A (Strange) Year in the Life of a Wine Buyer
The last 12 months have been very different to my previous 14 years in the wine business. Wine for me is an inherently human thing, from the farming of the vine, the crafting of the wine, the story telling to convey what's encapsulated in the bottle, and, ultimately of course, the sensory appreciation of all that went before. The way the wine tastes is something I spend my life trying to assess, understand, communicate... judge. That appreciation is affected by so many factors beyond what's in the bottle or my glass. The atmosphere in which it's tasted, my emotional state, pre-conceptions of the wine (though I strive to let them have as little impact as possible).
My time as a wine buyer has been filled with wonderful travels around the world. I've walked hundreds if not thousands of vineyards. I've spoken intimately with grape growers, winemakers, proprietors, and the countless salespeople who do their bidding. I've tasted wine literally on mountain tops, in caves, in scorching heat, and in a few cellars that were so cold even two down jackets didn't help. I've stayed with families who have welcomed me into their homes; I've stayed in the most luxurious of guest houses; and slept on the floor of the cheapest, dingy AirBNBs. I've eaten at some of the finest restaurants on the planet, hunted for my own food in New Zealand's wilderness, and burnt my tongue on hot meat pies standing by the side of the road. During these incredible experiences there's been one constant: I've been surrounded by some of the most wonderful people on earth. Constantly informed by their wisdoms, cultures, and experiences.
When COVID-19 shut the world down 12 months ago, just about everything changed. While I consider myself very fortunate and proud of how the team at K&L has continued to persevere under difficult conditions, the change to how we do our jobs has been dramatic. Working from home the last 12 months, I've had no face-to-face tasting appointments, no winery visits or travel outside my local area. Current suppliers, and prospective ones alike, have sent a near-constant steam of samples to my house for consideration, and I have worked diligently to taste them and consider their merits the best way I can despite deeply missing all the broader contextual elements of wine appreciation I spoke of before. Though it will never replace walking the vineyards or tasting barrels in the cellar with an amped-up winemaker excited to share their creations, I'm hugely grateful to the folks who have sent their wines during this time, and I have had more than a few "discoveries" that have left me stunned.
Sadly, with our stores still closed, it has been a tough time to share these types of wines with you. Many of them are tiny-production wines without big scores or marketing budgets. Some are new brands that have come into the market at the most challenging and intimidating time the wine business has ever seen. So, as we pass the one-year milestone of COVID, I turn to the much-touted savior of our times, social media, to present some of these wines to you in hopes that you will be interested in trying them and in anticipation that you will find them as compelling as I did. I will attempt, as futile as it may be, to communicate how special these wines are on behalf of the folks who cultivated and crafted them.
Join me tomorrow at 4PM on Instagram Live @klwines for a chat about these discoveries and more.
Corollary
2017 Corollary "Cuvée One" Willamette Valley Brut Sparkling Wine $34.99
There's never a bad time for bubbles, and this past year I've taken the opportunity to celebrate even the small things in life (like remembering it's trash day before you hear the garbage truck while laying in your bed at 6am). The folks at Corollary are very serious about making world-class sparkling wines, and it shows. This is one of the better domestic bubblies I've tasted to date, beautiful packaging too. A base blend of 50% Pinot Noir, 32% Chardonnay, and 18% Pinot Blanc, mostly fermented in neutral French oak. A lovely balance of richness and raciness. I think Oregon has wonderful potential for sparkling wines and this illustrates it perfectly.
Keltom Roots
Winemaker Brycen Hill's day job is working as a vineyard manager for Paul Hobbs / CrossBarn, so it should come as no surprise that he can get his hands on so top-notch fruit. Keltom Roots is his own fledgling brand made in tiny quantities. I was super impressed with both wines for their purity and authenticity. The winemaking is precise but unassuming. Brycen seems to do the bare minimum required to simply issue forth the fine quality of the fruit, place, and season.
2019 Keltom Roots "Unoaked" Russian River Valley Chardonnay $29.99
Unoaked Chardonnay is actually quite a brave thing to go after as a winemaker. Chardonnay is a grape that, at its best, is perhaps the most translucent vinous lens for capturing a sense of place. At the other end of the spectrum, however, it is one of the most malleable grapes that can be fashioned, often not particularly subtly, into any manner of buttery, oaky mess devoid of any vineyard or varietal character. Well, this bottling is a wonderfully pure expression of Chardonnay, and what that grape can taste like grown well in the Russian River. The block of Wente Clone Chard gives you all the delicious exotic qualities of perfectly ripe fruit while maintaining a keen edge of acidity. So good.
2019 Keltom Roots "Morchella" Green Valley of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir $34.99
Brycen's Pinot succeeds in delivering what the label artwork suggests. This is a Pinot Noir that embraces a savory, umami quality along with its silky, bright fruit. The revered Morel (Morchella) mushroom is famed for its complex earthy flavor and dense texture. This wine, while not lacking in delicious deep red fruit qualities and floral high notes, also has that terroir driven je ne sais quoi that Pinot Noir enthusiasts crave.
