Lost to Time and Travel

Wine Travel Beyond the Socials

Well, I had hoped to get this out to you en route somewhere around the world, but after the 44 hour trip to Yinchuan the clock started and only stopped for a few hours of sleep each night. The days all began at 8:30 a.m. tasting dozens of wines. Depending on the portion of the trip (China, Italy, or France), it was either judging or taking notes. Lunches were typically brief and the afternoons filled with regional excursions - wineries, cultural experiences, and in some cases both. Dinners ranged from extravagant to authentic, but always involved copious amounts of wine (many of which began to be drunk vs spit at this point), and after the bus rides back to our destinations, most nights closed with “decompression” gatherings where friends new and old gathered sharing wines and beer and conversations ranging from digesting the day to broader tales from our lives. It may seem overindulgent or just plain asinine to not head straight to sleep after such full days, but we all learn just as much, if not more, sitting around tables exchanging thoughts, ideas, opinions, tales, and cultural exchanges.

And so, at least a thousand wines, dozens of wineries, and five wine regions later…I’m going to spend the next few days organizing my pages and pages of notes, planning my editorial calendar and the deep dives we’ll be taking together. As for this week’s “In My Glass,” here are a few of the wines that were shared “off the clock.”

In My Glass

2023 Crama Mircesti Cabernet Franc

Crama Mircesti, established in 2011, sits roughly 50 miles from Chisinau, the main and capital city of Moldova. The 42-acre vineyard is planted between 885 to 1050 feet above sea level and planted to a variety of local and international grapes, including Cabernet Franc. Never having tasted my favorite grape from this Eastern European republic, I was unsure what to expect. I’m a harsh critic when it comes to “the boyfriend.” I went in with absolutely zero preconceptions and was immediately taken in by the fresh blueberry and cherry aromas delicately interwoven with pyrazines (in this case, bell pepper notes). On the palate it was fuller bodied but with a freshness that gave it an airier lift with warm spice notes to round out the juicy finish. My experience with Moldovan wines is limited, but if this is any indication, I think I just might have to put this region in my sights. Flagged.

Champagne Jacquesson Cuvée 744 Extra Brut

As luck would have it, this past trip, I had the opportunity to enjoy both the 744 and 747 from Champagne Jacquesson, and while both were among some of the better grower sips I’ve enjoyed as of late, the 744 was a particular standout. A blend of 40-40-20 blend of Pinot Noir-Chardonnay-Meunier based on the 2016 vintage with .75 g/L dosage, it was vinous and brooding with a rich toastiness belying the rich stone-fruity and pithy lemon flavors which are delivered across an energetic mousse. It’s lengthy too, finishing with a chalky minerality begging of another sip. It’s as complex as it is inviting and best when shared (lest you finish it all yourself). Necessary.

2022 San Guglielmo Rosso di Montalcino

Although not yet in the states, this vintage will be one to jump on. What a gorgeously and intensely perfumed Rosso. Predominantly Sangiovese, this wine is everything you love about Tuscany - floral and red fruited with brushy dried herbs, iron and salinity. It’s incredibly digestible with just about any salty Italian food you put on your plate, and it will leave you feeling one of two ways: completely satiated or in desperate need of a villa under the Tuscan sun. Call me Frances.

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In the Spotlight

I’m currently working as a field correspondent for Slow Wine Guide USA. As part of that work, I need to review three wines from around two dozen local Willamette Valley wineries. In some cases, samples are sent and tasted at my leisure. In others, I have the opportunity to taste with the owners/winemakers which also affords me the chance to dig in for a little extra information for you! So this week, let’s put the spotlight on one of my area favorites, Abbott Claim.

Winery of the Week

From a South African wine family, Antony Beck established Abbott Claim on the Savannah Ridge in Yamhill-Carlton. Burgundy trained winemaker Alban Debeaulieu leads production while vineyard manager Jackson Grom tends the vines. The estate vineyard is planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on well-draining oceanic sandstone surrounded by oak and fir forests. They also own and farm Lily Springs Vineyard in Eola-Amity Hills, which is co-planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on a sloped rock field with a mosaic of volcanic soils.

The Abbott Claim team believes biodiversity is a privilege and responsibility, therefore incorporating eco-friendly practices such as cover crops, conservation tillage, composting, and biodynamic preps throughout the dry-farmed vineyard. No herbicides or pesticides are used and they disturb the vines during the growing season as little as possible. At harvest, the grapes are hand-sorted and naturally fermented in oak, concrete and stainless steel. They incorporate whole-cluster fermentation and extended time on heavy lees, to achieve authenticity of place. They offer around six different labels, all of which are unfined and unfiltered.

