Let’s get right into it this week:
In My Glass
2020 Tenuta Tascante Ghiaia Nera Etna Rosso DOC
Yum! Yum! Yum! That’s seriously almost all I want to say about this red wine derived from Nerello Mascalese grapes grown in Etna’s volcanic soils. It was bursting with fresh red berry and cherry flavors laced with florality and subtle hints of earthiness. It was juicy, crisp, tart, with an undercurrent of volcanic minerals, and honestly it couldn’t have hit harder than it did in the moment. I thoroughly and noticeably enjoyed every sip of this wine and for under $30. I think that’s a big win. Noticeable. $26
2021 Carpineto Dogajolo Bianco
I know Pinot Grigio can get a bad rap as the ubiquitous party wine. But they have a place, are often refreshing, and there are some real beauties out there. That said, if you’re looking to mix things up a bit at a similar family-birthday-party-wine price, this blend of Chardonnay, Sauv B, and Grechetto will slightly up the game in terms of complexity without losing its refreshing character. It’s clean, fruity, fresh and like Pinot Grigio, is likely to please a diverse crowd of aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, friends, and even you. House white. $15
I’ll be honest, I was partly drawn to the hot pink and gold accented bottles of BuDhaGirl. I was an avid Barbie girl growing up and to this day love accessorizing with flashy high heels, colorful accents, and costume jewelry, and this bottle has an element of that kind of notice-me confidence. But it also made the wine geek in me skeptical. A sparkling wine in a flamboyant bottle - would it actually be good or is it simply gimmicky? I don’t like to be “judgy,” but I’ve had those kind of wines before, some at 10 times the price, and they were ultimately cringeworthy. Fortunately, in this case, both the design and wine delivered. This was a good quality fizz with all the zippy and brioche-y characteristics of a NV cuvée. It totally satisfied my sparkling wine craving without sacrificing my budget or mood. And so I’m gunna recommend this one for “girl dinner,” Monday nights, boat days, brunching, sabering, and any occasion where it’s all about the FUN. This is your good time bottle this summer. Flashtastic. $35
In the Spotlight
Winery of the Week
Tucked away in a quiet, unassuming natural amphitheater within the Dundee Hills surrounded by forests and diverse plant-life is the Nicolas-Jay Estate Vineyard and winery. Long-time friends Jean-Nicolas Méo, a Burgundian winemaker, and Jay Boberg, a music entrepreneur, founded the winery in 2014 with the goal of bringing Burgundian traditions in winemaking while still expressing the essence of Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
Today, the winery produces 6,200 cases of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from its estate vineyard and the Bishop Creek Vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton planted in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which it acquired in 2014. Grapes are also sourced from partner vineyards in the McMinnville, Eola-Amity, and Dundee Hills AVAs to produce its line-up of expressive, terroir-driven wines.
And that’s exactly what you’ll find. But what are terroir-driven wines? To me, these are wines that are expressive of the land on which they are grown - the soils, the slopes, the minerals, the winds, the biodiversity, and the vineyard’s climate. They offer a snapshot of a moment in time depicting the vines, they’re roots and age, the farming, and the weather specific to that growing season. And in my opinion, they are wines in which the winemakers don’t “make” the wine, but rather guide it through the fermentation process. Think of it as “free-range” parenting versus “helicopter” parenting. The grapes are allowed to express their own personality.
But how do you taste that in a wine? Honestly, like everything in wine that’s fairly subjective. What I can say, is that if you taste these wines next to other Pinot Noirs or Chardonnays, you’ll note a difference in finesse, tension, mouthfeel, and quality. If you aren’t tasting these wines next to others, you’ll likely be just as happy because these are beautiful wines. And let’s be real, that’s primarily what it’s all about anyway - enjoying the wine - and you get to be the ultimate critic.
I’ve now visited Nicolas-Jay on two occasions. First, for a traditional seated tasting on the deck overlooking the vines and then, most recently for their Le Petit Déjeuner experience held on select Friday mornings. The first tasting was casual, informative, and the reason I returned. These are some exquisitely crafted wines. But the second tasting, that is the one I will be recommending to everyone.
