New Wines In The Quiet Post-Holiday Market

Now that the holidays are over, when sales of wines and spirits were at their highest, we have a lull until spring when many new releases hit the wine store shelves. Meanwhile, it gives me a chance to catch up with some fine wines I am enjoying right now with seasonal fare. Here are several.

SPOTTISWOODE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 ($235)—It’s a blockbuster, all right, but it’s also a canny blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, without Merlot. Founded in 1882, the estate has been farmed organically since 1985 (certified organic in 1992), now by second-generation sisters, Beth Novak Milliken and Lindy Novak, with 42 acres planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon. The tannins are softer than you might expect, but this is one California Cab I’d really allow to age for five years, if you can resist.

SMITH & HOOK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 ($25)—If you’re not quite up to paying $235 for a Cali Cab, this one, from the Central Coast, will readily give you pleasure at a remarkable price.  It is sourced from vineyards of San Benito, Arroyo Seco, San Antonio Valley, Hames Valley and Paso Robles—AVAs that give it complexity, and it’s ready to enjoy right now. Smith & Hook also makes a moderately priced Reserve Cab from 2018 ($45) with a bit more ballast. 

CHÂTEAU DE PEZ 2018 ($55)—If history and tradition figure into your wine preferences, this estate is the oldest in Bordeaux’s Saint-Estèphe, founded in the 15th century. In 1995 it was purchased by Maison Louis Roederer and, after improving the vineyards, was reclassified as a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnele in 2003. Winemaker Nicolas Glumineau, who is also winemaker at the renowned sister property Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (2nd Classified Growth), has shown his skill in bringing de Pez to a higher quality level than it’s had in many decades. The 2018 is a classic blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc and is a reasonably priced indicator of the flavors of the Médoc. Ideal with roasted meats. 

MT. BRAVE MT. VEEDER MERLOT 2018 ($85)—The label is deceptively simple and bespeaks respected winemaker Chris Carpenter’s expertise with this single varietal after his work at Lokoya and Cardinale estates. Well before that he interned at Tenute Antinori in Tuscany and studied at the University of Stranieri, which I suspect gave him a notion that big red wines don’t have to be huge red wines. There are layers of aromas and spices here, proving that Merlot is not one-dimensional and merely likeable. The price tag is high but the wine deserves respect. 

BONTERRA MERLOT 2019 ($16)—Bonterra has long prided itself on its organic grapes and is mightily devoted to becoming carbon neutral in the near future. This is a very soft Merlot, having undergone malolactic fermentation and aging for 18 months in French and American oak barrels, half of them new. It has a very pronounced fruit profile without being jam-like, and, if one wine or another can be considered clean and fresh, winemaker Jeff Chicocki has achieved that with this very well-priced Merlot. 

RAEBURN RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY CHARDONNAY 2020 ($20)—Russian River Valley, with its cooling nighttime fog, is producing more nuanced Chardonnay these days, and Raeburn’s bargain-price bottling, barrel fermented 75% in French & Hungarian Oak, half new, with 6 months sur lie aging. The alcohol level is just at the tip where California’s Chardonnays show their vibrancy, and the acid here is welcome. The vintage was not easy to produce, with wildfires in and around Sonoma County, a dry winter, dry and warm spring and long and even growing season, then a hot summer that “pushed the vines to deliver a small berry set, low yield and an early harvest.” It’s good and ripe and ready to drink right now. 

PIPER-HEIDSIECK MILLESSIME RARE 2002 ($250)—Too many prestige cuvee Champagnes are way too subtle for my taste and much too dry. Piper-Heidsieck, first produced in 1785 and a favorite of the French court, has never been shy about its intensity, and this vintage cuvée raises the flag high. The marque has since the 1990s been highly promotional, being official supplier of the Cannes Film Festival and handing out its own awards to the world’s leading actors. A new winery was built in 1995 and the Champagne is more solidly knit in its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir elements than ever. The Rare bottle is also a gilded beauty. The cuvée has only been made nine times since 1976, so this is a special wine I saved for a special event with the birth of my fourth granddaughter.