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 over-arching theme: Drink Them and It Will Come, Summer is Here, So That Means (More) Rosé, 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).

2021 Bodegas El Coto Rioja Rosado, Spain: Retail $14. 90% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha. Under screw cap. Medium to even dark in color for a rosé with heavy minerality on the nose as well as some solid red berry fruit. The palate is quite mineral as well, with touches of fruit and acidity but also a bit medicinal which takes away from the fruit a bit. I drink a ton of rosé over the course of the year and this is certainly solid, but not exceptional. Very Good. 88 Points.

2021 Gaia Assyrtiko Thalassitis, Santorini, Greece: Retail $43. Heavy bottle. DIAM10. 100% Assyrtiko. Brilliant straw to yellow in the glass with lemon and lime notes, a slight nutty aspect, and wet rock. The palate has nice but subtle fruit balanced by bright acidity and plenty of minerality. With great weight and mouthfeel, this really is a fantastic iteration of the variety. While I did spend my honeymoon on Santorini, I have not had many of them in the subsequent 83 or so years, but I do know that this is pretty fantastic. Outstanding. 93 Points. 

2021 J. Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon Hilltop, Paso Robles. CA: Retail $35. Heavy Bottle. 100%(?) Cabernet Sauvignon. I was sent several bottles of J Lohr and I really had no idea what to expect. Sure, I knew it was a large producer in Paso Robles and the winery’s less-expensive offerings were ubiquitous, but a few of the wines they sent me were smaller lot, single vineyard wines that the vast majority of folks had not known existed, much less tasted. That is the case here with this Hilltop Cabernet. Fairly dark in the glass with oodles of black and blue fruit: blackberry, cassis, plum as well as spice and a touch of earth. The palate is fruity, for sure, but there is also black earth, spice, a zingy balance, and even a touch of verve. Add in some hints of mocha, and some subtle tannins on the finish? Pleasantly surprised. Excellent. 91 Points.

2021 J. Lohr Chardonnay Arroyo Vista, Arroyo Seco, CA: Retail $25. Under cork. 100% Chardonnay. The scores on CellarTracker are a bit worrisome: 82 and 85. Yikes. While few (any?) would confuse this with Le Montrachet, it is not nearly as bad as those two reviewers would have you believe. It is fruity for sure on the nose with tons of tropical and tree fruit, as well as a bit of oak (I could not find any info on the oak program for this wine online). On the palate, while not a full-blown example of cougar juice, it is, perhaps, more of a “classic California Chardonnay” as the fruity, buttery aspect (although again, no information about malolactic fermentation to be found online), and, yes, oak, all figure rather prominently. Is that a bad thing? well, it depends whom you ask. If you ask me? While not my preferred style of Chardonnay, I do think it does have its place. Very Good. 88 Points.

2021 Landmark Pinot Noir Overlook, CA: Retail $27. Moderate bottle (611g). DIAM10 closure. A blend from primarily two counties (Sonoma and Monterey Counties with a smidge from Santa Barbara County thrown in). Fairly dark in the glass with some red and dark fruit on the nose. The palate is perfectly pleasant with decent fruit, balancing acidity, and a touch of intrigue. Look, this is not a world-beater but then neither is the price. Very Good. 88 Points.

2020 Meyye Wines Chardonnay Kuluppis, Carneros, CA: Retail $55. Big Ass Bottle. Oak fermented. 100% Malolactic. While there is a bit of information on this wine online, I do have an open question: what percentage of the oak barrels used were new? This is kind of important since the oak is rather present here, both on the nose and the palate. While that is not necessarily a bad thing (actually, not at all in my book), I am just curious as to what the wine team was looking for here. Said oak is at the forefront of the nose, along with some golden delicious apple, ripe peach, and a decided saltiness. On the palate, once again, the oak asserts itself first and all the way through the mid-palate and on to the finish. Some fruit peaks through at various points, but, well, this is heavy on the oak. Personally? I really like this wine but I feel like all that wood is hiding the (I assume) gorgeous Sangiacomo fruit underneath. Very Good. 89 Points.