none as he prioritized quality over quantity and stopped using weedkillers and chemical pesticides in 1996. His resulting wines were also highly regarded due to their elegance, finesse, transparency of terroir, and ageability. Denis’ son Arnaud joined the family domaine in 2000, working closely with his father in the vineyards but throughout the entire winemaking process as well. Sadness struck, however, in 2006 with the far-too-soon passing of Denis and Arnaud took full control of winemaking.

At the time Arnaud took over, Domaine Denis Mortet consisted of about 11 hectares (27 acres) of vineyards in some of Burgundy’s best villages. Many of these holdings came to the family as other vignerons retired, largely because they knew that the Mortet family and its viticultural history would be perhaps the greatest possible stewards of the land. Since then, Laurence and her son Arnaud added an additional 5 hectares (12 acres) to the family domain and today their holdings total 16 hectares (39 acres) throughout the Côte de Nuits. In the year 2013, Arnaud’s sister Clémence joined the family business and Domaine Denis Mortet seems well set on remaining a Mortet family business for decades to come.

From a viticultural perspective, not much has changed under Arnaud in terms of attention to detail and rigorous care for the land. His biggest changes have been even more beneficial, including doing all work by hand with shears and eliminating machine use in the vineyards. Arnaud likes to say he utilizes 50% organic practices and 50% “reasonable” practices, including the minimized use of treatments for diseases and the like. In the cellar, Arnaud follows the practices he learned from his father but he is not one to shy away from experiments so long as they improve the quality of his wines. Arnaud, for instance, drastically increased the strict quality standards for sorting fruit when it arrives at the winery, and he even goes through the painstaking process of removing the center stems in his clusters for the whole cluster fermentations. Fermentation is accomplished using native yeasts in vats over the course of 15-20 days, and Arnaud minimizes punch downs to about five or six. He also uses less sulfur than his father, allowing the wines to be more enjoyable in their youth while maintaining the quality and structure for a long life in the bottle. Aging in the domain’s cellar lasts for about 16 to 18 months in oak, though Arnaud also greatly reduced the amount of new oak used during this process.

Today’s Wine: 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St-Jacques

100% Pinot Noir; 13.5% ABV

The 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St-Jacques is medium ruby in color with shades of deep garnet. I gave this a three hour slow-ox in the bottle before pouring it into the glass. The aromas are of pronounced intensity, with the nose showcasing notes of black cherry, black raspberry, muddled strawberry, blueberry, spiced plum, sweet tobacco, leather, licorice, gingerbread, crushed gravel, forest floor, black truffle, charred herbs, and clove. Flavors are also of pronounced intensity, and the palate offers up notes of black cherry, blackberry, black plum, blueberry, violet, tobacco, leather, wet gravel, black truffle, olive, cola, vanilla, and clove. This dry red is medium-bodied with high acidity, medium (-) dusty tannin, medium alcohol, and a long finish. Outstanding quality and incredibly complex. 500 cases produced.

Price: $470 based on Wine-Searcher (we paid $190). Given the market pricing I found online, it’s very difficult to discuss value at this price-point. If you’re able to find this for around $200, however, then I think this offers great value. This wine is ridiculously complex and well-balanced, with a very long life ahead of it.

Great Value Burgundy From Chambolle-Musigny

Today’s Story: Domaine Odoul-Coquard

Domaine Odoul-Coquard is a relatively small family-owned and operated wine estate established in Morey-St-Denis during the early 20th century. Today the domaine is under guide of fourth generation Sebastien Odoul who joined in 2004 and took over winemaking in 2009. Sebastien, who was initially uninterested in becoming a winemaker, first worked harvests at Domaine Dujac, Domaine Méo-Camuzet, and Domaine Thierry Mortet before joining the family venture. Domaine Odoul-Coquard today consists of 8.5 hectares (21 acres) situated across the appellations of Morey-St-Denis, Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée, and Nuits-St-Georges. The domaine produces wines from two Grand Crus (Clos de Vougeot and Charmes-Chambertin), four 1er Crus, seven village appellations, and four regional appellations with a total production of 2,500 cases per vintage.

When it comes to the vinification process, Domaine Odoul-Coquard practices fairly traditional methods for the region. All fruit is hand-harvested and 100% destemmed, as Sebastien doesn’t care too much for the characteristics stems impart on the wine. They practice a week of cold maceration before the start of fermentation, all of which occurs in stainless steel or enamelled vats. Punch downs and pump overs occur daily and then, at the end of primary fermentation, they use a pneumatic press and barrel down the wine into French oak. The domaine uses Francois Frères barrels and aging lasts 15 to 18 months depending on vintage and cuvée, with each quality level seeing different percentages of new oak. For example, the Bourgogne bottling sees no new oak while 1er Crus may see up to 50% new oak and Grand Crus may see up to 90% new oak.

