Scott Beckerley (SF)

Two Big and Bold; One Sweet and Delicious!

On the Wednesday the 10th of September, I had to opportunity to taste a couple dozen newly released wines with Ryan Woodhouse, our Domestic Buyer here at K&L. I’ve always liked his palate and taste in wine because it is eclectic, and he tends to appreciate the unusual and champions releases from small family wineries. Here are three of my favorites from that day:

2019 Big Basin "Gabilan Mountains” Monterey Rhône Blend $29.95 (Elsewhere $40) 95VN This dark red- and black-fruited beauty has everything that I like in wines from the Northern Rhône Valley: a heady nose that is pretty with flowers and lush with ripe raspberry and cassis fruit aromas. There is a very fine underlay of roasted meats. It’s a pleasure just to smell it! On the palate, the complexity stands out with big dark red fruit that is lightly crunchy. In addition, there are some baking spices and a very faint flavor of white pepper. None of its deliciousness is muddied up with a bunch of oak. It is pure and extremely tasty.

2021 Patria “Oakville Ranch” Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon $119.95 97JD 95-97TWI 96VN From the world-renowned Oakville Ranch, this spanking-new release is big and bold with dark cassis, black cherries, and milk chocolate. There are cedar undertones, with a surprising bit of cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s not just all big fruit! The long finish even has a nice minerality to it. The production of this wine is miniscule, so it will not last long.

2022 Arbe Garbe "Catie's Corner Vineyard" Russian River Valley Malvasia Dessert Wine (375ml) $29.95 To be perfectly honest, I am not a sweets guy. In particularly, I don’t like super heavy and sticky wines. When I do drink them, I like them balanced and not overly heavy. This little bottle of wine with the very long name is all that. It is oh-so floral and so very, very pretty! It’s not just sweet but has heady white flower, honey, and Muscat scents. In the mouth, it is plush with tropical fruits, especially pineapple. The honeyed aspect is very balanced, and it is topped off by apricot and juicy orange. The beginning of my tasting notes simply says, “YUM!”

Alexandre Tweedie (RC)

Italian-Inspired Whites from Massican

When Larkmead Cellars underwent a massive replanting in 2007, previous head winemaker Dan Petroski discovered several old vines that survived the cull: a curious block of an ancient Italian varietal, Tocai Friulano. Seeing these old Tocai vines brought back fond memories of the time he spent in the mid 2000s living alongside the Northern Italian coastline, in the wine paradise of Friuli. “It became important to me—aspirational,” he said. “What if I could make a noble white blend, in the tradition of the Italian wines I loved, but inject it with California sunshine?”

With only 51 acres of Tocai Friulano planted in all of California, Petroski needed help from his neighbors to find the proper fruit source to make this noble white blend, so he assembled a super group of California winemakers to assist: Andy Smith from DuMol winery offered to share some Chardonnay from the his block at the historic Hyde Vineyard in Carneros; Tegan Passalacqua from Turley Cellars shared key information about an old Tocai vineyard in the Chiles Valley; and Steve Matthiasson introduced him to a vineyard in Oak Knoll dedicated to Friulian grapes, specifically Ribolla Gialla. With grapes secure, every piece of Massican’s Friulian puzzle fell into place, leaving us today with wines such as Annia and Gemina—wines of pure and unrestrained freshness—Italian tradition with California sunshine. Bright, zippy flashes of white flower blossom and blood oranges on the nose, delicate yet deeply fruited on the palate with notes of ginger-zested peach skins and passion fruit, surrounded with splashes of salted pomelo. When the right secrets and the proper grapes are shared, truly singular wines begin to be crafted and start to take shape—when asked what’s next for the California wine industry, Petroski has one word: Friuli.

2022 Massican "Vino Bianco" California White Blend $19.95 (Elsewhere $28)

2023 Massican California Pinot Grigio $24.95 94WE

2023 Massican "Annia" Napa Valley White Blend $29.95 93DC 93JS 93WE

2023 Massican "Gemina" California White Blend $29.95 96DC

Carlo Delgado (CC)

Three Excellent Pinot Noir Values from Three Different Sub AVA of Willamette Valley

During my recent visit to Oregon Pinot Camp, I discovered how distinctive and underappreciated the wines of Oregon truly are. I’ve selected three outstanding value-driven Pinot Noirs, each hailing from a particular sub-appellation in the Willamette Valley.

2022 Arterberry Maresh Dundee Hills Pinot Noir $29.95 96DC This wine has always been one of my favorite Pinot Noirs from Willamette Valley. It is grown on red clay and the famous volcanic “Jory” soil. A light, refreshing wine, with flavors of wild strawberry, fresh pomegranates, crunchy red berries, oolong tea, and a touch of saline on the finish. Ready to be chilled.

2021 PROJECT M "Momtazi Vineyard" McMinnville Pinot Noir $24.95 (Elsewhere $60) 93JS Momtazi is a family-owned, biodynamically farmed vineyard in McMinnville fully exposed to the cooling winds funneled in through the Van Duzer Gap. The vines grow on thin volcanic soils. Flavors of dark berries, black plums, savory dried herbs, violet, and a touch of tar. Quite juicy on the palate with a spicy long finish.

2022 Norris "Landscape - Norris McKinley Vineyard" Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir $14.95 (Elsewhere $45) This one of the best values I’ve seen in Pinot Noir so far. Single vineyard, grown on a distinctive type of ancient marine sedimentary soil known as Willakenzie. Aromas of black plums, cranberries, and dark chocolate. Juicy, refreshing, with a long, smoky finish.