($30): 
The Rogue Valley in southwestern Oregon does not have the cachet — yet — for wine that the Willamette Valley has. Wines from the Naumes family suggests that will change. The Naumes family has been growing fruit trees in Oregon for over a hundred years and added grapes and wine only in 2013, according to their website, making them a somewhat new player in the Oregon wine industry. … Read more
Category Archives: Reviews
Naumes Family Vineyards, Rogue Valley (Oregon) Viognier 2017
($30): 
Viognier is a tough grape to transform into wine. It needs to ripen adequately to provide its floral dimension, but a little over ripeness brings with it high alcohol and an unbalanced wine. Despite the stated 14.5-percent alcohol, this one still harnesses delicate floral and peach-like notes both on the nose and the palate. … Read more
Poggio Trevvalle, Morellino di Scansano DOCG (Maremma, Tuscany, Italy) “Dù Galli” 2017
($20): 
The cutesy label and name (two roosters) represent the two brothers, Bernardo and Umberto Valle, who have crafted this engaging mid-weight red. Morellino di Scansano, which carries DOCG designation, Italy’s highest ranking, is an area in the Maremma in southwestern Tuscany, the primary grape of which is Sangiovese. … Read more
Argiolas, Vermentino di Sardegna DOC (Sardinia, Italy) “Is Argiolas” 2018
($20, Winebow): 
The Vermentino grape produces the best wine when, as the saying goes, its vines “can see the sea,” which is why it is an important grape on the island of Sardinia. Argiolas, a family-run winery dating to 1938, selects its oldest vines for Is Argiolas. … Read more
Fontezoppa, Falerio DOC (Marche, Italy) Pecorino “Citanò” 2018
($20): 
This is a quintessential Pecorino, displaying verve, salinity and pleasant hint of lemon or a grapefruit rind bitterness in the finish. This lively and energetic wine is great for balancing the pepperoncini that finds its way into the linguine and clam sauce.… Read more
Ballabio, Vino Spumante di Qualità (Oltrepo Pavese, Lombardy, Italy) “Farfalla” Noir Collection, Zero Dosage NV
($22): 
Consumers tend to forget that Italy makes a host of sparkling wines in addition to Prosecco. And though I have nothing against Prosecco, many of Italy’s other bubblies, such as this one, provide a lot more interest. This one is positively riveting. … Read more
Castello di Spessa, Collio DOC (Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy) Friulano 2017
($21): 
Consumers can be excused if they are confused regarding the name of this grape. Formerly it was called Tocai Friulano, but the Hungarians objected that this dry white wine might be confused with their legendary sweet wine, Tokay (Tokaji), so they won a regulatory ruling that forced the Italians to change the name. … Read more
Ponte, Prosecco Superiore Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG (Veneto, Italy) Extra Dry NV
($12): 
Though Prosecco has become — for some — the generic word for any wine with bubbles, this one actually is one from the mandated area in the northeastern Italy. Extra Dry, in this case, and, as with all sparkling wines, actually means a hint of sweetness. … Read more
Badia a Coltibuono, Chianti Classico DOCG (Tuscany, Italy) 2016
($20): 
The quality of this wine and the enjoyment from it should come as no surprise. The 2016 vintage in Chianti Classico was fabulous, producing ripe but racy wines. Badia a Coltibuono is consistently among the top producers. The surprise here is finding a wine of this caliber for an average price of $20, though I’ve seen it for much less. … Read more
Agriverde, Terre di Chieti IGP (Abruzzo, Italy) Pecorino “Riseis” 2018
($11): 
Pecorino, the grape and the wine made from it, is a name to remember. Its home is in the middle of the east coast of Italy in the regions of Le Marche and Abruzzo. As with all wine, there is a range of style of Pecorino from zippy and cutting to softer and creamier. … Read more
