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 an oak-aged Fumé-Blanc-style Sauvignon Blanc from Merriam Vineyards in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley. It’s typical of the California barrel-aged style, and will satisfy those who enjoy wood on their Sauvignon Blancs.
I also got a few new wines from Troon Vineyard up in Oregon’s Applegate Valley. My favorite of the three wines was undoubtedly their Grenache Blanc, which is just bursting with acidity and bright greenish fruit. I adore the grape variety and this is an excellent rendition of all its charms. Troon has also made a new rosé that is designed for ageworthiness, and leans decidedly savory. Lastly, their glou-glou red wine is in its typical earthy, berry form as well.
Francis Ford Coppola has been an established name in the California wine industry for a long time, but in 2019 he bought a property in Oregon that he has named Domaine Lumineux. I tasted his latest Pinot Noir this week, and found it supple and somewhat evolved, but fairly tasty.
Tolosa Winery has an interesting history. It’s where owner Robin Baggett got his start in wine in 1998, but not where he made his name. Baggett is far better known for being the co-proprietor (along with his wife Michelle) of Alpha Omega winery in Napa. Tolosa has been undergoing something of a transformation over the last few years, and I was pleased to get a chance to taste some of their latest releases, including their estate Pinot Noir, which is excellent, and their “Primera” Pinot Noir from the Edna Ranch vineyard, which is lovely, except for the ridiculous, planet-killing heavy bottle it comes in. As if the bottle isn’t heavy enough, the winery glues a metal badge to the front of it. This kind of ostentatious, ego-driven, we-must-seem-luxury packaging needs to die. The Tolosa Grenache (which I can find no trace of on their website) is also quite tasty.
Last, but not least, I tasted two Pinot Noirs from Eden Rift Vineyards, which are the best I’ve tasted from that estate. The cooler 2021 vintage yielded some truly lovely, energetic, dynamic, and nuanced wines at Eden Rift. Both the regular estate Pinot Noir and the Reserve are excellent and worth seeking out.
Notes on all these below!
Tasting Notes
2022 Merriam Vineyards “Fumé Blanc – Eastside Estate” Sauvignon Blanc, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of candied lemon and new oak. In the mouth, lemon pith and lemon peel flavors mix with a hint of apple and the vanilla of oak. Toasted oak notes linger in the finish. Very good acidity. Aged for 12 months in 40% new French oak. 13.8% alcohol. 175 cases made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $42.
2022 Troon Vineyard Grenache Blanc, Applegate Valley, Southern Oregon
Palest greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of sweet lemon cucumber and green melon. In the mouth, green apple, green melon, lime, and grapefruit flavors are fantastically bright with juicy acidity that leaves the mouth tingling. Notes of green herbs and melon linger in a long finish. Electric and delicious. Spent 17 months in barrel on the lees before bottling unfined and unfiltered. 12.6% alcohol. Demeter Certified Biodynamic. Regenerative Organic Gold Certified. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $40. click to buy.
2023 Troon Vineyard “Ascendant Rosé” Red Blend, Applegate Valley, Southern Oregon
Palest peach colored in the glass, this wine smells of dried herbs, orange peel, and flowers. In the mouth, bright and savory flavors of citrus peel, rosehips, and pears, mix with faintest hint of acidophilus. Lightly salty and very interesting. Very good acidity. A blend of 38% Cinsault, 33% Mourvedre, 11% Grenache, 10% Cunoise, and 8% Carignan. This wine was whole-cluster pressed, then settled overnight in stainless steel tanks before moving into neutral French Oak barrels. The wine underwent native yeast barrel fermentation, followed by natural malolactic fermentation. Aged for 8 months before bottling. 12.5% alcohol. 200 cases made. Demeter Certified Biodynamic. Regenerative Organic Certified. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $40.
