April 2024 Tasting Report: Northern Rhone Finesse, Argentine Purity and California’s Lush Chardonnays

We rated 3,847 wines from 16 nations in April, together with 692 from Argentina, 443 from america and 417 from Italy, nevertheless it was in our tastings of 1,944 French wines (together with Bordeaux en primeur) the place we actually hit paydirt, with Senior Editor Stuart Pigott and Tasting Supervisor Kevin Davy uncovering 4 good scorers from M. Chapoutier within the Northern Rhone’s Tain l’Hermitage.

Along with being from the identical cool classic, every of the M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Méal 2021, M. Chapoutier Ermitage  L’Ermite 2021, M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc Le Méal 2021 and  M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc L’Ermite 2021 got here from a single parcel of vines on the famend Hill of Hermitage, so that they symbolize an exception to the long-established path of mixing wines from completely different sections of the hill, and the outcomes are extraordinary.

And there have been much more extra syrah-based reds from the Northern Rhone that we preferred, together with the Domaine Marc Sorrel Hermitage le Gréal 2022, which marries unimaginable focus with each bit as a lot finesse and “have to be tasted to be believed,” in line with Stuart, in addition to the JL Chave Hermitage 2021 – a panoramic wine with unimaginable refinement, floral class and silkiness.

Cornas makes a few of the darkest and most advanced wines within the Northern Rhone, with Domaine Colombo including to the tally with its Domaine Colombo Cornas Vallon de L’Aigle 2020, which has super-ripe elderberry fruit, a smoky complexity and an extended, plush end, in addition to with the Domaine Colombo Ainsi Soit-Il 2020, which has much more fruit and bitter chocolate and comes from the identical altitude plot of outdated vines.

And maybe Cornas’s most well-known producer, Domaine A. Clape, made “a terrific traditional,” in Stuart’s eyes, with its Domaine A. Clape Cornas 2021– a finely chiseled, pure and complicated wine that fantastically expresses the brightness and succulence of the classic.

Stuart and Kevin additionally explored the Gigondas appellation within the Southern Rhone, the place they encountered the stunningly darkish and meaty Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Les Hautes Garrigues 2022 – a 50-50 cuvee of grenache and mourvedre, which is a relatively typical mix for the appellation.

And from higher-altitude websites in Gigondas got here two nice examples of wines with mountain coolness and crisp tannins – Les Pallières Gigondas Terrasses du Diable 2021 and Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Clos Derrière Vieille 2022. And for those who’re seeking to break the financial institution with a Gigondas wine, the Domaine des Bosquets Gigondas Le Regard Loin 2020 could be your ticket. It has terrific focus, focus and power however comes with an equally energetic price ticket.

In close by Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Stuart and Kevin discovered wealthy and beneficiant but well-balanced wines from the recent and dry 2022 classic, with the standout being the Domaine de Ferrand Châteauneuf-du-Pape Garriguette 2022. Made by the modest winemaking genius Philippe Bravay from vines that his ancestors planted in 1904, 1910 and 1920, this masterpiece has unimaginable density and no much less wonderful pressure. In some ways this can be a traditional Chateauneuf wine – a cautiously modernized model of the wines that James and Stuart tasted and drank again within the Eighties.

And for a incredible instance of the stylistic innovation that has made this area so numerous over the past decade, attempt the colourful but very silky and sensual Famille Isabel Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape Columbis 2022. The Domaine de la Solitude Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vin de la Solitude 2021, in the meantime, has a “mind-bending mixture of fruits, savory and balsamic complexity that have to be skilled to be believed,” in line with Stuart.

James, in the meantime, was in Bordeaux for a lot of April and reported his findings on the en primeur 2023 classic in En Primeur 2023 (Half I): A Return to Bordeaux and En Primeur 2023 (Half II): A Classic to Love, However at What Worth? James tasted almost 1,100 barrel samples from 2023 and met with greater than 100 wine producers. His verdict is that 2023 compares favorably to a few of Bordeaux’s nice years, however with much more exact winemaking.

Half I of James’ collection takes a more in-depth take a look at Bordeaux’s Proper Financial institution wines from 2023, whereas Half II is his general view of the classic. It was James’ forty first classic of tasting younger Bordeaux from barrel (he began manner again in 1982). Though he discovered that a number of vintages of the current previous, like 2019 or 2016, examine to 2023 as a result of all of them had ripe, balanced fruit and agency tannins with barely decrease alcohol, 2023 is completely different not solely due to its particular rising season but additionally the developments in viticulture and winemaking over the past decade.

Nestling proper up alongside the top-scoring French wines throughout the month was Moet-Hennessy’s singular creation from Shangri-La, China – the Ao Yun 2020, which Senior Editor Zekun Shuai tasted with Ao Yun property supervisor and winemaker Maxence Dulou in our Hong Kong workplace. Zekun known as it “the freshest and greatest expression of Ao Yun but, with decrease pH, placing acidity and pressure,” and it additionally acquired the best rating we’ve ever given to a Chinese language wine.