Cirelli La Collina Biologica, Colline Pescaresi IGT (Abruzzo, Italy) Pecorino 2018
($21): 
Pecorino, both the wine and the cheese, typically have an attractive bite to them. This one, an organic wine from the organically-focused producer whose name is, literally, “the organic hill,” has a creamy texture that mutes the bite. It is still there, but overall the wine’s less energetic, but more suave, showing that Pecorino can have a broader profile.… Read more
William Fevre, Saint-Bris (Burgundy, France) 2018
($25, Maison Marques et Domaines): 
Saint-Bris, formerly known as Sauvignon de Saint Bris before it was elevated to appellation d’origine controllée (AOC) status, is curious and unique in Burgundy. Located in the far north, near Chablis and covering a mere 200 acres, it requires the use of Sauvignon Blanc, not Chardonnay, for its wines. … Read more
Maison Louis Latour, Côteaux Bourguignons (Burgundy, France) Pinot Noir “Les Pierres Dorées” 2017
($26, Louis Latour, USA): 
Côteaux Bourguignons is a relatively new appellation, replacing Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire, an appellation I’ve never seen in the U.S., perhaps because a “grand ordinary” wine is hard to sell. Grapes for this appellation can come from anywhere in Burgundy, from Beaujolais in the south to Irancy in the north. … Read more
Domaine P-L & J-F Bersan, Cuvée Marianne, Irancy, 2019
Drinking Window: 2023 – 2029Though they have a hectare of vines in Irancy, their Cuvée Marianne comes from Pinot Noir—and a tiny amount of César—from two lieux-dits, Les Rez and La Grande Côte Est, that they buy from a neighbouring grower.
Domaine de Mauperthuis, Irancy, Burgundy, France, 2019
Drinking Window: 2022 – 2029
The stony character of the appellation offsets the ripeness imparted by the 2019 vintage. The inclusion of César adds a savoury and enchanting rusticity that contrasts nicely with the more black-fruited, as opposed to red cherry, notes.
Clotilde Davenne, Irancy, Burgundy, France, 2019
Drinking Window: 2022 – 2029
Davenne’s village Irancy shows her talent. While it does not command the same presence as her Paradis bottling, there’s plenty to like here. Great aromatics, a bit of red fruits, some minerality, freshness and a polished texture come together in this beautifully balanced wine.
Domaine Colinot, Veaupessiot, Irancy, Burgundy, France, 2019
Drinking Window: 2023 – 2029
Veaupessiot lieu-dit sits adjacent to Palotte, but lower on the slope. The 2019 Veaupessiot is a good contrast with their riper 2018 from the same site and demonstrates a clear distinction between these two hot vintages.
Domaine Colinot, Palotte, Irancy, Burgundy, France, 2019
Drinking Window: 2023 – 2029
From Palotte, a south-facing lieu-dit that many locals and critics, alike, consider to be one of Irancy’s best site, Domaine Colinot has combined both a fruity and minerally expression of Irancy. Colinot’s Palotte bottling exhibits good ripeness—both the site and vintage speaking—with sufficient balancing acidity that keeps it lively.
Christophe Ferrari Domaine St. Germain, Irancy, Burgundy 2019
Drinking Window: 2022 – 2029
Nicolas Ferrari, one of the leading young producers in Irancy, succeeded admirably with his 2019s. Subtle spiciness is a welcome counterpoint to the more black than red fruit flavours displayed here. The sunshine of the vintage explains the wine’s succulence, while the cooler nights and Irancy’s northern locale capture balancing acidity.
Maison de la Chapelle, Irancy, Burgundy, France, 2019
Drinking Window: 2023 – 2029
Here’s a great example of the high-quality wines from Irancy that a newly established small domaine can produce. Made entirely from Pinot Noir, this Irancy is a terrific expression of the appellation. Dark cherry-like fruitiness offsets the wine’s stony, iron-tinged side.
