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Renegade Wines Top 21 Wines of 2021 Newsletter
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 2019
Whitcraft Winery Pinot Noir Faîte de
Mer Farms (Mendocino
Ridge) $76
We were thrilled earlier this year to
add to our shelves Drake's tiny
production Pinot Noir from Jason
Drew's biodynamic vineyard - Faîte de
Mer. The vineyard located high up on
the Mendocino Ridge is one of the
coldest and longest growing season
sites for Pinot Noir in California. We
drank a bottle over three days and
each sip was better, ever-changing,
than the last. We think it's the best
of the Whitcraft Pinot he’s ever made.
As Drake said late last year, this is
his one Pinot he would label Grand Cru
if such a task were possible. Bravo!
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 2019
Franck Balthazar Côtes du Rhône (France,
Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône)
$24.50
60% Syrah, 40% Grenache. One of the
top growers in the Northern Rhone is
Franck Balthazar, who left his
engineering career in 2002 to answer
the siren song of Cornas’ steep
granite slopes and take up the classic
farming and wine-making methods of his
father René. A dozen years later,
Balthazar is creating some of the most
expressive, and rigorously
traditional, wines in Cornas.
The wine itself is deep vivid ruby.
Lush and expansive on the nose,
displaying intense red and blue fruit
scents and hints of cola, dark
chocolate and mint. Smooth and
appealingly offering black raspberry
and cherry notes with a touch of
succulent herbs. A supple, long finish
completes the notion of perfection
here.
Also, the domaine’s vineyards are
planted exclusively to la Petite
Syrah, the ancient local clone whose
small, olive-shaped berries produce a
wine of greater aromatic complexity
than modern clones. Pretty cool!
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 2018
Domaine Pierre Guillemot
Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les
Serpentières (France,
Burgundy) $58
The Serpentières is arguably the
quintessential Guillemot cuvee;
prefect, classic Burgundy.
Decant for an hour then enjoy notes of
smoky cherries, raspberries, rose
petals, orange rind and warm spices.
Medium to full-bodied, sumptuous and
layered, it's lively and textural,
with fine depth at the core, powdery
tannins, and a perfumed finish. Très
bien!
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2019 Alain Graillot
Crozes-Hermitage (France,
Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage)
$46
We’ve carried this particular
wine for ten vintages now. Every time
we think Graillot has produced his
most superb vintage, a better one
comes along. What awaits for you in
this bottle? Brilliance!
The opening act is a heavenly release
of gorgeous aromas of dark, red, and
blue fruit commingling with warm
earth, graphite, pepper and
spice. The medium to full bodied
Crozes is utterly savory and
unforgettable. The complexity is
ever-evolving, the finish mesmerizing.
We’ve enjoyed this twice. Once with
grilled wagyu tri-tip marinated with
rosemary, garlic, thyme and black
pepper. The second time we ceased
dinner preparations and finished the
bottle while watching the sun set.
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2020 Weingut Keller Riesling
trocken (Germany,
Rheinhessen) $34
Keller's wines are some of the purest
expressions of Rheinhessen's terroir and
Keller is at the top. In fact Jancis
Robinson has described the Keller
Rieslings as the "Montrachets of
Germany".
Hyperbole aside this wine is bone-dry,
with piercing acidity and a long finish
rippling with tension; it’s deep,
complex and racy. There’s lots of rocky,
mineral flavors complimented with citrus
and floral notes to add complexity. The
finish is long, balanced and intense.
We've written about the excellent 2020
vintage in Germany before, but it merits
repeating: the wines are concentrated,
but there's a level of finesse, and a
delicateness to the wines, that we are
just head over heels for. |
2017 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo
Bussia (Italy, Piedmont,
Langhe, Barolo) $102
The 2017 Barolo vintage has been
described as a ‘modern-day classic’,
‘surprising’, ‘classically structured’
and ‘aromatically intense’ by various
professional publications. So we were
intrigued when our allocation of
Conterno’s Bussia Barolo arrived.
Lacking patience, we decided to go for a
long decant and serve the wine with a
grilled Piedmont Fillet Mignon courtesy
of Metropulos
(they carry these beautiful steaks
most days. Ask for them).
First impressions were all about the
aromatics. The room was filled with
aromas of red cherry, red berry, plum,
cassis…it was intoxicating. First sips
combined all the elegant fruit notes
wrapped in a subtle spice with faint
hints of warm earth. There’s an elegance
and sophistication here that shines. The
finish at first was faint, but by the
time we were enjoying the last few
ounces it had grown long and powerful.