Whereas 2018 and 2019 had been additionally nice years for the Ao Yun, 2020 is “a outstanding classic that reveals focus, depth and layers,” Zekun mentioned. It additionally dials up the freshness whereas firming down the richness and opulence to make for a particularly interesting and eclectic wine that may be loved in its youth or in twenty years’ time because of its concord of acidity, pure focus and al dente, superb tannins.

ARGENTINE PURITY

Zekun additionally wrapped up his and James’ tastings of Argentina wines in our 2024 annual report on the nation, nevertheless it was the at all times thrilling, great-value El Enemigo wines that caught his consideration in April. Winemakers Alejandro Vigil and Adrianna Catena totally embrace Mendoza’s virtues of outstanding worth and consistency, and so they did it once more of their 2022 choices. Their El Enemigo Chardonnay Mendoza 2022 showcases purity of fruit, minerality and bracing saltiness, and “simply rivals the world’s best” chardonnays, in line with Zekun. And at a retail worth of simply $30, it punches manner above the belt in its high quality/worth class.

And the identical steely, hyper-minerality additionally comes via in El Enemigo’s old-vine chenin blanc from 2022 –  “a singular chenin, utterly devoid of oak affect, bursting with terroir hints of salinity and minerality that transport you to the limestone clay soils the place the 60-year-old vines thrive,” Zekun mentioned.

Uruguay additionally delivered some actually excellent high quality in our April tastings, particularly the wines of one in all Zekun’s go-to producers for tannats and albariños, Familia Deicas. The Familia Deicas Albariño Maldonado Cru d’Exception 2022 was probably the most notable of the albariños, however Familia Deicas additionally got here on sturdy with its pinot noirs.

The Familia Deicas Pinot Noir Uruguay Pueblo Garzón Subsuelo Excessive Vineyards 2022 confirmed nerviness and pressure regardless of the prominence of oak spices, whereas the Familia Deicas Pinot Noir Progreso Finca Castelar Single Winery 2022 is one other delicate pinot that reveals mossy fruit, spices, mineral and flowers with good mid-palate flesh, making it an virtually Chambolle-like expression, in line with Zekun.

LAVISH CHARDONNAYS

Government Editor Jim Gordon tapped right into a slew of California wines in April, largely cabernet sauvignons, nevertheless it was the Ramey Wine Cellars lineup of chardonnays that he tasted with David and Carla Ramey and their kids Claire and Alan that he discovered “sensible in fashion and emblematic of the low-yield, stellar-quality 2021 classic usually all through the Sonoma and Napa areas.”

He uncovered a lavish, concentrated wine within the Ramey Chardonnay Carneros Hyde Winery 2021, with its depth of lemon curd, lime zest, vanilla bean and custard flavors, and he additionally discovered the Chardonnay Hyde Winery 2014 – from the identical block of Hyde’s Outdated Wente Clone Chardonnay that David Ramey has been working since 2002 – to be much more of a deal with. And matching the Hyde Chardonnay in complexity however exhibiting extra class and minerality was Ramey’s 2021 chardonnay from the Rochioli winery in Russian River Valley.

Much more lush and creamy California chardonnays got here from winemaker Matt Sands of Waypoint Vineyards, along with his Waypoint Chardonnay Russian River Valley Ritchie Winery 2021 “a research in butter, vanilla bean and poached pear flavors.” Sands additionally made two excellent reds – the Waypoint Pinot Noir Sonoma County Fort Ross-Seaview Fort Ross Winery 2021 – a handsomely structured wine whose vibrant acidity backs spectacular black fruit, cedar and wet-stone complexity – and the Waypoint Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Terra de Promissio Winery 2021, which reveals much more linearity and freshness with tangy acidity and on-point pink fruit flavors.

Tasting Supervisor Kevin Davy and Affiliate Editor Andrii Stetsiuk had been within the Dundee Hills district of Oregon’s Willamette Valley throughout the month, tasting the most recent pinot noir and chardonnay releases of Arterberry Maresh and Tan Fruit, each made by winemaker Jim Maresh.

Maresh made the “pristine and ethereal” Arterberry Maresh Pinot Noir Dundee Hills Weber 2022, which comes from 50-year-old vines, whereas the Maresh Dundee Hills chardonnay is from a particular new website that Maresh mentioned reminded him of Montrachet, the rocky Anela Winery. The wine boasts loads of mineral spine and a stony character however retains the agility and voluptuous character of the remainder of the vary.

Maresh’s Tan Fruit are all distinctive, coming from distinctive websites like The Eyrie Winery and Oak Grove Winery, and Maresh’s most up-to-date addition, the White Walnut Winery, has a verticality and verve that helped give it a ranking equal to The Eyrie.

Lastly, from Australia we tapped into the newest releases from the exalted Barossa property of Henschke, and so they as soon as once more didn’t disappoint with their sensible Henschke Barossa Keyneton Euphonium Crimson Mix 2019, whereas the Hill of Grace Winery 2019 is of superlative high quality and significantly extra filigreed and tauter than current iterations.

– Vince Morkri, Managing Editor

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