Assiduous
The U.S. wine market is reported to be $88 billion annually. And yet, when you work in it, I'm pleased to report that more often than not it feels like a very small world where six degrees of separation is more like two at most! I've been lucky enough to work in just about every aspect of the business and none has been more fun than the times I spent in the cellar with Keegan Mayo, the young winemaker behind Assiduous Wines. I'll spare you the stories of trapping vermin in buckets, crashing forklifts and stealth cuvees in the small hours of the morning... but, needless to say, we had a blast. Keegan launched his own label a few years back, and I'm stoked to have the wines among our selections. His wines are focused on his home turf of the Santa Cruz Mountains. They're made in a very minimalist, natural (but clean) style. Keegan also farms the small but coveted Lilo Vineyard.
2019 Assiduous Santa Cruz County Pinot Gris $17.99
A lovely racy, bright, fresh wine that speaks of its cool climate with zippy acidity and saline minerality. Some skin contact gives texture and depth to go with the lifted floral nose and zesty palate. Fruit is mostly from Regan Vineyard with a splash of Basor Vineyard.
2019 Assiduous "Bald Mountain Vineyard" Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay $24.99
Ryan Beauregard sells a very small amount tof fruit from his highly regarded Bald Mountain Vineyard, and Kegan managed to get his hands on some. The vines, planted in 1980, grow in fine, white sand called Zayante complex, soils that are unique to the area. Wines from this site have a distinct minerality and vibrancy that Keegan has captured beautifully in this wine. It's a relative bargain price too!
2019 Assiduous "Lilo Vineyard" Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir $29.99
From the vineyard that he personally farms using diligent organic principles, Keegan's take on this small coastal site very much represents the cool-climate, more savory side of Pinot Noir. Notes of forest floor, earthy red berries, pine needle, wood smoke, then crunchy acidity and nice inner-mouth perfume that persists on the finish.
Watkins Family
When Randall Wakins reached out to me about his wines, his email address caught my eye: @laurelglenvineyard.com. Yes, Randall is the winemaker for Sonoma stalwart and longtime K&L Staff favorite, Laurel Glen. If you don't know these wines then take my word for it—there are few, if any, producers making such classically styled, long-lived Bordeaux-inspired wines in the region. The wines are typically understated, but generally over-deliver especially after some time in the cellar. Randall and I struck a stunning deal on some older vintages of his own eponymous label he had in storage and I'm absolutely thrilled with how they're drinking.
2010 Watkins Family "Bugay Vineyard" Moon Mountain District Cabernet Franc $24.99
Bugay Vineyard is in the Mayacamas Mountains overlooking the Sonoma Valley below. The vines here grown in rocky, red, volcanic soils and produce wines with great structure. This now 11-year-old Cab Franc shows no sign of slowing down, with plenty of briary, deep red fruits, pipe tobacco, dried herbs, cedar, and worn leather. Fantastic purity and silky elegance on the palate.
2010 Watkins Family "Bismark Vineyard" Moon Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon $29.99
Bismark is another Mayacamas Mountains site. This high-elevation vineyard actually sits directly above the famed Monte Rosso Vineyard. The vines struggle to grow in the fractured volcanic tufa soils, yields are low and concentrated, making for great ageability. This wine is really just hitting its stride. Red to black fruits, plum, blackcurrant, hurtleberry, smoky sage, cigar box, dusty earth. Wonderfully complex as the primary fruit starts to ease off the gas and some delicious secondary flavors peak through. Stunning value for 10+ year old mountain grown Cabernet of this pedigree.
Tulocay
Tulocay was a property I vaguely knew of but had no real experience with. The box of samples I got from them was eye-opening—every wine was stunning! A self-professed "old-school" producer, family owned and operated, these wines do indeed have a ton of classic Napa Valley charm. No over-ripeness or big toasty oak here. These are wines of refinement and balance. Tulocay was founded in 1975 by Bill Cadman after working stints at Heitz, Clos Du Val, and Robert Mondavi. Today his daughter, Brie, makes the wines.
2018 Tulocay "Haynes Vineyard" Napa Valley Chardonnay $34.99
Haynes is one of the oldest and most sought-after plantings of Chardonnay in Napa. Planted well before the now prestigious AVA of Coombsville was established, these old Clone 4 vines produce simply magnificent Chardonnay. Tulocay's representation is full of white-flower perfume, sea spray, salted lime, and baked bread. A focused, precise wine that I really enjoyed.
2015 Tulocay Coombsville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $49.99
Wow, this wine really impressed me. Reminds me of Corison. Tightly packed, fragrant, fresh, lithe. Plenty of real varietal character, not afraid of some more savory notes of tobacco leaf, shaved cedar, mint. There's still plenty of fruit here, but styled in a much more restrained, age-worthy style than you find in 90% of modern-day Napa Cab. The wine was delicious on day two also, this wine will age 10-15 years with ease. Sourced from Rued and Haynes Vineyard.
- Ryan Woodhouse