California wines for the Olympics

Paris in April, setting up for the games.

The Summer Olympics kicked off today in France and I am stoked. My family and I look forward to cheering on the athletes during gymnastics, swimming, and – since my daughter and I both follow and love it – climbing.

But I also look forward to watching the best of the best at other events, discovering and following new-to-me sports and the experts who compete in them. I appreciate excellence in all its forms.

I apply that similar attitude to wine, as I’m always looking for new producers, regions, grapes, and getting excited about all sorts of different styles.

In the Spring, my family spent a few days in Paris and saw the preparation for the games underway. We enjoyed all the food, culture, and views, and talked about how we would watch the Olympics and try to recognize all the places we had visited.

So, to celebrate the start of the games, I’m highlighting some American wines because, well, I’m American. But I’m also a Francophile, so I decided to highlight some California wines with something of an Old World, French inspiration. They’re pure California goodness, but some could also make great ringers in blind tastings of their French counterparts.

Cormorant Cellars has delivered some unique wines since they kicked off in 2018. This Sonoma-based producer makes an amazing lees-aged Sauvignon Blanc that I can’t recommend enough, but I was happy to taste through some new-to-me wines for this report. Winemaker Charlie Gilmore is clearly skilled and has some great talent and inspiration. Fans of Mediterranean Vermentino be alert – there’s something really cool here. And Beaujolais fans should really check out their Gamay.

Three Sticks makes phenomenal Chards and Pinots from Sonoma, and the wines in this report speak for themselves. This producer was founded in 2002 by Bill Price and Prema Kerollis, and they own and farm estate vineyards in Sonoma County. The wines are precise, thrilling, age-worthy, and should be on your radar if you like nuanced Sonoma Pinot.

I also have a few voluptuous but balanced Chardonnays from Juggernaut and Crossbarn that would really hit the spot during this late Summer timeframe.

These wines were received as samples and tasted sighted.

2021 Three Sticks Pinot Noir Gap's Pinnacle Gap's Crown Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
SRP: $95
Dark ruby color. The nose opens to show a well-arranged display of red plums, black cherries, raspberry, strawberry, with these deeper tones of violets, charcoal, toffee, some earth and coffee grounds tones. The palate combines grippy but fine-grained tannins, zesty acidity, with a core of fresh but vibrant raspberries, black cherries, and plums. All sorts of nuances here, with graphite, dusty earth, black tea, tobacco, sage. So much going on here, and I’d love to bury a few of these for five to eight years plus. A beautiful interpretation of this grape and site. (95 points)

2021 Three Sticks Pinot Noir One Sky Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Mountain
SRP: $85
Deep ruby color. Wow, what a beautiful nose, with pretty strawberry, raspberries, with spice, herbal, and earthy tones (tobacco, dried rose petals, tilled earth, clay, white pepper). Air coaxes out all sorts of exciting nuanced. Juicy and suave on the palate with dusty tannins and lively acidity that keeps it fresh. Flavors of red plums and currants, tangy strawberries and raspberries, and the fruit is backed up with all sorts of earth, paprika, rhubarb, clay, and white pepper. Nuanced, pretty, spicy, complex, elegant, with a long life ahead of it. (93 points)

2023 Cormorant Cellars Vermentino - USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado County

SRP: $24
Pale lemon color. A pleasantly salty aroma, with lemon, quince, ruby red grapefruit, backed up with scents of basil, limestone dust, and chalk. On the palate this shows delicious yellow pears, lemon zest, pineapple, and green apple sliced, mixed with ocean spray, minerals, shells, white flowers. Crisp and punchy, juicy but balanced, this is an awesome value and a fascinating iteration of this grape. (91 points)

2023 Cormorant Cellars Gamay Noir Zabala Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Arroyo Seco
SRP: $27
Pale ruby color. Aromas of tart cranberries, juicy strawberries, raspberries, tossed with cool tones of rose petals, tobacco, sage, yet stays airy and bright. The palate shows crisp, lip-smacking acidity with a juicy frame and pleasantly dusty tannins. Loving the fruit – cranberry relish, raspberries, strawberry-rhubarb pie. There are a lot of interesting non-fruit elements to enjoy here as well: clay, dried violets, black pepper, tobacco, clove. So fun and fresh but complex and savory as well and even has a Morgon-esque mineral and graphite element on the finish. (92 points)

2021 CrossBarn (Paul Hobbs) Chardonnay - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
SRP: $30
Light yellow color. Bright and inviting on the nose with chalky, flinty notes, nettle, white and yellow flowers, over top of quince, yellow apples, and some almond and shaved ginger. Smooth and plush on the palate with lively acidity and a balanced frame. Lemons, yellow pears, green apples, the fruit is topped in minerals, seashells, chalk dust, with almond skin, cinnamon, and honeycomb. Juicy but fresh, with a tangy, complex finish. (90 points)

