January saw the advent of another version of the annual State of the Wine Industry report by Silicon Valley Bank. I’ve covered several years of this report here on 1WD, and usually that coverage is of a slightly (ok, full-on) negative tone, warning the US wine biz that sea changes in consumer behavior are afoot, about which the industry seems to be doing little.

Now, according to the 2019 incarnation of the SVB analysis, the US wine industry might be too late; or, at least, too late to avoid negative impacts to fine wine sales now that most of the millennial generation are old enough to legally drink, and making just enough money to spend some of it on drinking.

Congrats, folks! You officially stuck your head so far into your butts that, if you squint through your belly-button hole, you’ll be able to see that you blew your chance at capturing the hearts (and dollars) of the next generation of drinkers! Go, you!…

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.
 
They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

• 2015 Catena Zapata ‘Catena Alta’ Historic Rows Malbec (Mendoza): All the haters who like to complain about Malbec being a “one note” grape can go suck it. $55 A-
• 2017 Pewsey Vale Dry Riesling (Eden Valley): Oh, how I have missed your electric touch! $20 B+
• 2016 Yangarra Estate Roussanne (McLaren Vale): Rich and complex, but not skimping on either the energy or the stone fruits. $34 A-
• 2014 Yangarra Estate Shiraz (McLaren Vale): To quote the late, great David Bowie, “leather, leather everywhere…” $34 A-
• NV Jansz Premium Cuvee Rose (Tasmania): Earthy red berries, brioche, and a sense of promising things to come. $28 B+
• 2014 Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (Veneto): Densely packed, potent, and just the thing for long, cold Winter nights. $65 A-
• 2016 Windvane Chardonnay (Carneros): Is ti big? Well, yeah. But did it forget to bring the lemons? Hellz no! $40 A-
• 2014 Peachy Canyon Vortex Zinfandel (Paso Robles): Spicy, luxuriant, and demanding that you pay it some respect. $44 A-
• 2014 Bonterra Vineyards ‘The McNab’ McNab Ranch Vineyard Red (Mendocino County): Pepper and leather abound; crowds will be pleased ere this day is done. $50 A-
• 2016 Siduri Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands): ‘Highlanders’ like this will make you feel high on life all around. $34 A-

Despite the fact that I have content to write up that spans more than a year of travel (including my takes on the wine scene in Israel, the southern Rhone, and Romagna), the thing that’s been rattling around in my brain and not letting the hell go stems from a much more recent excursion, when I had a brief, impromptu visit taken during my latest jaunt to Monferrato.

Specifically, to the as-of-right-now 219-year-old building (established the same year – 1900 – as the planting of the sort-of-famous tree in their backyard in Nizza) of Scarpa. My short-term obsession has to do with the impression that this relatively small (22 hectares, yielding about 120,000 bottles/year) producer is fascinatingly, anachronistically refreshing within the context of modern Italian wine. Time passing seems to have little impact on how Scarpa approach crafting wine in Piedmont.

Scarpa works only with indigenous Italian grape varieties, and is one fo the few regional producers that have been grandfathered in to the zonal production laws of Barolo. The rest of this short tale is literally told almost exclusively in liquid form, in the hopes that my written words can transmit the sense of nonchalant, almost insouciant joy that Scarpa’s winemaking style presents…

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.
 
They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

• 2016 Berta Paolo 1842 “175 Vendemmie” (Barbera d’Asti Superiore): Classically trained, and laying down the Old School style funk, resplendent in cloves & cedar. $NA B+
• 2016 Franco Roero “Sichei” (Barbera d’Asti Superiore): You’ll feel the breadth, herbs, and spices, and just about every single individual percent of its powerful 16% abv. $NA B+
• 2014 Stewart Cellars Merlot (Napa Valley): Spiced plums, a heaping helping of wood, and more than a heaping helping of dead-sexiness. $40 A-
• 2016 Flora Springs Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Fearing nothing, including the showing off of both its dark fruit and vibrant, herbal sides. $50 A-
• 2016 Dutton-Goldfield Devils Gulch Vineyard Pinot Noir (Marin County): Perfume, flowers, berry pie, baking spices, earth… and, well, that’s just the nose. I forgot the Tea, meat, and smoke, and… Just… F*cking. Wow. $72 A
• 2015 Bonterra ‘The Roost’ Blue Heron Vineyards Chardonnay (Mendocino County): Cranks the volume and then struts to the tune of ‘Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy.” $45 A-
• 2016 Chalk Hill Estate Chardonnay (Chalk Hill): Engages the
  nitrous oxide engine at full throttle right out of the gate. $42 A-
• 2017 Cinder Dry Viognier (Washington): Stone and tropical fruits that decided not to argue and instead began parting together. $23 B+
• 2016 Telaya ‘Turas’ (Columbia Valley): Red assemblage on the cusp of great things; young, leathery, reserved, and not fooling around. $32 B+
• 2015 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir (Central Otago): Apparently, they keep Elegance in one paddock, and loveliness in the other. $50 A-