It is time for another edition of “Random Samples”–I occasionally get samples from marketing agencies and/or producers. These can often be grouped together into some sort of overarching theme: Muret-Gaston is French for Old Friends (not really, but it should be), The Rise of Australian Wine Beyond Shiraz, Some Wines from Victoria, If It Doesn’t Sparkle, It Doesn’t Matter.
Other times, I get just a bottle or two that do not have any apparent connection or link. Instead of holding on to those bottles until the “right” combination comes along, I decided to link all these “random” bottles together, making their own category (and, being the math geek that I am, “random sample” has a bit of a double entendre).
2025 Cattleya Sauvignon Blanc Alma de Cattleya, Sonoma County, CA: Retail $30. Responsible Bottle (483g; 17oz). Under DIAM5. 100% Sauvignon Blanc. This is now the sixth vintage of this wine that I have reviewed (I somehow missed the 2024) and it might just be my favorite thus far (for me to say “favorite” in conjunction with a Sauvignon Blanc is a step that my therapist would applaud). Brilliant straw with a slight green tint, it exudes a healthy dose of lime along with hints of grapefruit, lemon rind, green apple, and fresh-cut gardenia. The palate is fruity, yes, but also round (8 months in neutral oak), complex, and, as one would expect, quite tart. In other words, delicious. As I said, this is the best Alma SB that I have tried to date and it is also the best Californian version of the variety that I have tried in some time. Outstanding. 94 Points.
2024 Mayacamas Vineyards Chardonnay, Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley, CA: Retail $65. Responsible Bottle (502g; 17.7oz). Under cork. While I have had a few wines now from Mayacamus Vineyards, I believe this is my first Chardonnay from the venerable producer, whose history dates back to the late 19th Century. It is currently owned by the Schottenstein family, the same Schottenstein family that are huge supporters of the Ohio State Buckeyes, the same team to which I devote most of my Fall Saturdays. Maybe I should give them a call? Oh, yeah, the wine. Brilliant straw, well on the way to yellow in the glass, with a wonderfully fruity nose of mostly tree fruit (Bosc pear and white peach) with some lovely lemon curd that I have come to expect from the best Chardonnays. The oak, while present, is certainly subtle (12 months in French and Austrian oak foudres, 10% new). The palate is completely delightful with plenty of fruit initially, but quickly allowing a zingy tartness to steal the show. This partnership lasts all the way through the finish, which lasts well beyond the next sip. Subtle but powerful, fruity but refined, this is an example of the incredible Chardonnay made in this country. Sure, it is on the upper end of American Chardonnay price wise, but in my mind? Well worth it. Outstanding. 95 Points.
2023 Mayacamas Vineyards Merlot, Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley, CA: Retail $75. Responsible Bottle (563g; 19.8oz). 76% Merlot and 24% Cabernet Franc. I do not drink a lot of Merlot. I do not taste a lot of the variety, either. In fact, this is exactly my third Merlot tasting note for the year. I regularly write about a thousand tasting notes a year. Do the math. Why no Merlot? If I want a bold red wine: I grab a Cabernet. If I want a light, expressive red: Pinot Noir. Something a little of the beaten path? Syrah. None of the above? Grenache, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, heck, even Nero d’Avola. Pretty much the last thing that comes to mind in “Merlot” (OK, the last would be Blaufrankisch, but I digress). Why? Well, I have had a ton of mediocre Merlots in my day, wines that were made from a grape grown where it probably should not have been. Does Sideways play a role here? Maybe? In the respect tha t Merlot took the hit of all hits when that movie came out; sales more than decimated, respect lost, industry changed. But here we have a $75 bottle of Merlot, before a wine drinker, asking to be loved, Or something like that. And this is good. Nay, great, and I certainly love it. Near inky dark in the glass, with dark aromas of blackberry, cassis, plum, black pepper, along with a slight herbal note of thyme and sweet basil, whoa. The palate? what a delight. Oodles of all that dark fruit, a near-searing acidity, plenty of spice, weight, and intrigue. This wine is gangbusters and paired exceedingly well with my sous-vided ribeye with blistered green beans and sautéed mushrooms. Yeah, this is a “yum”, a “whoa”, and a “holy cow” all rolled up into one. Sure it is just a bottle and will this lone pulled cork change my mind about Merlot? It just might… Outstanding. 96 Points.
2025 Pisoni Family Vineyards Lucy Pico Blanco, Monterey County, CA: Retail $26. Heavy Bottle (). 70% Pinot Gris and 30% Pinot Blanc. Agglomerated stopper. Foil. This is now the fifth(!) vintage of this wine that I have sampled and I still get a bit giddy when opening it. Even though there is a healthy dose of Pinot Blanc (which I also love), this still has all the markings of a classic Gris (my favorite variety from Alsace). Pale straw in the glass, the nose here is loaded with tropical (lychée) and tree (pear) and honeysuckle blossom. The palate is initially quite rich with plenty of fruit, until the zingy tartness roars in on the mid-palate, nicely balancing out the wine. This all leads to a lengthy finish that underscores both the winemaking and the varietal composition. Both Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc figure prominently in Alsatian wines, and for someone who studied in Alsace and still considers it his second home, that fills my heart with joy. Outstanding. 93 Points.
2022 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley, CA: Retail $70. Responsible Bottle (587g; 20.6oz). 81.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18.5% Cabernet Franc. There are times, in the process of opening a bottle, that I simply can’t wait for the cork to come out. It is not due to an insatiable thirst nor a need for alcohol, but rather an anticipation of what is about to occur; it’s more of a Christmas morning vibe than anything else. While that might dip into the realm of hyperbole, that is close to the feeling that I get when I am lucky enough to open a bottle of Smith-Madrone. No, it is not the “perfect wine” but one of the greatest joys I get from a bottle of wine is when its mere opening, before even the first sip, results in a rush of memories and forces a smile upon my lips. For me, that is Smith-Madrone. I do not claim to know Stu and Charlie Smith (I doubt they even know my name), but I can say without much equivocation that they seem to be genuine people, dedicated to their wines as well as their customers. And this Cabernet oozes that ethos. Dark in the glass with plenty of ripe, dark berry fruit (blackberry, cassis, even some plum [OK, that one is not a berry, but…]), a jolt of spice (black pepper and allspice), and a healthy herbal note (a combo of basil and mint). The palate, while fruity, is much more about the acidity, however, with wave after wave of zingy tartness that more than keeps all the fruit in check. Sure, there are more expensive Napa Cabs out there, but I challenge all of them to be a better exemplar of both the land and the people from which it came. Outstanding. 94 Points.
the drunken cyclist 