Today’s Wine: 2014 Chambolle-Musigny

100% Pinot Noir; 13% ABV

The 2014 Chambolle-Musigny is medium ruby in color. After some time in the glass, this opens rather nicely with aromas of medium (+) intensity and a nose of bing cherry, cranberry, stemmy strawberry, black raspberry, leather, forest floor, underbrush, and stony mineral. The flavors are also of medium (+) intensity, offering up classic notes of cherry, raspberry, red plum, blueberry, violet, charred green herbs, green peppercorn, and crushed rock. This dry red is light- to medium-bodied with high acidity, medium (-) tannin, medium alcohol, and a medium (+) length finish.

Price: $45. This bottling offers great value in my opinion. In a world of many village red Burgundy bottlings commanding prices over $100, this offers great depth, complexity, and balance for its price. It even seems like it has at least another decade of drinking and may just be entering its window.

Green but Delicious Morey-Saint-Denis

Today’s Story: Domaine Dujac

Domaine Dujac is a highly regarded wine estate established in 1968 by Jacques Seysses in the Morey-Saint-Denis appellation of Burgundy. Though Jacques loved wine at an early age thanks to his father, he worked until the age of 25 at his family’s biscuit manufacturing company before moving into wine full-time. In 1966 and 1967, Jacques worked the harvest with Gérard Potel at the Domaine de la Pousse d’Or to learn his winemaking craft, ultimately purchasing the 5 hectare (12 acre) Domaine Graillet in 1968 and renaming it to Domaine Dujac.

Over time, Dujac expanded from 5 hectares to 15.5 hectares (38 acres) and their holdings include some of the greatest vineyard sites throughout Burgundy. The Grand Cru sites of Clos de la Roche and Clos St. Denis came early in the portfolio, with later additions of Charmes-Chambertin and Mazoyères-Chambertin still somewhat early in Dujac’s history. Today Dujac produces seven Grand Cru wines, five 1er Cru wines, and two village wines under the domaine label. They also produce five white wines, three of which are 1er Cru. Beginning in 2001, Dujac started experimenting with organic viticulture and expanded the practices to all holdings in 2008. They also started experimenting with biodynamic practices in 2003 and utilize that philosophy on all holdings today as well.

Jacques, during the domaine’s early decades, was a staunch proponent of whole cluster fermentation thanks to the character stems bring to the wine. Though today they destem some of the fruit, this is still a major philosophical backbone and the fruit sees minimal destemming. Winemaking is rather traditional in practice, with the team using only native yeasts for fermentation with light punchdowns early in the process and pump overs toward the end. Oak usage has changed over time, with Jacques establishing the domaine with religious use of 100% new oak. Nowadays, however, new oak percentages vary by quality level and the team has discretion given vintage conditions. The wines are all bottled unfiltered and rarely fined.

Domaine Dujac today is operated by its second generation, though Jacques is still very much involved. Jacques’ son Jeremy started working at Dujac in 1998, followed by his wife Diana in 2001 and brother Alec in 2003. Jeremy was the leading force behind some of the whole cluster and oak aging changes to winemaking, though the wines of Domaine Dujac remain incredible representations of Pinot Noir and the terroir they come from.

Today’s Wine: 2011 1er Cru Morey Saint-Denis

100% Pinot Noir; 13% ABV

The 2011 1er Cru Morey Saint-Denis is medium ruby in color and quite youthful in appearance. Given some time to blossom in the glass, the wine opens with aromas of medium (+) intensity and a nose of cherry, cranberry, stemmy strawberry, rose, forest floor, truffle, underbrush, olive, eucalyptus, menthol, mint, and crushed stone. Meanwhile the flavors are also of medium (+) intensity and the palate showcases notes of bing cherry, black raspberry, strawberry, dried plum, violet, olive, forest floor, eucalyptus, green pepper, and mineral. This dry red is light- to medium-bodied with medium (+) acidity, light tannin, medium alcohol, and a long finish. Very good quality and certainly showing the green notes of the vintage and stem inclusion.

Price: $150. I think this is a pretty solid price-point and offers decent value in the realm of red Burgundy. While the 2011 vintage can be overbearingly green in some wines, I think this handles it well and comes across rather memorable. It’s intense, complex, and should be long-lived. If you try to steer clear of greener wines, though, this might not be your thing.

San Benito County Pinot Noir Drinking Beautifully Right Now

Today’s Story: Williams Selyem

Williams Selyem is a highly-regarded winery with a homegrown, almost comical, origin story. During the 1970s, Burt Williams received several tons of free grapes from a grower with an abundance of fruit that would otherwise most likely go to waste. With his friend Ed Selyem, in 1979 the pair started making wine at Burt’s house over the weekends with Zinfandel grapes from the Martinelli family. Though the two set out to make wine only for themselves as a hobby, Burt and Ed fully devoted to the endeavor in 1981 and named their winery Hacienda del Rio.