2022 Juggernaut Wine Company Chardonnay - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
SRP: $20
Bright yellow color. The aromas pop with white peach, kiwi, bruised yellow apple, mixed with honeyed white tea, peanut brittle, with saline and some shells. Racy and tangy on the palate, a surprising oceanic briskness, matched with depth of texture. White peaches, lemon curd, yellow apples, the fruit blends well with tones of ocean spray, limestone, honeyed tea, and some basil, flinty tones. This has a lot of complexity and vibrancy for a wine at this price point. (90 points)

Value and cellar-worthy treats from Mendoza

Mendoza, Argentina is huge. And there’s a ton of diversity in terms of soil, climate, aspect. And then there’s the wide range of winegrowing methods, grapes, and styles of winemakers. It’s all a lot, so this week I’m breaking down wine from three producers worth checking out.

I’ve been a big fan of Trapiche, since their entry-level Malbecs interested me as a 20-something. The value and consistency were there, but they make a wide range of wines and styles. I’m tasting two of their Chards today, the widely-available Oak Cask wine and the high-end Terroir Series Finca Las Piedras, the latter of which is a stunner, a great candidate to throw in a Chardonnay blind tasting, or one to lay down for a few years.

Mascota Vineyards, a Valle de Uco producer that also makes a delightful Pinot Noir, comes out swinging with their Unanime Chardonnay, which offers value and a lot of depth and complexity.

Credit: Pelleriti Priore

Moving on to the reds, I was excited to taste new-to-me producer. They kicked off a new venture, Pelleriti Priore, in 2023 but founders Marcelo Pelleriti and Miguel Priore have been working together on Marcelo Pelleriti wines since 2009. These two wines are exception, deep, vibrant reds from the Valle de Uco, where they’ve clearly found some unique terroir. They’re worthy of a great cut of meat, time in the cellar, and sharing with great friends. If you’re looking for something exceptional from Argentina at a very reasonable price, check these out.

These wines were received as samples and tasted sighted.

2023 Trapiche Chardonnay Oak Cask - Argentina, Mendoza
SRP: $10
Rich yellow color. The nose pops with ripe apricot, dried pineapple, yellow apple, infused with notes of honey, floral breeze, some honeysuckle, along with almond skin and some bright minerals. The palate is tangy and inviting with broad texture and vibrant acidity, along with flavors of ruby red grapefruit, white peach, and green apples. Notes of flinty minerals, basil, white pepper, and crushed seashells add complexity. A dynamic and great value Chardonnay for sure. (89 points)

2022 Trapiche Chardonnay Terroir Series Finca Las Piedras - Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco

SRP: $53
Light yellow color. The nose pops with white peach, ripe golden pears, mixed with complex tones of almond, hazelnut, vanilla bean, and these brighter elements of chalk and limestone dust. Deep but racy on the palate, plump but well-balanced, with flavors of green and yellow apples, white peach, mixed with almond, hay, and honeyed white tea nuances. Vibrant and complex with interesting essences of minerals, chalk dust, and lime juice running down a limestone cliff. Rich, crisp, complex, a lot going on here. From a cool single vineyard in the Los Arboles subregion, this seems like a special Chardonnay site expressed clearly. (93 points)

2023 Mascota Vineyards Chardonnay Unánime - Argentina, Mendoza
SRP: $20
Ripe yellow with a nose of richer elements like pear butter, almond brittle, and graham cracker, with bright tones of saline and chalk, and papaya drizzled with lime. The palate sports rich texture and crisp acidity, providing lovely balance. Flavors of white peach, yellow pear, and apricot abound, complemented by refined tones of white and yellow flowers, chalk dust, almond skin, and hazelnut. Rich but zesty, a lot of crowd-pleasing qualities combined with balance and poise. (91 points)

2021 Marcelo Pelleriti Malbec Signature - Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco

SRP: $28
Bright purple color. A pleasantly smoky, earthy vibe with fig paste, black cherries, black currants, along with complex tones of spicy herbs, black pepper, graphite, minerals, and anise. The palate sports fresh acidity and a full body with moderate tannins and flavors of red and black currants and plums. All sorts of pepper, anise, leather, sage, earth, graphite, and minerals abound. Savory, precise, exciting, but this will take some years to show its best. (93 points)

2022 Marcelo Pelleriti Cabernet Franc Signature - Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco
SRP: $28
Deep but vibrant purple color with aromas of smoky earth, sage, black pepper, and violets, over black cherries, plum sauce, and currants – lively but deep. The palate has firm grip with suave edges and vibrant acidity, making for a concentrated but balanced Cab Franc. An expressive fruit display of tangy black cherries, red and black currants, backed up by all sorts of complex savory and earthy tones (violet petals, black pepper, roasted red pepper, anise, herbal tea). This is expressive already but seems destined to spend a few years growing in the cellar. (93 points)

American wines to beat the heat

I hope you’re all enjoying the Summer so far. It’s been a hot and humid mess here in the Mid-Atlantic, and I’m doing more hibernating than usual.

