January 2025Wines of the Month

For the wine snob: A vineyard-wide blend accounts for 70% of the blend, with 30% sourced from Ruben Solorzano’s vineyards throughout Santa Barbara County. Fermentation occurs in open-top concrete tanks for 21 days. The wine is then aged in 100% neutral French Ermitage 500L oak Puncheons for 6 months.

For the rest of us: Soft and becoming deep purple plum brimmed with a crackling flame of red. A coating plushness fills the mouth prior to lifted fresh red fruits rising again towards the finish. The red fruits fill a spectrum from firm cherry to riper berry coulis. Subtle acidity married with the red berry fruit and loamy, silty tannin all combine to last in the mouth for minutes in a delicately balanced, feathered finish.

For the wine snob: 100% whole cluster, it is for two weeks in stainless steel, open-top vats. The wine is aged in 100% neutral French Ermitage 500L oak Puncheons for 4 months.

For the rest of us: First, the vibrant light red hue of the wine just looks delicious. It’s tough not to snap a photo of the bottle with a sunny backdrop every time we see the bottle. Inviting watermelon, ripe strawberry, and lush fruit punch lined with firm, energetic, red berry. Unfiltered thick girth and scrumptious textures marry a taut, refreshing zippiness. Think of it as rosé with a bursting personality and a deep soul, or as the most feathery.

For the wine snob: This is a varietal blend of Syrah with a little bit of Viognier. Whole-cluster, native fermentation took place for 9-10 days in sealed, stainless steel tanks. Later, the clusters were pressed into a settling tank to finish primary fermentation. This red wine utilized both French oak and stainless steel aging.

For the rest of us: On the nose, a swirling fruit punch vortex with layered olive and black fruit. On the palate, ripe plum flesh and juiciness.

For the wine snob: The wine is fermented in concrete tanks sur lies to impart a fresh aromatic profile. The wine is then aged in 3+ neutral French Oak barrels to subtly impart complexity. The cooler climate vineyard source coupled with the concrete vessels contribute to the lingering grip of acidity on the finish.

For the rest of us: Bursting with layers of lemon, nectarine and stone fruit, this beauty if iconic of expressive Napa Valley lushness balanced by a lingering acidity on the finish.

For the wine snob: 100% Syrah, half of the harvest was de-stemmed, while half remained in whole-clusters. Native fermentation occurred in concrete tanks for 15-25 days. It was aged in French oak barrels for 9 months.

For the rest of us: This wine carries a torch of intense, high toned red fruit with a captivating fleshy texture. Delicately silky yet deceivingly thick and round mouthfeel backed by playfully chalky tannin. Ripe, dense cherry and fiery red plum shine brightness through the palate. A wine of flare and unabashed confidence, certainly a high water mark for the flagship Estate Grown Syrah cuvee.

For the wine snob: 93% Rousanne and 7% Chardonnay, only 500 cases of this wine were produced. It was aged in 60% new, and 40% neutral French Ermitage 500L Puncheons for 12 months prior to bottling.

For the rest of us: Pale gold in color upon release, the toasty new French oak already seamlessly takes a back seat to soft, lush honeysuckle. The softness downplays the richness that builds slowly through the mouth with a sustained coat long after swallowing. The fruit intensity will continue to muster for the next decade but for now, white flower petals whisp over the deep core. Already immensely pleasurable, I can’t wait to drink this wine in a decade once deep, glowing gold and still fresh.

For the wine snob: The 2020 vintage started with much needed late rain in March and April. The cold moisture pushed back bud break and set up an anticipated late harvest. Ripening then accelerated with record breaking heat recorded in early September. Reliant on a deep root network straight into chalky Limestone, the Hilltops Syrah vines weathered the heat and marched through to late September in ideal ripening conditions.

For the rest of us: Deep, brooding, and tarry with touches of toast, anise, and fresh herbs. Layer on layer from delicate chalk to mouth-filling viscosity. Charred dark fruit saturated by a creamy richness – blue, purple, and black density (as opposed to many of our 2020 Syrah cuvees that maintained a decidedly red-fruited profile). A serious Syrah conjuring images of a large piece of meat rotating on a spit over open flame.

For the wine snob: Philippe and Pierre Aubry run their family estate in the Premier Cru village of Jouy-lès-Reims, located in the western part of the Montagne de Reims. The family is well known for growing ancient grape varieties still permitted in the Champagne A.O.C. Pressing is done in traditional Coquard basket presses and vinification here is mostly in stainless steel, apart from Chardonnay, which is vinified in wood for some cuvées. Due to the estate’s naturally high acidity, full malolactic fermentation is allowed in all cuvées. The Aubry brothers also grow all seven of the legal varieties for Champagne, something that they are well known for. The brothers Aubry are iconoclastic, experimental and produce strikingly singular wines.

For the rest of us: Aubry makes a great case for Champagne’s historic varieties, which include little-known Petit Meslier, Arbanne, and Fromenteau. These grapes make up just five percent of the classic blend of Pinots Meunier and Noir with Chardonnay. This elegant wine is copper-laden and snappy with mineraled classic depth, light floral honey aromas, and dark notes of crackers, toasted bread, and pepper.