Azienda Agricola Ronchi Barbaresco 2019
For more than four generations the Rocca family has lived in their family-built home surrounded by the vines of the ‘Ronchi’ cru in Barbaresco, sitting 960 ft above sea level. The vineyards are part of the family; winemaker Giancarlo Rocca can walk from his cellar door to his Nebbiolo vines in less than a minute. The natural landscape of their estate perfectly captures sun, pushing Nebbiolo to ideal ripeness in a stunningly picturesque setting.
Needless to say all work is performed by hand, and as sustainably as possible. No herbicides or pesticides are used. Grapes are harvested by hand from the eastern edge of the appellation and destemmed. This Barbaresco was fermented in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks before aging in Slavonian oak casks for 2 years. All wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered. Aromas of black cherries, licorice, game, light smoke; full-bodied and concentrated yet balanced, with moderate tannins and good length. Suggested pairings include grilled red meat, pork sausage, and dishes using mushrooms.
Anita & Hans Nitthaus Blauer Zweigelt
Burgenland is Austria’s easternmost wine region, bordering Hungary along its entire eastern flank. The northern sector of Burgenland is dominated by Lake Neusiedl (or Neusiedlersee), Europe’s largest steppe lake. The Nittnaus family has resided on the edge of Neusiedlersee since 1684. Today, third-generation Hans Nittnaus and his wife Anita helm the winery his grandfather Johann began in 1927. After taking over from his father in 1985, in the aftermath of the well-publicized diethylene glycol scandal which (despite being perpetrated by only a few large wineries) so damaged Austrian wine’s reputation abroad, Hans was resolutely determined to claw out respect for the wines of his homeland.
Hans & Anita are regarded today as influential pioneers of contemporary Burgenland’s dynamic wine scene, among the greatest growers in all of Austria. Their two sons Andreas and Martin, as well as their niece Lydia, are fully involved in the day-to-day operations of the winery, and the two generations approach their work in a collaborative spirit. Theirs are the wines of seasoned masters who have learned over years of experience how to produce wines that taste precisely and proudly of where they are from. Nittnaus’ spectacular Zweigelt spends 12 months aging in used 500-liter oak casks from the renowned Stockinger cooperage, and is bottled with minimal sulfur. This delivers plenty of concentration and tension on its modest 12.5%-alcohol frame, with spicy purple fruits and a beam of lifted acidity.
Reunion "Passion" Blaufrankisch 2015
The Blaufränkisch grapes thrive in the ideal conditions of these top vineyards. The vine rows are green and, thanks to the presence of beneficial organisms living here, the use of insecticides are completely avoided. Gentle foliage work in the summer ensures high physiological maturity at harvest time. Grape yields are limited: 4500 kilograms per hectare for Reunion Passion; and 4000 kg / ha for Reunion Vision. The harvest takes place very late in the year. Grapes from the 2015 vintage were ready at the end of October. Picked by hand and under strict selection, only fully ripe and healthy grapes were allowed in the harvest baskets.
The Reunion Passion is fermented in steel tanks with its own natural yeasts; no selected yeasts are added. For the 2015, the wine spent four weeks on the mash and went through malolactic fermentation on the mash as well. Then the wine was filled in barriques – which are, for the most part, used 225-liter barrels, depending on the vintage. With the supreme 2015 vintage, only 20% of the barrels were used (second filling). In general, the wine first matures on the fine lees for several months to give it fullness and suppleness, and then spends at least ten months in small wooden barrels. For 2015, it was 14 months.
After its bottling and a few weeks of storage, the Reunion Passion will be launched on the market in the third spring following the harvest.
The Reunion Vision goes through spontaneous fermentation in open wooden vats, and without the addition of selected yeasts. The wine spends four weeks on the mash and undergoes malolactic fermentation during this period as well. It is then transferred into small barrels made of new, lightly toasted oak. As with the Reunion Passion, this wine remains on the fine lees during the first months of maturing. The maturation period lasts for 16 months in new barriques. The Reunion Vision will come on the market in the summer or fall of the third year following the harvest.
Schiavenza Barolo Prapò
Schiavenza is located in Serralunga d'Alba in the heart of Piedmont's Langhe district. In 1956, brothers Vittorio and Ugo Alessandria founded the estate. Formerly, both the estate and surrounding area were part of the Opera Pia Barolo (picture a castle that is part educational institution and part hospital) whose vineyards were worked by sharecroppers. The local dialect for sharecropping is schiavenza. Today, the estate is run by the second-generation Alessandria sisters, Enrica and Maura, and their husbands Luciano Pira and Walter Anselma. They have holdings in Serralunga with a very small plot in Monforte d’Alba, and include the heralded crus Prapò, Cerretta, and Broglio.
Schiavenza has 0.9 hectares in the Prapò cru, which equates to roughly 2 acres. They get prime southeast exposure, showcasing the best of the vines that were planted in 1993. Of all their crus, this is the one in which the soil is most representative of Serralunga: its high percentage of light-colored limestone naturally limits yields and results in wines that are rugged in nature but never aggressive; they are beautifully made with the perfect level of restraint and harmony.
Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
In the late 1950s, pioneering vintner Joe Heitz ushered in Napa’s modern era with his globally celebrated wines, including Napa Valley’s first vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignon: the Heitz Cellar Martha’s Vineyard. Decades of the Heitz family’s dedication to viticulture, stewardship, and classic winemaking maintained the winery’s notoriety as a benchmark amongst its peers in California and Europe.
In 2018, Heitz Cellar entered a new chapter as operations were passed into the hands of the Lawrence family, whose roots in agriculture and commitment to fine winemaking made it a perfect match. The wines are made from 100% organically-farmed Napa Valley fruit and a commitment to sustainability.
The wine we’re featuring is their entry level Cabernet Sauvignon, which is full-bodied with a wide range of fruit notes both dark and vibrant. Perfect level of oakiness with an acidity that balances its smooth tannins.
Sijnn Red Blend
This Platter’s Guide 5-star red blend positions Sijnn as a pioneer of South Africa’s “final frontier,” making world class wines in an extremely isolated, intense climate at the edge of the Cape South Coast. This Syrah-dominant blend is a perfect example of South Africa’s suitability for resilient Mediterranean cultivars. Grown at the Sijnn estate in Malgas, these bushvines see very little water (about 14 inches per year), hot summer temperatures, and ferocious winds off the Indian Ocean. (Trincadeira and Touriga Nacional are no strangers to these conditions.) The estate is located just 10 miles as the crow flies from the ocean, down a long and winding 25-mile dirt road. The vineyards sit atop iron-rich red riverstone galets over blue shale, and some of the Syrah is planted on slate. The 2018 growing season was very dry and windy with very little rainfall, yet despite the rough growing conditions, these vines cope in extraordinary ways.
The grapes were handpicked and carefully sorted in the vineyards. All cultivars were destemmed and gently crushed into small open top fermentors (Syrah and Trincadeira retained about 10% whole bunches). Fermentation occurred spontaneously, with 2-3 days of pigeage or pump overs. After 10-12 days on the skins, all lots were transferred to a traditional basket press for a single pressing each, followed by racking to mostly 225L barrels. Malolactic fermentation was completed in these barrels, and after one year, the wines were blended to tank and re-racked into 700L barrels for another 9-12 months. Bottled with just a small addition of sulfur. No fining or filtering.
Dautel Estate Pinot Noir
Few have tried or even knew of Pinot Noir that comes from Germany, but Dautel is an excellent place to start. The Dautel family is a leading producer with grape growing history going back 500 years. Like many estates, the previous story was one of mixed agriculture. Reformation in the region dictated that property be divided between all children; parcels of vineyard land got increasingly smaller with each passing generation. Co-ops were founded and came to dominate the area, the idea being that the smaller plots of land could be reunited through production rather than ownership. Ernst Dautel was the first generation in his family to attend winemaking school in Geisenheim in the 1970s. When he returned home he decided to stop working with the coop, despite being one of its founding members. Ernst didn’t want to “throw his fruit in with all the rest and get some bad quality wine out of it.” He then became one of the first producers in the Württemberg to estate bottle wines. His eldest son Christian attended Geisenheim just as he did. Today, Christian farms four Grand Cru sites. He is a thoughtful winemaker with a huge amount of respect for what his father accomplished and sees no need to tear down the work that has been done by making abrupt changes.
Dautel’s goal is to bring out the specific character of each terroir without losing the inherent flavor of the grape variety planted to each vineyard. Wines are not made by formula, but by taking into account the feeling for each site and variety. Their wines showcase pure varietal characteristics while also being simply fun to drink.
Raul Perez Bierzo "Las Gundinas" 2021
Most all the Perez “Mencia” wines are from various sources along the pilgrim-age to the tomb of Saint James in Santiago di Compostela, which is the main reason each wine is NOT completely 100% Mencia. Since 900 AD, the monks making the trek would bring gifts of various vine cuttings for the monasteries en route ; including Trousseau (Bastardo), Alicante Bouschet, Souson, and Godello and Palamino. Over time these vines became co-mingled in the organically farmed, but predominantly Mencia vineyards. Raul Perez sources from specific vineyard sites to be kept separate and designated, but also produces from various field blends from different zones in and around the area in Valtuille de Abajo where he grew up and his family has worked for generations. His model is very Burgundian and represents a collection of terroirs and growers.
“The 2020 La Vizcaína Las Gundiñas has a new plot, a west-facing vineyard that is steeper and cooler. Pérez likes Gundiñas and Rapolao in warmer years like this. In 2020, 50% of the wine matured in 2,000-liter oak foudre and the other half in used 500-liter barrels. It was harvested much earlier, and the wine shows more freshness even if it shows more tannin today. He likes long macerations (40 to 45 days) and works toward having tannins and weight in his wines. Some 6,000 bottles were filled in August 2021. 2023 – 2029.” – 95+ points, Wine Advocate – Luis Gutierrez (January 31, 2022)