Maison de la Chapelle, Les Bâtardes, Irancy, Burgundy, 2019
Drinking Window: 2023 – 2029
This wine made exclusively from Pinot Noir from the Les Bâtardes lieu-dit makes an excellent comparison to Maison de la Chapelle’s multi-vineyard Irancy bottling. As with their Irancy village bottling, Les Bâtardes is refined and pure, albeit expressing riper, more lush fruit character and less stoniness at this stage.
Isabelle & Denis Pommier, Irancy, Burgundy, France, 2019
Drinking Window: 2022 – 2029
Unsurprisingly, this top Chablis producer has also produced a winning village Irancy. Polished tannins enrobe this lively mix of herbal, cherry-like fruit, and minerals. There’s a little bit of everything and not too much of anything.
Domaine Verret, Fût de Chêne, Irancy, Burgundy, France, 2019
Drinking Window: 2023 – 2029
Many wines, especially from lesser-known appellations, proclaiming Fût de Chêne (aged in oak) are askew with prominent wood flavours and tannins. Not Verret’s Irancy. It was aged for 11 months in used – four to 12-year old- barrels, which helps explain why the oak is seamlessly incorporated into the wine.
Domaine Ternynck, Palotte, Irancy, Burgundy, France, 2019
Drinking Window: 2022 – 2029
A field blend of Pinot Noir and César, this Palotte was aged in older oak barrels for 18 months, gravity-racked, and bottled without fining or filtration. This mid-weight wine displays a plethora of red fruits and distinct, almost tarry, minerality, reflecting the stature of the lieu-dit and the care and talents of the winemaking team.
Domaine Ternynck, Mazelot, Irancy, Burgundy, France, 2019
Drinking Window: 2022 – 2029
Ternynck’s Mazelot bottling, made entirely from Pinot Noir, shows the wonderful diversity of the lieux-dits of Irancy. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts and judicious aging in mostly used French oak barrels allows the wine to convey the Janus-like duality of Burgundy – black cherry-like fruitiness and an earthy, savoury side.
Domaine Colinot, Cuvée Soufflot, Irancy, Burgundy, 2019
Drinking Window: 2023 – 2029
This is a masterful blend of Pinot Noir and César that Colinot has co-fermented since the varieties are planted and harvested together. A hint of minerality peaks out from underneath the wine’s firm and fruity red cherry-like profile.
Domaine Céline & Frédéric Gueguen, Les Mazelots, Irancy, Burgundy, 2019
Drinking Window: 2023 – 2029
This new and tiny domaine, founded less than a decade ago, produces only about 6,000 bottles from one hectare of Pinot Noir in the Les Mazelots lieu-dit. This Mazelots reflects the care they put into their wines.
Clotilde Davenne, Paradis, Irancy, Burgundy, France, 2019
Drinking Window: 2023 – 2029
With her 2019 Paradis, Clotilde Davenne shows why the Paradis lieu-dit has potential for 1er Cru status. She does not want wood marring the wine, so she uses no new barrels, noting that ‘César does it all’.
Stéphan & Marie Podor, Les Mazelots, Irancy, Burgundy, 2015
Drinking Window: 2022 – 2025
From 75+ year old vines, the 2015 Podor Mazelots shows that the wine from the top lieux-dits in Irancy need time to show their stuff. There’s good density here and a touch of charming rusticity, no doubt from the five or so percent of César in the blend.
Simonnet-Febvre, Paradis, Irancy, Burgundy, France, 2018
Drinking Window: 2024 – 2032
Wine from this south-southwest facing lieu-dit shows the importance of terroir. As much as I liked Simonnet-Febvre’s straight Irancy, this one is just better, although not for current drinking. Tighter and, despite no César in the blend, it’s more tannic than their straight Irancy.