With more of the same on the way, I’ve been enjoying some bright and crisp wines to share with friends and family of late. And with the Fourth of July coming up, this is always a great time of year to highlight some excellent American wines that would be good all Summer long.

Perfect summer wines from Troon.

To start things off, I have some wines from Troon, a biodynamic, envelope-pushing, and just downright fun producer that makes a wide range of offerings from the Applegate Valley in the south of the state. For this piece, I have three wines that I would gleefully crack open for guests this Fourth. We’ve got a lees-aged Grenache Blanc (adding all sorts of texture to this zippy grape), a most crushable red made in a Beaujolais style, and a fascinating rosé.

From California, I have a Mediterranean-style crusher from Paso Robles, and an excellent rosé from Three Sticks that I think would impress fans of higher-end, deeper, complex pinks.

Whatever you’re opening and enjoying, I wish you and yours a very happy Summer, and a safe and pleasant Fourth of July.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted.

2022 Troon Vineyard Grenache Blanc Extended Lees Aging - USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Applegate Valley
SRP: $40
Bright lemon color. A fresh and inviting aromatic display of green apples, white peach, and kiwi, along with almond skin, saltine cracker, and flinty minerals. Racy and taut on the palate but this has an incredibly deep texture, with this harmony between waxy and oceanic elements. Green apple, papaya, white peach, the fruit is mixed with nuanced tones of oyster shell, white pepper, and some green herbs and savory tones that need air to come out. A nerd’s wine but one that a casual fan would likely also find delicious. This spends 17 months in neutral French oak. (93 points)

2023 Troon Vineyard Ascendant Rosé - USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Applegate Valley
SRP: $40
Pale copper color. Complex and inviting on the nose, with red apple peel, white cherries, wild raspberries, topped in dandelion greens, honeysuckle, and sea breeze. The palate is punchy and juicy but racy with the acidity, making for a lip-smacking and balanced pink. Watermelon, red and white cherries, the ripe and tangy fruit blends well with nuances of mint, crushed shells, mountain stream, basil, and white pepper. A breezy, delicious rosé from Troon that should age well. 38% Cinsault, 33% Mourvèdre, 11% Grenache, 10% Counoise, 8% Carignan. (92 points)

2023 Troon Vineyard Grenache Glou-Glou - USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Applegate Valley
SRP: $25
Vibrant ruby color. A bright aromatic display of strawberries, cranberries, and wild raspberries, with spiced herbal tea, rose hips, and rhubarb. On the palate, this is crushable and bright with a brisk and pleasant appeal. Flavors of tart cranberry relish and red apple peel with some deeper cherry fruit, and a cool mix of spicy herbs, white pepper, rose petals, and dusty earth. Fun and fresh but can’t deny the balance and complexity. A great summer sipper that will win over a lot of fans at the barbecue, I wager. A blend of Cinsault and Grenache. (90 points)

2021 Paso Verde White Wine - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

Credit: Paso Verde

SRP: $25
Light yellow color with a slight spritz. Fresh and bright on the nose, with limes, white peaches, white and yellow flowers, with some salty-chalky vibes. On the palate, this is zippy and fun with bright acidity but some nice textural depth. Bright green apples, with limes, papaya, mixed in with some nice white flowers, dandelion, and some chalk dust and minerals. Crushable and fun but complex and balanced, too. Paso has such variety, that there’s always some cool iteration of an Old World style here, and this blend of Grenache Blanc, Verdelho, Vermentino, and Picpoul is a lot of fun. (90 points)

2023 Three Sticks Castenada Rosé - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
SRP: $45
Pretty light strawberry color. The nose is super fresh and spritely, with crushed shells, talc, floral perfume, daisies, over tangy strawberries, white cherries, and crunchy red apples. The palate has this wonderful depth of texture, rich but vibrant with crisp acidity. Flavors of papaya, white cherry, watermelon, and red apples mix wonderfully with floral, mint, talc, limestone, and white tea elements. Lots of minerals and herbal nuances – very impressive depth and complexity. All estate grown Pinot and Chardonnay. (92 points)