From a 2.4-acre parcel in Pauillac surrounded by the vineyards of Mouton Rothschild, Lafite Rothschild and Pontet-Canet, this 2021 is the sole wine made by Yannick Mirande. The vines are 45 years old. Beautifully polished, with soft, satiny tannins, perfectly integrated, bursting with black currant fruit, tobacco, cedarwood notes, loamy earth, and ironstone mineral notes through the medium- to full-bodied finish. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. Abv. 13%
Violets and iridescent boysenberry are profound flavors alongside dark chocolate and pecan. Grainy tannins leave a suede patina on the creamy palate. Sophisticated, with balletic motion.
Winemaker Michael Beaulac joined FFWS in 2021, and this is his first vintage for Merus. “We select fruit from some of the finest vineyards throughout the Napa Valley to create a Cabernet that represents the diversity of its terroirs in a singular wine whose sum is bigger than its parts in color, structure, and complexity, resulting in a wine that is purely distinctive of Merus,” he says. While most of the grapes for this prestigious wine hail from Rutherford, several of the vineyards are owned by growers whose sites are renowned for excellence, with strict farming and harvesting protocols. A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, it aged 21 months in 100% new French oak. Its startling perfume of chocolate, raspberry, and cinnamon is a revealing preview of its majestic character, paving the way for the dense and opulent liquid. Its engine purrs rather than vrooms, and as its sunshine-filled ripeness drapes a velvet carpet across the palate, freshness ensues, joining deep, saturated notes of boysenberry ganache.
The Petite Moussiere is crafted from all estate fruit, biodynamically farmed, and rarely distributed in the US. There’s a beautiful earthiness to these wines, and here it’s very expressive and focused, like fine apple skin, slightly bruised, with an earthy redwood bark richness, while the palate is surprisingly energetic, teeming with saline-acid tension, gentle tannins nicely integrated, medium-bodied with a long, fruit-driven finish redolent of baked cherries, raspberries, and dried apricot, underscored by a dusty mineral backbone.
This is an eye-opener Champagne. The first whiff reveals an intriguing and complex array of citrus and orchard fruit, like just-picked Gala apples with a squeeze of lemon or lime, and nearby, a bunch of aromatic jasmine. Immediately round, soft, and creamy, with wet stone minerality, sea salt, more lime and lime zest, and a lengthy, mouthwatering finish.
From 20 acres of organically farmed vines in Monforte d’Alba, coming from Bricco, San Pietro, San Giovanni, and Ginestra. Each plot is vinified separately and blended later. Ferments are native. Aged in Stockinger casks and cement. This is a profoundly structured red, with sinewy tannins and notes of cherry, dark chocolate, rose, and warm, baked earth, finishing with sagebrush, mint, and salinity.
This Extra Brut carries the mineral brightness of a cold river stone, with crisp orchard and stone-fruit and white-truffle nuances, and a salty mineral thread running from the bouquet to the long, mineral-laced finish. It’s medium- to full-bodied with the loveliest texture and energy. So refined and polished.
Gratius is the estate’s wine, and arguably Gran Selezione quality, crafted in one large Botti, aged for a year, and exceptional. Readers will recall this wine’s former labels: black, with a statue of a woman and a man, and the word “Gratius” on it. In 2018, the winery began an artist label series, and this 2022 bottling bears a striking label (tree, vine, earth) designed by Valentino Monticello, named ‘Wine as Art.’ It’s brooding, bursting with dark rose petal and cherry fruit, tar, and anise, further enhanced by impressive concentration and power, and finishing with dark berry fruit, redwood spices, and more mineral accents on the full-bodied and expressive finish. A blend of 90% Sangiovese, 5% each of Colorino and Canaiolo.