Domaine Verret, Palotte, Irancy, Burgundy, France, 2019
Drinking Window: 2023 – 2029
Made entirely from Pinot Noir, this cuvée reflects the stature of the lieu-dit. This mid-weight wine displays excellent richness without a trace of heaviness or over-ripeness. Verret captured riveting acidity, imbuing the wine with energy. Minerals and red fruit flavours dance on the palate, intermingling seamlessly.
Domaine Colinot, Les Mazelots, Irancy, Burgundy, 2012
Drinking Window: 2022 – 2026
When tasted with Anita Colinot in 2019, she felt this bottling was just coming into its own. Though I hadn’t tasted it at a more youthful time, I can see what she means. Any rusticity that César may have imparted during its youth has morphed into an alluring complexity of earthy leafiness.
Domaine Benôit Cantin, Cuvée Emeline, Irancy, 2015
Drinking Window: 2022 – 2025
Benoit took over this multi-generational family estate based in Irancy itself in 1994. This cuvée, named for his daughter, is a multi-parcel blend that contains a bit of César and shows how beautifully these village wines can develop.
Dampt Freres, Irancy, Burgundy, France, 2019
Drinking Window: 2023 – 2029
This well-regarded Chablis-based winery has hit the bullseye with their 2019 Irancy. Both elegant and firm, it displays the alluring Burgundian sensibility of what I call, flavour without weight. A floral element complements its red-fruited profile.
Jean Hugues & Guilhem Goisot, Les Mazelots, Irancy, 2017
Drinking Window: 2022 – 2029
Goisot, a top-notch producer of white wines in the Auxerre, also shows their talents with this red from nearly 100-year old vines planted in the Mazelots lieu-dit. Goisot says they don’t need César in this cuvée because the terroir provides plenty of structure.
Mastrojanni, Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany, Italy) Vigna Loreto 2011
($86): 
Though not the current release, Mastrojanni’s 2011 single vineyard, Loreto, is still available on the retail market and those who want to know why Brunello is such a revered wine should try it. The only problem with the 2011 vintage in Brunello is that it followed 2010, a great one. … Read more
Château Yvonne, Saumur Blanc (Loire Valley, France) 2017
($52, Oz Wine Company): 
Most of the wine made from Chenin Blanc, the primary white grape in Saumur, went into sparkling wine or non-distinguished still wine. That has changed over the last couple of decades, with talented and focused producers, such as Château Yvonne, and others. … Read more
Domaine Guiberteau, Saumur Blanc (Loire Valley, France) Clos de Guichaux 2016
($41, Becky Wasserman & Co.): 
Domaine Guiberteau is one of Saumur’s top producers. As much as I hate to say it because it diminishes my role as a critic, I will: It’s hard to go wrong just picking their wines blindly. … Read more
Paumanok Vineyards, North Fork of Long Island (New York) Chenin Blanc 2018
($25): 
Under the leadership of winemaker Kareem Massoud and his father Charles, before for him, Paumanok Vineyards has made consistently stunning dry Chenin Blanc. The emphasis is on dry, because consumers often avoid Chenin Blanc because they can’t predict what’s in the bottle since the grapes can make a diverse range of wines from dry to gloriously sweet. … Read more
Comm. G.B. Burlotto, Verduno Pelaverga DOC (Piedmont, Italy) 2017
($25, Vineyard Brands): 
A historic estate founded in the mid-18th century by Giovan Battista Burlotto, Comm. G. B. Burlotto remains one of Piedmont’s top and most reliable producers. (The Comm. stands for il Commandatore.) The grape is Pelaverga Piccolo (a.k.a. Pelaverga di Verduno) because it is almost exclusive to the commune of Verduno, according to Ian D’Agata (Native Wine Grapes of Italy, University of California Press, 2014).… Read more
Foradori, Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT (Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy) Manzoni Bianco “Fontanasanta” 2017
($38, Louis Dressner Selections): 