2023 Troon Vineyard “Glou-Glou” Red Blend, Applegate Valley, Southern Oregon
Light garnet in the glass—the shade of a dark rosé—this wine smells of boysenberry, potting soil, and a hint of horse sweat. In the mouth, chalky, mouth-coating tannins surround flavors of earth, leather, dried herbs, and mixed berries. Crunchy acidity. A blend of 62% Cinsault and 38% Grenache. The Cinsault and Grenache received two weeks of carbonic maceration each followed by foot-treading to initiate spontaneous alcoholic fermentation. The next day, the wine was pressed into a stainless steel tank to complete its fermentation. After resting on the lees for several months, the varieties were blended and then bottled unfined and unfiltered. 12.6% alcohol. Demeter Certified Biodynamic. Regenerative Organic Certified. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $30. click to buy.
2021 Domaine Lumineux Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Light garnet in the glass, this wine smells of raspberry jam, red apple skin, and dried herbs. In the mouth, red apple skin, mulling spices, and raspberry jam flavors have a nice forest-floor quality with gauzy tannins. Good acidity. Tastes slightly evolved for its young age, but very drinkable. Spends 10 months in 33% new French oak. 13.5% alcohol. LIVE Certified sustainable. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $75. click to buy.
2022 Tolosa Winery Pinot Noir, SLO Coast, Central Coast, California
Light to medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of raspberry and earth, with a hint of olive juice. In the mouth, raspberry and green olive juice flavors have a nice salty, juicy quality, as the wine sits between fruity and savory notes. Barely perceptible tannins and excellent, citrus-peel acidity. Silky textured. Destemmed and then fermented in stainless steel, then aged for 9 months in 22% new French oak. 13.8% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $50. click to buy.
2021 Tolosa Winery “Primera – Edna Ranch” Pinot Noir, SLO Coast, Central Coast, California
Light garnet in the glass, this wine smells of sweet raspberries and a hint of cedar. In the mouth, juicy raspberry and candied redcurrant flavors are shot through with a hint of vanilla and orange peel. Silky textured, with barely perceptible tannins that only make themselves felt in the back of the mouth. Excellent acidity. Very pretty. Fermented with dried stems, and a portion fermented in new oak barrels. Aged in 25% new barrels and a few egg-shaped oak vessels. 14% alcohol. Comes in an obscenely heavy bottle, made heavier by a metal badge that has been glued to the front of the bottle and a thick dipped wax capsule. The whole ostentatious package weighs 1.71 kg when full. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $150. click to buy.
2021 Eden Rift “Estate” Pinot Noir, Cienega Valley, Central Coast, California
Light to medium garnet in color, this wine smells of raspberries, chopped herbs, and citrus peel. In the mouth, wonderfully bright raspberry and citrus peel flavors are wrapped in faintly fleecy tannins. Floral notes linger in the finish. Excellent acidity, and overall really nicely balanced. Fermented with native yeasts in stainless tanks. Fined with egg whites. Ages 10 months in 36% new French Oak. Bottled unfiltered. 13.9% alcohol. 896 cases made. Score: around 9. Cost: $50. click to buy.
2021 Eden Rift “Reserve” Pinot Noir, Cienega Valley, Central Coast, California
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of forest floor, herbs, and raspberries. In the mouth, powdery tannins wrap gauzily around a core of raspberry and citrus peel, shot through with dried herbs and dried flowers. Hints of sweet oak emerge on the finish. Fermented 50% whole-cluster with native yeasts in stainless tanks. Fined with egg whites. Ages for 10 months 40% new French oak. Bottled unfiltered. 13.9% alcohol. 287 cases made. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $70. click to buy.
2021 Tolosa Winery Grenache, SLO Coast, Central Coast, California
Light to medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of strawberry jam, dried herbs, and forest floor. In the mouth, berries and dried herbs mix with citrus peel brightness driven by excellent acidity. Lightly grippy tannins linger in the background, letting the berries and herbs take center stage. There’s a faint salinity to the wine that is quite appealing. Destemmed, then fermented in two batches, one hot, one cold, and later aged for 15 months in 31% new French oak. 14.4% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $??
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