The Le Petit Déjeuner begins at 10 a.m. when you join Assistant Winemaker Noah Roberts in the cellar for a brief tour and winemaking discussion. It’s an intimate look behind the curtains and offers in-the-moment insights on the various stages of the wines in production from both the current and past vintages. After the informative tour, guests are then treated to a seated traditional French breakfast catered by local purveyors, which is paired with five limited production wines. Only one booking is available per the selected Fridays, making every experience more intimate and personalized. It’s a unique and satiating experience to kick off a day of wine tasting in Willamette Valley or just a relaxing morning leading into the weekend. And I have to note, the pièce de résistance for me was the French-pressed coffee as I mulled over my wine purchases. I can’t think of a better way to end a wine experience than with a little caffeinated pick-me-up. Wine purchases are not necessary, but I don’t think anyone can leave without taking one or two bottles of Nicolas-Jay home.
In Depth
“How long should you try? Until.” — Jim Rohn
I try to live by this mantra – with life in general. I even stick to this mantra with beets, despite detesting them (almost) every time. Fortunately, this philosophy worked out for the better with Chardonnay.
Like so many wine drinkers, I used to be a full-fledged, card-carrying member of the ABC club (Anything But Chardonnay). Thankfully, someone once handed me a glass of Chablis and my world was righted.
It’s a familiar story. White Burg changes lives. But admittedly I was still nervous, and often flat out refusing, to try most California and domestic Chardonnays. The once vastly popular style of new oak, full malolactic (aka toasty, vanilla, butter popcorn bomb) Chards are what originally had me signing my ABC membership card. Fortunately, I was handed another wine. This time blind.
I still remember the moment. It was in one of my early wine classes. There was finesse and a silky elegance in the glass, balance and complexity on the palate, and a finish that lingered forever. As the citrusy freshness with that rounded core of ripe, red apples, apricots, and hazelnut with that distinct rocky minerality passed my lips I remember noting down, “outstanding.” I also wrote, “French Chardonnay.” I was partly right. It was Chardonnay. It was high-quality. But it was very much from Sonoma, California (looking at you Gary Farrell). My mind was blown. And from that day on, I’m still trying them – all of them.
Why am I sharing this? Because that glass of Chardonnay opened my world. This once “red wine only” wine lover, now opens all kinds of white wines, and as often as my beloved Cab Francs, Bordeaux blends, and Brunellos. This series of “ah-ha” moments has brought joy, discovery, and unfathomable food and wine pairings into my life. But, unfortunately, I know that ABC club still has a strong roster.
The Anything but Chardonnay craze lit off from an article in the NY Times in 1995, and the backlash is ongoing. At the time, Chardonnay had just surpassed sales of White Zin and was the top selling variety in California with 18 million cases and more than 500 Chardonnays on the market. Unfortunately, many of these Chards were either flabby or over-oaked, and as quality inevitably suffered to meet demand, the grape ultimately bore the blame. But this is the good part of this story – it’s not the grape!
Chardonnay, known as “the winemaker’s grape,” is itself a neutral variety that can be expressed in myriad of styles - oaked, unoaked, malolactic (buttery flavors), partial-malo, no malo, lees aging (texture and pastry flavors), bright and light, rich and round … and then there’s climate (cool vs warm), vineyard, clones, the list goes on, as do the expressions available for tasting and trying. Long story short, times have changed, winemaking and wines have improved, and there are a plethora of Chardonnays to explore from the well-known and renowned, to the hidden gems and cult classics from lesser-known talents and regions.
Now don’t worry if you’re still in the ABC club. My advice, give Chablis or a white Burg a try to get your bearings. After that, you’ve got a world of liquid gold at the ready. Even if you’re still cautious about Chardonnay from the Golden State, you can dip those toes in the electric and sleek expressions of Oregon’s Willamette Valley or New York’s Finger Lakes, or perhaps the round, mineral rich styles of Washington state. And you can always take a sip dip down under with the tropical, yet refreshingly mouth-watering styles found across Australia and New Zealand. Then, when you’re ready, the diversity of California awaits, and I will personally attest to having tasted some absolute stunners from both its famous and far less-so regions.