This is a wine that needs time but you
will be rewarded. |
2018 Domaine de Montille
Meursault Saint-Christophe (France,
Burgundy, Côte de Beaune) $94
Domaine de Montille and its
winemaker Etienne de Montille are
Burgundy insiders’ go-to estate these
days. The amount of press (all glowing)
they’ve received is extraordinary. And
for Santa Barbarians there’s an added
bonus: Etienne has partnered with Justin
Willett (of Tyler wines) to produce
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir under their
Racines wine label (great stuff). As for
this particular Meursault we have only
beaming tasting notes. ‘A classic
expressions of Meursault’ was one
praise. ‘Balanced, elegant, precise’ was
another. The wine reminded us of
Meursault classics from decades ago.
Nothing overt, everything impeccable. A
show-stopping Chardonnay.
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2019 Domaine des Roches (Thierry
Germain) Neuves La Marginale (France,
Loire Valley, Saumur-Champigny)
$58
Thierry Germain’s Cabernet Francs from
Saumur Champigny are models of purity,
finesse, and drinkability. This blend of
parcels from the communes of Chacé and
Varrains is only made in the best
vintages, and sees the longest aging of
Germain’s reds—up to 24 months in a mix
of older barrels and foudres.
With incredibly pristine, vivid fruit
along with a deep, rich structure and
silky-fine tannins, this red is a grand
example of the heights biodynamic wines
can achieve. If you like Cabernet Franc
be prepared to fall in love with this
one. |
2020 Grosjean Gamay Valle
d'Aosta (Italy, Valle
d'Aosta) $25
Where to begin with our number two?
How’s about WOW! We’ll get back to that
adjective in a moment.
First: The Aosta Valley in the northwest
corner of Italy is largely separated
from the rest of the country by the
surrounding Alps as well as by language
(the region is largely French-speaking).
The Grosjean family has cultivated
grapes on the lower slopes of the valley
for generations, and now five brothers
are in charge of producing some of
Italy’s most fascinating wines.
Whoever had the idea of planting Gamay
in these high altitude vineyards was a
genius; WOW (and now the explanation).
'Wow' was our first exclamation when we
tasted this wine. Its aromatics were
unexpectedly pronounced; heady even. A
few swirls and a sip revealed that there
was something special in our glasses.
Incredible layers of red berry fruit
playfully entwined with the exotic
(Chilean guava, gooseberry, cloudberries
comes to mind). There’s spice and savory
notes that are insatiable. Then there’s
the finish: refreshing in its length as
well as its indelible quality.
We’ve enjoyed this one many times these
past few months. It pairs well with a
cross section of dishes including
salmon, pork, and roast chicken. We’ve
even had it with pozole and loved every
sip of it. |
2019 Ciro Picariello Fiano di
Avellino Ciro 906 (Italy,
Campania, Fiano di Avellino DOCG)
$38.50
The story we like to believe revolves
around a tasting including the likes of
Coche, Lafon, Dagueneau, and Raveneau.
The Ciro Picariello importer slipped in
this Fiano 906 to the line-up and 30
minutes later everyone had forgotten
about the big names and were swooning
over the Fiano 906.
Legend or myth it matters not.
Ciro’s Fiano 906 is a wine that we
recommended often and were delighted to
find customers return for it again and
again. This is a wine we took home most
weekends to sip and share. We found it
fantastic with oysters, scallops,
ceviche, and even paired it daringly
with lamb lion (why not?). There’s
something about the volcanic soil, the
high altitude vineyard, and the grape
itself that kept us reaching for a
bottle.
From our tasting scribbles:
There are savory notes of near-ripe
nectarine and peach, a flowery bouquet
and hints of ginger spice. A
saline-mineral timbre announces itself
mid-palate (at this point we are already
in love) then a vibrant energy takes
over rocketing us to the stars. If the
first half of this wine experience was a
rocket ship, the finish is a leisurely
stroll in a landscape painted by Caspar
David Friedrich (The Monk by the Sea
perhaps). The finale buzzes with dreamy
Zen-like energy.
Yes, we are going to drink a bottle
tonight!
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It's one of our favorite 'work' tasks to
look back on the previous year, review
our tasting notes, and put together a
list of our favorites. We hope you've
enjoyed our Top 21.
If you are interested in any of these
wines please email or call us and we can
put an order together for you.
Happy New Year!
and
Thank you for your support
Renegade Wines
www.renegadewines.com |
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