Manzoni Bianco is one of Italy’s botanical “crosses,” in this case a cross of Riesling and Chardonnay, made by Luigi Manzoni in the 1920s and 30s, according to Ian D’Agata (Native Wine Grapes of Italy, University of California Press, 2014). … Read more
Moser, Trento DOC (Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy) “51,151″ Brut NV
($23, Divino International Wine and Spirit): 
The name of the wine, “51,151”, refers to a cycling record that Francesco Moser set in Mexico City in 1984, according to their website. This 100 percent Chardonnay base bubbly is, indeed, racy (pun intended), but the elegance imparted by that grape shows, making for a lovely balance. … Read more
Cantine Leonardo da Vinci, Pignoletto Spumante DOC (Emilia-Romagna, Italy) “1502″ 2018
($20): 
Cantine Leonardo da Vinci, a large Tuscan-based cooperative, makes this delightful sparkling wine from the Pignoletto grape, not one that is widely known outside of central Italy. Its inherently high acidity makes it a good choice for bubbly because growers can let it ripen, allowing its exuberant floral and fruity character to shine, without it becoming sappy or flabby. … Read more
William Fevre, Saint-Bris (Burgundy, France) 2018
($25, Maison Marques et Domaines): 
Saint-Bris, formerly known as Sauvignon de Saint Bris before it was elevated to appellation d’origine controllée (AOC) status, is curious and unique in Burgundy. Located in the far north, near Chablis and covering a mere 200 acres, it requires the use of Sauvignon Blanc, not Chardonnay, for its wines. … Read more
Maison Louis Latour, Côteaux Bourguignons (Burgundy, France) Pinot Noir “Les Pierres Dorées” 2017
($26, Louis Latour, USA): 
Côteaux Bourguignons is a relatively new appellation, replacing Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire, an appellation I’ve never seen in the U.S., perhaps because a “grand ordinary” wine is hard to sell. Grapes for this appellation can come from anywhere in Burgundy, from Beaujolais in the south to Irancy in the north. … Read more
Roederer Estate, Anderson Valley (Mendocino County, California) Brut NV
($24): 
Although I’ve not sampled every sparkling wine from California, Roederer Estate’s is my favorite. Part of the reason their wines are so good is, of course, the talent of Roederer, the French Champagne producer that owns it. But another important reason for their quality is that all of the grapes for their sparkling wines come from their vineyards, which means they have total control over the entire process from vineyard to winemaking to aging. … Read more
Jean Milan, Champagne (France) Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs NV
($42): 
It’s unusual to see non-vintage Blanc de Blancs Champagne in which all the grapes come from villages classified as Grand Cru and especially at this price. Though quite intense, the elegance of Chardonnay comes through. The spine of acidity keeps it fresh. … Read more
Pierre Gimonnet et Fils, Champagne (France) 1er Cru, Brut, Blanc de Blancs “Cuvée Cuis” NV
($55, Terry Thiese Estate Selection): 
Blanc de Blancs (literally, white from whites) has no legal meaning except in Champagne where it means that only Chardonnay, a white grape, can be used. The expectation, which is fulfilled dramatically with this wine, is a Champagne of purity and elegance. … Read more
Simonnet-Febvre, Saint-Bris (Burgundy, France) 2017
($20): 
Simonnet-Febvre, another superb Chablis producer, crafts a consistently balanced Saint-Bris. The initial whiff screams Sauvignon Blanc, but amazingly, within minutes, aromas and then flavors of wet stone appear. Clean and cutting, this edgy wine displays plenty of depth. Where are the steamed clams?… Read more
Domaine Paul Pernot et Fils, Bourgogne Aligoté (Burgundy, France) 2017
($33): Based in Puligny-Montrachet, Domaine Paul Pernot et Fils, a family-owned and run domaine, is one of Burgundy’s stars for white wines. No question, their Bâtard-and Bienvenue-Bâtard-Montrachet are stunning, albeit at triple digit prices. They put the same care that goes into those 
Grand Crus into their Bourgogne Aligoté. … Read more