As for the tasting experience, it’s not every winery tour that kicks off with a glass of Champagne in hand, but at Abbott Claim, everything is next level. From the seated candlelit cave tasting to the caviar service, you will leave feeling pampered, in awe, and most likely with a few bottles of their elegant and electric wines in hand (I have every time!).

My favorites with a few of my rough notes:

2022 Abbott Claim “Due North” Pinot Noir - “volcanic, mineral, herbal, dark fruit, long finish”

2022 Abbott Claim “Orientate” Pinot Noir - “Aging potential!!”

2022 Abbott Claim Estate Pinot Noir - “fine grained tannins, blood orange, herbal, black tea, going to age beautifully”

2022 Abbott Claim Temperance Hill Vineyard Chardonnay - “sooo long!”

2022 Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay - “Holy hell! Flint, LONG finish”

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In the Moment

Once I realized winemaker Alban Debeaulieu incorporates a fair amount of new oak into these wines, I was astounded. I never would have guessed based on the aromatics or the flavors. I’ve tasted well-integrated oak on wines, but this is next level finesse. And so I had questions - a lot of them - and Alban was gracious enough to walk me through his winemaking philosophies and process in detail. Not every winemaker is an open book with their tricks of the trade, but as Alban said, he’s not worried about sharing his winemaking techniques. They aren’t secret. And even if someone were to replicate them, the wines would never be the same - different vineyards, grapes, vintages, winemaking teams - no production is ever quite the same. So, I asked Alban if he would share with you, how he so deftly utilizes oak to showcase the natural qualities of the wines without distracting from them.

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In the Press

Made the local news in Yinchuan, China…

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In My Mind

In the past year, there has been a lot of talk and discussion around the dangers of alcohol consumption; however, the information released by the Surgeon General, and many media outlets as a result, was skewed and largely exaggerated. Alcohol certainly has an impact on health. In excess it is proven to be quite damaging, and the risk of cancer caused by alcohol is certainly real. That said, I believe when consumed in moderation and with an otherwise healthy lifestyle, the negative (and minimal) impacts of wine do not outweigh the net benefits: the enrichment, connections, friendships, experiences, and memories.

Without wine, my family and I would not have found ourselves on a beach with strangers after dinner watching the stars come out as we all sang to an acoustic guitar. We would not have enjoyed a very special dinner in the home of a Spanish family in the south of Spain, or lunching on a patio overlooking vines with “neighbors” in Italy as the kids played in their pool. Oh! And then there was the time I got to ride in a NASCAR going around the track at Watkins Glen at ridiculous speeds and that time I met my “hall pass,” Mark Wahlberg! And with the exception of my favorite Calvin Klein model meet-up, the other experiences all pre-dated my work in the industry. And this is the beauty of wine and why I love sharing it, teaching it, and communicating the many aspects of it - because this enrichment and these connections, exchanges, and adventures are not limited to the wine industry. They are available to us all.

So, even if moderate consumption may take a year or two from my life, for me, the trade-off is one I’m willing to make. Sharing wine with friends and family, over meals, at wineries overlooking vineyards, from barrels, and even with strangers around the world, has enriched my life in ways that I never could have imagined and for which I will be forever grateful. And these last weeks reinforced this in spades. So for me, as part of my lifestyle (which includes a “relatively” balanced diet and regular exercise), it’s a calculated risk I’m willing to take. Wine is my life.

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In the Room Where It Happened

This week’s “in the room where it happened” comes from the Concours Mondial event in Yinchuan, moments after the venue for the 2026 Red & White Session was announced. I was deeply moved by the emotional outpouring of the entire room, and felt it was a moment that needed to be captured. While I did post this to Instagram, and you may have seen it there, what you didn’t see were the plethora of messages I received that thanked me for saying this - particularly from those that do not live in the US, but also those feeling helpless in the US. Here’s one such example: “It’s people like you who we need to hear more of coming out of America. The real people. Keep that love in your heart and spread it wherever you go.”

As I say in the video, this is not a space where I’m going to get political, but I also will not hide where I stand. The news is filled with so much negativity and frankly, it’s hard to know what to trust, what’s real, what’s manufactured, and what’s just plain lies. But what I do know to be true is that for most people I come in contact with around the world, we’re all just human. We have more similarities than differences, and in most cases, when you get to the individual level, those differences are still something to be celebrated - perhaps even over a glass of wine!

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In the Hopper

I think for simplicity’s sake (in other words to organize my own mind), we’re going to cover each of the past month’s destinations in order of occurrence: the events, the why, the wines, and the takeaways. From there, I’ll sprinkle in specific wines, vintage reports, and travel inspiration. And while that’s happening, I’m going to be visiting a few other wine regions - but this time on holiday. There won’t be hundreds of wines this time, but there will certainly be wine!