They bottled their first vintage in 1982 and released it commercially in 1983, however Hacienda Winery quickly sent a cease and desist letter that resulted in removal of “Hacienda” from Burt and Ed’s labels. In 1984, Burt and Ed moved production to a nearby garage in Fulton and released the first vintage with the now famous and globally-recognized Williams Selyem label.

Williams Selyem picked up steam very quickly for a new winery in California. In 1985, they released their first vineyard-designated Pinot Noir from the Rochioli Vineyard and in 1987 that wine won the California State Fair Sweepstakes Prize for top red wine. With its status blown open, Williams Selyem grew a cult following and they needed to create a waitlist that immediately spanned 2-3 years. In 1989, Williams Selyem relocated to the Allen Ranch facility on Westside Road and in 1992 Burt and Ed quit their day jobs to focus 100% on their wine.

Six years later, however, in 1998 Burt and Ed sold Williams Selyem to John Dyson who was a longtime customer. John and his wife Kathe still own the winery today, and throughout their proprietorship greatly expanded winemaking by adding estate vineyards along the way. In my opinion, their crowning and historic achievement came in 2009 when Wine Enthusiast Magazine rated the 2007 Williams Selyem Litton Estate Pinot Noir 100 points. This was the first North American Pinot Noir in history to achieve a perfect score by a major wine publication, and while I do not buy wine simply based on score and have my issues with the scale, I can appreciate the historic achievement. In early 2021, Domaine Faiveley of Burgundy purchased a minority stake in Williams Selyem which may one day lead to their ownership. So far though, there doesn’t appear to be any major changes in the production of wine.

I previously reviewed the 2014 Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir and 2016 Three Sisters Vineyard Chardonnay from Williams Selyem.

Today’s Wine: 2013 Vista Verde Vineyard Pinot Noir

100% Pinot Noir; 13.6% ABV

The 2013 Vista Verde Vineyard Pinot Noir is medium ruby in color and rather youthful in appearance. Given some time in the glass, this opens with aromas of medium (+) intensity and a nose of dried cherry, black raspberry, muddled strawberry, lavender, leather, scorched earth, charred green herbs, and smoke. The flavors are also of medium (+) intensity, with the palate showcasing notes of black cherry, plum, cranberry, black tea, smoked meat, a hint of black olive, dried herbs, crushed stone, smoke, and clove. This dry red is light- to medium-bodied with medium (+) acidity, light and fully-integrated tannin, medium alcohol, and a long finish.

Price: $110 (paid $75 from the winery). While there are better values out there especially at today’s market pricing for this bottle, the $75 level we purchased these at is rather fair. This wine is complex, well-balanced, and finishes long while being of incredible quality. Drinking beautifully right now.

Perfect Holiday Bubbles From a Well-Known House

Today’s Story: Billecart-Salmon

Billecart-Salmon is a family-run Champagne house established in 1818 in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ through the marriage of Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon. Nicolas François, who handled the commercial aspects of the new Champagne house, brought his brother-in-law Louis Salmon on board to make the wines. 200 years later, the 7th generation of the Billecart family manages the house with the 6th generation still very much involved. Together they cultivate 100 hectares of vineyards across 40 crus of Champagne and an area of 300 hectares, the majority of which sits around Epernay. Billecart’s signature style comes largely from their fermentation process, which is accomplished in stainless steel tanks at lower temperatures to prolong fermentation and coax out delicate aromas and purity of fruit. All vinification occurs cru by cru and variety by variety, allowing each to maintain the unique expressions of the varying terroir. The house’s wines rest in chalk cellars dating to the 17th and 19th centuries, with the NV bottlings enjoying 3-4 years in the cellar and the vintage bottlings enjoying 10 years.

Last fall, I enjoyed reviewing their NV Champagne Brut Réserve.

Today’s Wine: NV Brut Sous Bois

1/3 Chardonnay, 1/3 Pinot Noir, 1/3 Pinot Meunier; 12% ABV

The NV Brut Sous Bois is medium gold in color with delicate effervescence in the glass. Aromas are of medium intensity, with the nose showcasing notes of green apple, underripe pear, lemon curd, brioche, cheese rind, almond, and saline minerality. Flavors are also of medium intensity, with the palate displaying notes of pear, green apple, lemon and lime zest, chalk, almond, lightly salted butter, and vanilla cream. This dry Champagne is medium- to full-bodied with high acidity, medium alcohol, and a long finish.

Price: $80. I think this offers good value for its price-point, as it demonstrates solid depth, great acidity, and a lingering finish. This no doubt can strike up with some of the large houses priced higher, and it also drinks incredibly well compared to some of my favorite grower Champagnes in a similar price-point.