Since sipping that sneaky Sonoma Chardonnay years ago, I’ve had many more incredible expressions; so many, it’s now my favorite white wine. And to this day, having the opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine validating of my mantra (“try....until”) continues to be exciting, fun, and even occasionally mind-blowing. So, my advice to you: shred that ABC card and get trying!
And with International Chardonnay Day this week - May 23rd - there’s no better time than now. Here are a few of my favorite regions/producers for Chardonnay:
Chablis, Bourgogne (Mâcon for more $ friendly options), Willamette Valley and particularly Eola-Amity AVA, Finger Lakes of New York, Mendoza, Tuscany, Margaret River in Australia, Santa Barbara, and Baja, Mexico
Walter Scott (OR), Gran Moraine (OR), White Walnut (OR), Saviah Cellars (WA), DiamAndes (Argentina), Six Eighty Cellars (NY), Osmote (NY), Fel (Anderson Valley, CA), Sandar & Hem (Santa Cruz Mnt, CA), Fichet (Mâcon, FR), Dominique Cornin (Pouilly-Fuisse, FR), Daniel-Etienne Defaix (Chablis, FR), Drouhin (OR and FR), Family Crest Angove (Adelaide Hills, Australia)
In-Box
You asked, I answered
If you were from Chicago, how did you end up with a connection to Finger Lakes in New York?
Spontaneity and happenstance. My first trip to the Finger Lakes was in 2011. My family was returning from an epic three-week road trip through Canada, Vermont, and Maine. We had just visited the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Rights National Historical Park in New York and were looking for a way to break-up the drive back to Chicago when we saw a sign for wineries. And since wine tasting across the country was always a part of our road trip “MO,” the decision was made: we were Finger Lakes bound. And we were hooked. What was supposed to be a one-night stopover, turned into several nights and eventually at least a dozen return trips.
It was one of those return visits in the summer of 2015, however, that literally changed the course of my life. My husband and I were staying at an Airbnb property overlooking Sawmill Creek Vineyard for our anniversary weekend. We spent the day wine tasting and were winding down for the night at nearby Stonecat Cafe. That’s when we met our Airbnb hosts who invited us over to their table for some wine. Also at that table was the director of the Finger Lakes Wine Country Marketing association. Over the course of the next several hours, wine was poured, ideas hatched, dancing ensued, and friendships formed. Long-story short, two things came out of the evening (well, three if you count the next day’s hangover!):
We spent the next day tying rows of Cab Franc vines overlooking Seneca Lake in the vineyard. This was my first experience working in a vineyard and at that very moment, I knew wine needed to be a part of my career.
And it just so happened, the second thing to arise was what ended up launching that very career. We were subjects in a photoshoot in the blooming cherry blossoms that very afternoon as well as invited back for a second family photoshoot in the wineries a month later. I was also asked to author of a series of articles for Finger Lakes Wine Country Magazine to accompany the photos and those pieces became my very first official wine articles.
From that one night over wine and music, my entire wine career began. In addition to the numerous return visits to the region, at least a dozen opportunities arose through the years, including working with the Wine Bloggers Conference and media group, consulting for several wineries on marketing projects, press trips for various outlets to cover the region, eventually having the opportunity to attend Riesling Camp and yes, most recently, representing my favorite Cab Francs from the region at CabFrancAPalooza while also serving as the FLX “expert” on the University panel. So, not only did I fall in love with the wines of the Finger Lakes, but I also feel a strong connection with the community. It’s my home away from home, and I’ll forever be an advocate and ambassador for this region, its grapes, and its wines.
In the Hopper
A story of regeneration.
Haha! Love a good breakfast wine too. And I'm with you - love those blind moments when you can surprise someone with a good Chard!
I'm with Charlotte, you had me at breakfast wine too! LOL
How fun to have your wine journey start off from a family vacation!
And on the ABC club - yep, so many people are members! I love blind tastings and watching someone get that OMG look on their face when I know it's something they said they don't like 😂😂