The rarity of mountain-grown Chenin Blanc in Napa Valley – and on prestigious Pritchard Hill, no less — gives voice to this honored white and its Molly Chappellet signature offers even more cachet. Fermented in a combination of neutral French oak and stainless steel, it speaks of peach blossom rising out of wet stone. This wondrous white evolves in texture and style: lanolin on linen, lychee on lentil, charming on a lithe frame.
This producer has never bent to the winds of fashion in the styling of this wine, holding firm with much deeper color and flavor than one finds in the rosé wines from nearby Provence. If tasted truly “blind” in a black glass, one might well mistake this for a light red wine. No mere forgettable poolside wine, it will excel at a dinner table with many preparations of fish, poultry, or white meats.
Tavel is the world’s only appellation solely devoted to rosé wines, and Château d’Aqueira is a specialist of a very high order. This wine’s beautiful ruby color displays an unwillingness to tilt toward the wildly popular style of Provence, and it is followed up by wonderfully deep flavors recalling pomegranate and ripe red cherry that remain fresh thanks to a streak of acidity that continues through the finish. Please, let this wine never change.
One expects some punch from a producer that is famous for Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and this release provides it, but with a punch that’s more like a well-aimed jab than an uppercut. Red berry notes predominate in the aromas and on the palate, with plenty of flavor impact but moderate weight and enough acidity to stay fresh through the finish.
This magnificent crimson rosé from the southern Rhône possess body, its sensual nature coats the tongue with cranberry and bramble. Sparked with tremendous acidity, and spiced with clove and cinnamon, it revels on the tongue for a long-distance run.
Displaying a bit deeper color than most rosé wines from Provence, this also shows its southern Rhône origins with notably bolder flavors. Notes of pomegranate and rhubarb ride along with ripe strawberry notes to provide a substantial, lasting finish. Although definitely not sugary, there’s a ripe sweetness to the fruit notes that is cleverly offset by a touch of pleasant bitterness in the finish.
This is a bit lighter in both color and palate weight than most Tavel rosés, but it is quite generous in flavor, with fruit recalling ripe wild strawberries and pie cherries. The wine’s acidity is so finely interlaced with the fruit flavors that it doesn’t stand out as a distinct element, yet it continues to provide lift and drive to the flavors through a persistent and proportional finish.
This small production grower’s sparkling wine is 50/50 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Fort Ross-Seaview appellation at 1400 feet elevation overlooking the Pacific. Made in the Méthode Champenoise, the wine rested on its lees for 3-1/2 years in bottle, disgorged in January 2023. It is perfumed with yeasty and clean brioche and white raspberry. The bubbles are extroverted, bursting into notes of lemon verbena and honeycomb.